Golf Tips

A simple but great idea to make golf more fun and less time-consuming for the recreational player is to “shrink the course.”

Barney Adams of Adams Golf, Golf Channel’s Dottie Pepper, CBS Analyst and Top Teacher Peter Kostis, and others in the golf industry are encouraging recreational golfers to move up off the tee and play from shorter distances. “Adams is pushing for at least 500 yards for men and 1000 yards for women – all in the interest of making golf a less daunting, quicker, and more entertaining pastime;” says Sam Weinman in the May 23rd issue of GolfWorld magazine. This new movement has been dubbed “Tee It Forward.”

Twenty years ago, one of my novice female students decided, all on her own, as a new golfer accompanied by her regular golfer husband, to play from only 100 yards in. Martha knew that her non-athletic nature plus a total lack of golfing experience, would not be conducive to an enjoyable 18-hole round for either herself or her husband, so she “shrank the course.” Even beginner golfers can usually hit short shots into the green, and then putt. My student and her husband played many enjoyable rounds on various courses this way.

I’ve since suggested to new golfers that they start playing from 100 yards in, and when they can regularly get the ball in the hole with 5 shots, to then move back to the 150 yard marker. When they can score 5 from 150 yards, they then should begin to play from the 200 yard marker. Upon getting it in the hole for 5 strokes from 200 yards, it’s time to start playing from the women’s tees. Comments from my beginners have included “You took the stress away” and “I gained some confidence, and had much more fun.”

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