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Hello all!
First a few stats:
15 years old
20 handicap
Average drive: 200 yards
At my home course I usually play from the back tees (6536 yd.) This means on all par 4's except 2 I have to hit driver-wood to be near the green on my first 2 shots. Recently I played in a tournament where I hit from the middle tees (6175 yd.). I got to use my 4, 5, and 6 irons for my second shots and I could get on all the greens in regulation with a good drive.
So which tees should I play from? The back tees mean that I have to hit a pretty good first and second shot to have a decent chance for par. So my woods and wedges must be on for me to score. If I play the from the middle all parts of my game get a fairly equal workout. What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance

My first impression is for you to play the middle tees until your drives start reaching out there a little further because, like you said, you get to use more parts of your game. Don't think, "this is too easy" and lapse into a routine that might not maximize your scoring ops. Play the shorter course with a passion and when you gain a little length off the tee then move back to the back tees and grow some more. The well-rounded golfer that can use all the sticks is usually a formidable competitor. Good luck, Pitcher.

Shade

Play them all including the ladies tees...this will work more parts of your game (get to use wedges and short irons into the greens)...

Play them all (including red) and don't get discouraged by people who ask you why you are playing from a certain tee box. I play the middle tees at my Home Course cuz I feel the back tees are simply too difficult for me.

Are you still growing (do you think you will be taller, bigger in a few years)? If so, go for the middle tees now and grow into the back tees as your drives get longer.

I have to say I wouldnt bother with the ladies tees. I dont hit any shots I wouldnt from the mid tees and actually end up hitting less of them. I think there is a limit... The tees which give you drive/short iron are close enough. There is no point playing tees which you can hit driver/chip. Going back is definitely good though.

A lot of courses will even post (on the scorecard) appropriate tees for particular handicaps. I agree that you may want to alternate because it gives you an opportunity to use different clubs. A recent show on the Golf Channel featured a playing lesson with Brad Faxon. He recommended playing all the tee boxes to improve the game.

I would alternate just for fun and to get the most out of it. First the back then the middle finally the forward. You also could just switch out clubs like teeing off with a 5 wood or a 3 iron. Distance out of the tee off has a lot of emphasis on it when you should assume that on most par 4's and almost all 5's you will be takeing two strokes anyways. This being understood if you are good with your long Irons a 200 yard drive plus a good second stroke using a long iron with get you there just as good as a longer drive and a short iron second. Remember there are many roads to the same place that is basis of golf. Good luck.

play from the whites if your around 15, that sounds right

He can't hit driver is the point...besides, my point was not to play to the max length that you can hit, but rather take a mid iron, mid iron approach to the round to work on iron play...

Wasn't it Davis Love that had to play the ladies tees until he could break par on them? I agree with everyone that said to play all the tee boxes. I get in a rut when I play the same course and the same tee boxes all the time. Does nothing for you when you change courses.

General rule of thumb is:

0-10 handicap - back tees
11-20 handicap - middle tees
21 + forward tees

the club i play at doesnt let you play back tees midweek,our course is a short par 68 and its getting to the point that i only have short chips onto some greens,i get round this by going to 2 longer courses one of them with 5 par 5,s the other with 4 par 5,s,i get to practise 5,6,7,irons on the longer par 4,s and lots of 5 wood fairway shots,good shooting at 15 you are right to want to practise with more clubs

I am 14 and a 26 handicap with about a 215 drive, so you pitcher your game sounds roughly the same as mine. And I play from the white tees. When I start driving farther I'll play from the blue tees more but for now I am content with the white tees at my course which is 6330 yards from the whites.

i'm at 13 and will usually play the blue tees, but no farther than 6,600 yards.