Michigan Golf Journal March 2021

Michigan Golf Journal The Distance Debate Which Tees Should You Play? Selecting the right overall distance only adds enjoyment to the game By Chris Mile, Owner, Miles of Golf, Ypsilanti I have wanted to tackle this subject for some time because it is a real big deal, and I have seen some half-baked answers to this question. In my book, every golfer should have the opportunity to hit par 3s in one shot, par 4s in two, and par 5s in three. If this is not possible, you are playing a course (or set of tees) that is too long, and if you play a course that is too long or too short, you will not get the joy you should from the game. Computing Your Ideal Course Distance: The answer to the question of how long a course should be for each golfer is simple: 28. Just multiply the length of a well hit drive for you by 28 and that, in my estimation, is the length of a course that will be both challenging but enjoyable to play. The logic behind the “Driver x 28” is that an ideal course will have a combination of easy, moderately difficult, and difficult holes. Knowing the length of your drive, you can estimate how far you hit your other clubs. The easiest portion of all calculations is to know the distance of your well hit tee shots. This is a more difficult question than you might think, and as a clue, most of us overestimate. To get a real accurate Continues on page 26 >>