Noticias WGT Golf

By Josh Zander

Have you noticed that golf is as game with almost as many teachers as players? Everyone seems to know what to tell you when you hit a bad shot. They all have a tip that is going to turn your game around. This is even more prevalent if you are a woman. A friend of mine once said that he was going to design a woman’s golf shirt with the words “Don’t tell me what to do” printed on the back. The tips I hear friends giving friends are keep your head down, keep your left arm straight, swing slower and a slew of others. When golfers are playing poorly, they become so desperate that they will listen to anyone. Stop!!!!! The only person you should listen to is your own professional. Would you take legal advice from someone who is not an attorney? Would you take medical advice from someone who wasn’t a doctor?

Here is my professional advice and remember, I am a golf professional. Only take the advice if it will improve your ball flight or your impact. Just doing something because the best player in your club does it or because you heard it on TV does not mean it is right for you. Even if it is something Tiger does, it may not be right for you. When someone gives you advice, ask them the following question: “How will this tip help my impact position and my ball flight?” If they can’t give you a reasonable answer, don’t try it. You should ask your own teacher the same question. It is their job to know cause and effect.

The only reason “tips” from friends work sometimes is that it frees your mind from the other 10 other things you were thinking about during your swing. Believe me, playing golf from tip to tip is a recipe for disaster. Your mind will become so confused that you will be paralyzed over the ball. Keep it simple. Listen only to your teacher and stick to the plan. My mentor Jim Hardy once said that one of three things is happening if you are not getting better after receiving advice. First, you understand the advice but simply did not execute. Second, you did not understand the advice. And third, the person gave you the wrong advice. I’ll leave it to you, what are the chances that your friend gave you the right advice?  Friends have great intentions but their advice usually leads to having to book another lesson with your instructor.

Here is a photo of NASAgolfer, winner of the Virtual U.S. Open 2009, and his engraved trophy from the USGA!

August tournaments have begun! Check the Tournament Calendar for the full schedule of monthly and weekly events. Highlights include new weekly stroke play and closest-to-the-hole challenges, and a tierless International Open.

Also in August are four more chances to win trips to Pinehurst Resort. Be sure to participate in the PVP Open and the two PVP Sweepstakes. Don't miss these opportunities to enjoy a vacation at one of the best golf resorts in the world and chances to play with or against Fred Couples or Nick Faldo. Congratulations to kraneburg, winner of the July 1-14 (#3) sweeps drawing, and sabbath270 and JALAII, winners of the July PVP Open.

There are two more premium tournaments coming up soon that will run through September, so keep an eye out for them!

Hi everyone, this is the first of a new blog series profiling the clubs in our winners' bags! JReitzel is the hack tier winner of the Week 30 18-hole Stroke Play Tournament. What’s in his bag?

• PING G10 Pro 9.5° Driver
• PING G10 Pro 3 Fairway Wood
• PING G10 Pro 3 Hybrid 21° (Steel)
• PING G10 Iron Set (Steel)
• PING Tour W Pro 54° Wedge
• PING Tour W Pro 60° Wedge
• PING iWi Anser Series Putter
• WGT GI-D golf balls

It's time for some more game tips from our helpful community players!

• A guide to pitching and chipping
• Tips on playing the lie
• Backspin & topspin in wind
• BPB strategy

Here are the highlights from today's product release:

Golf Balls in the Pro Shop

You can now purchase virtual golf balls in the Pro Shop. The golf balls for sale in the Pro Shop will give you some incremental benefits over the basic ball you are given for free when you create an account. There will also be more advanced balls coming out in the future that will further improve your game. Read more about virtual golf balls in our FAQs.

New Clubs in the Pro Shop

• Ping G10 Pros (available only to Pro and Master tier players) - Fitted with stiff shafts to accommodate a faster swing speed
• Ping Raptures (driver, fairway wood, hybrid, and iron set) - Highly advanced game improvement clubs that use exotic materials and innovative design to be very forgiving, while being capable of above-average distances
• Ping iWi Anser - A finely balanced putter to increase precision
• TaylorMade Tour Burner (driver, fairway wood, hybrid, and iron set) - Fitted with stiff shafts, these clubs will help you go the distance
• TaylorMade Spider Putter - The beautiful and forgiving putter
• TaylorMade R9 TP Driver - Bomb away with the Pro Style club and custom stiff shaft
• WGT Tour Starters in multiple colors - Embrace your personal style

** Many of you have asked whether you will be able to trade in your clubs in the future. We are working on this feature now, and will announce an expected release date as we get closer to completing it.

Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course Closest-to-the-Hole Challenge

Play the same course at the same time as Michael Jordan and Ray Romano, as shown on NBC Sports. Set along the south shore of beautiful Lake Tahoe, Edgewood Tahoe is one of the most scenic golf courses in the world, and is rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of "America's Top Golf Courses." Play the course free in this month's NBCSports Tahoe Challenge, in which all U.S. players will be entered into a sweepstakes drawing for a chance to win a trip and VIP access to the 2010 American Century Championship in Tahoe.

Earnings Leaders on the Homepage

Instead of displaying the top players according to Average Score on the homepage, we are now displaying the Earnings Leaders. This leaderboard more accurately shows the most active top players in the game.

PayPal Now Accepted

You can now use PayPal to purchase WGT credits, making it easier than ever to enter premium tournaments and purchase virtual equipment in the Pro Shop.

Tee Changes

Players from certain tiers have been moved up on the tees:

Kiawah: Hack and Amateur tier players tee off from the blue tees, Pro tier players tee off from the white tees, and Master tier players tee off from the gold tees.

Bethpage: Hack and Amateur tier players tee off from the red tees, Pro tier players tee off from the white tees, and Master tier players tee off from the blue tees.

Friend and Invitation Alert Improvements

There is no longer a chime sound when your friends become available and unavailable. A chime sounds only when you are invited to a multiplayer game, when you receive a friend invitation, or when it's your turn to take a shot in a multiplayer game, and there is the option to turn this off in the game options menu. You can also adjust the volume of the chime by using your computer's volume control or the "Music/Ambient" volume control in the game options menu. Finally, the volume of the music that plays when you first launch the game has been decreased.

Bug Fixes

• You should now see your new friends in the Friends section of your Profile page.
• When your ball goes into the hole after hitting a pin, you will receive a Hit the Pin award.
• Yardages were corrected on a couple of holes on Bethpage Black.
• The Ping G10 Graphite and Steel Iron Sets have had their Proshop distances corrected to match the actual performance of the clubs.
• The first hole on Edgewood Tahoe indicates that you are hitting off the rough instead of the fairway, which was incorrect.

Congratulations to badaboom, AvatarLee, and miket4484, winners of the April, May, and June Virtual U.S. Open Closest-to-the-Hole Challenges! badaboom shot a 45.58 for his win in April, Avatar Lee shot a 47.70 for his win in May, and miket4484 saved the best for last, scoring a 44.18 for his win in June.

uwsublime put up the hardest fight of the series, losing to badaboom in the April tournament by a mere 1.34 margin. Great competition, and thanks to everyone who played.

Each champion receives a signed 2009 U.S. Open flag!

Here are the highlights from today's product update:

Pilsner Urquell 2010 Open Challenge

Play a closest-to-the-hole challenge on the legendary St Andrews Links in the Pilsner Urquell 2010 Open Challenge! Anyone over 21 (or of legal drinking age of their country) can play, but only players in the US (except CA and TN), Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Ireland, and Netherlands will be entered into the sweepstakes drawing for a chance to win a prize due to alcohol ad restrictions. Click here for details.

Multiplayer Course Change

The course for multiplayer games has changed from the back 9 of Bethpage Black to the front 9 of Bethpage Black.

Congratulations to Wayne Stopak, AKA NASAgolfer, who has been crowned the winner of the Virtual U.S. Open 2009. He shot a 66 to clinch the title, beating out over 200 players in the final round. More than 187,000 players entered the qualifying rounds with 234 making the cut at even par, 70. The top score of the qualifying round was played by AvatarLee with a 61. The toughest holes of the championship round proved to be 5 and 15 which received more double bogeys than any other.

The pressure was definitely felt by all who made the qualifying cut. Runner-up Bart6961 said, “I thought I was going to give NASA a run for it with -4 after the first 6 holes, but the pressure got to me.” Nivlac and ncviz made impressive showings and took early leads, but in the end it was NASAgolfer who played the game of his life.

Along with the title, Wayne received an invitation to be a guest of the USGA at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Click here to see the leaderboard, and check out his winning scorecard:

Thanks to everyone who participated!

See full press release >

Today we announced St Andrews as our next course that will be available to play. The Old Course at St Andrews will be available starting June 25, so be on the lookout!

Photo: WGT