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WGT - Game or Business?

• MioKontic 4,654 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 2:30 AM

  I have been a member for about 4 weeks.  I have moved to Tour Pro tier and just reached level 50... mainly through playing every day.  However, I am finding the 'game' increasingly frustrating.  I'm not the first to say this and I won't be the last.

  As the title asks, is WGT a game or a business?  When you join it is free, and you can play for free.  And when you start, you start at an easy level - all well and good.  But, as you move up the tiers, in order to compete... nay, stay in touch, you have to spend money.  And it's no use saying you can get free credits; I managed to do a few surveys and got some free credits, but in the last week there have not been any surveys available.  With the credits I have obtained through moving up tiers I have upgraded to Tour Starter clubs... quite frankly a waste of time at Tour Pro level.  I spent £1.49 (which is £1.49 more than I wanted to spend) on Photobook for 1250 credits.  With that I have purchased a TaylorMade Burner driver which, quite frankly, is a load of garbage and a total waste of credits.  Sure, WGT would 'buy' it back... for next to nothing!

  I thought moving up tiers and levels meant you were becoming a better player.  Well, not in my case.  My score average has rocketed and my game play is worse than a beginner.  Why has my game deteriorated so much?  Since I moved to Tour Pro tier I have found so much inconsistency with the clubs and balls.  For example, I'll have a 124yd shot into a green into a 3mph crosswind, green at same level as fairway.  I choose an 8 iron which goes 125yds in normal conditions.  I'll ding the shot and it goes 127yds having run for about 5yds.  So, next time, with identical conditions, I take one fraction off the shot.  Now the ball goes 110yds having stopped within 1yd.  And sometimes, it doesn't matter whether you ding it or not, the ball goes wherever it desires...er... wherever WGT desires it to go.

  All of this points to just one thing - if you want to play regularly IT IS NOT FREE.  I have played with other players, players at lower tiers than I am, who have bought new equipment, and the difference in gameplay, consistency and results is just astonishing and totally unrealistic.  In real golf, just because a player plays with the latest Ping or Callaway clubs and Titliest Pro V1 balls doesn't mean they will play better than someone playing with Dynacraft (who?) clubs and Penfold (again, who?) balls.

  Agreed, I have a choice whether I play with cheap/free equipment.  But I do not have a choice of whether I move up tiers.  Again, points to just one thing, WGT want your money, which I am not prepared to part with.  WGT will end up driving away many players who want to play this game for what it is, a little bit of fun and entertainment.  Yes, I pay for other forms of entertainment, but that entertainment doesn't necessarily get better simply because I dig deeper into my pockets.

  So, WGT, how about allowing players to stay at a low tier level if they want to, allow them to play with the equipment they want to play with.  Personally, I would be happy playing at Amateur level with Starter clubs.

  I will send this in a message to WGT too.  And how about a response???

• AtlantaCoaster 645 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 3:55 AM

  It is both a business and a game.  The two things are not mutually exclusive.

• SGTBilko 1,686 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 4:41 AM

  To be honest with you M, you are a victim of yourself. You like so many others have played the 2 easiest courses on here over and over and never developed your short game and your stats show it. Your sand % is in the 20's and your scrambling is in the 30's. To often newer players are more interested in their average or scoring low than developing there game or thinking this is their game. They avoid Beth Page and Oakmont because it is hard to shot under par. Someone once said that the top players on here do not bogey! At first I assumed they meant that they could ding every shot, birdie or par every hole because they always hit the fairway and greens. What I later learned is that they had developed their short game to the extent their scrambling and sand %'s were in the 80's+. Now the hard part and your going to have to not worry about your average or scores for now, if not you will pay for it even worse when you make master. My advice is to stop playing SA and Kiawah and start playing the other 2 courses. Work on your Pitch, Chip, Flop. Take a look your wedges compared to others. Again, this is just my opinion, take it for what its worth. GL and hit em straight!

• tiffer67 1,764 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 11:13 AM

  MioKontic:

  Yes, I pay for other forms of entertainment, but that entertainment doesn't necessarily get better simply because I dig deeper into my pockets.

  Mio, can I ask you why you are so averse to investing a relatively small amount of money in this game? Just out of interest you understand, I'm not looking to be critical of any response you may give.

  As for your original question, WGT most certainly is a business, one that has required significant upfront sums of money to develop their product. Whilst I am not overly happy with their pricing policy and their communication with their customers, they have got a fantastic product and the game is improving steadily.

  If I were you I'd buy yourself some decent equipment. It doesn't need to be the absolute best, just good enough for you to hit the fairways and greens in regulation. Once you've bought it, you've got it for life. If after that you feel the same frustrations, stop playing.......

   

• MioKontic 4,654 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 12:06 PM

  Let me answer some of the comments.

  Firstly, the meaning of "invest":
  To commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return.  I cannot gain any financial return therefore it is not an investment.  All I am doing is paying for something.  I have my reasons for not wanting to put money into it, but those reasons are not something I wish to share with everyone here.  So, if I don't wish to put money into it, should I expect to be as good as one who does.  Maybe not, but that's exactly my point; I'm happy to go back to Amateur level and play with free equipment.  But I can't, because when you reach a certain level you automatically get upgraded whether you like it or not.  And it's not just a one-off payment either; I hear the paid-for balls don't last very long and you have to keep re-stocking.  It wouldn't surprise me if WGT amended the software to start wearing out grooves on clubs so that you have to either refurb them or buy new ones!

  With regards to which courses I play, yes, I play St Andrews and Kiawah most of the time.  They are fairer courses for the clubs I have, plus I enjoy them.  Bethpage most certainly isn't fair using the clubs I have.  A Starter driver hits the ball 225yds in normal conditions.  The 3-wood another 205yds.  That's 430yds if you hit it perfectly. So, on a 450yds hole you're already on a loser.  Add in a 15mph headwind and a green that's evelated 35ft and totally surrounded by rough and bunkers... and what's the point of even trying!  And then there's a 502yds par 4 to boot!  You have the same problem in real golf?  Of course you do, but that's why amateurs have handicaps.  No such thing in WGT, everyone is a pro playing off scratch.

  With regards to my short game, YOU ARE WRONG!  If it wasn't for my short game my average score would be in the high 70's and possibly 80's, just ask anyone I've played with.  And like I said, the clubs and balls are so inconsistent that the short game suffers the most.  I used to play (real) golf with a putter that cost me £8 and putted well with it.  But other golfers and club pro's (obviously, they would!) told me that I needed a better putter, a branded putter.  So, I got a Callaway White Hot putter which cost somewhere in the region of £70-£90.  Did I play any better with it?  No, much worse.  Had to give it away in the end and went back to my £8 putter.  Take a look at my wedges compared to others... exactly my point again - to get better results you have to pay.

  Finally, I don't worry about my average, read the same thing somewhere in the forum already.  I was using the average score to exemplify my point. Like I said, I'd be happy just playing at a lower tier with the free equipment, but I don't have that choice.

  I see no one from WGT has bothered responding!

• SGTBilko 1,686 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 12:29 PM

  to be honest with you, I am right. Lets do a comparison here are 2 of your stats (see below), now go take a look at other players that are masters, especially the ones that play the tournaments and ready-go's. Bethpage and Oakmont are not supposed to be fair, I played them as did many others with those clubs, that is how we got our averages above 60% or better. I am not trying to be mean, just honest Bottom line, until you get these 2 percentages below above the 50's you will struggle. Either stop playing SA and KIA all the time or accept your fate. Yes, you have to pay, for better clubs. It's an option can choose or not. No different than going over and playing TW online or buying a pc / game system game. It is what it is! GL

  Sand Save %	26.58%
  Scrambling %	33.05%

• Boomerboy44 1,514 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 2:25 PM

  Pony up and improve or stay a hack...It really is up to you...WE can only offer advice......sooooooooooo get going and good luck.

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 3:04 PM

  Good posts SGTBilko.

• oneputtdavid 1,337 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 3:25 PM

  MioKontic:

  Maybe not, but that's exactly my point; I'm happy to go back to Amateur level and play with free equipment.  But I can't, because when you reach a certain level you automatically get upgraded whether you like it or not.

   

  I believe you only get upgraded playing ranked rounds. If you don't desire to advance just play CTTH, blitz or practice format of match/stroke play.

  You don't have to "invest" in balls, starter balls are free and unlimited.;)

  It is understandable your point of not wanting to "invest" in a game that you prefer not to take seriously or improve.Then don't, there's no obligation here. No one will criticize or bait you into doing anything. 

  But if you criticize or critique the site or the equipment you prefer to use, then you will get responses that you probable don't want hear.:/

  All im saying is if you want "simplicity" with this game, then its probably not for you. But then again if your looking for a little challenge using this game, then your going to have to step up and "invest".....even if its just an ego booster, you'll get some reward for the "investment"...;D

   

   

   

• borntobesting 9,709 Posts

  Sat, Dec 18 2010 3:26 PM

  You don't have to use your won money to upgrade. Take the surveys and complete some free offers and you can get more than enough credits to get some very good equipment. I know sometimes it's hard to qualify for the surveys, but if you keep trying you will take a few and  earn credits. And there are many offers for free trials that can get you thousands of credits. And some of the ones that are not free are something that you might be thinking of doing anyway. Like netfix or Columbia House DVD club. I have top line equipment and for the most part it was paid for with credits won taking surveys or credits earned by completing offers.

  And by the way it's not your short game as much as for lack of a better word you recovery game.But your stats for sand saves and scrambling are way too low. But then again so are mine.