From Corwyn & CerinoDevoti:
It's back! Tough-It-Out II: The Trans-Atlantic Starter Clubs Uneven Open.
Our defending champion, Hans, managed an extraordinary -6 over 4 rounds in Tough-It-Out I in the fall. Can anyone match that performance this time around?
WGT's much-requested, and long-awaited, introduction of Uneven Lies is now officially 'out there', available in special Invitational tourneys. But we think you'll do much better in the official tourneys if you give yourself a chance to learn the feature by going back to basics. After all, Unevens is such a radical change to the gameplay that it demands a fresh start. You simply can't learn it in a handful of rounds.
It transforms the game from one of dart-throwing, to one where you need to plan ahead, aim for flatter parts of fairways, give due consideration to risk/reward, and putt your lights out just to hang in there. And Uneven Lies also forces you to play shots very similar to those facing the pros in the majors. If you get in trouble, often the best (or only!) thing to do is to play out sideways. In short, it's more like the game we see the top pros playing four times a year in the Majors on these very same courses.
By playing it with Starter Clubs and Balls, you change your expectations: making Greens in Regulation becomes the target each hole, and Old Man Par the goal for the round.
This tourney will be 4 single-play 18-hole rounds at the two British Open courses, and at the toughest two US Open courses, with set conditions for each. The challenge we're throwing out there is to see how many of the field can end up under par.
The tourney is open to all tiers and levels. We'll all be using the same clubs, balls, green speeds, and lies. So, no advantage for sandbaggers here! This is the only way in WGT to have a truly level playing field (pun intended). All rounds to be completed within the allotted time frame (from the start of one weekend to the end of the next; note overlapping weekends to give maximum time for rounds to be played).
If anyone is up for this challenge, and able to commit to getting your 18-hole round in each week with a playing partner, please sign up here in this thread, and via this link. Any questions, please ask and we'll try to answer.
EDIT: ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED. Participants are listed in the next post, in their initial player pairings.
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DETAILS:
Dates for each Single-Play round:
Round 1 - start Saturday 12th January, 2013, finish Sunday 20th January.
Round 2 - start Saturday 19th January, 2013, finish Sunday 27th January.
Round 3 - start Saturday 26th January, 2013, finish Sunday 3rd February.
Round 4 - start Saturday 2nd February, 2013, finish Sunday 10th February.
COURSE SETUP for each round:-
All rounds are single-play, and should be set with a 90-second timer, StrokePlay, in Practice Mode, with Uneven Lies. Hole locations, Tees, Green speeds and Wind conditions are as follows:
Round 1 – Oakmont: 18 holes, Hard hole locations, White (Medium) tees, Very Fast greens, Moderate wind, Uneven Lies.
Here is the 1st Round Score Submission link. (and the 1st Round Leaderboard)
Round 2 – St Andrews: 18 holes, Medium hole locations, Yellow (Medium) tees, Fast greens, High wind, Uneven Lies.
Here is the 2nd Round Score Submission link (and Leaderboard to date)
Round 3 – Olympic: 18 holes, Default hole locations, Red (Easy) tees, Very Fast greens, Low wind, Uneven Lies.
Here is the 3rd Round Score Submission link (Olympic) (and Leaderboard to date)
Round 4 – Royal St George's: 18 holes, Default hole locations, White (Medium) tees, Very Fast greens, Moderate wind, Uneven Lies.
Here is the 4th Round Score Submission link (Royal St. George's)
(and Leaderboard to date)
CLUBS: Starter Clubs only (including the Putter) and Starter Ball only.
The only clubs that can be used are the normal starter set that comes free of charge when you first joined the game. No beginner equipment allowed, including the putter (it is unfair as newer players don't have beginner equipment). Starter Plus clubs will not be allowed either as they are pay-for clubs.
PLAYING PARTNERS:
Rounds must be played in twosomes, single-play. When you post your interest, you must fill out the signup form with your availability times so that I can assign playing partners.
We'd love to have players play in pairings just like a real Open, ideally with leaders together "on the weekend" but the latter may be ambitious. Do note, though, that we won't have a cut. We want everyone to have the chance to experience the fun of Starters on all of these toughest courses. If you're up for this challenge, you deserve to get the full 4 rounds! (If it's all too much pain, please Withdraw formally via a post in this thread… don't just disappear. Thanks!)
POSTING SCORES:
Please note these requirements for the tourney: As well as final Front 9 & Back 9 scorecard snapshots, you'll need to remember to take full screen shots on your 2nd shot on any of the last five holes, as well as on the Green, to verify Uneven Lies, and other conditions. (It might be prudent to take one on the 1st fairway as well, so you've got one in reserve in case you forget later.) [Example screenshots and full instructions are given below in the next post]
1 posting error = official warning
2 posting errors = 1 shot penalty
3 posting errors = 2 shot penalty
4 posting errors = DNF (did not finish)
EDIT: please note these guidelines for interrupted rounds: http://www.wgt.com/forums/p/147933/1005395.aspx#1005395
Please do share your playing experiences in this thread!
Here is the 1st Round Score Submission link.
Here is the 2nd Round Score Submission link
Here is the 3rd Round Score Submission link (Olympic)
Here is the 4th Round Score Submission link (Royal St. George's)
PRIZES: Tourney organizers are covering the main prizes, which are as follows:
1st place: 2,500 credit purchases in the Pro Shop
2nd place: 1,500 credit purchases in the Pro Shop
3rd place: 1,000 credit purchases in the Pro Shop
Here is the list of Special Prizes: A Huge Thank You to all our Prize Sponsors!!!
(please note, to help encourage continued participation in the tourney by all players, some special prizes have restrictions. Asterixed prizes below are subject to the following condition: anyone placing in the top 3 prizes above is only eligible for 50% of the prize. The remaining 50% will go to the highest placed player not otherwise winning a prize.
1. Most Greens in Regulation (750 credit purchases in the Pro Shop; ***)
2. Closest Ave. Distance to the Pin (750 credit purchases in the Pro Shop; ***) [note this condition]
3. Greatest Improvement (relative to par) throughout the tourney (from Rnd 1-4)
(Top 2 players in this category win a sleeve of balls of their choice; sponsor: jimbean346) [calculation of biggest improvement in percentage by comparison of % over par in 1st round against % over par for 72 holes]
4. Most Birdies across whole tourney (goes to next placed player not already in top 3 places): (1 player wins a sleeve of balls of their choice; sponsor: jimbean346) [tie-breaker will be most birdies on non-par3 holes]
5. Least Bogies or Worse across whole tourney (goes to next placed player not already in top 3 places): (1 player wins a sleeve of balls of their choice; sponsor: jimbean346) [tie-breaker will be least number of double-bogies or worse]
6. Longest total distance of putts across whole tourney (1 player wins a sleeve of lvl71 Nikes or 450cr; note winner will need to post their Putting stats tab each round to be eligible; sponsor: MizzyMan)
7. Lowest final score among players Master tier or below (at start of tourney):
(1 player wins a new set of irons of player's choice; sponsor: bhoese; details and conditions here)
8. 9 hole personal coaching session with defending champion Hans!
(sponsor: Hanswurst72)
This (very nice) Consolation Prize is for one lucky random winner who finishes all 4 rounds and does not win one of the other prizes! "You will be able to play with your proper clubs and course/conditions of your choice, and ask whatever you want... and I hope this will help you to achieve your goals in this game ;)"
9. Longest drive on the fairway or green during the whole tournament (1 player wins Sleeve of Callys), and another sleeve of Callys for the guess of how long that winning drive is going to be (sponsor: joewaters).
10. Most birdies @ Olympic (1 player wins a sleeve of balls of player's choice; sponsor mnshiner) [tie-breaker will be most birdies on non-par3 holes, and then on non-par5 holes, tbc]
11. An Eagle @ Royal St. George's (any player who makes an eagle at RSG wins 2 sleeves of balls of player's choice; sponsor mnshiner)
12. "No-3-putt" throughout the whole tourney (1 pack of balls of players choice, up to 450 credits. If multiple players tie for the prize, the winner is determined by the highest total GIR amongst them; sponsor Hanswurst72).
Note: in the event of ties for any of the placings, we'll follow the WGT approach to resolving them, essentially, best scores for the last 9 holes etc. (So, for the special prizes, it will be best score for last round, then penultimate round, in the event of a tied placing.) WGT rules in full are here: http://www.wgt.com/help.aspx#ties [Needless to say, organizers decision will be final should one be needed]
Please note: to be eligible for prizes, you will need to submit full and complete score posts, with the statistical data tabs, for each round.
Here is the Overall Leaderboard, with tabs at the bottom you can use to navigate to whichever Special Prize stat you're interested in tracking.
PLAYERS: Open to all tiers, all levels.
We'd like to get as big a field as possible, but most of all we want committed players who will get their games arranged and played each week. So, please spread the word amongst Friends and CC members. Deadline for Entries: January 11, 2012.
Sign up here ENTRIES NOW CLOSED
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Edit: 1/12 5am: closed signups, added link to proposed rules for interrupted rounds and stats submissions; and finalized prize list.
Edit: 1/12 8pm: reminders added that rounds are Single-Play for this tourney! And 1st Round Score submission link added.
Edit: 1/14 7am: Leaderboard link added.
Edit: 1/18 5am: 2nd Round score submission link added.
Edit: 1/23 11am: Overall Leaderboard link added. 3pm: added tiebreaker stipulation for Most Birdies prize (most birdies on non-par3 holes to decide ties)
Edit: 1/26 10am: Added joe's prize for Longest Drive of Tourney (and Guess of how long) to prizes list, as well as 3rd Round score submission link added.
Edit: 1/27 10am: Added Shiner's Most Birdies at Olympic prize.
Edit: 2/3 6am: Added Shiner's Eagle at Royal St. George's prize.
Edit: 2/8 10pm: Added Hans' 'No-3-putt' prize.