Forums

Help › Forums

Tips for Newbies

Mon, Mar 17 2014 10:47 PM (10 replies)
  • PAGES
  • 1
  • 2
  • MukilteoMike1
    46 Posts
    Mon, Mar 10 2014 9:48 PM

    Right off the bat (or should I say tee box?) I’m going to let you know I’m not a great player here.  That’s precisely why I think I can help other newbies .  The lessons I’ve learned are all fresh in my mind and simple.   I can’t help you break 60 because I haven’t done it myself, but if you’re a newbie I think I can give you a few pointers that should be of some assistance to you.  While I have seen similar suggestions scattered about the forums, I don’t think I’ve seen any accumulated in one beginner’s guide.  The only one I haven’t seen anywhere is number six, which isn’t to say it isn’t out there somewhere.  Here we go...

    1.  Play conservatively.  We all want to fire at the pin on every hole.  Don’t do it.  If it’s a tight pin placement, forget about it and aim for a safe landing.  Your first step to improving is reducing bogeys, not increasing birdies.  You’ll do that by hitting more greens when the shot is a tough one.

    2.  Take your time and don't update your clubs too early.  Play for a while, improve your game, and once you start to become somewhat proficient, then look to get better equipment.  When you are ready to update your clubs, do some research and don’t waste your time and credits by getting small upgrades (the exception will appear to be the wedges; even the 200 credit ones are significantly better than the basic ones--thanks again to borntobesting for my set of beauties).   I’m also going to suggest going against the grain/green—start with irons and a driver before the putter.  I waited and saved up for the R11 irons (level 32), which I think are great.  And then I waited and waited and waited and for the Taylor Made R1 driver (level 48), which is beyond fantastic; I know that shortening holes by 50 yards with that baby improved my game more than any putter ever could.

    3.  Here’s one more non-game play tip—to move up much faster in levels, make sure to play every day.  You earn tons of experience points for playing consecutive days once you get up to five in a row.  Keep it going after that, even if you just play a quick closest to the hole game, to rack up the XP quickly.  You can look at this post of mine if you want to see an illustration of this.  http://www.wgt.com/forums/t/223706.aspx

    4.  When trying to figure out the line of the putt, err on the high side of the hole.  For whatever reason, most of us don’t allow for enough break.  If you’re unsure, go ahead and move it a little further outside the hole.  Beyond the above reason, there’s also the fact that if you miss the putt and go long (which you are you doing, right?), you will end up closer to the hole than if you miss on the low side of hole.

    5.  For full approach shots, add a yard to the distance for every 3 feet up you have to go.  Reduce the distance by a yard for every 5 feet down.  I know these numbers aren’t exactly right, and it all depends on the conditions and specific shot, but it’s the base formula I’m using at the moment.  If I’m way off in this, I hope others will point out their starting point.  Hopefully this is close enough for newbies.

    6.  Relax.  When you’re ready for your shot, try to relax as much as possible.  You want to make the physical act of pushing the mouse button as easy as you can.  Literally.  When I miss the ding badly, I normally stab at the shot with a violent jerk push instead of the light simple click it should be.  Making your shot should be very much like firing a weapon—you want to have a light grip and barely squeeze the trigger.  The least amount of pressure you apply, the more likely you are to have a quality shot.  As a tangent, you seriously should look at your mouse and make sure it’s a sufficient weapon.  Some require a lighter touch than others; these are exactly the ones you want. 

     7.  After you have updated all your clubs and are at Tour Pro status or further, look to improve your balls.  I just did this recently with fairly cheap balls, the WGT GI3-S at 99 credits for 3.  I chose them because they’re cheap, have good durability, and slow down the meter nicely.  I also wanted these because it only adds a little spin to the ball, so the distance isn’t affected much; I’m somewhat comfortable with how far my shots travel and didn’t want to lose that.  I was shocked how much this ball improved my game.  I’m confident I’m at least two strokes better a round with this ball over the standard one due to it slowing the meter down so much.  Find a ball that suits you, but I strongly suggest one with a nice meter slowdown. 

    8.  Last one here, but it’s a biggie—if you don’t want to spend credits on the Putter Pal or Shot Pal, make yourself a manual one.  I can’t tell you how much this impacted my game.  Actually, yes I can—it made a ginormous difference!  The one I made has lines for every 10%.  My putting improved instantly after implementing this little cheat.  Part of it is probably similar to real golf (sorry if I offend anyone by saying this isn’t real) by simply being a confidence booster, but part of it is I now give it the proper speed 97% of the time.  That makes my misses more manageable and also puts it at the hole with a better speed to fall instead of lip out.  It helped my other shots, too, but not nearly as much as putting.  At any rate, give it a try and see what it does for you.

    Good luck!

  • ApexPC
    3,164 Posts
    Tue, Mar 11 2014 11:08 AM

    MukilteoMike1:

    8.  . . .  My putting improved instantly after implementing this little cheat . . .

    Great tips, but using a home made Shot/Putter Pal is a legal aid - not a cheat. After all WGT sells a virtual version of the same thing.

    Neither is using one of the several wind, shot, putting, etc calculators various WGT members have come up with. Most of those are free, and some include a Pro version that costs a couple of $.

    Here is a WGT feature you can use as an approach shot, wind compensation, aiming aid.

    Here are some other ways to help your game play.

  • Mushy01
    2,567 Posts
    Tue, Mar 11 2014 11:21 AM

    buy the cheapest versions of the putter / shot pals and trace them ;-)

  • BubbaSauce
    260 Posts
    Tue, Mar 11 2014 12:04 PM

    As a beginner, #1 is the MOST important.

    Don't try to be a hero when you get in to trouble. Get back to a playable lie and move on. You will minimize the damage, thus keeping the strokes down.

    It's the best thing you can do even on a real golf course.

    As for a ball, I actually started buying balls when I was a Pro. I looked for something with spin. Regardless of how far I could hit the ball, when I got close enough, I wanted to be able to stop the ball better. That got me shooting more pars, which lead to more birdies. I think I started with the WGT Tour-S balls. 43 credits. I used my "tier up" credits.

    I was fortunate enough to be gifted a set of wedges for Christmas (thank you opyeuclid) and that changed my game immensely.

    My first real purchase was the G10 driver. I then switched to the Cally Hex Chrome ball, which meant I was now spending money. $5 got me 2 sleeves and I could play for 2-3 weeks. My next purchase was the G10 irons.

  • Proruff
    94 Posts
    Tue, Mar 11 2014 12:49 PM

    And a (maybe) not so obvious one:

    Read the forums and use the SEARCH feature.

  • CerinoDevoti
    3,232 Posts
    Tue, Mar 11 2014 1:14 PM

    With the starter clubs and ball, USE the REPLAY's as a learning tool. I'd hit a shot then click on the replay button. Take the time to note exactly at what distance the ball lands and how much it rolls out. There's a pause button so time the landing with the pause and remember these numbers. My general rule for the starter clubs is they land at the distance rating of the previous club starting with the 8 iron. (The 160 yard club lands at 150,  the 150 yard iron lands at 137, the 137 yard club lands at 130) Also now we have the mulligan. It's a supreme learning tool in conjunction with the replays. If you missed the ding on a first attempt, hit a mulligan. The shots land short on mis-hits. Mulligan testing different shots speeds up the learning process so use it a lot. With the starter ball the mulligans are free. Use them like you are stealing them.

    For Starter club players there's a key to playing each hole on every course. It's up to us to find the key that unlocks the opportunity to score a par or even a birdie. Play to finding the par keys and every so often the birdie happens. When we push too hard to play to birdies is when the starter clubs run out of juice and we make bogeys or worse.  Simply, play to the fat of the greens. Play long on front pins and middle of the green on back pins. Don't tempt fate with pins cut real close to the edges either.  Putting well will always get you a par.

    These are Championship courses so there's traps and pitfalls within the design of each one. Course management is the prime directive when playing with the starters. Knowing what they can and can't do is paramount. As the player it's your responsibility to know your equipment. Preparation + Execution = Result. You are responsible for the left side of the equation. The right side will happen. Good Luck to all newer players.

  • DaddysKat
    3,554 Posts
    Tue, Mar 11 2014 4:07 PM

    Apex ... regarding the "Pro Version" link below ...

    ApexPC:
    Neither is using one of the several wind, shot, putting, etc calculators various WGT members have come up with. Most of those are free, and some include a Pro version that costs a couple of $.

    I let it attempt to load for 5 minutes ... just span.  Is it broken?

  • ApexPC
    3,164 Posts
    Thu, Mar 13 2014 1:11 PM

    I just clicked on the link in the quote in your post and it took me where I intended the link to go - VGG Caddy.

  • MukilteoMike1
    46 Posts
    Mon, Mar 17 2014 1:14 PM

    I remembered the two that I was forgetting to make the top ten list.

    9.  For putting, be sure to check both right above and below the hole on the screen to get a better estimate on your putting distance.  Sometimes it might be an inch away from the next foot in distance or the elevation change might be on the verge of changing, too, which can mean you might leave a putt short even though you "know" you hit it right.

    10.  If you start a swing and don't like it for whatever reason, you don't have to finish the shot--just let it go without clicking again and it will NOT count as a stroke.  It has taken some practice on my part, but I'm now pretty good about letting the swings with meter glitches go by without finishing the swing now.  It's also good for when you realize there is something wrong with your shot, like forgetting to move the marker for wind direction.  It's not too late--just don't click that shot and try again.

  • Chinajohn
    1,190 Posts
    Mon, Mar 17 2014 8:54 PM

    Two simple tips.

    1. Take detailed notes on EVERYTHING but esp approach shots and putting. Every hole is different and has it's own quirks, if you don't write them down, you won't learn.

    2. When putting, don't keep the aim marker over the hole, it's too big, pull it past the hole and use the line to judge your offset, the line is much thinner and hence more accurate than that great huge arrow.

  • PAGES
  • 1
  • 2
RSS