WGT Golf News

The "WGT 19th Hole" series focuses on featuring the players, personalities and country clubs that make up the global WGT community.

stevereilly - Lover of Beer, Futbol and Virtual Gear

Stevereilly lives in England and has been a WGTer since 2010. He's the owner of the BRIDGESTONE Golf club and has shot an impressive 17 holes-in-one!

You guessed it, this WGTer goes by the name, "Steve" outside the game and was nominated by gdog8, a "Veteran" member of his country club.

Here's what Steve had to say about his time with WGT:

"I'm one of those players who was suffering from a lack of imagination when I picked my WGT username, as it's my real name Steve Reilly.

I started playing WGT in October 2010, and was hooked straight away. I have a lot of laughs reading the forums and playing Alt shot games, as there are some real characters out there in WGT land. For me, WGT first started as an escape from the boredom of working out of town, constantly getting frustrated by dodgy hotel internet access affecting my meter. However, as time has passed I've made a lot of real friends on here, and I've met up with a couple of the guys in real life and shared a few drinks. (That's awesome, send photos next time!)

WGT has taken up a lot of my spare time, and as such I've become a bit of a virtual gear freak. My bag is basically a set of the most expensive clubs in the Pro Shop (bar the Golden putter).

I occasionally get in touch with owners of new up-and-coming CCs and sponsor prizes for their members to compete for, because as the owner of Bridgestone Golf CC I know how much time and effort it takes to run a successful CC and there are a lot of good Country Clubs out there.

To give some tips to newer players, I'd say set yourself an achievable goal. Then, when you have reached that goal, set the bar a little higher. I am always looking at my stats to see where I should improve, and am quite proud of the 17 holes in one and 9 double eagles gained over the years, though I still look at others' stats who have even greater numbers and try to reach their levels.

Thanks for sharing Steve! You can check out the Bridgestone Golf Country Club HERE.

WE WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU! If you'd like us to feature you or someone you know in a future "WGT 19th Hole" profile, please let us know at: players[at]wgt.com.

Play WGT today, 2/14 and get a free Heart Vapor Ball just for logging in... Our way of saying we <3 you!

Today we're celebrating Valentine's Day, so we're giving you a free virtual Heart Ball (featuring a fluttering heart vapor trail and "smooch" sound) when you play WGT.

Get Free Gift Today

These Heart Balls also make great gifts for your special WGT friends!

*Special offer available to WGT players, log in on 2/14/16 and receive 1 free virtual Heart Vapor Ball.

Note, your free gift will be added automatically to your inventory. Just go to your equipment and equip the new Heart Ball to use it!

Cheers! Time to pop the bubbly and celebrate with your club in CC Event #17, going on now through Fri, 2/12

Play this week's CC Event today and tomorrow, to compete against other country clubs for club pride and in-game rewards including these sparkly new champagne tee markers and flags – just in time for Valentine's Day!

Go to Country Club Page

CC Events allow WGT Country Clubs to compete against each other for bragging rights and special in-game rewards. The club that earns the most total points from their Clashes wins!

Each Event is made up of Club Clashes that last for a limited amount of time (usually a few hours). When your club enters the event, you'll get matched with another club close to your skill level, and a timer will show how much time is left in that Clash. Club members from both clubs can play as many rounds as they want during that time, using Club Passes and Superpasses to earn points. Learn more about CC Events and Club Clashes

Not in a WGT Country Club yet? Learn more and join one (or start your own!) here.

Get your sweetheart their well-deserved Valentine's Day gift (high five!) AND get free WGT Credits for you (score!)

For example, when you buy flowers from ProFlowers or treats from Shari's Berries through WGT, you also get $12 in WGT Credits free to use in the game. See these and all the special offers under "Earn WGT Credits."

See Special Offers

Valentine's Day is Sunday, 2/14, special offers available for USA players only.

The "WGT 19th Hole" series focuses on featuring the players, personalities and country clubs that make up the global WGT community.

jayw4862 - The Southern Gent

jayw4862 enjoys the southern, retired life after 16 years in the car business and has two "beautiful and successful daughters" that he's very proud of. When he isn't taking care of his elderly mother you can find him playing WGT on his newly won SkyTrak.

"I joined World Golf Tour in May 2013, played once, and was really bad at it, and quit. I came back to WGT in July 2013, and just started whacking away, not having any idea what I was doing. I remember playing Merion (not knowing it was the Open, and I couldn't reach half the fairways. Maxed out many a shot back then. At first, I was a pretty vocal skeptic of WGT Mobile, then I tried it, and now I absolutely LOVE it!!!"

"I enjoy using Twitter (my one and only social media site) to follow interests I enjoy. Twitter is great for keeping up with people, places, things I'm interested in, and for posting (tweeting) things that are on my mind. Some good, and some not-so-good, lol.  And using Twitter gives me a direct connection to WGT, which is great. Whoever runs WGT's Twitter account is always on the ball. And keeps up with what's going on. I've even been contacted by the WGT boss man himself on Twitter!!!" (Thanks Jay, keep those Tweets coming!)

You may have seen some of jayw4862's popular WGT videos on Youtube, one has over 52,000 views!

Do you have any WGT stats you're particularly proud of?

"I'm most proud of winning the Treat Yo' Self SkyTrak Tournament and a SkyTrak monitor and for being lucky enough to win (via random drawing) a trip to the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont. Thank you WGT, USGA, and SkyTrak for the wonderful year I just had, along with my one-putt %. One year ago, it was 38%, and now it's around 64%."

Favorite golf course to play in WGT or in real life?

"My favorite course in real life was Grand National (A Robert Trent Jones course) in Auburn, Alabama. My favorite course on WGT is Merion, and now I have to add Pebble Beach as a close 2nd."

What are the most important tips you'd give new players?

"Stick it out. Grab a wedge or 3 as soon as possible. Then a putter. Those are game changers. I stumbled upon some videos (1st one I ever watched was Yancy's home-made ruler thing. He kind of sucked with it, but I thought that the idea was great, so I made one, and used it often. I then saw some videos by fmagnets and bolloxinbruges. I was curious about some things and asked fmagnets, and he was kind enough to explain (in great detail) the whats, whys and hows). We became friends, and he was my first "mentor." I bugged him daily with questions, and he never, not once, ignored any of them, or me. Essentially, he taught me how to play. Thank you Mags!!!"

What equipment is currently in your virtual golf bag?

• Taylormade R1 Driver
• Big Bertha 3 Wood
• Nike Vapor Irons
• 3 wedges: Ping 54 degree, Ping 58 degree and a Cleveland 64 degree
• Ghost Manta Putter - "After trying almost every putter around, was convinced by [Lizard69] to buy the Level 30 Ghost Manta, and it changed my entire game. Best purchase I've ever made on WGT. Lizard69 then helped refine my game, and especially my putting. He would share screens on Skype, and walk me through many rounds. I was amazed at how he could make a difficult shot become a simple shot. Thank you Lizard69!!"

Fun fact about you?

"I partied (hard, lol) once at a PGA post-tournament gathering (The Southern Open, late 80's) with Payne Stewart (and others, but he was the fun one) until the sun came up the following morning. Mr. Stewart was absolutely one of the best, funniest, craziest, and most likable people I've ever met. I forget a lot of things, but that's one thing I will never forget. Ever."

We asked jayw4862 if he wanted to share a picture of himself and he sent us this: "I'd like to show a pic of my hero, the greatest, kindest, most caring person I've ever known. My mother."

WE WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU! If you want us to feature you or someone you know in a future "WGT 19th Hole" profile, please let us know at: players[at]wgt.com.

Play the Pinehurst No. 2 Open in the WGT Virtual Tour for your chance to take over the NEW winner's crown!

New in 2016, monthly tournament winners in each tier will display a new crown icon next to their player name for the following month during their reign.

This is the second tournament of the Jan-Mar Quarterly Season in the WGT Virtual Tour, including an unlimited play first round (2/1-2/24) and a single-play final round (2/25-2/29).

Play Virtual Tour 

The top 70 scores in each Pro-Champion tier will split a total purse of 100,000 WGT Credits, and all credits earned in each Quarterly Season are accumulated to determine your overall season standing.

Follow full WGT Virtual Tour coverage on Golf Channel, including online scores, virtual leaderboards, updates and even interviews with WGT players, just like the professional tours. See Golf Channel Coverage.

See what’s new on WGT today, including three "Best Of" courses, Cobra virtual drivers and new Virtual Tour winner icons!

New "Best Of" Courses, designed by WGT Country Clubs

We've added all new Best of Par 3, Best of Par 4 and Best of Par 5 courses, to include WGT courses that we've added recently.

Special shout-out to the three WGT Country Clubs that designed these courses, chosen for placing in the top three of CC Event #14 in December…

• Best of Par 3 – designed by WGT AMIGOS
• Best of Par 4 – designed by Majestic Mountain
• Best of Par 5 – designed by The Georgian

Play Now

Cobra F6+ Drivers

Get the latest driver from Cobra on WGT, for more distance and a slower WGT swing meter, to help you hit straighter and longer off the tee!

The new Cobra F6+ virtual driver is available now in the WGT Pro Shop in blue, green, orange and white, unlocking at Level 5.

See New Cobra Drivers

Virtual Tour Winners Icons

Winners deserve crowns!

New in the 2016 WGT Virtual Tour, each monthly tournament winner (in each tier) will display a new crown icon next to their player name, to let everyone know they’re the reigning Virtual Tour tournament champion. 

Additionally, each Quarterly Season winner (in each tier) will display a different crown for their reign.

Both crowns will be reassigned to new (or repeat) winners at the end of each month or Quarterly Season.

Other Fixes and Improvements

Default Shot Timer – The default multiplayer timer has been reduced to 60 seconds to keep games moving

Removed Stand Bag Plus – We've removed the Stand Bag Plus from the Pro Shop, if you had one before the release you will still be able to use it and congrats – you're now a vintage WGT collector!

We had a huge announcement this morning that we're so excited to share. To give you all the details, we let MisterWGT explain...

Greetings fellow WGTers!  It's been an exciting few weeks and many of you have been asking, "Where’s MisterWGT?"  Well I am thrilled to say that I, along with all the staff at WGT, are now part of the Topgolf family!  

Naturally this raises a number of questions… so let me take a moment to answer.

Wait! What?! Who is Topgolf?

First let me say this… Topgolf has built something quite special.  Imagine one of the nicest driving ranges you’ve ever seen with 3 stories of hitting bays, targets and sensors that track each of your shots, great food & tons of drinks… All being experienced by you with your closest friends, co-workers or family.  That's what Topgolf has created, and they've built over 20 of them to-date across the U.S. and UK (with a new facility opening almost every month!)

Put simply, Topgolf is not a historic country club with massive dues just to walk in the door.  It's a place for everyone.  It’s a place to laugh, enjoy and most importantly… a place to PLAY!

This is what I've always wanted WGT to be as well.  A "place" where anyone in the world can go to socialize, play and enjoy this amazing sport that has spanned centuries.  So we decided to merge our goals, our companies, and to redefine the world of golf for the next millennium!

Ok… what does this mean for WGT?

As some of you might know, this company has been my baby (quite literally as my 2nd child was born the weekend YuChiang and I founded the company).  Over these last 10 years, the team we've assembled has done so much to help turn what was merely an idea into a 14-million player reality.  Thus it was incredibly important to see WGT continue to flourish & grow. Topgolf also recognizes this and combined we are dedicated to adding new features, new content and courses.  Our multi-year commitment with the USGA is going strong and we’ll continue running the Virtual U.S. Open.  In fact, we are already underway with pre-production of Erin Hills.  And although I cannot reveal all our future product plans, what I can say is that we are working on a Topgolf driving range experience for mobile as I type this post.  

So to be clear… WGT is not going away and we are doubling down to make it stronger than ever!   

And if you still don’t believe me, be sure to check out our joint press release from the PGA Show.

Till then, I highly recommend learning a bit more about Topgolf: topgolf.com

A few video overviews:

Skills Optional, Fun Required

TopGolf The Colony Star-Studded Grand Opening Party

There's tons more I'd love to share, but in time.  I must sincerely thank the entire player community for taking a chance with a company who was looking up at the sports/gaming mountain and thinking, "Yeah… we can top this!"  Without you, we'd still be at the bottom staring at the summit.  Also many thanks to Icon, Tibbets (remember him?!), WGTAlex (remember her?), Nivlac, BolloxInBruges, mrcaddie, mrenn29… and who could forget Yancy?!

Lastly, if any of you have been to a Topgolf venue, please share your impressions with the community -- and – let us know what you liked about the experience & how we can recreate it in WGT!

Thank you all again!  

- MisterWGT

We're announcing something big... Watch the live press conference!

WATCH  NOW

The "WGT 19th Hole" series focuses on featuring the players, personalities and country clubs that make up the global WGT community.

FATTY501 - Mrs. Amazing!

(Updated personalized scorecard made by fellow WGTer PaulTon.)

Known as Sue outside of WGT, this Level 92 Legend joined World Golf Tour in the Spring of 2015. She was introduced to the game by her husband, saying, "...he dragged me along as something to fill my days while incapacitated."

She is a dedicated WGT Country Club owner for the Craven Dale Country Club and her husband is the director. (Talk about teamwork!) When she isn't tending to her country club you can find her working on her garden or on eBay. 

Here's a few more fun facts that she shared with us:

• She loves all animals and all types of music (she plays the piano and organ, and "once made a record which involved a trumpet solo from me")
• Her first job was potato picking at 13.
• She writes a blog and recently sent it to Richard Branson (successful businessman and investor), who "provided a complimentary trip to London, with luxury afternoon tea, complimentary visit on London Eye, complimentary hotel stay, and rubbed shoulders with Ronan Keating and George Clooney down the red carpet at the premiere of Tomorrowland!!"

FATTY501 says she is working on her virtual golf game right now to get back to the skill level she previously was before an unexpected health issue. Currently in her virtual golf bag, she's equipped with:

• TaylorMade M1 Driver
• Callaway X2 Hot Wood Set
• Nike VR Forged Irons
• Nike Method 001 Putter
• Max Wedges and ATV wedges (alternating)

WE WANT TO GET TO KNOW YOU! If you'd like to be featured, or know someone who should be featured, in an upcoming "WGT 19th Hole" profile, please let us know at: players[at]wgt.com.