At this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, all competitors are playing from the same tees. But when the central Wisconsin course reopens to the public in early June, a multitude of options will reopen, too. Erin Hills has six sets of tees, ranging from 5,061 yards to 7,715 yards. Take your pick.
But please, choose wisely. A lot of golfers don’t. In a 2023 survey of 700 PGA and LPGA professionals, 92 percent of respondents said that it is “extremely common” or “somewhat common” for people to peg it from too far back. This isn’t just a matter of opinion. Scoring data shows that roughly 75 percent of female golfers and 50 percent of male golfers play from distances that exceed their abilities.
The consequences spiral from there. Scores balloon. Pace of play grows sluggish. Only masochists have more fun.
Erin Hills has not accepted this lying down. Since 2022, the course has relied on a tee-selection system aimed at guiding golfers to the right markers. The recommendations, which are explained on signage in the starter’s shack, boil down to this: the tees you play should be determined by how far you hit your 7-iron. (Spoiler alert: if you’re a typical male golfer, you hit your 7-iron 138 yards and should be playing from 6,100 yards; if you’re a typical female golfer, you hit your 7-iron 100 yards and should be playing from around 4,400 yards.)
Erin Hills did not invent this system. It grew out of years of research by the USGA and R&A, which drew on analyses of World Handicap System scores and hitting-distance data, as well as surveys of golfer preferences (on this front, the USGA had help from such organizations as the American Society of Golf Course Architects; the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and the LPGA and PGA).
From that data, a system was devised that can recommend a course length based on a 7-iron as a reference.
Why a 7-iron? Because most golfers have a pretty good idea how far they hit theirs, so it’s a reasonably reliable baseline.
The USGA first rolled out this tee system as a trial run in 2022, and Erin Hills was among the early adopters. In the years since, the course says the system has paid off by helping improve the pace of play. It would probably pay off more if more golfers abided by it. But the guidelines are recommendations, not requirements, and, well, we all know golfers who insist on playing from tees they have no business taking on.
As for those recommendations, you can see them in the chart below. Again, the numbers are based on averages. And because not all golfers and courses are created equal, the USGA recommendations can be customized to any player at any property.
No matter where you’re playing next, here’s a tip: you probably shouldn’t be playing from the tips. Leave that to the pros.
