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5.5 ft power putt from fringe goes 4 inches...

• jakestanfill7 949 Posts

  Thu, Sep 23 2010 6:18 PM

  andyson:

  I do feel WGT needs to adjust the "tackiness" of the fringe to make it more puttable especially with the new faster green speeds.

  Until they do, go practice those tiny, delicate chip shots as YJ recommends.

  The point is that it's very inconsistent.  Most times the ball comes out just like planned then boom, you have a putt that doesn't move.  I played real golf yesterday (shot 78) and had 4 putts from the fringe.  Guess how many didn't move an inch?  Yep exactly none of them and 3 of them were delicate taps from 3 feet deep in the fringe.

  I checked yours and YJ's stats.  Not to brag but merely illustrating the point..... I've holed more putts from the fringe than each of you have holed shots from anywhere combined.  After checking both of your scrambling stats and comparing them to mine I feel very confident that a have a decent mastery of these "tiny" shots you speak of.  Point is that you should be able to putt from the fringe anywhere.  All tolled I've holed 446 shots and Bollox has holed 398 so I feel confident in stating that we know what we're talking about.

  I never putt from the fringe if I'm deeper than 6 inches because I know the result.  Putts from the edge of the fringe release 98% of the time.  Only certain putts from certain spots don't.  That screams BUG to me.  Very similar to hitting 3 bunker shots in a row from bunker on Oakmont 13 during USGA qualifier that didn't move an inch.  Every other time I've been in there the ball comes right out.

  Gents please understand that I'm not trying to put you down but TBird and Bollox are 2 of the top players this game has seen.  I may not quite be in their league but no too far behind either.  Our knowledge of this game and how it should work is evident by our accomplishments and statistics.

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Thu, Sep 23 2010 7:28 PM

  Jake, I'm not exactly sure what it is I'm disagreeing on with you, Bollox, and TBird?

  There is a problem putting from the fringe and WGT should fix it?  We all agree?  I think so.

  The problem is worse now with  faster greens. Check!

  We all think you should be able to putt from the fringe easier.  Check!

  I add 3 ft of power when putting from the fringe but I don't putt from the fringe if the power is 8 or less, you don't putt from the fringe if deeper than 6 inches.  OK no biggie,

  I might even try adding less if on the edge.

  I'd rather putt from the fringe than chip.  I've found a way to avoid using the faster metered wedges off the fringe. (I'm not real accurate direction wise, see the replay for evidence.)  I'm better, I think using a putter vs wedge.  You guys are better with a wedge, but could be even better if the fringe allowed you to putt more often.

  The fringe isn't realistic.  And it needs to be fixed.  That about sum it up?

   

   

• palupear 50 Posts

  Thu, Sep 23 2010 7:31 PM

  Oh, yeah. I've experienced the same effect and agree that the ball going nowhere from the fringe (especially when it is sitting up) does not correspond to my experience with real golf at all.  I once reached about a 62 average on wgt and now I am flying up fast toward 70.  There is too much penal trickery on the greens, bunkers and off of decent or perfect hits.  I mess up enough on my own and don't need extra help from wgt.  I think the game is terrific, by the way, but I sometimes don't understand the objectives of wgt.  I can't play all the time and I never expected to break 60, but I want the fun back.  If I hit it well, I want a good result and not a big frustration.

• palupear 50 Posts

  Thu, Sep 23 2010 10:27 PM

  Just happened, again, on Kiawah.  Put a 10 ft. swing on a 8" downhill 15 foot puyt from about 8" on the fringe and it went all of 4.5 inches.  Did the same on the next putt and it went 1.5".  Geez o pete!  Somebody must have spit out a wad of WGT bubble gum onto the fringe that I didn't see.  Did the same stroke on the next and it went 6 feet past the hole.  Double bogeyed myself out of my first decent wgt round in three weeks.  Wound up one under on the back nine.  I guess I should be happy to shoot a 69 average on wgt since that is about 18 better than my handicap playing for real, but I got kindof used to mid to low 60s with virtual golf and now those days seem like a dream.  I think wgt would be easier for non-golfers, or for someone (something?) living in a different world where the rules of physics only apply on an intermittent basis. 

  Oh well, going to play some real golf tomorrow and know that every lousy shot I hit is totally my fault.  Makes the good ones feel that much better.  Shot an 84 last time out in Brooklyn and I was smiling for 2 days. 

  peace

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Fri, Sep 24 2010 6:16 AM

  palupear:

  Just happened, again, on Kiawah.  Put a 10 ft. swing on a 8" downhill 15 foot puyt from about 8" on the fringe and it went all of 4.5 inches.

  Palupear, it sounds like you were on Kiawah #13 and left of the pin?  If so this "issue/problem/unrealism/bug" was reported to WGT back in February.  And still no change from WGT.  See this thread.

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Fri, Sep 24 2010 6:43 AM

  EllisSpice:

  Unless you add extra power, that ball isn't going as far as you think it will. Just because it's the fringe doesn't mean it's putting material.

  Exactly. I mentioned the same thing in this thread, along with other members as well.

  Charle, how long will you let this thread go before you finally admit you made a mistake?

  There is no bug.

• CharlemagneRH 1,054 Posts

  Fri, Sep 24 2010 6:55 AM

  Just because it is repeatable, that doesn't mean it's not a bug.

  It's a bug, Jim.

• palupear 50 Posts

  Fri, Sep 24 2010 8:04 AM

  Hey andyson,  it was actually on 17, but I've had similar experiences on many holes and courses on WGT.  I've also had the putts role nicely off of fringe about 60 or 70% of the time.  I think that it is less about a "bug" and more about an intentionally programmed situation that creates an unrealistic result.  You are right, it is a problem, however it happened, especially for those of us who can only play in spurts and not constantly practice and take notes about the oddities of certain very particular combinations of positions and shots on each of the courses.

  On a real course, the result of a stroke does not lie. Aim well, hit it on the button with reasonable power and the ball will go toward your target.  It may not get there for a number of reasons, but it usually won't be terrible.  All you've got is the meter on WGT and when you ding it on center, it doesn't always respond as if you did.  

  WGT is amazingly sophisticated when it comes to course appearances, variety of topography, wind coditions, etc., but on the basic swing variations, it is really extremely limited in what it allows players to do. (you can't really open the clubface, or kick the ball with your foot, for example : ) ) It tries to make up for the simplicity of the swing meter with "unpredictability" factored into the shot, or certain locations behaving differently than others (even when all the screen reads are identical in terms of lie, club selection, swing power and strike, etc.)  

  I understand that wgt want to reward practice and to create a kind of interest at the same time by building in the "x" factor.  It is just frustrating when well thought out and well struck shots come out as fluffs, or shanks or dumb moves.  

  Perhaps wgt could provide more on screen information like a virtual caddy.  Like: 'the quality of the sand in this bunker discourages flop shots.  A short punch with a 60 degree will get you on the green, if well struck."  or "motor oil leak on fringe -- better chip it!"  or "fairway notorious for unpredictable downward wind shear -- take an extra club", etc.

• birdwell 561 Posts

  Fri, Sep 24 2010 10:34 AM

  Ok. Put me in the "This is NOT a Bug" camp

  I'm not saying it shouldn't be changed, I'm just stating it's not a bug, it's how WGT set it up to work.

  Simply put, when they trim the greens for faster speeds, they should also take a wack at the fringe too. As it stands now, the fringe is always pretty hairy. For realism, hte condition of the fringe should reflect the condition of the greens.

• andyson 6,415 Posts

  Fri, Sep 24 2010 10:43 AM

  andyson:

  I add 3 ft of power when putting from the fringe but I don't putt from the fringe if the power is 8 or less, you don't putt from the fringe if deeper than 6 inches.  OK no biggie,

  I might even try adding less if on the edge.

  @Jake: I did go back to that spot on #10 BP and tried to putt from just on the edge of the fringe, maybe 2 inches in the fringe.  I putted it at 5.5 ft of power and by golly it did roll out of the fringe much to my surprise!  And it rolled 23 ft, which would have been 4 ft past my target of 19 ft down 10.  I learned something today, thanks Jake.