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Lost Ball

• weejohn5 68 Posts

  Mon, Oct 1 2012 5:59 PM

  As a "virtual" golf game wgt should be striving for as much reality as possible, within the confines of a two-dimensional simulated game. I have an issue with "lost balls" which can be expensive. Take St. Andrews, at the 1st. hole there is a stream or "burn" in front of the green. A ball going in there is deemed to be lost, when in reality nine times out of ten it could be recovered by a golfer prepared to wade in and pick it up. Paradoxically, also at St. Andrews, balls going into very deep fescue way off line [70% stuff] are deemed as playable, when in reality nine times out of ten THEY would be lost ! Why is water of any depth or position automatically classed as a lost ball ? I've seen pros on tour actually play a ball from water !

• 9,041 Posts

  Mon, Oct 1 2012 6:54 PM

  weejohn5:

  Why is water of any depth or position automatically classed as a lost ball ? I've seen pros on tour actually play a ball from water !

   

  They can't make it THAT real..!! Imagine the scenario : Both drives go in the 'burn' your opponents ball is deemed playable because it landed on the nice sandy bottom..whereas yours is deemed unplayable because it hit a frog and rolled under a rock !!!  The Forum would be in Bedlam....Andy

• weejohn5 68 Posts

  Tue, Oct 2 2012 12:26 AM

  Then make "water" a penalty stroke and make rough of more than 50% a "lost ball" ! As I say, in reality, it's harder to find a ball in very deep rough [trust me, I've looked for a few, lol].

• alosso 21,093 Posts

  Tue, Oct 2 2012 3:08 AM

  You won't walk into Swilcan Burn (STA#1) unless you have a "van de Velde" attitude - it's a deep canal with artificial walls. OTOH, the water is quite shallow and they provide ball retrievers with long sticks on usual playing days.

  Alas, will they do so at the Open?

  I suppose that the Pros don't care for wet balls unless they are playable, while there are plenty patrons helping to search for the balls in the rough. This scenario I have in mind regarding the "lost ball" subject in WGT to get in contention with the fact that the unretrievable balls are revenue for the company.

  IMHO custom balls are necessary to play well, and I accept a certain "green fee" consisting of ball usage and lost balls. I cap it with the choice of the ball (WGT Tour-SD). Furtheron, I usually play CTTHs with wet holes only with Starters :)

• cm68 892 Posts

  Tue, Oct 2 2012 3:35 AM

  In the real world most of us amature players will spend some time hunting that elusive "lost/wet" ball because we simply don't have the funds to keep replacing them - lord knows the green fees are high enough as it is.

  Some time back I put out a request to the powers above for a retrieval option where balls could be realistically retrieve/found so as to continue using them.

  I also requested an option to have "expired" balls retained for use in practice rounds and local club matches only.  As such, we would still be required to use "new" balls in the majoy tournaments and the weekly/monthly comps.

  Now while on the subject of recycling, I also requested that we be given an option to "gift" old or unwanted equipment from our bags to other players.  I for one had a heap of stuff I would rather have given to a new member to use while they accumulate credits themselves...

  Please WGT Admin... give some consideration for these simple requests.

  Regards, Chucky.

• piztaker 5,743 Posts

  Tue, Oct 2 2012 3:44 AM

  The game has to be paid for so why would WGT make changes that would cost it money? Gifting stuff would cost it a fortune in lost sales.

• alosso 21,093 Posts

  Tue, Oct 2 2012 4:22 AM

  +1!

• 9,041 Posts

  Tue, Oct 2 2012 7:47 AM

  ^^^^^ They're not wrong......Andy

• Choppography 2,166 Posts

  Tue, Oct 2 2012 8:05 AM

  weejohn5:

  As a "virtual" golf game wgt should be striving for as much reality as possible, within the confines of a two-dimensional simulated game. I have an issue with "lost balls" which can be expensive. Take St. Andrews, at the 1st. hole there is a stream or "burn" in front of the green. A ball going in there is deemed to be lost, when in reality nine times out of ten it could be recovered by a golfer prepared to wade in and pick it up. Paradoxically, also at St. Andrews, balls going into very deep fescue way off line [70% stuff] are deemed as playable, when in reality nine times out of ten THEY would be lost ! Why is water of any depth or position automatically classed as a lost ball ? I've seen pros on tour actually play a ball from water !

  Which happens to you more often?  I would be careful what I wished for.

• LLattery 3 Posts

  Thu, Oct 9 2014 8:30 PM

  pure BS to be deemed lost ball on a practice mode game. WGT can kiss me where the sun dont shine after these credits are gone. What a rip off

  Les