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New starter needing advice

• chris5214 1,937 Posts

  Wed, Jul 4 2012 10:19 AM

  lol .. welcome to WGT .. as far as golf games go, this is a tough as it gets .. yeah, we all struggle, even us so-called "Legends" ..

  and so u will hear all kinds of opinions .. what works for some does not work for others .. but one common thought holds true .. and that is .. practice, practice, practice ..

  don't be too hard on yourself .. in a week from now u'll see ur improvement .. whichever clubs you use ..

  myself, i upgraded my clubs once the opportunity presented itself, but thats just me .. just do what feels comfortable to you .. there's no cast-in-stone right or wrong .. except for the golden rule of .. PRACTICE ..

  good luck to you .. & remember .. have fun !

   

• alosso 21,066 Posts

  Fri, Jul 6 2012 11:54 PM

  ^^

• theDEWman 27 Posts

  Sat, Jul 7 2012 4:36 AM

  Hi, and welcome to the game.  Don't sweat it, this is the hardest golf game i've seen so far.  All of us started the same, most people will find it impossible, i know i did, and still do. That's what makes the game such a great one, just like the real game. Most will have fun and enjoy it, but a few will get to the top. The ones at the top didn't get there without living,eating,breathing this game. I've been playing for over a year,is at 53 consecutive day's right now (not the first time either) just making master this week. I still have a lot of trouble, but that's what makes the game so good. I tried another online golf game and got a -10 on the first time out, with the starter clubs. What's the point???   My best advice to you and all new golfers is to have fun make new friends and practice, it will get better with time.

• marks84 184 Posts

  Sun, Jul 8 2012 8:53 PM

  Gukkon:

  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...

  Shaun... just relax and have fun with this game for right now.The equipment that WGT gives you is not very good, but with a couple of exceptions (wedges and a putter IMHO), there are not really any low level clubs that are worth the money you will spend. As I believe a couple of other people have already said, use the first few weeks to learn the different courses, ask for advice when you can, move up a few levels and then really go for moving up in tiers as well.  Do not get discouraged because you cannot shoot the low scores yet, that will come with time. And except for the purpose of watching just to marvel at them, DO NOT watch Bollox's videos and think that you can do that, he is an alien from Alpha Centauri. Best of luck to ya.

• pillsy 489 Posts

  Mon, Jul 9 2012 3:52 PM

  Timmytoastman:

  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 

  respectfully disagree.  getting the best equipment, particularly for a new player, only masks deficiencies.  enjoy getting to learn "wgt" and the nuances, and the putting, and the iron play, and how the ball reacts out of the rough vs. fairway, and the punch/flop/pitch/chip.  learn the courses, and the greens, and how elevation and wind impact your shots.  get a handle on those things FIRST and you can probably make it pretty far up the ranks, just on basic clubs.  i would really only start considering upgrading clubs when what you have makes the course unplayable (i.e., your driver can't reach the fairway, or your can't reach par 4's in 2).  

   

  THEN, when you have a good handle on the game, and you start adding in some improved equipment...LOOK OUT!!!  i remember the first time i played with a new set of irons (don't remember which ones) i was on the BPB par 3 that's over water and like 30' down (don't remember the hole #).  I hit my shot, the ball soared through the air, and then all of the sudden the camera angle switched to a view by the hole that I had never seen before!  I think I landed within 5' or so, but i thought "holy cow, these clubs unlocked a brand new camera angle i've never seen because i've never been able to hit a shot like that before!"

   

  oh, and have fun.

• Timmytoastman 567 Posts

  Tue, Jul 10 2012 4:19 AM

  "holy cow, these clubs unlocked a brand new camera angle i've never seen because i've never been able to hit a shot like that before!"

  My point exactly!

• icecolbud 9 Posts

  Tue, Jul 10 2012 5:25 AM

  buy alls for the bigget bang for your buck

   

• Gukkon 21 Posts

  Tue, Jul 10 2012 9:36 AM

  Took both your advice Timmy and Pillsy. Played solidly for a good 5-6 days learning the ropes of the different kind of shots, clubs and areas to use on certain courses, and once I got used to doing that regularly I bought some clubs and they improved my game a lot. I managed to go down to a 72avg with the skills ive learnt from starting the game last week with my beginners clubs. 

  Still need some practice though as my chipping/pitching and putting needs a lot of work. Once I get them sorted I can see myself around the 65-70avg more often I think. Oh and your Icecolbud, the balls have also helped me a lot too. The beginners balls always used to fly off the green once landed. The balls I have now (cant remember off top of my head) are brilliant, could do with a bit more back spin but other than that they have helped a treat. Just like you guys have and I thank you for it too.

  Shaun

   

• ApexPC 3,164 Posts

  Thu, Jul 12 2012 11:55 AM

  We have available different shot types:

  Full, Punch, Pitch, chip and with wedges we also have a flop shot.

  So the Taylor Made Tour Burner 5 iron I use can hit

  Full - 175 yrds Assuming you 'ding' the swing meter - If the wind is against the shot it won't go 175 yards. if the shot is with the wind it will go further than 175 yards.

  Punch - 155 yrds The Punch delivers less yardage because the trajectory of the shot is lower. Being a lower trajectory shot it is less affected by any wind and will wind up going closer to it's usual yardage.

  Pitch - 60 yrds

  Chip - 41 yrds

  My 64° wedge can hit a Punch shot 41 yards too, but the trajectory of  that 41 yard shot the 64° delivers is very different from the 41 yard chip shot the 5 iron gives me.

  We can also change the ball flight trajectory by moving the indicator on the ball up or down. Moving it up makes the ball fly lower than normal, and moving the indicator down makes the ball fly higher than normal.

  Selecting a Punch shot (low trajectory), and moving the indicator high on the ball, makes the trajectory of the ball even lower.

  When you play, you need to watch how far each shot flies in the air, as well as the total distance of the shot.

  Selecting the Full shot option with my Taylor Made R9 8.5° driver, depending on the wind, and the position of the indicator on the ball, I can fly the ball in the air anywhere from 200 to 300 yards with a full swing and dinged meter.

  In short, there are a lot of variables that have to be considered and accounted for making golf a very analytical and decision intensive game.

  FWIW - Since reaching the Masters tier, not only are the tee's moved back, on most holes I have to hit into a head or cross wind. On holes I have a following wind, there is usually some obstacle that negates 'tee it high and let it fly', but though my driver is rated at 275 yards, I still have average drive distances of between 290 and 300 yards at the end of each round I play. Note that that average usually  includes 1 or 2 drives using my 230 yard,  3 wood.

  The point is we all can learn to compensate on any given shot  in such a way as to give us the best chance of accomplishing our goals for the shot.

• alosso 21,066 Posts

  Thu, Jul 12 2012 1:06 PM

  Well said A!

  One minor correction:

  ApexPC:

  [...] though my driver is rated at 275 yards, I still have average drive distances of between 290 and 300 yards at the end of each round I play. Note that that average usually  includes 1 or 2 drives using my 230 yard,  3 wood.

  Only driver shots are in the average - other clubs like 3WD only count to the longest drive.