Ask a group on the first tee which tees to play and you will hear about pride. The PGA of America and the USGA gave a better answer years ago: play the length that fits your drive.
The rule of thumb
Tee It Forward pairs average driver distance with an 18-hole length. Chestatee’s scorecard gives five lengths: 6,877, 6,475, 6,065, 5,597 and 4,947 yards.
- 275-yard drive: 6,700-6,900. The Black tees fit exactly.
- 250-yard drive: 6,200-6,400. Blue is 75 yards over, White 135 under.
- 225-yard drive: 5,800-6,000. White is 65 yards over.
- 200-yard drive: 5,200-5,400. Gold is the nearest, about 200 over.
Then do the handicap arithmetic
Your Course Handicap changes with the tees: Handicap Index × (Slope Rating ÷ 113) + (Course Rating − par). With the slopes GolfNow lists (140 on the Black tees, 131 on the White), a 15.0 index is about a 20 from the Black tees and a 15 from the White. Check the official ratings in the GHIN app.
The tee chooser does all of this for your numbers.
Written by the Chestatee Golf Guide Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.
