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Master tier or Bogey tier?

• krisman66 3 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 12:28 PM

  I really enjoyed this game until I reached master level. I have added 6-8 strokes per round. I cant figure out the putting to save my life. Any tips would be appreciated. Just wondering if anyone else is struggling as bad as I am? I'm close to giving up on this game

• nickuk 967 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 12:44 PM

  its the yardage and added wind bud....you no longer get them short iron shots.....unless you get a nice breeze.....hard ,very hard...unless you can cheat....which ive seen is viable.

  try some punches and flops...always get u out of trouble!

   

• neildiamond11790 1,115 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 12:57 PM

  krisman, master tier is a great tier.  Give it a little while and you will get the greens and yardages down.  I have been master since earlier in the year and I have it down much better now but still tweaking some shots around the various courses.  Little more break, little less speed on the greens should do it, just give yourself a little time to get the feel down.

• TarheelsRule 5,566 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 1:00 PM

  When I first turned master my average went from 66 to 71 pretty quickly, mainly due to the green speed increase and of course the longer courses.  It takes a month or so to level yourself out and then you will gradually improve.  I think that within 3 months I was back to the numbers that I shot to get me to the master level.

• mstrat12 101 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 1:24 PM

  I'm going to have to agree with krisman66. Been a master about 3 weeks or so and struggling. I still do enjoy the game and the increase challenge of master. But I cannot compete with the sub 61ish players. How about creating an "ELITE" tier for them. Give us "hack" masters a chance to beat up on ourselves.

• zakibsen 16 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 4:57 PM

  I'm also finding it hard. Was happily bringing my scores down as pro (and if truth be told, trying to stay there a bit longer - but miscalculated). 

  Biggest thing for me is putting - I had the yardages taped as a pro and now I've got a huge gap between 7 and 13 ft which doesn't fall anywhere good on any of the scales. So I can't tell if I'm hitting 8 or 9 ft and that matters as the slopes have got harder. Also the 'movements' aren't spread out now. My 15, 30, 60, 90, 150 scales 1st move go 7, 7, 14, 14, 16 now.

  Got new clubs to help with the yardages but watch out for that meter! BUT I have just started using the GI3-S ball which slows it down a lot and makes a difference. I know it's not the coolest ball but it's good to slow that thing down.

  I'm hoping as people are saying that it's a case of getting used to it... but I used to love the putting and now it's much more of a lottery and yes, at the moment, less fun. 

  That's me feeling your pain :)

• TextMyPC 232 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 5:52 PM

  krisman66:

  I really enjoyed this game until I reached master level. I have added 6-8 strokes per round. I cant figure out the putting to save my life. Any tips would be appreciated. Just wondering if anyone else is struggling as bad as I am? I'm close to giving up on this game

  You and the other 1,000's of pro's that turned master. :)

  My suggestions are:

  1. Always land in the fairway. The drives are longer and if you land in the rough off the drive, you don't want to scramble for par because you'll end up with a bogey.

  2. Take your time on the approach shot. As previously mentioned, no more short iron approach shots unless you have a happy tail wind. Your approach shot is almost the single-most important shot in the game. Opinions vary, but if you land 2 ft. from the hole, ya don't need much putting skills.

  3. Calculate inclines on the green by converting inches to feet. If you have an 8ft putt and 2 inches incline, hit 10ft. Equally, if it's 8ft and a 2 inch decline, hit 6 ft.

  4. Use the punch shot to get between club distances. Full swing isn't the only swing type in the game. Punch shot will get you those in between distances for a closer approach shot...but use full back spin because the low trajectory is gonna make it roll.

  5. UPGRADE your clubs! The master clubs are magical. It will not only take you time to adjust to the new tee locations, but your new clubs will have a learning curb all their own.

  Last but not least...take some time and browse through Master's saved replays. You'll see many eagle and birdie shots on holes that you struggle with. 

  Ok this is the last but not least...practice a lot.

  TMPC

   

• TheZiggy 550 Posts

  Tue, Aug 3 2010 6:02 PM

  It comes as a big shock when you reach the Master tier. I know I could have really done with staying at a lower tier for a month or so longer, as my game was nowhere near good enough. My average shot up into the mid 70's, and I even stopped playing for a short while because it was so depressing.

  However my average now hovers from anywhere as low as 60 up to 65 depending on how much I play Bethpage and Oakmont.

  With the putting, the difference in speed is around 10%. What you also have to remember, is that because the green is faster, effectively the grass is shorter, that the ball will be affected by a slope a lot more than it was on the fast greens. Unfortunately you'll just have to experiment with finding the line, and even when you think you're getting it worked out, you'll still have the odd time where you just can't seem to sink that first putt at all. First thing though, is to get the distance control worked out, and then you can fine tune the line properly after that.

  One useful tip for regaining some confidence is to play most of your rounds on whichever 9 holes you find the best. It's amazing how much a bit more confidence can then help on the other courses. Course management is a huge key as well. It's worth thinking about where you want to hit your approach shot in from.

• krisman66 3 Posts

  Wed, Aug 4 2010 6:50 AM

  Thanks everyone...NIce to know I'm not alone. Its been a tought transtion...Im sure ill get past it...

  Here's to better rounds in the future.