Can't get blood out of a turnip, no matter how hard you squeeze. If 350 is your max for 2 shots, then maybe it's time to consider moving up to a tee box that helps make reaching more greens in two shots more achievable.
There's no shame in that whatsoever.
PA-PLAYA That.
Move up. There are now no more "senior" or "ladies" tees. They are simply "forward" tees. If playing partners make fun, tell them to bite your ass. Then hit one by them!
Or become a better short game player. If you can chip/pitch the ball close enough for several 1 putts, it will get you the same(or better) scores than GIRs. Swinging a wedge easy is a lot better than swinging all out with a long club, and risking a hernia.
No hybrids in my bag. 15.5 degree 3w and a 21 degree 7 wood. 5i to W, GW, SW. It works for me.
Yup, move up. Butch Harmon was asked, how can I get an extra 10-15 yards off the tee Butch? Butch answered, I can guarantee you an extra 10-15 yards off the tee. How? Move up to the next tee box.
We have some guys in our group who were struggling to hit greens in regulation. We have a minimum quota of 14. Meaning your quota can't fall below 14. They were always around the minimum maybe getting into the mid to upper teens quota here and there.
We encouraged them to move up to the front tees. They're quotas got up into the 20's, one guy got up to a 28 quota. Needless to say they started having more fun.
If you have too many long clubs into greens then you are not going to hit many greens in regulation and will struggle to score. Move up, have more fun and put a smile on your face. I know a few guys who did just that.
One of my group has the same problem. He moved up a half dozen years ago after I explained to him why he should not play from the white (men's) tees. Now he is starting to face the same problem. We have several holes that you have to carry a creek into the green. This creates a problem for him as he is not long off the tee. We talked about it and he decided to lay up and get on in three on the par 4's he can't reach. He has a good short game and is a good putter. Using this method of laying up allows him to get on in three and have a very good chance to make par and no worse than bogey. The alternative is move up to the next set of tees, the ladies which my wife is playing from and I doubt he will do that. We used to play with a guy who was in his 80's and very short. He played the ladies tees and was proud of it. If you want to enjoy playing golf and can't reach the greens in regulation as others have mentioned move up I did in my mid 60's and am glad I did because I was getting frustrated playing from 6500 yards and not being able to reach some of the par 4's.
I'm in the process of advocating a blended tee for our club. The men's tees are too long, yet the senior tees are too short, with roughly 700 yards difference. It won't require dirt to be moved, new tee boxes to be implemented. It'll simply require the blended tee box to be rated so the handicap adjustment will be accurate.
Some guys just really don't want to move up to the "senior" tees, especially if they're not technically seniors given the age criteria. I think there could be a happy medium there for those who want to feel challenged, yet don't want to endure either driver-wedge into every green or only physically capable of hitting 2-3 greens per round.
This doesn't need to be that complicated, and quite frankly I don't know why more courses don't embrace this concept, especially if it adds to the enjoyment of their regular customers/members.
We had the same problem at our club. The Gold tees were ~ 6000 and the Reds were ~ 5200. So there was room for a true senior tee at ~5600. The owner got the Florida USGA to come in and re-rate the course and put in a Silver tee at ~ 5600.
It basically was free. He said he gave them a free round of golf and a free lunch. Problem solved. Actually it was two women that did the job. We also had plenty of room with existing tee boxes. Made new score cards, put the new tee in the USGA system and that was that.
Now we have six tees. Black at ~ 7100, Blue ~ 6800, White ~ 6400, Gold ~ 6000, Sliver ~5600 and Red at ~ 5200.
Sneakylong We have some guys in our group who were struggling to hit greens in regulation. We have a minimum quota of 14. Meaning your quota can't fall below 14. They were always around the minimum maybe getting into the mid to upper teens quota here and there.
We encouraged them to move up to the front tees. They're quotas got up into the 20's, one guy got up to a 28 quota. Needless to say they started having more fun.
I must be missing something here. How can you have a quote of hitting over 18 GIR?
Back to the original question. Two ways of looking at this and I work with many ladies and senior players in your same quandary. Have you looked at utility irons rather than hybrids? At times I suggest a UI with the same shaft as you play in your irons. It works for many.
The other suggestion is to look at 7 and 9 woods and the like at a shorter playing length most major brands manufacture them with light shafts at too long of a playing length and this is why you find them so hard to hit.
As for moving up a tee, what if that's not possible or practical? I mean, what if you're playing the shortest tees on the course now? The OP didn't indicate which tee he's playing. On the other hand, what if you're playing with your regular foursome that you've played with for 40 years and you just wanna pick up a few yards and stay competitive? I completely understand the "move up" argument, but what if that's not the answer here?
puttnfool I completely understand the "move up" argument, but what if that's not the answer here?
It is the best answer, by far. (moving up)
How would anyone gain extra yardage, esp. a 'senior'? Go through a lot of ball testing, lessons, spend a lot of money on clubs--or be fitted? Timely, costly. The golf forums are loaded with members seeking the same answer, and not all are 'seniors', to be sure. They keep searching when the best thing to do is right under their noses. I don't care if you are 30ish....if you can't hit it far, and have tried a lot of the alternatives mentioned....MOVE UP.
The other part about same group/40 yrs........well, if you aren't competitive with them now, you more than likely have never really been. Unless you really let yourself go to hell(and they all did not?) or health problems.
btw, if you are not playing for a handicap, you do not have to move up on all holes.
Another thing I'll add is try a lower lofted driver. I realize this is not the recommendation of most, but a lot of older players are going this route, along with a softer shaft, and it's working for them. Lots of roll and bounce!!
Par4QC Another thing I'll add is try a lower lofted driver. I realize this is not the recommendation of most, but a lot of older players are going this route, along with a softer shaft, and it's working for them. Lots of roll and bounce!!
I thought we'd decided that a higher lofted driver was the way to go. Isn't there still less resistance in the air than on the ground? As soon as the ball hits the ground, it starts losing speed, right?
Par4QC It is the best answer, by far. (moving up)
So, what about the other scenario where they're already playing the shortest tee on the course?
I mean, like I said, I understand where you're coming from, but from the "customer service" standpoint, if someone comes to me and wants something, I want to be able to provide it (or at least the reasonable chance of obtaining it).
Yup, you're missing something. It's Quota as in a quota game, not Quote. A quota game is a gambling game in golf. Whoever shoots the most over their 'quota' wins. Handicaps can be used to establish quotas (handicap subtracted from 36) or you could play a few rounds to establish a quota.
In my post the 14 meant you cannot go below a 14 quota. Players compete over 18 holes and whoever is the most over their quota wins. You can pay out different places depending on how many players etc..
Let's say you're 15 handicap. You'd be a 21 quota, meaning you need to get 21 points to make your quota. 4 points for a birdie, 2 for a par, 1 point for a bogey and zero points for doubles.
Let's say you get 25 points. You'd be plus 4 and depending how your competitors did you may win money. It's a fun game where different handicaps can compete against each other fairly.
In my post I was explaining how short hitters moved up and were able to score better (instead of hovering near the minimum 14 quota). Their quotas got higher because of that. I should say whatever tee you play your quota would be reflected by that tee. In this case they had more fun because they could score better.
BTW, it's a senior group (over 55) and these guys are in their upper 70's and 80's.
Hope this helps.
puttnfool I mean, like I said, I understand where you're coming from, but from the "customer service" standpoint, if someone comes to me and wants something, I want to be able to provide it (or at least the reasonable chance of obtaining it).
I do not see your advice/answer to the OP, as far as how to get the GIRs.
From the "customer service" standpoint, what exactly would you ask customers who might come to you seeking more distance?
Sneakylong Curious. You play from different tees within the group? With no complaints?
In our Senior Men's Quota Group we have guys who are in their late 50's to mid 80's. We have one guy who plays the White tees (~6400) and 3 or 4 (including myself) who play the Gold tees (~6000) with the majority playing the Silver tees (~5600). And I think we have 4 guys who play the Reds (~5200).
Again, in a Quota game the tee you play will be reflected in your Quota. You play a shorter tee, then in theory and in practice you should score better, therefore you'll have a higher Quota.
In a perfect world ideally if you have players playing off different tees you should see players hitting similar clubs into greens.
So if I'm playing the Golds and someone is playing the Reds we each should be hitting a similar club into the green (ideally).
But as we know golf is far from perfect. On a couple of holes on our course the Gold player may have a hybrid into the green where the Red player has a wedge.
But again, whatever tee you play from will be reflected in you Quota. So, the guy who is now playing the shorter Red tees instead of the Silvers can score better and now has a higher Quota.
So, to answer your question, no there is no problem playing different tees in terms of the Quota game. We do have a couple guys who play the shorter Silvers who definitely are long enough and should be playing the Golds.
But again, all that means is they have shorter clubs into the greens, but they now have a higher Quota to make.
We try to limit the Silvers for guys who are 70 and older, but we make exceptions depending on the individual.
For me personally I don't want to play day in day out having wedges into most of the par 4's. Ideally I want to play from a tee where I can possibly hit every club in my bag in 18 holes of golf.
For example my average Quota is ~ 25 and I'm an 11 capper. So I'm playing a tee that suits my game.
I'm playing a 12 driver, get good height and some run-out. When I hit a 10.5 driver, it flights much lower, more dispersion and no more distance. I'm going to try a longer driver shaft, no hopes for this, and go see my club pro about hitting a 7 or 9 wood properly. This may have a chance. All the gomers in my group are in their 70's and we play green tees, (5600 Yds).
