YankeeJim:
How is it worthless just because it counts putts? Otto is a ding player.
Auto-dingers are based on meter speed, which is never the same (the meter speed will be different on every shot), thus making auto-dingers no different than playing w/o it (watch the You Tube video of that guy using it..he misses dings using it more than some people do not using it and using free promo balls).
Macros can be set to use with a gaming mouse (or hotkey) to automatically click the mouse at an exact spot on the monitor (ex: front rt button for ding click, front left for an early click, and back right for late click. The gamers use/expoit this. Dinging every shot isn't always best. Plus, IF there is a SS that checks for ding rates, they will make everything seem normal. Cheat engine can be used same way..slow the meter, hit early, ding it, or hit late (Jo has a video of an idiot showing off using CE).
My opinion is that the meter stat thing is either for show, to spook the cheats (which it won't) or there really is some way for WGT to check ding rates and they can pull up someone's cards at a later date and say "see, we have proof".
The reason counting the putts (and tee shots other than par 3's) is worthless is this: Say I play Bandon 18 holes. I ding 6 of 18 tee shots (33%). I have 9 birdies and 9 pars (45) . Of those putts, I have 9 one-putts and 9 two-putts (27 putts). I ding (the easiest shot to ding on here is the putt... excluding starter ball and crap gear users) 24 of my 27 putts (dinged 9 birdie putts and 9 tap-in par putts and 6 birdie misses) which is 89%.
That would show me as 67% ding rate for the round. WGT bans players who have 70% ding rate (we know for fact that they use this reasoning/excuse). A 45 at Bandon in mod/low winds is not going to win anything. I'm hitting like crap, shooting crappy scores and also bordering on that 70% ding rate, according to the meter stat thing.
That's why counting putt dings is worthless.
More than likely, this is just more gimmicky crap (same as that little blue box of stats).
The whole idea is dumb. Dinged shots aren't always good shots and missed ding shots are not always bad shots.
I try to ding every single shot I hit. The only time I "might" hope to hit early or late is with 28-31 crosswinds. To me, it's better to add 20% to the aim and ding it, than it is to try and hit early and end up dinging anyway or hitting way too early and losing mega yardage because of it.
Lucky for me, my putter doesn't hold lines like the top putters, so I miss-ding as many or more of my putts than I ding.
I will add that when I say it's worthless, I'm leaning towards it being something to do/discourage cheats.
Some players may like seeing how many total shots/putts they dinged, and whether they hit too many late/early shots and what to work on. From that perspective, it's not worthless, but gimmicky.