Bryson’s Advice To Play The Forward Tees: Genius Or Gimmick? We Found Out

Bryson DeChambeau has been encouraging golfers to move up to the forward tees and see how low they can go. With a game like his, it’s clear the strategy has helped him learn how to pile up the birdies. I’ve been wanting to try this strategy and I recently had the chance. Here’s what I learned.

A little background

I’m a scratch golfer and normally play from about 6,100 to 6,300 yards. I hit a 7-iron 155 yards and drive the ball close to 250.

When I tested Bryson’s theory, I moved up to the most forward set of tees at the golf course which are right at 4,000 yards.

I had my kids with me. My eight-year-old daughter normally plays from these tees and my 11-year-old son moved up a set from his normal 4,500-yard tees to join us.

How it went

For starters, we had a lot of fun. The kids loved having me play from their tee box and we got to discuss strategy, course difficulty and other aspects of the game.

I played all right. Unfortunately, I didn’t make a putt over 10 feet all day and ended up shooting 64. I made four birdies on the front and four on the back.

While I wasn’t expecting to shoot 59 like Bryson encourages, I do feel I left a few shots out there. That said, it wasn’t the score that made this kind of fun (and, honestly, addictive).

It’s what it teaches you about your game.

Here are a few things that became clear playing this way:

Just because a hole is short doesn’t mean it’s easy

The idea that a short hole equals an easy hole is just wrong. Distance makes golf easier but it doesn’t make it easy.

Some of the approaches from these shorter tees were actually more difficult. If you are not accustomed to playing from the forward tees, you’ll also find that the half-wedge type shots you are left with on approaches require better distance control.

I’m used to 145- or 165-yard shots into a green. When the approach is 63 yards or 71 yards, for example, it takes a little more finesse. It’s a good test.

I’m giving myself too much room for dispersion on tee shots

From my normal tees, hitting the fairway isn’t overly difficult. The fairways at my home course are of average width but there’s plenty of room in the areas where my normal drives land.

When I played the forward tees, that room was gone. Now I was trying to fit drives into much narrower areas. If I hit it accurately, I was rewarded with a shot of fewer than 75 or100 yards to the green. If I missed, though, I was in a bunker or the thick rough.

Playing all the way forward forces you to pick a very specific line off the tee. Again, it’s a good test.

Coming up short on birdie putts is pointless

Full disclosure: It wasn’t this forward-tee experiment that taught me this but it was a good reminder.
When playing from the forward tees, the goal is to go as low as possible. If you get yourself into a good position and then leave a birdie putt short, it hurts.

In a normal round, I’m sometimes content to accept a par and move on. To Bryson’s point, that’s a mistake.

Bryson says playing from the forward tees helps develop a true scoring mindset and I completely agree.
You start playing a “birdie game” and it gets addictive.

What Bryson gets right about scoring mindset

Bryson’s advice isn’t just about shooting a crazy low number. It’s about learning how to think like a scorer.

Most golfers, even good ones, play from a place of caution. We protect par, avoid big mistakes and grind.
But when you play up, it forces you into a birdie-first mentality. It teaches you how to stay aggressive, how to keep your foot on the gas and how to make the most of every opportunity.

Final verdict: Is it a good idea?

I think every golfer should try playing a round from the forward tees. You’ll learn a lot about your game, you’ll have fun and it will change the way you think about scoring.

If you need me, I’ll be out there trying to put a 59 on the scorecard. Then I guess I’ll move back a set of tees.

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