oneeyedjohn:
Cerino and Corwyn,
I want you to consider this seriously, because as we all know putting is the most vital part of the game: and I am not saying this from any other point of view than to preserve my putting stroke. It has taken me 3 months or so to get it right with this Level 71 Nike putter and I do not want to mess it up by playing with a starter putter.
I was at the last event of this kind using a 'beginner' putter and was doing it 'off ding style'. I was very very good at it, but now I have the Nike, my style has changed completely , in that I move the aim marker and judge the break, and pretty often ding the putt. I am without any false modesty, pretty damned good at this new method.
As I said earlier the 'starter' putter is a different beast and I have never used it. A hack or amateur will have the advantage over me if we have to use starter putters, so your argument above is not valid.
I urge you to consider this seriously. You can only 1 putt every hole at best , so what is there to be gained by preventing players to use their normal putter.
And one last point :- over the 4 different courses I imagine you will set 4 different green speeds, so there is enough of a challenge in that alone.
Addressing the quick questions first:
oneeyedjohn: over the 4 different courses I imagine you will set 4 different green speeds, so there is enough of a challenge in that alone.
Green speeds, wind conditions, etc., were all set up before the tourney was posted, and can all be found in the first post of the thread. After complaints about Standard greens being in the mix last time, we now have Very Fast 3 times, and one Fast.
oneeyedjohn: A hack or amateur will have the advantage over me if we have to use starter putters, so your argument above is not valid.
But, surely, don't you have the advantage of much more experience, and course knowledge, than a hack or amateur? How would you equalize for that?
oneeyedjohn: I was at the last event of this kind using a 'beginner' putter and was doing it 'off ding style'.
Hmmm... shouldn't you have been using the Starter putter then...
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But, to your main point:
OeJ,
Please accept my apologies for not responding to this question sooner.
Cerino and I have been very preoccupied with the WGT Invitational tourney: having been such staunch advocates for Unevens for the past 4 months, we really wanted to make a respectable showing, and to offer tips and suggestions to those trying it out for the first time.
For myself, it's the start of a new school term, and an incredibly busy time for me and my family (my wife's a teacher, and I'm in charge of our two young boys), so trying to fit everything in has been hard. I had hoped to just get the signup form out, and then let things run themselves until nearer to the start of the tourney.
My thinking on this tourney is as follows:
1. The Starter Clubs and Balls tourney has a long, and important tradition, among the WGT community. Some of the biggest names in the WGT community have given their time to run these tourneys on at least a yearly basis. The tourney, in its pure form, meets a need that's often expressed in these forums: that of having a tournament where no single player has an advantage over any other based on their equipment (whether paid for in money, or earned credits, or even gifted). So, there's a tradition that this tourney certainly aims to be part of.
2. It's one of the only entry-level tournaments available and appealing to the lower-tier player (although it's not easy to recruit them, suggestions welcome!). The forums, and country clubs, are full of tourneys where an Amateur, Pro or Tour Pro player knows s/he has no chance of competing. And the less said the better about the chances of an honest player being competitive in the lower-tier WGT tourneys…
As one of those very same Pro players last summer, I jumped at the chance to take part in MioKontic's Starters tourney: although I lost first round, I made a friend, got invaluable playing tips, and it opened up my eyes to the broad, generous, and wonderful community of players that's here in the forums. I see the Starters Tournament (as a concept) as a 'bridge' into more enjoyment in the game for interested new players.
It certainly proved to be that for me. Indeed, one of my most enjoyable rounds here on WGT, OeJ, is of marking for you in Tough-It-Out at RSG, where you shared on your knowledge of how to get longer drives, and where to place it off the tee, and recalled stories of playing the course in real life.
So, the tourney also has the goal of attracting lower-tier players, and letting them play alongside 'the greats' in a format where they have something of a chance. Last time, Colm (cmdking) and myself (both Pro's) 'finished' in the top 5, alongside the Legends!
3. And the last main goal of the Tourney is to introduce players to, and educate ourselves together on, Uneven Lies. Last time around, people said they'd learned a lot, and that it was easier to go through the tough challenges of these courses, knowing that others were suffering alongside!
So, while the timing of this tourney makes it seem that Uneven Lies are the primary point of the tourney, and therefore, why wouldn't it be a problem to use your own 'fancy putter' once on the green… we've actually got some other goals in the mix too.
Right now, I'm definitely leaning towards keeping this tournament 'pure' with a 'level playing field.' Same equipment for everyone, plain and simple. And, for better or worse, Starter clubs are the only equipment available to all that meets that criteria.
We didn't respond quickly to this effect because we really wanted to hear everyone's compelling arguments; to be honest, we'd never considered the issue of an off-ding putting method, and how hard that might be with the Starter putter. Paul (alosso) also made the good point that with a starter ball, one's 'fancy putter' is going to react quite differently anyway.
OeJ: it seems that your specific concern is that you don't want to lose the familiarity you've gained with your good putter. I don't know how to address the 'putting stroke' concern… There isn't really a good answer. Sorry!
I do have a flippant suggestion, though, as I don't want to lose you from the tourney if at all possible. You could compete just for the GIR or Closest to the Pin awards, and … if you really don't want to make any putts that might compromise your familiarity with your 'fancy Nike putter' then I'll give you a sleeve of balls if you complete all 4 rounds with 0 putts showing on your stats, and can still score bogey golf or better !!! (I just 4-chipped the first 2 holes to see how it works! Tip: it gets harder the closer you are to the hole.)
…. made me wonder, has anyone done a tourney where you're not allowed to use a putter at all! Maybe that's the solution to this situation ;)