Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2014 - 34

ing bunkers. So part of that is adjusting
yardages by building new tees, and most
often that is forward tees and the second
set of tees back, the senior tees. Most of it
is building those forward tees to accommodate
women, seniors and beginning
golfers. "
Clearly, the growth of the game requires
recruiting younger players, and
offering them tees appropriate to their
abilities can contribute to their enjoyment
and continuation in the sport. But
teeing options are also at the heart of retaining
current golfers, because they feel
like they belong.
" [Teeing options] speak to the inclusivity,
the welcoming-ness of the game,
because we want to make the game as
welcoming as possible to all levels of
golfers, " says Hunki Yun, director, strategic
projects for the USGA. " If beginning
golfers are intimidated or fi nd the
courses are too long they will certainly
not continue. But if we can level the
playing fi eld-which is sort of what the
handicap system does-but do it on the
fi eld of play as well, that would be great. "
The USGA and PGA of America's
" Tee it Forward initiative (see sidebar),
in which golfers are encouraged to move
forward to tees matching their ability
in order to increase their effi ciency and
quicken their pace, is dependent upon
multiple teeing options for all players.
The USGA has recently initiated research
into golfers' habits to determine
how better to implement the Tee it Forward
program.
" It will be a major part of the Pace of
Play program, " Yun says. " And we want
to make Tee it Forward a part of the solutions
and programs and policies to not
only encourage courses to use it but to
use some of our fi ndings to determine
the best places to place tees-and to encourage
players of all levels to use them. "
So, if the growth of the game is tied
to a variety of tees, the game's future is
linked to courses providing more tees,
and golfers utilizing them. The next
time you are standing on the fi rst tee,
staring out at the fairway, trees and hazards,
consider the teeing area-consider
whether that particular tee is good for
you, and good for the game. MG
32
Tees for Two
A course-designing
woman advocates
designing courses
for women.
D
uring the golf
boom of the
1980s, Alice
Dye, a member of the
American Society of
Golf Course Architects,
called for a two-tee
system for women. She
recommended shorter
courses and a forward
set of tees for female
golfers (resembling the
options for men at the
time), but it was not
universally adopted.
" Men have a
choice of playing
from different
teeing grounds to
accommodate their
various abilities, " Dye
wrote. " Women have no
choice-it's like asking
them all to wear the
same dress size. "
Architect Kari Haug
has picked up Dye's
torch and is trying
to carry it further.
She is taking Dye's
recommendation and
expanding on it.
" I start with the
assumption that a
good course length
for women is around
4,800 to 5,200
yards-ideally 4,900
for the forward tee
and increasing length
to provide choice for
longer hitters, " Haug
says. " This is what was
recommended by Alice
Dye, and I think she is
still right. "
In 2011, Haug did
MINNESOTA GOLFER Summer 2014
" A good
Kari
Haug
course length
for women is
around 4,800
to 5,200
yards. "
an informal survey of
300 Minnesota golf
courses and found
that half of them were
too long for women;
only 22 percent gave
women a second tee
option. She believes
the limited choice of
course lengths and
tees ultimately makes
the game more diffi cult
and less enjoyable. And
women generally go
along for the ride.
" We're really just
trained to put the tee
in the ground because
there isn't a choice, "
Haug says. " You don't
look for a second tee;
you don't ask. Women
have been in the dark
for a long time about
golf course design-
there aren't many of
us out there designing
golf courses. So if you
don't know and nobody
is telling you, why raise
the question? "
One of few female
golf course architects
in the world, Haug was
schooled in Scotland,
is a member of the
European Institute of
Golf Course Architects
and has worked with
Garrett Gill (architect
of The Legends
Club, Meadows at
Mystic Lake). Last
April, she delivered a
presentation entitled
" Golf Course Design
with Women in Mind "
at the EIGCA Annual
General Meeting.
" I addressed many
design shortcomings
that ultimately limit
growth of the game
for women as well as
seniors and juniors
who might use the
forward tees, " Haug
says. " I proposed
modernized golf
course design
guidelines with women
golfers in mind. "
With an eye toward
equity and helping to
grow the game, this
time Dye's and Haug's
message, might be
heard. - J.O.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KARI HAUG
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2014

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