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New starter needing advice

• Gukkon 21 Posts

  Tue, Jul 3 2012 2:41 PM

  Hi guys, new to this game and finding it rather tough so would love some advice on a few things if you can help.

  First of all I like games like this as skill is involved and only the best get to the top. Knowing this I have been player for a good few hours since I started (which was last night) to get use to the actions and to slowly improve. What I have noticed about my game so far is I am great off the tee and hit the fairway around 85% of the time. However after that it gets rather difficult. I have watched the videos time and time again but they can really only tell you so much. I try to practice with certain shots to get on the green but seem to fail time and time again. Ill give you an example;

  On the fairway with a good lie and got a clear shot to the hole which say is 160 yards. The wind is coming left to right at around 14 so what i normally do is keep the club the game has given me (which is a 5 or 6 iron i think) and then think if i bring my aim towards me a little to allow for the roll once hitting the ground and bring the aim left a bit to compensate for the wind I should be ok. 

  So now the distance is say 140-150, i look on the shot bar meter and think right I don't need full power so ill going around 75% as that would be the 140-150 yards I need. By the way I have no idea what the little green arrow is above the shot distance is. When I come to take the shot I either come up way way way too short even though I did the right distance on the meter or I over shoot it and end up 20feet from the pin (which happens 8/10 times). Ive seen other players replays and im like wow! how do they do that!. Bunkers as well are difficult because if I dont put too much power it will just hit the top of the bunker and if I put too much power to save from staying in the bunker again, it just flies off to the back of the green. 

  Putting....well that is very difficult. That needs a whole thread of its own I think as the grid is hard to read plus the greens surface texture too. 

  Sorry for the long thread but im liking this game so far and want to keep playing but just finding it rather tedious at the moment. As you can see ive played in many free tournaments but it is heart breaking when you think you get your best score and you look at the leaderboard and see a guy with like -17 under! 

  So any advice would be great guys if you can send me some. 

  Thanks in advance, Shaun

   

   

• Blade7658 452 Posts

  Tue, Jul 3 2012 5:38 PM

  Remeber that 75% metere doesn't mean 75% power. Read the FAQs - lots of good info.  Go to YouTube and watch Bollox play.

• CerinoDevoti 3,232 Posts

  Tue, Jul 3 2012 5:50 PM

  Gukkon:

  Hi guys, new to this game and finding it rather tough so would love some advice on a few things if you can help.

  First of all I like games like this as skill is involved and only the best get to the top. Knowing this I have been player for a good few hours since I started (which was last night) to get use to the actions and to slowly improve. What I have noticed about my game so far is I am great off the tee and hit the fairway around 85% of the time. However after that it gets rather difficult. I have watched the videos time and time again but they can really only tell you so much. I try to practice with certain shots to get on the green but seem to fail time and time again. Ill give you an example;

  On the fairway with a good lie and got a clear shot to the hole which say is 160 yards. The wind is coming left to right at around 14 so what i normally do is keep the club the game has given me (which is a 5 or 6 iron i think) and then think if i bring my aim towards me a little to allow for the roll once hitting the ground and bring the aim left a bit to compensate for the wind I should be ok. 

  So now the distance is say 140-150, i look on the shot bar meter and think right I don't need full power so ill going around 75% as that would be the 140-150 yards I need. By the way I have no idea what the little green arrow is above the shot distance is. When I come to take the shot I either come up way way way too short even though I did the right distance on the meter or I over shoot it and end up 20feet from the pin (which happens 8/10 times). Ive seen other players replays and im like wow! how do they do that!. Bunkers as well are difficult because if I dont put too much power it will just hit the top of the bunker and if I put too much power to save from staying in the bunker again, it just flies off to the back of the green. 

  Putting....well that is very difficult. That needs a whole thread of its own I think as the grid is hard to read plus the greens surface texture too. 

  Sorry for the long thread but im liking this game so far and want to keep playing but just finding it rather tedious at the moment. As you can see ive played in many free tournaments but it is heart breaking when you think you get your best score and you look at the leaderboard and see a guy with like -17 under! 

  So any advice would be great guys if you can send me some. 

  Thanks in advance, Shaun

  The power meter is not linear. 3/4's movement is not 3/4's power. I try not to hit less than 90% of an iron.Less than that gets rather unpredictable. Most any advice we give you now will become obvious as you play more anyway. 2 days is nearly nothing yet.  Have fun #1 and experiment with different clubs and shots. It's always hard at the beginning. Within a week you'll have a good baseline of each club and what it can and can't do with consistency.

• Timmytoastman 567 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 3:22 AM

  Shaun,

               The one thing Besides experience that I think will help you the most is equipment! The best equipment produces the best results, due to accuracy & forgiveness! If you can afford it get the best. Some will say that workiing your way up produces the best result because of the experience gained as you struggle your way through. This is true! But, get the best equipment and see the results! I think you'll be glad you did.

                                        Tim 

• Gukkon 21 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 4:27 AM

  I thought about buying some new clubs because after looking through the pro shop the new clubs seem to be way better than the ones you get given. But then I saw a you tube video of that bollox guy playing a round with the starter clubs and getting a great score. I dont know how he does it because every shot he does is straight near the hole and thats against the wind and with all kinds of different lies. All he seems to do is put back spin on and hits the ball full whack and its there. I do that and it flies off to the back of the green ready for a 40 yard put!.

  Regarding the meter bar it must be some sort of power bar otherwise I wouldnt see videos of players putting it up to 75% or even 50%. Is it for power or distance? I know in real life you can use body power for clubs in certain situations to gain more distance but I know that a club can only put a ball so far. So my guess is that the bar at the bottom must be how hard you hit the ball. 

  Had another round myself today and got a dismal score. Pitching is very difficult as im either hitting it too hard and it flies up nicely but then rolls miles off the green or hit it too softly and it doesnt jump at all. I don't know, back to the course I go for more training...

• alosso 21,066 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 6:39 AM

  Stopping a long ball dead with starter clubs (and ball!) is a miracle to me, too. High art or high skills, way above a mortal's thoughts.

  I'd say, you don't need custom clubs now. Those you can buy will be a little better than the Starters, and when you advance you'll need even better ones. If you wanna buy, I'd suggest this sequence: 1 or 2 Wedges, driver (3WD as a cheap replacement), balls (1), irons, putter.

  (1) custom balls wear and get lost, a steady cash flow to the Company.

  To understand the game, the Starters are usually good enough if you hit the ding ("excellent"!) sometimes.

  The meter bar is a power/length bar, but the only club reacting linear down to 5 % (and less) is the putter.The others, irons and woods, are highly nonlinear below 80 %, especially the Starter wedges.

  The "caddy" proposing a club for a given shot is a dumb guy, producing many a faulty results. Adjust the club according to distance, elevation and wind (max. 1 yard per 1 mph of wind) and chose the closest club above. Look for "punch" clicking left of the club icon, this may give you a few intermediate numbers of nominal distances.

  Never trust the caddy regarding chips and pitches!

  There is a good tutorial over there ==>

  Some general remarks:

  A pitch must land on fairway or better surface after flying 50 - 70 % of the desired distance.

  A chip must land on fringe or green, flying only 20-30 %.

  In case of doubt, use flop or punch.

  The distances are highly nonlinear.

   

• plim 1,388 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 7:49 AM

  best advice i can give is keep it simple. Don't try to do too much to soon. You won't learn much with the starters, to progress and improve you need to level up and buy better equipment.

  and remember its you against the course don't get caught up with the mega low scores posted. the more you play the better you get and that gap closes. i play to improve and enjoy the game and the company of some very good friends, not win things.

  Fairway

  Green

  Hole

  how hard can it be lol.

• Gukkon 21 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 8:30 AM

  Thanks for your replies guys really appreciate it. Ill give the chipping and pitching ago on my practice games as these really do get on my nerves. Never tried the punch shot so ill give that a go too. 

  I suppose with me being a competitive guy I just put pressure on myself. Golf is a nice relaxing game and all be it being a game, you still need to provide real life logic to each shot. Ill take all your advice on board and will see how I go :D 

  Thanks again guys

  Shaun

• lonniescott711 4,204 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 9:04 AM

  There is more to the game, than just hitting the ball. Golf is also a game of patience.You have to learn where and how to place your shots. If you cant play with what you have ,you wont play with what you get. Start playing practice rounds stroke play. This will allow you to learn your way around the courses, and develop your game as well. The scores you post , wont count against your avg, and you will get the experience that you need. You will also get XP points as well for playing, which you will need in order to level up. Build your credits by doing the surveys and videos, and practice, practice, practice. Have fun ,play well, and welcome to the family. Seeee Yaaaaaa.

• labordayk 389 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 9:07 AM

  Those who say you need to buy new clubs, and can't learn from the Starters are mistaken.  There are different approaches to this game, and while the fast, expensive road may work for some, the slow, cheap road works best for others.

  IMO, the only upgrade to consider right now would be the 99 credit Starter Pluses, which are the same as the Starters, but with a much slower meter.  You'll turn Pro in a/couple/few days, and will have enough to buy the Pluses without having to buy credits.

  I made my first eagle, the day I turned Pro and bought the Starter Pluses.  I used them my first 3 months (after 6 days with the regular Starters), and didn't upgrade any other clubs till pretty well into Tour Pro and past level 50.

  Not only can you learn all the basics, and all the courses, but the longer you wait to upgrade, the better the clubs will be that you can upgrade to.  It will also behoove you not to progress to the upper tiers too quickly, or else the clubs you need at those tiers may not be available to you.