Please note this study was not conducted by WGT. The research and any possible errors therein are my own.
ABSTRACT
In this brief study I take an empirical look at the effects of the R1 driver to determine if the introduction of this new club, available to players at or above level 98, has shifted competitiveness in the game to any measurable degree. My findings indicate the R1 driver (at the time of this study available only to 34% of Tour Legends and a much smaller percentage of Legends and below (<1%) has had a profound impact on the competitive climate as measured by Ready-Go tournament activity.
I.INTRODUCTION
There has been lots of talk about the R1 driver and its effects on the game. Many have voiced concerns that the club has made an small group of dominant players yet more dominant and thus made WGT less competitive for the vast majority of players. I decided to take a detailed empirical look to see what the truth is.
In order to compete successfully in Ready-Go ("RG") tournaments, it can be said that one has to place in the top 5 with at least some regularity. While the top 30 places are receive rewards it is only by placing in the top 5 that one sees a handsome return on their credit entry. So I looked at the top 5 places in hundreds of RG tournaments to see how many of those critical top 5 finishers were level 98 or above; both before and after the introduction of the R1 driver in early March.
II.DATA
Before the introduction of the R1, the percentage of top-5 finishers that were level 98 or above in all RGs open to all tiers was 60.5% (605 out of 1000, or about 3 per RG). After the introduction this percentage climbed to 68.7% (738 out of 1075, or about 3.4 per RG). In the lower-entry RGs (300 credits and below) this percentage climbed from 57.8% to 67.8%. Similar increases were found across all credit-entry levels except the 50-credit RGs, where sample size was restrictive. (For any math people reading this the data showed a Z-score of significance at the confidence level of 3.47 - which for the non-statisticians essentially indicates proof beyond any reasonable doubt).
% Above lvl 98 in Open Tier Ready-Go Tournaments:
Entry Amt Before R1 Intro After R1 Intro
50 credit: 25-50 50.0% 116-240 48.3%
100 credit: 147-275 53.5% 259-360 71.9%
200 credit: 123-220 55.9% 239-320 74.1%
300 credit: 167-255 65.5% 57-70 81.4%
Total: 462-800 57.8% 671-990 67.8%
% Above lvl 98 in High-Entry Ready-Go Tournaments:
Entry Amt Before R1 Intro After R1 Intro
400-500 credit: 74-105 70.5% 39-50 78.0%
1000 credit: 69-95 72.6% 28-35 80.0%
Total: 143-200 71.5% 67-85 78.8%
III.CONCLUSION
Based on the data collected here, the R1 driver appears to be everything some are claiming it to be, and more. While it is perfectly obvious that this club offered an improvement over the R11s, the degree of improvement is exceptional and dramatic. The R1 is indeed a powerful weapon, worthy of being called the best single-club available in the game by a long margin. By popular accounts adds 3-17 yds off the tee, yet more importantly adds a tremendous bonus to accuracy. In the hands of a small group of 149 Tour Legends above level 98 (plus a limited few of players below Tour Legend tier) this club has increased the dominance of an already dominant small group of players at the expense of the WGT customer mass. What makes the issue more problematic is that most players have no hope of ever owning it. A typical player lacks the time resources to realistically entertain reaching the 1.7 million experience points needed to acquire this club in the far foreseeable future - which has created enormous dissatisfaction with the game. I am of the opinion that this club should be made readily available to a larger pool of players its requirement level be lowered substantially. Such a move would be both profitable for WGT and well-received by the vast majority of players: a rare "win-win" for investors, players, and WGT as a whole.