What Tees Should I Play From?

Hint: It’s not the ones your ego tells you to.

You pull up to the first tee, glance at the scorecard, and see three, four—sometimes even five—tee boxes staring you down. Blue, white, gold, green, red, silver… it’s like a bag of Skittles out there. So: which tees should you actually play from?

Let’s break it down in plain English.

The Goal of Picking the Right Tees

The goal is to give yourself the best chance to enjoy the round. That means:

• Reaching greens in regulation.
• Having a mix of short, medium, and long approach shots.
• Avoiding 250-yard forced carries.
• Walking off 18 thinking, “Let’s do that again.”

Rule of Thumb: Total Yardage

One of the easiest ways to pick a tee is by using your average 7-iron distance:

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It’s not scientific, but it works.

What About Age and Skill Level?

• New golfers: Forward tees are your friend. They’ll help you stay in rhythm and out of the weeds—literally.
• Seniors: If you’re losing distance, move up and bring the fun back.
• Single-digit players: White tees are not beneath you. Trust us. Play where the challenge fits.
• Kids: Many courses now have junior tees—look for the family tees or ask the starter.

Fun Factor Over Pride

If you spend your round chopping out of fescue and writing snowmen (8s) on the card, who cares what color tee you played? Move up, make more pars, and enjoy yourself. The pros adjust tees for fun scrambles—so can you.

When In Doubt, Use the “Par 3” Test

Go look at the par 3s from the tees you’re considering. If every one requires a fairway wood or hybrid, that’s a red flag. Par 3s should give you 6–8 iron at most.

Playing With a Mixed Group?

Don’t worry about playing the same tees as your friends. Modern golf is all about tee inclusivity. Everyone can play from where they’re comfortable, and you’ll still have a great match, even if your tee boxes are 30 yards apart.

Picking the right tees isn’t a matter of pride—it’s a matter of sanity. Play too far back, and you’re in for a long day of fairway woods into par 4s, three-putts from downtown, and saying “nice out” way too often. Move up, and suddenly you’re putting for birdie instead of searching for your ball behind a bunker that shouldn’t even be in play.

Golf’s hard enough. Don’t turn it into a full-blown survival exercise.

Choose the tees that match your game, not your ego—and thank us when you’re putting for par instead of praying for bogey.