LATEST
NEWS

ASGCA Foundation introduces new Longleaf forward tee initiative
Adam Lawrence
/ Categories: News

ASGCA Foundation introduces new Longleaf forward tee initiative

The American Society of Golf Course Architects Foundation, has introduced the Longleaf Tee Initiative, a programme for the creation of shorter tees at golf courses, aimed at increasing playability and enjoyment.

The scheme is modelled after the renovation of Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where it was introduced in 2016. Under the supervision of ASGCA member Bill Bergin, Longleaf increased its teeing options to seven locations per hole at yardages that encourage players to tee off from locations based on how far they carry their drives.

“We realised that, based on research showing how far golfers actually hit the ball, that we needed sets of tees starting at around 3,200 yards if we wanted all golfers to face an equivalent challenge,” said Bergin. “Golf is effectively a giant bell curve – you get higher up the curve as you improve and grow up, and then as you get older, you move down the other side. There are a lot of people on the lower half of both sides.”

At Longleaf, Bergin added about forty new tees, finally creating 126 different tee markers on an eighteen hole course. “On the range there are colour coded posts at 25 yard intervals,” he explained. “So players go to the range, hit a few drives, observe where the balls land, and play from the corresponding set of tees. There are five actual tee boxes per hole; the others are on flat areas in the fairways. We are very conscious of the visual impact of so many tee platforms, so we did as little grading as we could, to come up with 400-500 sq ft of flat ground for the forward tees.”

For more, read the article about Longleaf Golf & Family Club that appeared in the Winter 2016 edition of By Design.

Previous Article Second phase of restoration work commences at Inglewood Golf Club
Next Article New golf course to be created at Trident Lakes community in Texas
Print
4262 Rate this article:
No rating
Adam Lawrence

Adam LawrenceAdam Lawrence

Other posts by Adam Lawrence
Contact author

Contact author

x
The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

Includes reports from Maggie Hathaway and Apogee, interviews with Martin Ebert and Dave Axland and a feature on golf art

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Fri 14 Mar, 2025

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New issue asks whether the golf boom has led to an increase in municipal golf investment

FEATURE
ARTICLES

Bringing golf to Benin
Afrikafun Production Stephane Brabant
Report | Richard Humphreys

Bringing golf to Benin

Jeremy Pern and Gregori International are creating the first 18-hole course in the West African country, on an ‘almost perfect’ site that also includes a sacred grove and voodoo shrines

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt
Lukas Michel/CDP
Opinion | Mike Clayton

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt

Mike Clayton discusses Alister MacKenzie’s transformative impact on Australian golf and how clubs can avoid repeating previous mistakes by establishing a long-term plan focused on indigenous plants

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good
Stephen Barton – Second Collective
On site | Adam Lawrence

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good

The reconstruction of the nine-hole course in Los Angeles is the golf industry at its best, says Adam Lawrence

Designs for the big screen
Pizá Golf
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

The ties that bind
Crooked Stick
Opinion | Justin Olmstead

The ties that bind

Justin Olmstead of Profile Products talks about the relationships behind the renovation of Crooked Stick in Indiana

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz
Konrad Borkowski
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build
Kinsale Golf Club
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build

Florida course is a tribute to the Golden Age designs of Raynor and Macdonald

Are bunkers getting too pretty for their own good?
Larry Lambrecht
Feature | Adam Lawrence

Are bunkers getting too pretty for their own good?

Is the beauty of bunkering being over-emphasised at the expense of its function, asks Adam Lawrence

Good Read: The Prairie Raynor
Grant Books Ltd
Good Read | John Moran and Rand Jerris

Good Read: The Prairie Raynor

John Moran and Rand Jerris share insight into their book about Seth Raynor’s design at Chicago Golf Club

Vinpearl Golf Léman: New pearls for Vietnam
Vinpearl Golf Leman
Report | Richard Humphreys

Vinpearl Golf Léman: New pearls for Vietnam

The first of two Golfplan-designed courses at club near Ho Chi Minh City has opened for play

Seven Canyons: Desert drama
Brad Klein
Report | Bradley Klein

Seven Canyons: Desert drama

Brad Klein reports on a Phil Smith Design renovation in Sedona, Arizona

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES