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Re: Skins & High Tier Players

• ShadyShank 629 Posts

  Tue, Mar 11 2014 6:44 AM

  Hi All, Skins has always been my favorite format to play, either on the real course or virtual. Unfortunately, if you're just a Tour Pro or even lower, good luck getting into a challenge game. What I would really like to know is, if these "Legends" & "Tour Masters" think they r fooling anyone when they cancel out of any Skins game with 1 player hitting from closer tees than they?

  I know it isn't because they usually lose to these lower ranked players, I've played too many rounds with the other 3 in group well ahead of me in rank, and have yet to win more skins than everyone in the group. So, what is it? Simply that you don"t like being out-driven by lower ranks & women?

  Or, is it the more realistic answer that most of you don't know a thing about real golf? Handicaps & tee placements r there for very specific reasons, to try and make the game as even as possible. Personally, I think it's a different answer all together. Most of you truly believe playing with lower tiers puts you at a disadvantage, and you honestly believe a skins game is not equal without each player hitting from the same tees.

  I wish I could choose what tees to hit from so I could play my favorite game much more often. I even played one yesterday with 2 ladies who were asked to hit 3 off the tee by the 4th player, who ended up with most of the skins in the end anyway. All 3 were Legends, I hit from the tees I was put at the whole round, and I won the very last skin.

  Please give me a reason I haven't listed as to y most of u refuse to play people with averages 5-10 strokes higher than most of yours?

• lvietri 3,326 Posts

  Wed, Mar 12 2014 11:34 AM

  Hi Shady ---

  I noticed you only signed up in January so you may be a bit new to some of the "going's on" in WGT - but here is the reason I think most would rather not play with folks at a much lower tier.  And it has nothing to do with real golf ...

  There are a number of players who have started new accounts - and are not really lower level players (so to speak) ... They have mastered the game at Legend or Tour Legend status --- and with the new account are now playing from tees much much closer to the pin.   This gives them a huge advantage when playing against Legends or Tour Legends playing from the tips.    

  These players start new accounts - pick up decent clubs and top notch balls - and clean up in skins games, ready go's, etc. etc.  

  Why they do this ?  I'm told they use the credits to "Gift" their other accounts with new items but truthfully  I have no clue .. it makes no sense to me ---- but it happens.

  Just my thoughts.

   

• TarheelsRule 5,579 Posts

  Wed, Mar 12 2014 11:38 AM

  Lou speaks the truth.

  I generally will play with anyone for any reasonable amount.  However if I log into a skins game and see a tour pro who is eager to play for a large amount, I smell a rat.  As a legend or tour legend, we hit from much longer tees, the only advantage that we have over this tour pro is that the green speed is faster than he might be used to.  That isn't a huge advantage when you are playing a par four from 485 and he is playing from 385 using the same clubs or close to them.  

• bigcountry317 4,269 Posts

  Wed, Mar 12 2014 1:51 PM

  ^They've mentioned the sandbagger part of the equation, and are spot on....hopefully I can shed a little light on the other.

  I'll admit I don't play many matches in any format from the main page(usually stick to the friends list) but it is near impossible to find someone willing to play on the occasions I do.  I'd guess about 95% of the time the host will remove us out of the game because of our tier.   It's not just the lower tier players that do it either, plenty of legends and even tl's aren't shy about removing a player they think may be better than them.  Sometimes I'll forget to select legend+ and will be brought into a game with a lower tier player or several if in skins mode......figure I'm doing 'em a favor by canceling out before they have to remove me, plus I'm not looking to take any credits off someone I should have an advantage against.  My guess is a lot of the legends & tl's feel similarly.

  Often though, these players are missing out....I've lost plenty of credits to players that allowed me to stay in the game lol. :-)

• mbcarp99 1,078 Posts

  Wed, Mar 12 2014 2:44 PM

  ShadyShank:

  Please give me a reason I haven't listed as to y most of u refuse to play people with averages 5-10 strokes higher than most of yours?

  Please don't feel you are alone, i am always getting kicked from skins and mp games, i normally give up after 3 or 4 attempts and go back to playing with friends. I think you will also find that the 2 likely reasons this happens to you is as has already been stated, they think you could be a multi or the more likely reason is they would feel bad about taking credits of a lower ranked player

   

• ShadyShank 629 Posts

  Wed, Mar 12 2014 2:48 PM

  Thanks to all of you for the insightful input. Its a shame there are ppl who would do as has been described to scam ppl out of creds. I started in late January & have played and unlocked and earned my average the way it is meant to be done, even if it appears I haven't played long enough to do so, I did.

  
  Many don't know, or aren't old enough to recall, when this very game was a home video game, so I did have a certain leg up, so to speak, off the start. But, I still haven't fully recalled the variables to the equation for sinking big bending putts. That video game came out over 20 years ago. And, I have played in numerous skins games here, check my wall if you care to, and u will see I have yet to beat a higher tier player in skins. I'm okay with that,  because I know that's how you get better by playing ppl better than you.

  The last point bigcountry makes is what Ive been telling every Legend I play with. WGT, and this can not be difficult, needs to put players on tees based on their equipment and average and even stats. But, I will say that if a player enters a group they do so knowing what they are up against. One last thing, I'm not sure I even get the part about the sandbaggers, just for the fact that they should be easy to pick out and report and have banned.

  
  WGT, it's a good thing you have started here but it needs some work to address all the issues mentioned so far. Oh, and if hitting from closer tees gives one the advantage, I sure would like to be told in what way, because you can out drive em all by 50 yards every time, but that isn't gonna win skins.

• ShadyShank 629 Posts

  Wed, Mar 12 2014 4:17 PM

  Thanks. mbcarp. bigcountry told me the same thing about how it happens to everybody, and that does ease the sting a little of not getting to play my favorite format. Ive lost hundreds of credits, which is fine, because I'll take any game I can get in skins.

  A note to any high tier players who do feel bad about taking lower tier credits. Don't, please. No one has to play with their credits if they don't want to, nor do they have to play people much more experienced than they. We just want to play.

  And one last note. I went to the Elite section to style my avatar, and was asked to "prove" my identity b4 I could purchase by sending in personal documentation. Well, this happens to be a very sore spot for me, because any site I have had ask me that very thing has been a site that had already accepted plenty of my $$ and had no problem doing so. They do it in the name of security, and that's okay, but don't take hundreds of my dollars 1st, and then ask for something like that later. Just doesn't seem right to me.

  I mention that because I'm guessing it may be the only way to "prove" you r real to become a WGT member? If I understand correctly that is part of the reason some are leery of players, if they don't have that certification.

• ShadyShank 629 Posts

  Sat, Mar 15 2014 12:31 AM

  I just wanted to give a fresh update, from my perspective on this topic. I was searching for a skins challenge game around midnight central standard US time. Couldn't find a single game going on, then finally I'm asked to confirm my entree fee at "whatever" and Im in a group with 3 Legends all 30 levels higher than me.

  
  The thing is, that's pretty much the only game I find any time of the day or nite or morning anyway. It was over 900 credit entry. I paid and entered, and i could tell they weren't excited to fill their foursome finally, so I typed, "if y'all don't wanna play someone my tier just say."

  
  One guy then canceled and I canceled immediately after him, one guy sent me an invite after but canceled it. The point is, I'm a big boy guy's & girl's, and if I enter a game like that you have only 2 valid reason's not to play me, IMO. One, you're waiting for someone specific to fill the 4th slot, or you don't wanna play me because I unlocked and paid for the same equipment and buy the same balls as you, but I'm hitting from closer tees, and your 1st thought is that I have a better than average advantage.

  
  Either that or your bagging, and then you're just an ass....Period.

• ShadyShank 629 Posts

  Sat, Mar 15 2014 2:47 AM

  Figures, with my rant earlier, I forgot to say what I really wanted to. That is, if higher tier players are worried about baggers, or concerned a player possibly isn't the player they are playing as, wouldn't it be fairly simple to just check the player profile and look at their history, and then decide yourselves if you want them to play your skins game or not?