phred952:
TheBrick1:
It's about the money.
When I play, I mostly play practice rounds. I set the conditions of a tournament I am interested in, invite people if I can, and play. Practice. Then I compete in the tournament and place to earn credits.
Is this sandbagging? It's my first, last, and only account.
My average stays higher than most others in my tier because the only ranked games I play are tournaments or invites from friends. I never sabotage my score intentionally. Am I sandbagging?
I look at the leaderboards, see the scores it takes win, and practice until I feel capable of attaining a similar score, then I enter the tournament.
If I played ranked games while practicing, my average would go down faster, I'd tier up faster, hence I would need better equipment more often to continue being competitive in tournaments. It's the money.
This strategy works until you start winning. As so s you start earning credits through winnings in tournaments they arbitrarily bump you up. Today, I had and average of 69.08. The lowest it has ever been. Shot a 34 on the Wk 11 Multiround 1st round. My avg moved to 68.92. Then later I received 45 credits for a winning (a week or so ago) + 150 credits for being promoted to master. I never met any Master requirements that I am aware of.
I was successfully countering those with multiple accounts and other "sandbaggers" with honest play and diligent practice.
I really think the answer is to look at the other side of the equation. There are players out there who are Legends from playing nothing but the easiest courses most of the time. Maybe we ought inject a little more "realism" and clarity and make whatever milestone that I happened to reach a requirement as well as the 66 average requirement, which I have never come close to getting yet.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sorry, if not sandbagging in the usual sense, you are manipulating your play to avoid ranked rounds, which sounds like the same thing to me.
You are playing far more rounds as "practice" to avoid raising your average, by your own admission, than probably most other players.
So your level of experience is higher just by playing those "practice" rounds, than your average reflects. Sound fair to you?
Just wondering, not trying to start anything. I'm just pointing things out as I see them, based on your statements. If I'm wrong in my thinking, or understanding of the situation, then please accept my apology..
GL as a Master, if that's where you are now.
phred952
I'm wasn't manipulating my play. I was practicing in practice rounds. I was trying more aggressive shots in a practice round to see what works and what doesn't as opposed to a more conservative play during a ranked round that is supposed to count. I wasn't avoiding raising my average. That I was playing primarily in practice rounds may have had some effect keeping my average higher than others in my tier for longer.
It matters not, anyway. Because the same thing happened at TM, even though I stopped playing using practice rounds except to explore specific situations not full rounds, and I took a few years off. I came back and this time played nothing but Tournaments, Multi-Stroke, and Coin.
After about 6 weeks of relearning the game, I started playing all the Free Tournaments. 1st week i placed in a couple made 80-90 Credits. The following week, did a little better about 200 Credits and I was bumped to Legend.
Personally, I think it is fraud. Sandbagging really isn't a problem and could only work for so long, anyway. You have to post good scores to win. That's going to push your Tier up eventually, even without fraudulent rigging. Instead, they push you up until you no longer have the equipment to be competitive, nor do they allow you the chance to earn enough to afford the equipment necessary. Buy their balls.
Does it sound fair to me? Not at all. My level of experience has nothing to do with it. The scores that one posts on match day is what matters. My average will reflect those scores. So why push me up ahead of time. Why not have only tournament rounds count toward your official tournament average and only use tournament generated scores to determine your tournament tier? That would handle the sandbagging problem if one actually exists.
TheBrick1