Golfers see this often in every foursome at least one or more members of the group are playing the incorrect tee box for their driver distance. The USGA and PGA came out with the “Tee It Forward” program in 2011.
There is a good chart on the link from USGA/PGA on what tee and distance of course you should use for your driver distance. Tee It Forward Guidelines
I am 85 mph driver club head speed and average 200 yards max. I should play 5400 yards not 6000. Not all courses have correct tee boxes for your driver distance. But these are proven good guidelines. They make the game faster and more enjoyable. To be able to drive the ball relatively accurately you need minimum 90 mph driver club head speed to play 3000 yard 9 hole 6000 yards 18 hole. Also one would need more center face impact to have good 1.3 – 1.4 smash factor which also means the majority of recreational players are playing to long of a driver playing length to make good center face impact. This all goes back to correct fitting of a driver. Golf is first a game of accuracy and then distance.
Jack Nicklaus is now 76.
I don’t mind playing the forward tees if everyone else in my group is doing so. But when I play with my brother-in-law who has no problem at all with 6000-6200 yards and maintains his golf handicap religously, I play from the white tees. Otherwise it would slow down play because I’d be teeing off from a completely different tee location.
Also the particular course configuration makes a difference. Some 6000 yard courses have no Par 4s longer than 360 yards – which makes “on the green in two” possible.
If the “Tee it Forward” mantra was primarily to help the older or new player enjoy his round more, I am all for it. But the emphasis on speeding up play so the course operator can cram more people through the course in a day rubs me the wrong way.