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Our Plans for New Tiers and Levels

• KingOfTheCourse 419 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 10:30 AM

  WGTalex:

  @alacowboy: Yes, the plan is to have Legends tee off from the championship tees.

  @king: The exact release date has not been nailed down, but should be within the next 30-60 days.

  Man Alex 7 mins for a reply.. tisk tisk What took you so long

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 10:31 AM

  WGTalex, this is a remarkable addition to he game. The ideas WGT has decided on here will make sandbagging all but dissapear. If a player keeps holding at the same level, there can be no advancement in levels to unlock new equipment. This could very well bring the quitter issue to rest in some light as well.

  Way to go WGT, you truly have been listening to the members in the areas that need addressed the most. Now if the roadmap features would start getting implemented with more expediency, this game would be even greater than it already is. I look forward to this being put in place immediately.

   

• cyl6 347 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 10:37 AM

  Great news, I think the additional tiers and new leveling system will be great additions to the game. Looking forward to it!

• hbthree 478 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 11:09 AM

  Iceats:

  All of the changes seem to be in the right direction except making better equipment available to lower tiers - "We’re planning to make the equipment in the Pro Shop available based on Level rather than Tier."

  There are a number of players who, by design, do not want to reach master.  They are much better playing at the pro level and in fact do not enter into ranked rounds so their average stays high.  Why you say, so they can catch unsuspecting players and entice them into matchplay rounds.  I can offer WGT a couple of examples if you desire to back this up (not here obviously). 

  I can also offer WGT many examples of players who shoot really good scores in competitions and then turn right around and purposely shoot high scores to keep their average high.  Example:  shoot 60 in a weekly tournament then go shoot a 90 ranked round, not once but as a routine.  Very obvious to look at scoring history to see this.

  Providing these types of players the finest equipment will only lead to further abuse by these players.

  Please reconsider this idea.  Leave getting the better equipment as a reward for obaining the appropriate tier.  Otherwise, what is the benefit for reaching the next tier.  This change will encourage people to not try and improve their game, why would they ?.

  Ice 

   

  Dave....You are spot on sir assuming we understand this "level" business correctly....sandbaggers with even better equipment is not a path we should applaud!

  Harve

• AwsomeAl 237 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 11:12 AM

  Sounds good. Here's to the future!!

• neildiamond11790 1,115 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 11:13 AM

  Good stuff for the most part, but I really disagree on the equipment aspect.  As some others noted, if I am a Tour Master, playing a Tour Pro, just because they are active in the game they can have the same equipment as me and are teeing off 50 yards ahead of me?  I think we need some further clarity on this.  I dont see that as all fair to the people that play this game and have worked hard to shoot what they shoot, just to have somebody that plays a lot, but is not advancing in tiers to have the same equipment.

  I agree that as real golfers I can go out and buy the same driver as say a Mickelson or O'Hair, but Tour Pro's have access to newer clubs, professional fitting, shafts that are just not available to the public, and they dont have to pay for any of it.  You saying the Legends are going to get the best free equipment before the rest of the players get a shot at it?  Are they going to get the opportunity to take off any inch of the shaft but bend the face 2 degrees?

   

• TarheelsRule 5,468 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 11:20 AM

  I tend to agree with Neil on this one. Based on the number of tiers it would require either one set of tees for each to make it fair and that is without allowing each tier access to every club. As Neil said, a tour pro could bomb it out 50 yards or more ahead of me on a hole like #5 at St Andrews. I also believe that this approach is going to put a premium on sandbagging to maintain your tier. I have noticed in the past few weeks that my scoring average can move from 59 to 65 just based on which courses I play. I would also again request that the handicap start being based on 18 holes rather than 9, using nine allows you to move up and down so quickly when you have only 12 rounds caculating your handicap. I can have my handicap at 70 and play 6 nine hole rounds on the front at St Andrews or the back at Kiawah and shoot 30 on those and move to an average of 60 in one day. On the other hand I can move my handicap up very easy by doing the opposite.

• AvatarLee 1,644 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 11:31 AM

  BolloxInBruges:

  nice!

  edit- after thinking about it for a half hour, doesn't this just encourage sandbagging even more?

  If competent sandbaggers are using the same equip as me, from 2 or 3 teeboxes ahead of me, what chance do I have to win if it is a credit match for example?

  Also after thinking about this I agree with Bollies questions.  The only way I can see (for now) it being implemented fairly is that Level advancement is restricted by tier advancement (ie you cannot go past level x until you make Tour Master tier)..... but then what would be the point of levels??

  Or the converse to that is a certain level advancement will generate an automatic tier bump...

  Another way would be to include match play record in tier advancement, for instance if a "Tour Pro" has higher than a certain win % with a minimum # of games played against masters then he/she would be bumped.  But then that doesn't cover regular tiered tournaments where a pro with the best equipment can still remain a pro and sandbag for prizes...

  Just thinking out loud really.... trying to brainstorm the concept....

• WGTalex 2,087 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 11:31 AM

  By adding another reward system, we hope to give people more insight into a player’s habits and patterns. This will help you better decide whether to get into match play games with them. A player may decide to inflate their scores, but a look at their level and equipment would give you clues as to whether they are a good match-up for you.

• AvatarLee 1,644 Posts

  Tue, Aug 10 2010 11:35 AM

  WGTalex:

  @Iceats: By adding another reward system, we hope to give people more insight into a player’s habits and patterns. This will help you better decide whether to get into match play games with them. A player may decide to inflate their scores, but a look at their level and equipment would give you clues as to whether they are a good match-up for you.

  Okay, I can see that for Match Play, however, for Ready-Gos and tier based tournaments it can be an unfair advantage for a Pro to be going off the 2 tees ahead of Legends and have the same equipment.

  *edit* I don't want to sound like I'm protecting any future winnings, because I can appreciate the fact that WGT wants more people to be competitive, I understand that.  But at the same time we can't have the pendulum swing in the complete other direction too.  It's a medium ground that you need to be aiming for.