JamesTruman:
Thanks! OK if I ask a few more questions?
1. How often should I trust the game's club selection? Sometimes I wish these games wouldn't suggest a club at all; part of the fun is deciding myself.
At the Legend tier (which I'm currently at), I find myself trusting the game's club selection about 85% of the time when I'm in the middle of the fairway. Also, as a personal preference, I often flop the ball from rough-side green and will often change clubs to do so. So I probably trust club selections from <50 yards around 30% of the time.
However, at your level I remember the game typically not giving me enough club on many shots (because at lower levels, while your ball may travel "X" amount of yards, some of that includes the ball rolling, and is not all carry). So you might want to club up on many approach shots. But in reality, you just need to learn your clubs, learn how to judge the uphill/downhill compensation, wind, etc. and you'll be able to know exactly how far to hit the ball, regardless of what the game suggests.
JamesTruman:
2. When hitting out of a bad lie, is there some random chance you'll duff it or some such? Or does such a lie simply mean you have a narrower margin for error with the swing meter? Is a chip shot "safer" than a pitch or a lob out of such a lie?
To me personally, lies are a bit quirky in this game. I often find myself playing normal shots out of 20-25% rough just because it seems to not even effect my ball. However, the percentage is supposed to mean that your ball will be affect (in distance) by that much. So theoretically, if you have a 5% lie, you need to play for 5% more distance. But through my own experience, certain lies play really strange and others don't. However, I am positive in telling you that anything above 30-40% rough will kill you, and no, you won't hit a flier out of it. ;)
As for chipping out of rough, I would never do it unless I am literally inches from the putting surface. Chips often won't carry but a few feet, which can end up in the rough again if you're not careful. Just learn what shot types work best from certain places. There is never a "universal" shot type that can get you up and down from everywhere. Utilize Full, Pitch, Flop, Chip, and Punch to see what works best from where.
JamesTruman:
3. Are there "flyers" (non-spinning shots) out of rough?
Like I said before, I've often seen lies in rough where the ball seems to hardly (or possibly not even at all) be affected by the lie. In most courses, any lies <25% do not need to be compensated for by too much.
JamesTruman:
4. Do practice rounds "count" for purposes of advancing in tier? Or only tournament rounds? Do closest-to-pin rounds count, or only stroke play?
Thanks in advance!
You rank up tiers by lowering your average so no, scores in practice rounds will not tier your up because they are not recorded on your profile. This is because you can edit the settings of the round, making the courses easier to play, and enabling you to shoot low scores.
Ranked Stroke Play Rounds and Stroke Play Tournaments are the only ways to rank up your tier. Be sure to post every round (good or bad) and play often!
-TLD