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Re: Question for the Vets

• AugustWest123 15 Posts

  Mon, Apr 3 2017 11:51 AM

  I'll take your word on most things round here since you've been around a lot longer than me. I don't know very many people in here but I do know of  3 I've played with over the last 2 weeks who make sure their score on the final hole won't move them into the next tier.

  They told me to take as many putts on that last hole as necessary rather than forfeiting and maybe that was the way to go.  That's why I wanted to get the answer to my original question about how many under par will lower my average score.  My guess is you wouldn't endorse either of those methods.

  But when you say those who play for fun or with friends in here never do this or that, I have to assume you're either exaggerating to make a point or misinformed. 

  Since I haven't been playing with people in this place for more than 2 or 3 weeks and I already know 3 people who tank the last whole if they are playing well, I have to assume there are a lot more than those 3, right?

  Maybe there are some out there who view tanking the last hole as a more ethical manner of doing this versus forfeiting on your last putt...I see them as pretty much the same and I didn't think it would offend anyone before seeing you and some others share your opinion, which I appreciate knowing.

  My view is that if there are people who are fine with buying balls and upgrading clubs, god bless 'em and if there are those who don't want to do that and stay at some certain tier because moving up would not be too much fun, I don't see much wrong with that.

  But again, that's where I am right now and I'll think on what you and others have said.  I really mean that.

  I do not want to offend or bother or annoy people I'm playing with, that's for sure, and so if I thought I was doing that by either tanking on the last putt or forfeiting on the last putt, I would stop doing that.

• alosso 21,088 Posts

  Mon, Apr 3 2017 1:02 PM

  Apart from the disappointment involved to see a quitter quit and abort the common game (regardless of his courteousness), there are at least two rational arguments:

  - some people play MP for the XPs granted which are elevated in MP games and tumble to "normal" if anybody survives,

  - if another player can't complete his game due to the forfeit, he will lose a lot more of XPs and also get a mark for an uncompleted game which affects his standing.

  => Quitters suck, so minimize it to unforseeable emergencies and disconnects.

  (Boss calls, baby wakes up, I have an appointment don't count IMHO)

   

  For you, it should be possible to add a few strokes at the end of the game to finish in style and with a high score.

• AugustWest123 15 Posts

  Mon, Apr 3 2017 1:28 PM

  So potentially adding some putts on the last whole versus forfeiting on the last hole is better in your eyes.  I can see where you are coming from.

  As far as people not being able to finish MP games, I was talking about stroke play with a foursome but that's still good to know.

  Maybe a year from now, I'll look back and think it was lame of me to think ending games this way was okay, who knows.

  If I end up doing it to not move into Tour Master (I most likely won't have to do anything of the sort)  I will ask the people I'm playing with to get their opinion on it and that will probably be a barometer of sorts, in combination with what I'm hearing here.  

   

• garyk49 2,333 Posts

  Mon, Apr 3 2017 2:42 PM

  AugustWest123:

  Regarding not wanting to move to Master from Tour Pro (keeping my average above 67.0)

  I was told not go under -2 for 9 and I'd be safe from doing this.  I was at 67.17 or something and was surprised I went down to 67.04 after going -1 on the back nine last night at George. 

  Ok, as you have tiered to Master, prepare for your next new adventure.   I think a few things that you may not understand, or are not aware of.

  Saturation....Number of games that you have to play before you can tier up to the next highest tier.  There is a required average that you need to reach before you can tier up and after you have reached saturation.  During the time until you reach saturation, your average can move up and down, based on the scores that you shoot.  After reaching saturation, you average can only go down.

  Some people purposely do what you are descripting, either don't post lower scores, or purposely post higher scores, for the sole intent to remain at the tier they are currently at.  Purposely only posting higher scores to remain in a lower tier is called sandbagging.  Something that is not highly thought of by most here.  Lonnie, alosso, Robert and I are all aware of this.  So when you post a question, how do I keep from moving up in tier, that question is not taken very well.  You have probably not run into it yet, as you don't seem to play for credits, if you do you will.  If you play is some of the WGT free tournaments, you may have seen some real low scores posted and questioned, how can they do that.  You have your answer above.

  Can understand your concern about not spending.  Some have spent money, some have spent earned credits.  But it was not done to keep from tiering up.  It was done to tier up, and reach the next new adventure.  If you don't want to spend, so be it, but expect to only get so far.  The clubs you have may take you, with the exception of wedges) probably as high as TM, maybe to Legend.  Somewhere along the way one of you next posts is gonna be, how do I improve.

  Forfeitting is still quitting if you stop and think about it.  But yes it does hold the game up for other by disconnecting.  Most of us play multiplayer for the enjoyment of playing with others, all the way to the end, not to finish a game by ourselfs,  That is what singleplayer is for.

  Remember is was you that asked that first question, not wanting to tier up.

  Others have mentioned don't go by the under par.  You need to remember some courses have different par scores.  A -2 on a par 36 is 34 doubled to 68.  A -2 on a par 35 is 33 doubled to 66.  Average is based on par on 18 holes.  When you shoot below your current average it will drop, until you reach saturation, then it will only drop.

• AugustWest123 15 Posts

  Mon, Apr 3 2017 3:44 PM

  I have read about saturation and the number of rounds one needs to play and score average to qualify for the next tier, etc.  Appreciate the bit about the difference in par scores.  Didn't think about that before it was mentioned earlier.

  I would never have played any kind of tournaments during those few weeks I was purposely trying to avoid going under 67.0, thereby getting to Master--that to me, would be unethical, lame and misleading.  I'm not into tournaments in the first place, but I would never have done that.

  I've just recently started playing with other people and again, only jumped out, telling them why, on the last hole during my last putt.  And I guess I thought that it didn't matter what my Tier was in those groups, I felt mostly, I was going against people who were Tour Pro or better playing with good balls and therefore, they had a slight advantage, but maybe that's not as true as I thought.

  Like I said in my last post, I can wrap my head round the idea that two or three-putting from 4 feet on the final hole is better in many peoples' eyes than forfeiting on the last putt.

  I guess I see a difference between forfeiting on the last putt and disconnecting on the 3rd hole but I understand not everyone agrees with that and that many find both equally wrong.

  Thanks for all the responses people, appreciated.