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New WGT Calculator in Progress

• Miantiao 401 Posts

  Wed, Jul 17 2019 7:17 PM

  I use a starting formula according to the clubs and ball I use, then adjust by feel for elevation and individual hole nuances (whether or not the approach plays longer or shorter than it states,  whether or not elevation for a particular approach doesn't play to given elevation, and the amount of hang time the ball will remain in the air).

  Side wind also effects distance, particularly so in high wind conditions.

  Knowing your club/ball matrix in low wind conditions is the starting point and should form the basis for calc in higher wind conditions.

  There isn't a one formula fits all for wind conditions. A 3 iron plays differently to a 64 degree wedge.

  Mapping individual clubs (knowing what they're capable of doing in low wind conditions) is all important.  You can do this in ranked stroke round mode.

  Practice mode plays differently to ranked round mode for some reason.

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Redmonod 27 Posts

  Thu, Jul 18 2019 12:21 PM

  @kavvz: thanks for the links..I’ve certainly benefitted from people like Naturali who have been willing to share their experiences with everyone else. Absolutely, putting is important. I use a spreadsheet that combines 12 different estimates of hit% as well as estimating break from grid timings. It works pretty well in a majority of circumstances. I play on an IPad, so many of the aids available for the PC don’t help me.

  @Miantiao: I wasn’t aware that Practice mode and Ranked mode played differently. I wonder why that would be? I am sorry I ever tried out apparel, because it distorts results of shots with certain clubs, and I can’t find a way to make that go away for practice rounds.

  Shot mapping is important, but in my case only to verify and adjust the results of my spreadsheet calculations. I use physics formulas to simulate the ball flight, so things like wind and elevation are automatically included in those.

• DoctorLarry 4,311 Posts

  Sat, Jul 20 2019 1:04 PM

  Redmonod:

  Shot mapping is important, but in my case only to verify and adjust the results of my spreadsheet calculations.

  Well, sorta.

  It the shot mapping differs from your predictions, go with the mapping and then continue to adjust from game play.  As Miantiao noted, you will find differences between different courses and different holes as to how they actually play.  You will find that the ball flight will not necessarily follow the rules for wind and elevation everywhere on the courses as well!!  Some courses (ahem, St Andy, RSG, WC) have winds with a mind of their own!

  Miantiao is a much better player than I and I believe what he is saying is what I am learning and that is that you can use the calculators as a learning tool, but only that.  You will have to adjust for every hole and for different conditions as you play.  I am beginning to get some of that feel and it has saved me from my spreadsheet a few times already!!

  I will say I am much more confident about my putting calculations than my other calculations - except even they require that "feel" for the Champ 13-14 greens, especially downhill!!

• michaelbaxr8 4 Posts

  Sat, Apr 4 2020 8:10 PM

  Would you kindly send me a spreadsheet thx mate

• BaggerPantz 55 Posts

  Sun, Apr 5 2020 10:26 AM

  Sent you a friend request— don’t want to post my contact info here.

• Shawnskey 458 Posts

  Sun, Apr 5 2020 2:19 PM

  Would you kindly send me a spreadsheet also thx mate .

• Shawnskey 458 Posts

  Thu, Apr 9 2020 1:16 AM

  Would you kindly send me a spreadsheet also thx mate .

• Tony08888 641 Posts

  Sat, Apr 11 2020 4:13 AM

  @SIGNET7

  Hey bud, would you send me a copy and I'll send you mine?

   

• Bobbylanka 916 Posts

  Sun, Apr 12 2020 6:17 AM

  Hi Miantiiao, could you please send me a copy of your calculator.

  Thanks

  Bobbylanka

  email: Bob.mcgechan@gmail.com

• BaggerPantz 55 Posts

  Wed, Apr 15 2020 8:36 AM

  I’ve spent some time and looked into the WGT engine.  It’s actually pretty sophisticated.  My simple algebra and calculus math is never going to “solve” it, and here’s the reason; MAGNUS FORCE.

  Magnus force is the lift the golf ball experiences due to dimples on the golf ball and backspin.  

  A golf ball with no drag and no Magnus force would be a perfect parabola.  But drag (wind and air resistance) distort the parabola.  We can roughly model for that.

  But Magnus force is hard to model.  I’m not even sure how to do it, much less get my model to match WGTs model.  If you’ve ever used an expensive ball with a high spin rating and watch it come up woefully short... Magnus got you.  The extra spin and lift ballooned the ball up.  I’ve verified this on WGT practice mode.  If you track the apexes on shots you hit into the wind, you will see it too.

  So... pausing here in my model creation.  I either need to build a lot of if/then statements into my “plays like” formula to try to approximate Magnus effect based on wind direction and ball speed combined with ball spin rating and amount of backspin applie — or I need to rebuild the whole thing with a more sophisticated model.

  Pausing here.  Curious if others have tackled Magnus force and how they overcame it.