Pros teaching
 

What is wrong with the pros that are teaching women to play in the villages? I played with beginners this past week and they were teeing the ball up in the middle of the fairway. When I asked what they were doing they told me their instructor told them if it made the game more fun and was easier they should do it. I thought they made a mistake in what they said but spoke to another person who told them their instructor told them the same thing. Come on, be real instructors out there. Teach women to play by the rules , not what feels good. It is embarrassing to be treated to different rules because it “feels good”. They will never learn this way and it holds up the game! Women are capable of playing the right way!

For ALL beginners (men/women/children)...I personally don't see anything wrong with it at all.

In fact, being able to hit it straighter and not always going off in the rough/woods when one is just starting...can more than make up for the minuscule amount of time it takes to tee it up.

Just like the "Tee It Forward" initiative, things that make the game more fun can only grow the game I love...and that has seen a slow and steady decline in recent years. :shrug:

To me, that's like saying the 'Friendly Tees' should be eliminated...because they don't have a course/slope rating. :oops:

I respectively disagree.

IMHO everyone has 13 minutes to play the hole. That's the only "rule" [that's more a cutesy] that matters.

I think when you are teaching children it is important to get them to play by the rules as quickly as reasonably possible. In baseball they start with tee ball. At our age, make it fun. After all if you are not going to count all your strokes, not hit provisionals, walk it back when it's lost or play everything down why pretend you play the same game as the pros.

just an opinion

The point is to have fun. Tee it up if you like. Once they get proficient at that they can move on the playing it as it lies. Also, it will probably save stokes and make play faster for everyone involved.

EXACTLY!! :thumbup:

I see nothing wrong with it a long as it's understood by the beginner what play is by the rules or not and provides the beginner to practice fundamentals and have fun. These are recreational golfers, not tour pros who's play depends on making a mortgage payment. I'd rather they tee it in the fairway to speed play rather than ripping real estate up the fairway or making that little line behind the ball in a bunker. The villages recently put out a pamphlet on ways to speed play for beginners at the starter shacks. I've heard some pretty snide remarks about those as well. Relax and have fun people.

What other game/activity can you play with beginners and pros and all be competitive since you are playing against the course, the clock and yourself? My most memorable rounds were playing with my dad and 2 sons.

How many golfers here play by the rules.....play the ball as it lies, no gimmies, no mulligans etc. The rule should be "get out and enjoy the game" and as long as you aren't slowing play or not raking your traps or not fixing ball marks play what is fun to you.

Hey, newbie, it's all about speeding up the pace of play. Have you ever gotten behind a group that cannot get the ball off the ground and your round turned into a 5 1/2 hr marathon? Didn't think so.

I don't care if they tee it up on every shot as long as they keep it moving forward. Those people you see doing that ARE NOT COMPETITION GOLFERS, they're doing it for the fun.

Bunch of nonsense. Teeing up in fairway slows play. That’s all we need more slow play.

My instructor told me the same thing If you feel more comfortable tee up. I did on long holes. Now I no longer do but I needed to in the beginning.

I'll have to respectfully disagree.

How many times have you seen a beginner trying to hit it off of the ground and advancing it 10 yards at a time...or hitting it sideways?

It takes about 10 seconds to set a tee/ball in the fairway, where they at least have a chance of hitting it 50-100 yards.

Much faster play that way IMHO. :shrug:

If you've been watching...
 

closely most people that play here have a hard time getting that little round monster airborne. That usually means a lot more shots till they get to the green and since using double par as the pick up the ball and get to the next hole is hopefully used....that actually speeds up play. No nonsense about it. Just common sense.

As to the original post....how old is the average age here? Well most people here will never gain the consistency to enjoy hitting it off the ground and it's not "fun" to keep hitting those worm burners. So folks tee it up everywhere is a good thing. It isn't necessary unless it's a tournament or a usage event.

So lighten up folks or you can play a round with me and I'm quite sure I can find a penalty on most every hole to nail you(unless you actually play by all the rules...ie: don't tee it up ahead of the markers, don't ground your club in the sand, NO mulligans, every attempt to hit the ball is a stroke, marking the ball correctly, moving the ball on the green correctly to get it out of anothers line and penalty strokes). I could go on and on. Have fun. Be respectful and be courteous(rake your bunker properly, fill you divots, fix your pitch marks on the green, don't talk when others are hitting, don't walk in anothers line when on the green, first in tends the pin, don't drag your feet on the green, carts 15' away from tees greens and bunkers, turn off your carts bleeping radio.....)

I think that you're confusing people that want to learn to play golf with people that want to have a nice day whacking a ball around a field and having lunch with their friends afterward.

Why should people who are going out to have fun, get some exercise and enjoy socializing with their friends have to be bothered with the rules of the game? Are they also supposed to hole every putt and abide by the out-of-bounds and lost ball rule? Would you encourage them not to pick up after double par?

I'd let them do whatever that want as long as they keep up a proper pace and do their part to maintain the course. It doesn't matter to me as long as I'm not playing against them for anything.

Seems like whatever makes it fun for everyone should work out much better. I know of no one here who is playing for a Green Jacket on a daily basis. Tournament play should be by the rules, I agree. Even the pros can grant some latitude there, as well though, depending on conditions and type of tournament. As for the time it takes to tee it up, it is minimal. That takes much less time than someone taking 3-4+ practice swings, then changing clubs and doing the same routine. Not nearly as long as plumb-bobbing every putt from every angle, either.

:agree: Get out and enjoy the game.

I digress...
 

I used to teach beginners for fun, I have no credentials, but as an amateur, they had no cost :).

Mostly my wife's friends; I really enjoyed teaching, so much so a friend that ran a range in Norton, MA had to ask me to stop as his teaching pros were complaining about me. I told him these people would never pay a nickle never mind $50. I understood and had no issue with his position...

Back to the subject at hand. Every beginner I taught I told them to tee it up in fairway for a while for enjoyment . I fail to see how putting a peg in ground slows play?

Honestly a large portion of golfers I meet believe that a golf ball is struck on the upswing. They should use a tee themselves :D

Yep. :thumbup:

If folks are being told to just have fun, why aren't they told to step up and swing the club instead of standing statue-like for what seems like an eternity while they fill their heads with swing thoughts that have no chance of being executed when they try to muscle the ball onward with all their strength?

Amen

When our granddaughter had to play with a pro so she could play golf here, she had to play by the rules of golf.

She just turned 10 that month. A pro must approve a young player before they can play. She passed, he complemented her game and did ask her if golf was in her future? She smiled, and said sure, soon as I graduate medical school, and need to network with my patients.

Rules were rules for a 10 year old just to play on our courses. Of course she is very competitive, respectful of the game, that she has been taught to play.

Speaking of professionals have you ever followed them for a practice round? They break all kinds of rules. Do you think that unless there is a match between friends or a club tournament going on, that any of the rounds played here by casual golfers are anything more than practice rounds?

I have followed the pros on their practice rounds. They are not breaking rules. They are practicing various shots and are not competeing.

Why do you think they want to see if a 10 year old knows how to consistently hit a ball and how to play the game?

No player under the age of 12 can play golf here unless they have been evaluated by a pro. It’s the rules. She has played since age 6 at our country club. But in TV you must be approved as to not slow play, make sure they know the rules, and most importantly respect of the game. And try not to smile too big when you out drive the old guys you get paired with, that just had a fit some kid much less a little girl is allowed to play, and yes that happens here. Some treat her with respect others not so much, but she thinks of them as a learning experience of keeping good manners and respect of elders. She believes that someday she will be doing their hip replacement, so you need to have compassion even they may not respect you as a young girl.

Wow--she thinks a lot. I don't think I know anyone who would be unkind to a 10 year old.

I coached high school golf. It would be wonderful to golf with children who enjoy the game.


I have officiated many tournaments over 30+years. Most high school don't have a girls team so the girls compete with the boys. There usually was 2 girls and 98 boys in end of season tournaments. You play your best players. The colleges give scholarships to boys and girls. They usually won't consider a boy who doesn't shoot par. But a girl does not have nearly as much competition.

First year premed in the books at 17. She had 9 academic full rides to pick from. Female orthopods are few and far between. Some feel the do not have strength to do totals.
She has been reading films since age 4, diagnosed her fractured wrist in two places at age 5, that was missed by the ED doctor, and confirmed by the orthodontist who casted her. She was 5 when she asked for her first Greys.

Golf is something she does for fun, and really thinks of it as networking. She is always thinking how can she improve people’s lives.

I would be proud too.

I think the original post was forgotten in the rush. I agree the pros should teach the iron shot which they probably do, but to a lot of golfers it's a frustrating golf shot. That said, they tell them they may use the tee if they chose. I would rather they use the tee, which takes about 5 seconds, so they can hit that shot, so they aren't missing the shot several times down the fairway. A golfer will feel much better, and have MORE FUN, with the tee shots than the frustrating hacking that comes with fairway irons.

Yes and that is exactly what happened . Play slowed not speeded up as they teed the ball, lined themselves up hit the ball 10 feet and started it all over again. This is a game with rules regardless of whether you are a beginner or pro . You wouldn’t walk onto a pickle ball court or tennis court and catch the ball each time it came over the net and then serve it from where you are standing now because you couldnt make the return shot , would you? You wouldn’t get out of the pool during a swim race and dive back in during just because it would get you farther? This is a game with rules like every other sport and should be taught by instructors the correct way of playing . That is the point of this blog. Instructors should not be teaching wrong techniques and then send people out with the impression that this is the correct way to play and they should not “dumb” down a sport because a person is new to the game. I’d bet they aren’t teaching the men to play this way. They would be laughed right off the course. Why do it to a woman? These are instructors and as a teacher , I really resent instructors that aren’t teaching proper techniques to do something. I feel sorry for the beginners who are paying to be taught the improper way to do something . That is totally wrong and should be addressed and brought out in the open.

Allow me to offer a few of my own personal observations/opinions on your two posts...regarding this subject.

Unless you are one of those extremely rare players here (<0.1%?) who; NEVER plays a breakfast ball on occasion, plays the ball down at ALL times, ALWAYS putts every ball out (unless in match play), posts EVERY score, spends no more than the allotted time looking for a ball, etc., etc., etc. and follows to the letter EVERY USGA rule and its staggering NUMEROUS decisions (have you even read them?)...I think your main gripe is about beginners (particularly women?) in general.

If a player is only hitting the ball "10 feet" (a little exaggeration maybe?) after teeing it up in the fairway, be assured it would be worse for them...without the tee.

Since The Villages has a large number of beginner golfers, taking the game up after they retire, you're going to give yourself apoplexy...if you don't learn to relax and just enjoy being on the course. :shrug:

And yes, there are those that would do themselves and others a favor to stay on executive courses until such time as they are ready for the regulation (sorry, I can't bring myself to call them 'championship' courses)...but they still have the right to play them.

One way you can ensure that you're never bothered (at least for the first nine holes, until you catch the 'wave')...is to sign up for the first tee time on the days you play.

Other than that, I think your enjoyment would rise significantly if you just take deep breaths, recognize that there's no extra strokes deducted for a fast round...and try to remember back to when you first started.

I'm guessing there were more than a few who followed you back then...that were complaining about how slow you played. :ho:

A great big "Thank You" to all the instructors that tell beginners that the need not follow all the rules as they see on TV. Tee it in the fairway. Throw it out of the sand. Kick it out of the long grass. drop out of the hazard closer to the hole of you like. Bump the ball to make a good lie. Pick up after double-bogie. All great stuff.