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Something I've noticed

• chrisironsbones 3,524 Posts

  Wed, Mar 26 2014 6:06 AM

  Every one knows I've been preaching about the fact ding does NOT mean excellent for years now.  No matter how far you aim left (or right) to compensate wind, your dinged shot will start off as if you've aimed directly at pin.  There's no way to avoid it.  Its WGT's deviation at work and you could try and combat It like suggested by missing ding early (in left to right wind) but even this will not guarantee you a result because I'n my experience, If wgt want you to par the hole and deviate your shot It will happen no matter what, so missing early will just make your shot start off even more left than you intended and the wind might vanish too so you will end up the same distance from pin regardless.  This is just how WGT plays.  Some holes you will land 5+ yards away from pin no matter what you try and do and no matter how good you thought the shot was ding or no ding.  Just got to hope you can sink the long putt!

• b0geybuster 2,574 Posts

  Wed, Mar 26 2014 8:22 AM

  

• chrisironsbones 3,524 Posts

  Wed, Mar 26 2014 9:03 AM

  b0geybuster:

  

  Didn't take long did It.  You're right Ian, add this one to the list too.llol

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Wed, Mar 26 2014 9:31 AM

  chrisironsbones:

  This is just how WGT plays.

  I do believe you're coming around, Chris. I don't see anything tin-foilish about what you posted here. You're right, it's how the game plays and the best way to handle it, IMO, is to play what I call the deviation odds.

  You know it's going to happen so let it, just give yourself the best chance of a decent result by missing into the wind-not to aim, just to insure you're not going to get beat by what you're pointing out. Just a pixel or 2 is all it takes to get you putting in a small circle. Play to ranges (e.g., 2-4 yards not 3) instead of exact spots and you can minimize the bad deviations.  :-)

• tramilleo 1,898 Posts

  Wed, Mar 26 2014 9:56 AM

  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^+1

• MainzMan 9,591 Posts

  Wed, Mar 26 2014 12:25 PM

  Depending on which clubs you used before Miffy you may have to adjust your wind calcs to allow for a higher trajectory.  When the ball flies higher it gets blown off line more by cross winds, you'll need to allow a tad extra for this.

  When the wind is over about 15mph from the side I usually aim 2-3 yards further into the wind, as already suggested here.  Don't forget to also do this with short shots though.  When you hit a wedge, even from only 60 yards, with a strong cross wind you'll usually see the ball land, bite and then roll up to several yards with the wind.  This is particularly true when playing on faster greens; legend tourney or championship.

  Stay sweet.

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Wed, Mar 26 2014 12:29 PM

  chrisironsbones:

  Every one knows I've been preaching about the fact ding does NOT mean excellent for years now.  No matter how far you aim left (or right) to compensate wind, your dinged shot will start off as if you've aimed directly at pin.

  Sure, I'll give you that it sometimes (but not always) LOOKS that way.  But the shot actually tracks to the hole anyway. 

  The shot sometimes looks like it starts at the pin, but its the camera angle that "distorts" our view of the ball flight.  Thanks to a video provided by a top level player on WGT I can provide visual examples of what I'm talking about.

  I took two screenshots each of the video of 3 dinged approach shots in heavy wind winds on St. Andrews.  The first screen shot recorded the aim point and the pin.  The second screen shot recorded the ding and ball position in the air shortly after the hit.  I then combined the two screenshots showing the aim, ball in flight, ball shadow, pin, and ding.  Click on any image below for a full size image.

  This first shot on #2 ended up pretty much on line to the pin, maybe 2 feet right.  It was short and ran past the pin.  The camera angle is good, we're looking directly on-line from the ball to the pin.  The ball is in the air and from its shadow maybe 20ft away.  It is starting off pretty much where aimed.

  

  This next shot on #4 ended up landing roughly 8ft left of the pin.  And rolled nicely to the right.

  This camera angle is left of the line from the golfer to the pin.  Since the ball starts out on the screen right of the pin already, the initial ball flight is still right of the pin.  So I waited longer, the ball is 51yds out, but headed at the aimer.  Note the ball shadow is still right of the pin while the ball itself shows left of the pin.

  

  The 3rd shot on #9 landed directly behind the pin.

  The camera angle is to the right of the line between the golfer and the pin.  Here the ball is only a few yards out (judging by the shadow) and it appears to be starting left of the pin!  But the ball was laying left of the pin at the start so a few yards out it still is left of the pin.  The camera angle makes the ball appear to start at the pin.  As the ball gets higher it appears right of the pin but never approaches looking like it went where aimed.

  

  Yup, dinged shots can appear to fly at the pin and not where aimed.  Depends on the camera angle.

  Why would this top level player, who fervently believes dinged shots don't go where aimed, even ding these three shots?  Must have been by accident.  Good thing the shots turned out OK.  ;o)