Curious what tees the top college golfers play from in their tournaments? The straight answer is they play from the tees that give them the greatest challenge, which almost always means the back tees, often boasting yardages that rival professional events. This article will break down the specific yardages, explain why the courses are set up this way, and give you actionable advice for your own game if you have your sights set on collegiate golf.
When you show up at your local course, you see tee markers like red, white, blue, and black. In the world of high-level competitive golf, those colors and names mean very little. What truly matters is the total yardage of the course, and for college golfers, that yardage is typically maxed out.
Here’s a general breakdown of what you can expect in major collegiate tournaments:
While Division I gets most of the spotlight, golfers in other divisions (D-II, D-III, NAIA, and JUCO) are also tremendous players facing a serious test. The yardages might be slightly less - think 6,800-7,200 yards for men and 5,900-6,200 for women - but these are still formidable distances that command respect and skillful play.
Yardage alone doesn't tell the whole story. Tournament committees can be creative. Sometimes they'll create a "tournament" or "championship" set of tees that isn't on the public scorecard, blending tees from different boxes to get the exact distance and shot variety they want for the competition.
Playing a 7,300-yard course isn't about bragging rights, it’s about preparing players for the next level and identifying the best all-around golfer. A long, difficult setup achieves several important goals for a high-level competition.
On a shorter course (say, 6,400 yards), a long-hitting men's college player might hit driver and a wedge into most of the par 4s. That doesn't really test their skill with mid- and long-irons. By stretching the course to over 7,200 yards, tournament officials force players to hit a much wider variety of shots. Suddenly, players are pulling out 6-irons, 5-irons, and even hybrid clubs for their approaches into demanding, well-guarded greens. It exposes who has a complete game from driver down to putter, not just who can bomb and gouge.
Look at the yards on the PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour. They are consistently long and demanding. College golf is the primary pipeline to the professional ranks. To prepare these athletes for what lies ahead, the events need to mirror the conditions they'll face when they turn pro. Getting comfortable facing a 215-yard par 3 or a 480-yard par 4 is part of the education. When a player finally gets their tour card, the length of the courses won't be a shock to their system.
Ultimately, a tournament is designed to identify a champion. A tough course setup - which includes long yardages, faster-than-usual green speeds, tucked pin locations, and a healthy dose of rough - magnifies mistakes and rewards exceptional shots. A well-struck long-iron that finds the green is rewarded mightily, while a slight miss could lead to a tough up-and-down. This separates players based on skill and strategy, making sure the winner is the one who played the best all-around golf for the week.
The tees for a collegiate event aren't set in stone. A dedicated tournament committee makes the call. This committee is usually made up of representatives from the sponsoring organization (like the NCAA or a specific conference), the host course's Head Golf Professional, and the Golf Course Superintendent.
They don't just pick the back tees and call it a day. Their decision-making process is dynamic and can change from round to round. They consider several factors:
So, you've seen the numbers and understand the "why." If your goal is to play in college, you might be tempted to head straight to the back tees every time you play. As a coach, I'd give you one piece of critical advice: pump the brakes. Playing from tees that are too long for your current skill level can do more harm than good, leading to bad habits and a drop in confidence.
Building up to those "Championship" yardages is a process. Here’s how you should approach it.
The decision to move back a set of tees shouldn't be about ego, it should be about your scoring average and ball-striking ability. Here's a simple test I give my students:
The Rule of 36: Multiply the Par of the course you're playing by 2. For a Par 72, that gives you 144. Now, find the total distance you hit your 5 "scoring" clubs (e.g., Driver, 3W, 5-iron, 7-iron, 9-iron, just pick your 5 most common "go-to" clubs). If that total distance, in feet, multiplied by 36 is close to the yardage of the tees, you're in the right ballpark. This is a very rough guideline, but a more practical rule is this:
The Scoring Rule: You are ready to move back a set of tees when you can consistently score at or within a few strokes of your handicap target from your current tees. For example, if you want to be a scratch golfer, you need to be consistently breaking 80 from the 6,500-yard tees before you can expect to handle 6,900-yard tees. If you're shooting in the 90s from the white tees, the black tees are not where you'll find the secret to a better game.
Think of it like leveling up in a video game. You have to beat one level before you move to the next. Here’s a smart progression for a junior male golfer with D1 aspirations (female players can adjust the yardages down by about 1,000-1,200 yards):
Practicing from shorter tees is also valuable. Playing a 6,200-yard course teaches you creativity and puts a scoring club in your hands more often, which helps you learn to make birdies! Mix up the tees you play to become a more well-rounded golfer.
College golfers play from long tees - between 7,000-7,500 yards for men and 6,100-6,500 yards for women - because tournament golf is designed to test every facet of their game and prepare them for professional careers. For any aspiring player, remember that working your way back to those yardages is a gradual process that relies on skill and good scoring, not a rush to the tips.
Successfully navigating a 7,300-yard course requires more than just length, it demands exceptional course management and strategy. This is where modern tools can shape future players. For example our personal golf expert, Caddie AI, gives you intelligent, on-demand course strategy for every shot you face. By understanding the smart play on a difficult hole or getting advice on a tricky lie, you develop the decision-making skills that turn long, intimidating courses into manageable challenges. This helps you build the confidence to not just play from the back tees, but to compete from them.
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