WGT Golf News

It happens every month--someone enters a tournament and wins, but they never receive the prize because the email address provided to us at registration is incorrect. Don't let this happen to you! Check the email address you have on file with us at https://www.wgt.com/user/contactinfo.aspx and make sure it's correct. If you update it, be sure to click the "Update" button at the bottom of the page when you are done. Have fun!

We launched some new features today that we hope you will enjoy. Below are a few of the highlights, and the full list is posted in our forum. Remember that this month, most of the tournaments will start on March 10 in order to give everyone a chance to get a feel for the changes.

New WGT Starter Set Clubs
We have provided every player with a free WGT Starter set of clubs, which will replace your "Pre-Beta" set. Your player is automatically equipped with this improved set of clubs, so play now and let us know what you think. The WGT Starter set is meant for beginners and first-time players. We will release more clubs in the near future for advanced players.

Game Improvements
In our ongoing efforts to make WGT the most realistic online golf experience ever, we've made some major improvements to the way the golf ball interacts with ground surfaces and golf clubs in game play. Much like in real golf, you need to pay special attention to your lie. Knowing which type of ground surface (hard sand, mulch, second cut rough, etc) and how buried your ball is becomes critical to hitting an accurate shot. So be sure to check this graphic before every shot you take:

PLEASE NOTE: One side effect of these changes is that all of your saved replays will be wiped from the site. We are working on a solution in the future where we will no longer have to wipe the replays when we make these types of updates.

WGT Virtual Pro Shop - Sneak Peek
The beta version of the WGT Virtual Pro Shop is available for a sneak peek! The Pro Shop lets you upgrade the golf equipment your player uses in the game. Just like in real golf, the right equipment combined with the right amount of skill can give you longer, more accurate drives or better touch on and off the green. Visit the Pro Shop to compare and purchase new clubs, and use them in the game to maximize your potential. Available today are the Ping G10, TaylorMade Burner, WGT Tour Drivers. We are working on many more clubs and they will be added as soon as they are ready.

• Get credits now to purchase the new clubs, or learn how
• View a tutorial on how to purchase items in the Pro Shop
• Learn more about Pro Shop in our FAQs

My Clubs Section
To equip yourself with clubs you get in the Pro Shop, mouse over the My Settings tab in the game menu and choose My Clubs. Once you are in the My Clubs interface, click and drag the club you want to equip, from the Inventory section into the In My Bag section. Click Save to keep your selection. You can also access My Clubs prior to teeing off by clicking the View/Edit Clubs button.

• View a tutorial on how put clubs in your golf bag
• Learn more about equipping clubs in our FAQs

New countries eligible for tournaments - Norway, Australia, and Japan
Starting this month, players in Norway and Australia are eligible to play in some leaderboard (score-based) tournaments, and players in Japan are eligible for prizes in the sweepstakes tournaments. We are working on our next batch of countries, so stay tuned! Keep in mind that each month we will run an international tournament where players in every country can compete for bragging rights. This month's international tournament will commence on March 9.

Share Replays
You can now share replays with your friends more easily. After watching a replay, click on the Share button, enter your friend's email address and a personal message and click the Send button.

Thanks everyone for being patient and giving us a ton of very good feedback during this beta period. We have a release coming out next week that has taken longer than expected and has delayed our course releases, but addresses a few fundamental game dynamics the community has drawn to our attention.

We have made major changes to the way the ball interacts with ground surfaces and the clubs (make sure you read your lie before you hit). We have also created a new set of clubs called the WGT Starters that will replace your Pre-Beta set.

One side effect of these changes is that all of your saved replays will be wiped from the site. We are working on a solution in the future where we will no longer have to wipe the replays when we make these types of updates, and we will keep you updated as to our progress.

Also in this release is the framework for the WGT Pro Shop, where in the future you will be able to upgrade your equipment. There will be a limited number of items in the beginning, but we will add more as they become available from our partners.

Finally, we know that everyone wants to play new holes, and we can tell you that they are scheduled to come out in April.

Thanks for making WGT the best place online to play golf, and we look forward to your feedback next week after the release!

For this week's tip, we are featuring nivlac's forum post about putting spin on the ball. Many players have found this useful, and we hope you will too. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day from WGT!

It's always more fun playing with others, especially on Valentine's Day. Finding a buddy to play with is easy on WGT. Just go to the WGT Players page and hit the Search button. You can leave the Search field blank, enter a partial string (i.e. "b" to find all player names starting with the letter b), or enter the entire username of the person you are looking for.

If you find someone interesting among the available players but there is a grey button next to their name, it means they are in the middle of a tournament or multiplayer game. Sign their wall and pick someone else in the meantime! If you like who you played with, be sure to "friend" them afterwards by clicking on "Add as Friend" on their profile page, and it will be easy to find them next time.

Cheers,
WGT

For a more accurate result when clicking on the swing meter, try using a corded mouse. Wireless mice inherently have a lag between your click and your computer’s reception of the click, so it is harder to time your click for the perfect swing. Hope this helps!

The World Series of Golf will be hosting "Get Acquainted" events at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort on February 23, March 30, and April 20. This is your chance to explore the courses and hone your strategy in a real tournament atmosphere before the actual competition during the week of May 11, 2009. The buy-in is $10,000 with the winner receiving $300,000. Learn more here: http://www.worldseriesofgolf.com.

We've all been there—you're in the middle of your best game ever, and you need to take a call, or leave for an appointment, or your kid/wife/mother-in-law (you name it) is calling you from the other room. Worst, you hit Menu / End Round/Main Menu thinking you could resume later, only to discover that you've lost the game.

Remember that whether you're playing a tournament or ranked round, choose Save & Quit if you need to continue the game later. In a multiplayer round, if you need to drop off be sure to finish it later...you'll keep a lot more friends that way.

Cheers,
WGT

Congratulations to ZACHT, who sunk an amazing 100 foot putt and won the first-ever community-organized putting competition. See the replay here!

We have a new video tutorial on how to putt, for those of you who are new to the game or just want to brush up. We have also updated our "How to Hit the Ball", "How to Aim", and "How to Start a Multiplayer Game" tutorials (please note the links have also been updated):

• How to Putt
• How to Start a Multiplayer Game
• How to Hit the Ball
• How to Aim

Remember that there is also an in-game tutorial that walks you through the basics of gameplay. You can view it by clicking on MENU and selecting TUTORIAL.

Enjoy!