43 INSIGHT can propel a well-placed shot from a slower-swing player into an equitable position for a second or third shot on a par four or five. This is the idea of a ‘course within the course’: multiple playable routes occupying the same property, each manageable, strategic and fun for different golfers. The aerial game remains important, but the ground game can provide another way forward. Even on par threes and elevated greens, where a slower swing produces a lower-trajectory landing, an equitable experience can still be considered. The need is particularly clear for women and seniors. Average driving distances reveal a significant difference between average amateur men and women, and asking slowerswing players to move back simply because their handicap requires it can disproportionately penalise them on long courses. If the drive and ensuing approach are designed more equitably, a slower-swing player may be able to use similar clubs to other golfers rather than relying on fairway woods or hybrids simply to reach the green. A 10-handicap senior who hits the ball 180 yards and a 10-handicap competitive young player who hits it 260 yards may have the same handicap, but on a 6,600-yard course they are playing two very different games. One may rely on accuracy, short game and putting; the other on distance, recovery and approach play. An architect cannot design one hole around both handicap profiles. We can, however, design for their hitting distances. This is about more than yardage. It is about equal, or at least equitable, access to the game, and about designing with respect and dignity for all golfers. A course designed for fast swings alone will not fit the distances of many women and seniors. A ‘course within the course’ can help bridge that gap. At the same time, directing fast-swing players to tees appropriate to their distance protects safety, improves the flow of play and allows architects to design with greater confidence. The opportunity is for architects to think about tees not as starting points, but as an integral part of the architecture. If we design for how far golfers can hit rather than how they score, we can create courses that are safer, more strategic, more interesting and more welcoming – courses that work for the golfers actually standing on the tee. Kari Haug is a golf course architect and founder of Playable Pathways Results from a 2020 study for the paper USA Women’s Golf Study: Golf Shot Metrics Among a Nationwide Cross-Section of Amateur American Women Golfers (Kari Haug, Sue Shapcott and Lisa Schmitz, 2023) How far does the average female amateur golfer hit the ball? Knowing these statistics, golf course architects can better design golf holes to be playable for women Driver Height............................................42 feet Launch angle.........................16 degrees Carry average..........................126 yards Total distance average...........151 yards Six-iron Height............................................38 feet Launch angle.........................19 degrees Carry average............................96 yards Total distance average...........113 yards Swing speed in step with hitting distance Average amateur women golfers’ swing speeds have a direct correlation with their total driver hitting distances 50 50 100 150 200 250 60 70 80 90 Clubhead swing speed (miles per hour) Driver total distance (yards) Trend line A 69mph swing speed equates to a 150-yard drive Results from a 2020 study for the paper USA Women’s Golf Study: Golf Shot Metrics Among a Nationwide Cross-Section of Amateur American Women Golfers (Kari Haug, Sue Shapcott and Lisa Schmitz, 2023)
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