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Idea for parallel Starters Virtual Tour

• Corwyn 2,410 Posts

  Wed, Mar 5 2014 9:54 AM

  +1 ... in fact, this thread is the absolute opposite of cheating. It's about seeing how playable these courses are from the tips with completely level-playing field gear.

  But the thread is also about a very real suggestion: there's a lot of interest in Starter club competitions. It would be fun to have a parallel Tour (in which we could use the golf ball provided free for each of these WGT Virtual Tour tourneys, which won't be used otherwise), and see how close players can get to shooting par.

  So, who else would be interested in such a Tour?

  ---------------------------------------------

  I tackled the GolfNow tourney at Kiawah, with full Starter set (i.e. including the starter ball)... and boy, is it hard!

  The Heavy winds and Champ greens (and from the tips) put such a premium on your recovery play. I'm in awe of Ben's description above where he gave himself 12 near-gimme's when scrambling. I didn't have that kind of skill, misjudging things often, especially in a scrappy middle part of the round.

  I was delighted to get a tailwind on #4, and manage the up and down for a very unlikely par (I'd tried the setup once yesterday and begun with 2 birdies, but ruined everything with a triple into the wind on #4, so this was payback!). But I made a mess of my 3rd shots on holes 9-13, all of which were short enough irons that I should have left makeable putts, but didn't. 

  I remedied things with a mishit, but very lucky result, tee shot on #14 that led to birdie, and was busy congratulating myself on the prudent play on #17, going for the short grass left of the green, and leaving myself 50 yards, but managed to be 9ft short even landing on the downslope... and then pushed the par-save. After that, I knew I couldn't match Ben!

  All in all, this is a great test... Unlike Cerino, I may even come back to it, lol! In fact, I certainly will with the GolfNow ball, which I suspect may make a par round more likely.

  

• 1,417 Posts

  Sat, Mar 8 2014 6:19 PM

  Played with CD using starters the other night, and definitely like the challenge of this.  I hadn't played with starters since I had to 3 years ago.  Gonna give this a go on Kiawah tonight.  Not sure I'm as savvy as the rest of you with the screen shots, but until I get used to it I won't have a score to write home about anyway!

  CM

• 1,417 Posts

  Sat, Mar 8 2014 7:25 PM

  After several restarts, I QUICKLY abandoned Kiawah and it's championship greens with this equipment!  Played the Elk's event on SA and tee to green I was pretty happy.  Shot 78 and made ZERO putts.  Really struggled with the 8-12 footers, hitting them all too hard.  Easily could have been at par or better.  Two highlights were on #7 (dinged drive could only reach 40% rough), but managed to hit 2 wedges to make par (one of 3 greens I one-putted!).  Then on par 3 8th I got it to 6 feet (I'm not sure I've hit it that close using the good equipment- that hole has my number).  Of course I missed the putt, as I picked that hole to forget about the 30 foot range.   Parred all the par 3's and par 5's.  

• CerinoDevoti 3,232 Posts

  Mon, Mar 10 2014 8:26 AM

  CMcCartney727:

  After several restarts, I QUICKLY abandoned Kiawah and it's championship greens with this equipment!  Played the Elk's event on SA and tee to green I was pretty happy.  Shot 78 and made ZERO putts.  Really struggled with the 8-12 footers, hitting them all too hard.  Easily could have been at par or better.  Two highlights were on #7 (dinged drive could only reach 40% rough), but managed to hit 2 wedges to make par (one of 3 greens I one-putted!).  Then on par 3 8th I got it to 6 feet (I'm not sure I've hit it that close using the good equipment- that hole has my number).  Of course I missed the putt, as I picked that hole to forget about the 30 foot range.   Parred all the par 3's and par 5's.  

  Hey Chris,

  Now you've been bitten. ;) These things are pretty hard but so rewarding to get around in a decent score. The one on Kiawah is a supreme test of will and patience. Add in random Heavy wind and the Champ Greens and some holes were just pushing a boulder up a mountain. I went and tried it again and shot a 79. Didn't record the card out of frustration and the need to get the heck away from it as soon as possible. :)))

  I thought the Elk on St A was very fair. Corwyn, Ben and I have played UEL with the starters on St A several times so we have a general idea of the layout with the short sticks. Playing it on level lies was a breeze in comparison. That 7th hole tee shot I usually play to the left fairway of the adjoining hole. There's a sliver of ground to keep it from going OB but it's there. The approach from all the way over there is usually a 3H or 3W depending on wind direction and speed. That's one of my absolute favorite pars in the game. Takes some serious planning to make it happen but it's a hoot to drop the par putt. I've birdied it as well but it's very rare. 13 is another great par and 17 is just so much fun it's nuts with the little sticks.

  Great to see you knocking it around a little. This month there's not the selection of these things like last. I might just try one of the Free Monthly Tourneys with starters to keep it going.

• CerinoDevoti 3,232 Posts

  Mon, Mar 10 2014 10:33 AM

  This time I tried the Free Weekly Wk 11 Oakmont 9 Hole Unlimited. It's actually 18 holes not 9 and it's No Wind. Perfect conditions to play Oakmont from the tips. No winds to hurt drives but also none to help push it out a little further. There was only 1 fairway I couldn't reach. I tried to hit to the Ladies tee but missed and ended up in 40-50% rough. Par'd that hole anyway with a stunning downhill super-slow motion putt that dropped on the last rotation. The guys that can putt lights out(Ben and Corwyn) should be able to beat my score of 73. I missed 2 putts that should have been made. One for birdie and one par putt so that's 2 strokes to the good right there. Have at it Boys and Girls..... :)))

  ~CD~

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• 1,417 Posts

  Mon, Mar 10 2014 5:37 PM

  CerinoDevoti:

  This time I tried the Free Weekly Wk 11 Oakmont 9 Hole Unlimited. It's actually 18 holes not 9 and it's No Wind.

  How did you get no wind and tourney greens?  I have medium winds and champ greens... 

• CerinoDevoti 3,232 Posts

  Mon, Mar 10 2014 6:12 PM

  CMcCartney727:

  CerinoDevoti:

  This time I tried the Free Weekly Wk 11 Oakmont 9 Hole Unlimited. It's actually 18 holes not 9 and it's No Wind.

  How did you get no wind and tourney greens?  I have medium winds and champ greens... 

  I slipped a 20 to the greenskeeper. :)))

  I didn't think about the fact that different Tiers get different conditions. You be TL so I think that's why. The Legend Tier was set up pretty easy.

• 1,417 Posts

  Mon, Mar 10 2014 6:42 PM

  CerinoDevoti:

  I slipped a 20 to the greenskeeper. :)))

  Haha.. yeah, I just checked your tier.  I assumed you were a TL.

  Just played Elk again.  74 this time, but so frustrating!  I putted pretty well, unlike last time, and I have to say I had really favorable winds on some of the tough par 4's (7 and 17), as well as other holes.  I'm sure those were the most favorable wind conditions I've ever had in this game.  The downer was a lot of bad bounces at the front of the greens!  I'm trying to hit them one or two bounces short (a lot of times with wedges and 9 irons), and they're either hitting a downslope and shooting way long, or hitting an upslope and coming up short (10 and 18 in particular were brutal).  I hit the downslope of the front bunker on #8 (par 3) and it shot over the green.  Funny how I had great wind conditions but got a lot of crazy bounces that were less than helpful!  You really are at the mercy of the course when landing them short, especially where we don't normally try to do that with the 'good' equipment.

  A few highlights:

  Birdied 1 from 41 feet after bouncing my wedge approach over the water (another hole I had a good tailwind on).

  Had a nice tailwind on 17 and managed to get it inside 30 feet in 2, but lipped out the putt.  

  Had it -1 thru 12 but hit the bogey train 13-15.

• bhoese 679 Posts

  Mon, Mar 10 2014 8:30 PM

  I tried this month's Uneven Lies Unlimited on the Best of Hardest Except Oakmont, Olympic, and Merion.  I was restarting after yet again doinking a gimme off of the back of the cup on #2 thanks to the 30 meter when this went in for bird.

  The Karmic *** took it out on me for the next 17 holes.  Hit 8 fairways, and found rough on my 2nd shot on at least 4 of those.  2 GIR.  2 lost balls.  7 multibogeys, including a quad.  I made an 11-foot putt, and 32.26 feet of total putts on the other 16 holes.  I'm standing over a 7.8 footer for bogey and a 93, but I think I'll hit the restart button instead and see what I can do with a little extra knowledge and hopefully a lot more luck.

  I gotta say, there are a lot of really fun holes to hack through with the starters on that course.  I don 't really care for it with the fancy gear.  It's much more fun this way. 

• bhoese 679 Posts

  Mon, Mar 10 2014 10:21 PM

  The 2nd try was much better.  I really need to get to bed, so I'll only minimally flesh out my notes here.  It started with a par on 1 that was longer than any putt I made the 1st round.

  pitch-in on 2

  choked 9 iron on 5 after NOT driving into the weeds

  heartbreaking approach on 6 that erased any chance at par

  7 road hole.  This might be the best 4-shot hole I've played in all my time at WGT. 2nd shot, 3rd, putt for par.  I'll admit to even getting some goosebumps.

  9 Double bogey (only one of the round).  Drive short into 50-60 fescue.

  10 learned from 1st round, pitched from just short of the green down the slope to 5 ft.

  12 (rsg9) Headwind par that was almost as satisfying as the Road Hole, just not as pretty.

  13 missed 14 footer easy break

  14 Used the stick as a backstop

  15 dinged tee shot went astray.  Anybody who ever complains about VEM should break out the starters for a while and see how consistent the fancy clubs really are.

  18 lipout to not break 80

  Only one GIR this round (hole 4 with a tailwind).  24 putts-84.78 feet.