Figuring out which tees to play in high school golf can feel surprisingly complicated, as there's no single, universal standard across the country. The yardages you’ll face depend on your state, your gender, and the level of competition. This guide will cut through the confusion, breaking down the typical tee setups for high school golfers and giving you some pro-level advice on how to prepare for whatever the course throws at you.
Unlike professional tours that have very specific parameters, high school golf yardages are determined by a few different groups. Where you play is just as important as who you’re playing against, and the decision ultimately comes down to the tournament organizers trying to create a fair and competitive environment.
For official school-sanctioned events - your dual matches, league championships, and state tournaments - the primary governing body is your state's high school athletic association. Organizations like the UIL in Texas, CIF in California, or the FHSAA in Florida set the rules and guidelines for their competitions. These associations provide yardage "windows" or recommendations for tournament directors to follow. The goal is to establish consistency and fairness for all schools competing within that state. This is the most significant factor for your high school team's matches.
If you play competitive golf, you're likely also participating in individual tournaments on junior tours like the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT), or other regional PGA Junior Tours. These organizations have their own well-defined yardage guidelines based on age and gender divisions. Often, these tours set a high competitive standard, and many state high school associations will look to their yardages as a benchmark, especially for major high school invitationals and state championships.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) governs the Rules of Golf that you play by in every tournament. However, they do not dictate the specific course setup for high school events. While the USGA provides general recommendations for golfers of different skill levels, it's the state association or individual tour that makes the final call on which set of tees will be used for a particular competition.
So, what does this all mean for you when you step onto the first tee? While the color of the tee marker (white, blue, gold) is mostly irrelevant - it’s the total course yardage that matters - we can establish some very common ranges based on playing division.
For high school boys, the competition tees will almost always be a step or two back from the standard "member" tees.
The same three-tiered approach to yardage applies to girls’ high school golf, with distances scaled appropriately to create a similar type of competitive test.
There's a method to the madness. Coaches and tournament committees aren't just picking numbers out of a hat. There are two main reasons behind these specific yardage windows and the decision to stretch the course for bigger events.
The primary goal is to find a balance between challenging the best players and allowing the entire field to have a playable, enjoyable round. If the course is too short, everyone shoots the same low scores, and it becomes a putting contest. If it’s too long, it leads to five-hour-plus rounds and discourages players who don't have elite swing speed. The chosen yardages are meant to be a sweet spot that rewards good ball striking and separates players based on skill, not just strength.
Tournament committees also look at the Course Rating and Slope Rating. In layman’s terms, Course Rating tells scratch golfers how hard the course is, and Slope tells bogey golfers how much harder it will be for them. A 6,600-yard course with a very high slope rating (lots of hazards, narrow fairways, tough greens) might play significantly harder than a flat, wide-open 6,800-yard layout. Organizers consider thisbigger picture to maintain a consistent challenge across different tournament venues.
For top varsity players with aspirations of playing college golf, championship yardages serve a secondary purpose: they are a dress rehearsal. College golf tournaments are played at demanding distances - often well over 7,000 yards for men and 6,200 yards for women. By setting high school state championships at similar lengths, tournament directors give college coaches a clear picture of which players have the complete game needed to contribute to a college program.
Shooting an even-par 72 from 6,400 yards is a great accomplishment. Shooting that same score from 6,900 yards is an elite performance that signals you are ready for the next stage.
Knowing what to expect is one thing, being ready for it is another. Instead of feeling intimidated by a long course, you should feel prepared. As a coach, this is the simple, practical advice I give my players.
Information is power. Don't walk onto the first tee blind. For any significant tournament, the host committee or your coach will likely have information on the approximate course yardage. Check the tournament website or ask your coach a week in advance. Knowing whether you're playing at 6,300 yards or 6,900 yards completely changes how you should prepare.
Once you know the yardage for your next event, go out to your home course armed with that information. Don't just hit from your usual set of tees. If the tournament is going to be 6,600 yards, find a combination of tees at your course that measures close to that. This might mean playing the blue tees on some holes and the white tees on others. The physical act of playing a round from a similar distance builds both physical and mental readiness.
On longer courses, you can’t just rely on your driver and wedges. You will be hitting more middle irons, long irons, and hybrids into greens. Knowing your carry distances (your "gapping") for these clubs is essential. If you typically hit a 9-iron from 140 yards, you need to know exactly what you hit from 160, 175, and 190, because you’ll be seeing those numbers a lot more often. Spend dedicated time on the range hitting your 4, 5, and 6-irons to build confidence.
Bombing the driver isn't enough on a long course. In fact, it's where smart, strategic thinking really pays off. It becomes more important to know the right angles to approach greens, where the safe places to miss are, and when to conservatively play for the middle of the green instead of hunting for pins. Taking a long iron and simply aiming for the fat part of the green is often a smarter play than aggressively firing at a tucked pin and bringing a big number into play.
Ultimately, high school golf tees are set by state associations and tours to provide a fair challenge, with yardages of 6,200-6,700 for boys and 5,200-5,800 for girls being the norm before lengthening for championships. Success at any distance comes down not just to how well you hit it, but how well you prepare and think your way around the course.
To dial in your strategy for those longer courses, we built Caddie AI to act as your personal course-management expert. When you step onto a tee at an unfamiliar yardage, our app gives you a simple, smart plan for how to attack the hole. If you're stuck between clubs or facing a tricky lie, you can get an instant recommendation right on your phone, helping you commit to every swing with confidence. We give you the pro-level insights needed to tackle any course length, taking the guesswork out of the game so you can focus on playing your best.
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