“What colour are the ladies’ tees?” In answer to this question, you’ll inevitably hear “red”. What if red tees didn’t exist? What if a golfer was able to choose where he or she teed off based on their ability not gender? Has the world of golf missed an opportunity to create a level playing field like so many other sports?
With many clubs beginning to become more inclusive and less focused on sections, captains and segregation, wouldn’t it be a good idea to scrap the traditional white, yellow and red tee system, perhaps in favour of something far more versatile?
The Caversham, near Reading in Berkshire, boasts a fabulous 5 tee block system. By having a gender-neutral scorecard, this means the golfer not only chooses the tee that they are best suited to play from, but also the tee where they fancy playing from on that particular day. There’s no pressure to play from any tee area, merely one that suits the distance they hit the ball, or the level of accomplishment they’ve reached.
At Caversham, a golfer chooses the tee that suits their ability, not gender
(Image credit: Katie Dawkins)
The result is a happy and united membership. Beginners and junior golfers don’t unnecessarily put themselves under pressure by playing from a tee that makes for a long haul of a round. They can mix up the scorecard and progress to another tee box as they improve. In my opinion, this makes them a far more relaxed golfer, as the course is lengthened steadily in smaller increments, compared with the usual jump from a red to a yellow tee. The course set-up and scorecard also gives a player the option to play 8 different courses using a combination of tees with a yardage ranging from 5,500-7,300 yards.
The Caversham’s General Manager Gary Stangoe says, “This is by far the best thing we’ve done as a club in my opinion. We’ve got a 90+ strong section who play from a shorter course.”
Would it be more accepted by men to tee off orange tees rather than red?
(Image credit: Katie Dawkins)
The club is also lengthening their members’ golfing lifespan….
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