why are there different sets of tee markers on the golf course?

by Jarret Hessel 9 min read

Golf tee colors are used to indicate the distance the tee is from the hole. While there are tee colors common among most courses each course is different and may use additional colors. The tee colors are part of the handicapping culture in golf that levels the playing field among golfers.

Other courses might have as many as five, six or seven sets of tees. How do you know which set of tees to use? The different tee boxes correspond to different yardages, which also means different playing abilities.Nov 4, 2019

Full Answer

What do the tee-markers mean on a golf course?

When you’re on a golf course, there’s something you can’t help but notice on every single hole: the tee-markers. From the most ragged of munis to Augusta National, golf courses have their own unique identifiers signifying where one needs to tee off —part of the universal language of the game.

What are the best tee markers in golf?

Here are the 12 best tee markers in golf — ranked! 1 1. Olympics. Getty Images. 2 2. John Deere Classic. 3 3. ANA Inspiration. 4 4. Porsche European Open. 5 5. BMW Charity Pro-Am. More items

Why do Olympic golfers have branded tee markers?

As golfers compete in the Olympics for just the second time in over 100 years, they tee off from a pair of five rings on either side of them as that Olympic branding serves as the tee markers. Having branded tee markers is nothing new, but some events do it better than others.

How far apart are tee markers placed on a golf course?

How far apart the tee markers are placed is determined by golf course staff and based on the design of each golf hole's starting point. Depth: The teeing ground extends from an imaginary straight line connecting the fronts of the tee markers backward two club-lengths.

What do the different color tee markers mean?

More commonly, the red tees are located in front of the white tee markers and are often called the "women's tees". The forward tees usually offer the shortest yardage on the course. Green tee markers often have shorter yardage than even the red tee markers, and usually indicate where juniors and beginners hit from.

What are the different colored tees in golf?

Red tees were the forward tees, white tees were the middle tees, and blue tees were the back tees—also known as, respectively, the ladies tees, men's tees (or regular tees), and the championship tees.

Why are golf tees different Colours?

Golf tee colors are used to indicate the distance the tee is from the hole. While there are tee colors common among most courses each course is different and may use additional colors. The tee colors are part of the handicapping culture in golf that levels the playing field among golfers.

Is there a difference between golf tees?

While the stiff-nature of the wood is good for performance, wood golf tees do tend to break more easily, so durability is not their strong suit. Plastic golf tees, on the other hand, won't snap in half during a monster drive, but they do have a tendency to bend. Material make-up isn't the only way golf tees vary.

What do the colored markers mean on a golf course?

Golf courses have distance markers that measure the yardage to each hole, and each distance marker has a corresponding color. On most courses, the 100-yard marker is red, the 150-yard marker is white, and the 200-yard marker is blue. Some courses will have a 250-yard marker that is yellow, but this is less common.

How do you know what golf tees to use?

A general rule of thumb to determine which tee box is right for you is if you hit your driver under 200 yards, play from the closest tee. If you hit from 200-225 the next farthest tee, and so on. When you are hitting 275+ accurately you should be playing the farthest tees back.

What color tees do seniors play from?

The BasicsColorGenderTitleBlackMensChampionBlueLadiesMemberWhiteSeniorRedForwardFeb 25, 2022

Can I play off red tees?

Modern golf courses can use any color they want for any set of tees; the red tees (if there even are red tees at a given course) could be front, middle or back, so it's best to check each golf club's membership rules to see which each represent at that particular club.

Can a man play off red tees?

"It's all about accessibility, getting people to play the game, get decent scores and then move back to the longer tees and increase the challenge." He added: "We've seen lots of people - men and ladies - play off the red tees, even the purple tees. "On social media we've had lots of great comments about it.

Do any pro golfers use plastic tees?

Some modern golfers today prefer plastic tees. Plastic golf tees are more durable than wood tees. They last longer during an average day on the golf course. They can come in the same colors as wooden tees so they can also be easily spotted on the grass.

How many different golf tees are there?

Most golf courses have at least three sets of tees—the forward tees, middle tees and back (or championship) tees. Other courses might have as many as five, six or seven sets of tees.

Do irons go further off a tee?

0:3213:13Golf Iron Shots Off The Tee vs Off The Turf - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFor example if you're hitting a four iron off the t versus off the ground it's going to be a littleMoreFor example if you're hitting a four iron off the t versus off the ground it's going to be a little easier to hit that foreign. If you're hitting a pitching wedge off the t or off the ground.

1. The cart has no driver

This is a remote-controlled five-passenger cart, commonly found on golf courses in Japan and Korea. The cart takes the clubs around, allowing golfers to walk as much as they want to. I’ve always been concerned, being involved with course maintenance, about these quiet carts that can sneak up on you.

3. There are two greens on this hole!

This course uses the two green system. Most courses with the two green system have the main green as creeping bentgrass with the subgreen being used less often. The subgreen is usually still creeping bentgrass but sometimes will be Z. matrella or bermudagrass. It is interesting at this course that the main green is Z.

4. Why are there tee markers in the fairway?

We can see that the golfers are not using them. Do you know what the markers are for?

Type of Tees

As a standard, the different sets of tees on golf courses include the forward, middle, and back or championship tees, even if they have more than three tee boxes. The tee box denotations are determined by different tee distance yardages corresponding to the golfers’ playing abilities.

Color Coding

Golf tees are color-coded to indicate the distance to the hole on a course. The tee colors are also unofficially associated with a specific age or gender that might limit some players. Golf tee colors are usually common between different courses, especially white, blue and red tees.

Selecting the Right Tee Box

The length of the tee is determined by the distance between the shooting location to the hole. Every person must learn how to walk before they can run, so they should be conscious about playing from a set of tees that are too long, which is a common mistake made by amateur players.

Professional vs Amateur Golfers

Using the right team can elevate your game and skills. If you’re a professional player, you’re more likely to have consistent and accurate shots, so you can opt for back tees to provide enough of a challenge for you to enjoy the game.

12. Sanderson Farms Championship

The Sanderson Farms Championship has a fun take on tee markers, and it ties into their local community. All the chickens perched atop the markers are painted by patients at Friends of Children’s Hospital, the charitable beneficiary for the event. This is a great way to get their branding out there while also giving back to the community. Well done.

11. USGA

The classic USGA markers are used at qualifying sites all the way through the various national championships they conduct. Simple, understated and identifiable.

10. Wells Fargo Championship

The Wells Fargo Classic uses stagecoach tee markers that pay homage to their history as a company that brings their “customers closer to the things they value.” Who doesn’t love a good stagecoach?

9. Waste Management Phoenix Open

The Waste Management Phoenix Open might be the biggest party in golf, but their tee markers (unfortunately) are not affiliated with that reputation. Instead, they use the tee box to showcase miniature versions of their garbage trucks.

8. Valspar Championship

The Valspar Championship’s paint bucket tee markers are truly one of a kind. No word yet on whether they actually contain paint or not.

7. Barbasol Championship

Forgot to shave before heading to the course? It’s not a problem at the Barbasol Championship!

6. Marathon LPGA Classic

The Marathon LPGA Classic uses miniature gas pumps to mark the tees at their annual event. If you need to fill up, you better bring your miniature credit card.

What happens if you hit a poor tee shot?

If you hit a poor tee shot, odds are it will come to rest in a playable spot rather than a water hazard, bunker or deep rough. If you’re playing with more experienced golfers, it’s not necessary to tee off from the same spot as they do.

How many yards is a par 3 golf course?

One relatively easy task is deciding where to tee off from. Practically every golf course – be it full-length (maximum of at least 5,800 yards, par 69 or higher), executive-length (shorter, total par around 60) or par-3 (most or all holes are par 3s) – has at least three sets ...

How many yards can a golfer hit a golf ball?

Just be sure to let them hit before walking onto your tee. Once you can consistently get the ball airborne and hit it 200 yards or more with your driver, feel free to graduate to a lengthier tee box. Most men play from a set in the 6,000 – 6,500-yard range, while women generally play from 5,000 – 5,800 yards.

What are the different colors of tee markers?

Golf courses typically offer multiple teeing areas on each hole, designated by different colors of tee markers (the blue tees, white tees, red tees and so on). You play from the same teeing ground on each successive hole; that is, if you begin from the area designated by, say, blue tee markers, you continue playing the "blue tees" on every hole.

When teeing off, do you stand behind a golfer?

Don't stand directly behind a golfer's line of play when they are teeing off; stand off to the side, remaining quiet and still during other golfers' play. And don't tee up your ball on the teeing ground until it's actually your turn to play.

What is the order of play on the teeing ground?

Order of play on the teeing ground is based on " honors ," which means golfers tee off in the order of the best scoring on the previous hole. The golfer with the lowest score tees off first on the next hole, and so on. (Choose randomly on the first tee.)

How far back does the teeing ground go?

If your driver is, for example, 46 inches long, then the teeing ground, for you, extends 92 inches back from the tee markers.

What is the definition of a golf ball outside the teeing ground?

It is a rectangular area two club-lengths in depth, the front and the sides of which are defined by the outside limits of two tee-markers. A ball is outside the teeing ground when all of it lies outside the teeing ground.". As noted, "teeing ground" is now deprecated and the term used by the governing bodies is "teeing area.".

Where do you play your first stroke on each hole?

You must play your first stroke on each hole: from in-between the tee markers that designate the teeing ground ; never from in front of the tee markers; but anywhere up to two club-lengths behind the tee markers. The areas where several sets of tees are grouped together are called " tee boxes .".

What is a teeing ground?

Updated January 23, 2019. A "teeing ground " on a golf course is that area from which you play your first stroke on each hole: It's where every hole starts. It is, in other words, the area from which you "tee off.". "Teeing ground" was a term that was used in the Rules of Golf through the end of 2018. Beginning with the 2019 edition of the rule ...

Where is the yardage marker on a golf course?

Yardage markers can be found in the fairway and the rough throughout a golf hole.

What does 150 yard marker mean?

The 150 yard marker indicates 150 yards away from the center of the green - it is normally white. It can also be in the form of a white checkered pole that sticks out of the ground.

Where are sprinkler heads on golf course?

Sprinkler heads and yardage markers can be found in the fairway and the rough throughout a golf hole.