One of the greatest appeals of the game of golf is that the game is always different. The variations from one round, one course and one swing to the next make for endless challenge.
No round is ever the same -- and that's because the weather changes, the physical traits of the course change and how the golf course is presented changes.
What a lot of folks who don't play golf don't understand -- and even some golfers themselves -- is how much golf courses are changed from one day to the next, as well as what specifically changes.
Among the things that golf courses look to change each day are the tee boxes, where players start each hole of the course.
Every golf course establishes different sets of tees that are put out each day to give golfers of all skill levels and abilities the opportunity to play a golf course that fits their capability, their strengths and weaknesses, as well as what they hope to accomplish by playing golf that day. Some players want to play a longer golf course to challenge themselves or to best fit the course with how far they hit the golf ball. Some players want to play a shorter golf course for the same reasons. On a windier day, maybe a golfer wants to play a shorter course. On a warmer day, maybe a golfer wants to play a longer course. Whatever the reasons or motivations, golfers have choices at most any golf course they play.
However, golf courses move each of those tee boxes quite frequently. The tee boxes are moved for two main reasons.
The first is a practical reason. Golfers hitting off grass will damage the grass over the course of a day, taking divots both intentionally and unintentionally. That contact can not only damage the grass, but the golfers walking all over it through the day can put stress on the soil and compact it in unhealthy ways. Golf courses can alleviate that stress by moving each tee box to a slightly different location to offer a similar challenge relative to the tees selected while allowing the recently used teeing ground to recover.
The second reason is more to appeal to golfers. If a golf hole plays from the same teeing ground every time, then the course eventually can be seen as stale. If nothing is different, then golf can feel repetitive to players who use the same course over and over. In the interest of keeping the challenge fresh and inviting customers to come back and play it in a different way, courses change tee boxes to give different angle, distances and views for players to challenge themselves.
Both reasons are important and motivate golf-course operators to move tee boxes, typically on a daily basis. Some courses may not move tees each day, preferring to wait a couple of days instead. How often the tee boxes are moved depends on the course, their budget, how much space they have and how many rounds are played there each day. During busier times of year, the tee boxes have to move more frequently. In colder months, when play is more sparse, tees don't have to move as often.
