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Make the Virtual Tour real!

• Miantiao 401 Posts

  Sun, Aug 27 2017 11:24 AM

  amb1923:

  Unlimited rounds use up golf balls = why WGT has so many unlimited round tourneys. From a competition/fun perspective, 4 single play rounds (like RL) would be preferable. But that is not WGT's preference

  I don't care whether it is WGT preference or not. Players(customers) come first.

  I'll be boycotting all future VT events starting this month at Pinehurst.

   

   

• phred952 2,714 Posts

  Sun, Aug 27 2017 6:00 PM

  Miantiao:

  amb1923:

  Unlimited rounds use up golf balls = why WGT has so many unlimited round tourneys. From a competition/fun perspective, 4 single play rounds (like RL) would be preferable. But that is not WGT's preference

  I don't care whether it is WGT preference or not. Players(customers) come first.

  I'll be boycotting all future VT events starting this month at Pinehurst.

   

   

  Good luck with your boycott.  

• Miantiao 401 Posts

  Sun, Aug 27 2017 8:53 PM

  phred952:

  Miantiao:

  amb1923:

  Unlimited rounds use up golf balls = why WGT has so many unlimited round tourneys. From a competition/fun perspective, 4 single play rounds (like RL) would be preferable. But that is not WGT's preference

  I don't care whether it is WGT preference or not. Players(customers) come first.

  I'll be boycotting all future VT events starting this month at Pinehurst.

   

   

  Good luck with your boycott.  

  Another second round single round score disparity in the VT @Pinehurst  this month illustrates how ridiculous the current first round unlimited round format really is.

  Why waste my time and pills trying for an extra 3-4 shots under an average round for the same course and conditions just to be competitive in the second round?

  So, Phred, I won't need any luck with my boycott, its a no-brainer of a choice to make.

  You'll also find that some well known top earners don't participate, but without being publicly vocal about their reasons.  

  I for one, among a couple of others, won't be wasting my time with such a blatantly ridiculous format.

• phred952 2,714 Posts

  Mon, Aug 28 2017 10:02 AM

  Other than teeing it up to get the free ball I normally don't play in most of them either.  Certainly not multiple rounds.  Exception being if it's a course I enjoy.  

  My point is that boycotts have been talked about before, but never gain any traction.  I seriously doubt if this one will either.  Top players not playing will only open the field up to others.  A site wide total boycott will never happen.

  But enjoy tilting at your chosen windmill.  Have Sancho bring you your armor.  You better buckle up, it's liable to be a wild ride.

• birchi 1,492 Posts

  Mon, Aug 28 2017 11:46 AM

  Miantiao:

  Another second round single round score disparity in the VT @Pinehurst  this month illustrates how ridiculous the current first round unlimited round format really is.

  You have to take the much more difficult conditions in the second round into account, high wind and greenspeed 14 is a completely different challenge compared to the rather easy first round. 

  Miantiao:

  You'll also find that some well known top earners don't participate, but without being publicly vocal about their reasons.  

  I was wondering why some of the top players never play in the VT, too. Guess the low price money is the main reason, at this points it's basically more about prestige than winning credits. Much more efficient to just plug away at ready go's and brackets if you're all about the money leaderboard

• Miantiao 401 Posts

  Mon, Aug 28 2017 3:58 PM

  phred952:

  Other than teeing it up to get the free ball I normally don't play in most of them either.  Certainly not multiple rounds.  Exception being if it's a course I enjoy.  

  My point is that boycotts have been talked about before, but never gain any traction.  I seriously doubt if this one will either.  Top players not playing will only open the field up to others.  A site wide total boycott will never happen.

  But enjoy tilting at your chosen windmill.  Have Sancho bring you your armor.  You better buckle up, it's liable to be a wild ride.

  You sound like a WGT public relations/marketing professional.

   

   

• Miantiao 401 Posts

  Mon, Aug 28 2017 4:22 PM

  birchi:

  Miantiao:

  Another second round single round score disparity in the VT @Pinehurst  this month illustrates how ridiculous the current first round unlimited round format really is.

  You have to take the much more difficult conditions in the second round into account, high wind and greenspeed 14 is a completely different challenge compared to the rather easy first round. 

  Miantiao:

  You'll also find that some well known top earners don't participate, but without being publicly vocal about their reasons.  

  I was wondering why some of the top players never play in the VT, too. Guess the low price money is the main reason, at this points it's basically more about prestige than winning credits. Much more efficient to just plug away at ready go's and brackets if you're all about the money leaderboard

  Simon, when I play, I like to play for free. And yes, winning is a good feel. It took until about  level 85 before I began to win credits.

  I don't play every month, I regularly miss months, and sometimes years between playing, but when I do I'd like to be able to play a VT  without wasting my time and pills attempting to post a first round score that will be competitive in the second round. 

  There is nothing prestigious about unlimited first round low scores. Anyone with time and pills to waste, in addition to some skill and a little luck can achieve that.

  I've played VTs before and know well enough second round conditions are more difficult, like last month at St Andrews. However, more difficult conditions is a little far fetched to use as an excuse for rounds that are 4-8 shots higher.

  In any case, no more VTs for me until the format changes.

   

   

• birchi 1,492 Posts

  Tue, Aug 29 2017 12:15 PM

  Miantiao:

  There is nothing prestigious about unlimited first round low scores. Anyone with time and pills to waste, in addition to some skill and a little luck can achieve that.

  I'm the first to join your demand of playing only single rounds, but in the end there's never a "surprise winner". the best players still are on top, especially after the second rounds, just with 2-3 shots off their average score (although there are exceptions here, mags played his 53 on his first try this month for example). Everyone who lucks out in the first round by playing 3 hole-out eagles on the 10th try will fall back in the second. 

  Miantiao:

  I've played VTs before and know well enough second round conditions are more difficult, like last month at St Andrews. However, more difficult conditions is a little far fetched to use as an excuse for rounds that are 4-8 shots higher.

  I quickly checked the top 10 of the current and last months tourney and it's an average difference of about 3 shots, so not quite as high as one might think. 

  Miantiao:

  In any case, no more VTs for me until the format changes.

  Why not just limit yourself to one try in the first round? With your skill you will be able to post a very good score and every now and then an excellent one.

• DAZZA501 5,972 Posts

  Tue, Aug 29 2017 3:05 PM

  Miantiao:

  DAZZA501:

  I think it's a great idea and i would prefer it if it was 4 single play rounds. It would make the game more realistic. Wgt do say this is the most realistic golf sim so why not make it more so.

  Sure the leaderboards would have mostly the same names at the top but it would give a few others a chance that could shoot some consistent 58's in single play that otherwise aren't good enough to shoot 54's in unlimited.

  It'll never happen though as it won't bring in the dollar.

  You'll find that players that shoot regular 56-59 in single round Readygo and Bracket also shoot the occasional 53-55.

  Not being good enough to shoot low is hardly a problem, whether unlimited or single play.

  Rather, the problem is that all top players know that in order to be competitive in the second round,  they are compelled to post a very low score in the first round. A score that would normally be exceptional in a single round format.

  All top players experience poor rounds, but some experience them less than others.

   

   

  I get what your saying. I'm good enough to shoot 53-55 but have neither the time or the desire to grind it out and get it on the 10th attempt. 

  What i'm saying is there's a lot of players out there who would fancy their chances in 4 single play rounds shooting a consistent 56-59 and start taking the VT a bit more seriously instead of the boring grind of lots of restarts until they birdie the front 9.

  It's what people want so why can't Wgt just try it for 1 month as a trial and see what the difference in ball usage is. They might be pleasantly surprised.

   

• Miantiao 401 Posts

  Tue, Aug 29 2017 8:14 PM

  birchi:

  Miantiao:

  There is nothing prestigious about unlimited first round low scores. Anyone with time and pills to waste, in addition to some skill and a little luck can achieve that.

  I'm the first to join your demand of playing only single rounds, but in the end there's never a "surprise winner". the best players still are on top, especially after the second rounds, just with 2-3 shots off their average score (although there are exceptions here, mags played his 53 on his first try this month for example). Everyone who lucks out in the first round by playing 3 hole-out eagles on the 10th try will fall back in the second. 

  Miantiao:

   

  I've played VTs before and know well enough second round conditions are more difficult, like last month at St Andrews. However, more difficult conditions is a little far fetched to use as an excuse for rounds that are 4-8 shots higher.

  I quickly checked the top 10 of the current and last months tourney and it's an average difference of about 3 shots, so not quite as high as one might think. 

  Miantiao:

  In any case, no more VTs for me until the format changes.

  Why not just limit yourself to one try in the first round? With your skill you will be able to post a very good score and every now and then an excellent one.

  I beg to differ. One only has to peruse high credit ReadyGo results to ascertain that many players are capable of taking first to third place.

  Fmag scoring a 53 on first attempt is exactly the exceptional round I've been emphasising. Very well played indeed. However, he has poor rounds as well, like a recent 24 @Best of Par 3 B9. If he, and others were under more pressure in the first round then I'm sure you'd see a handful of of poor rounds by top tier players, same as real golf.

  In the past I generally played twice or three times if my first round wasn't low enough. A couple of 57s in US Open at Erin for example wasn't good enough to make the cut. First attempt 58 followed by a second round 58 last month at St Andrews I was also happy with but was a few shots off the top ten because I couldn't be bothered wasting my time and pills to hand in a 55 first round scorecard.

  My point is that exceptional rounds would be more exceptional in a single round format.

  In addition, and you know as well as I do, anyone can shoot a poor round and open the door which makes single round Majors a lot more interesting and real.

  If the VT is a WGT major selling point, then why not make it more so by making it real?

  I'm not playing until it changes, full stop.