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Tips for beginners

• 6packmike 235 Posts

  Wed, Oct 6 2010 5:55 PM

  This game has provided me a ton of fun and I'd like to pay it back in the form of giving tips and answering questions to the new players at wgt. So newbiehackaduffers please fire away and I'll give you some one on one assistance outside of these first three very important tips.

  Number one is everyone has at least two sets of clubs in their inventory. The beginners set is basically for an absolute newbie with a super slow meter speed. Yet the short  distances on the beginners clubs leave you at a severe disadvantage along with a severe stopping the ball on the green issue. To change to the starters clubs with more distance and spin there are a few ways but the "View/edit  MY CLUBS button next to TEE OFF before you go to the lobby before the game is the easiest. After clicking on that then clicking on the clubs you are currently equipped with you will see those types of clubs that you have an option to use below. Then the arrows will take you to the choice of the starter club if it isn't already checked. If not bring it up front and center.  Then you drag and drop it into the slots at the top. As for the beginner putter I've actually seen a few do fairly well with it.

  Number two would be when you get in the rough with at least 30/40% off of your drive and you are a long way from the hole, use a punch shot. Roving your cursor over the bottom left of the game page will allow you to select different kinds of shots. When you are in the rough u can rove over that and up to punch and click. You can use up to a 3 wood with backspin and you will hit the ball further saving a lot of strokes. Don't allow for much carry though.

  Number 3 is learn to use a flop shot. In the same way you drew up the punch shot you will see a flop shot available. Sometimes as in real golf you need to get the ball up and down without a lot of roll. When you are near a green and figure out through practice that a chip is just going to go hardly anywhere or go bounding way past the hole you can use this shot. The trick is the shot naturally goes to about one oclock to the right from the triangle aiming point. So unless you have a severe slope to the left on the green you need to drag the triangle to the left at about 11 oclock before hitting your shot along with applying full backspin. Don't expect miracles especially with free clubs and free balls but this will also save you a lot of strokes.

• 68mustangfan 36 Posts

  Wed, Oct 6 2010 7:46 PM

  What's a good way to determine the amount of power needed for a shot?

• 6packmike 235 Posts

  Thu, Oct 7 2010 6:36 PM

  On a full shot the player makes 15 little moves equally apart as you draw back down deciding how much lesser than a full shot you want. So get out the calculator. But I would count the moves myself. One friend from the Netherlands insisted his made 20 moves and I don't know if that is just a europe thing or what. How far uphill or downhill can be clues to add distance or subtract too. It would be wise to take notes when you hit a bell shot on one of those and are way off on your distance. A green like Oakmont #3 negates the uphill from all the roll you get.

  Also shoot for the fat part of the green because the more you see of how the greens roll after your approach lands, the better you will get at determining the distance you need. Switching to chip in your shot selection area with give you a nice grid of the green.

  And don't forget the wind.

• UniBooboo 42 Posts

  Fri, Oct 8 2010 9:10 AM

  LOVE THE FLOP!!!

  Nice tip on #2 - haven't herd that one before, I'll have to give it a try.

   

  Thanks

  Unibooboo

• 6packmike 235 Posts

  Sat, Oct 9 2010 6:54 PM

  Your welcome UniBooboo. I don't remember the confusion of the beginners clubs when I started so that rates as the best tip I ever got. My first experiments with chipping were so surreal I evolved into a player that did little but flop my first 8 months or so. The drawback is you don't get as many hole outs with the flop. Backspin as I found helps get the chips up and onto the green many times.

• danohi50 1,020 Posts

  Sat, Oct 9 2010 8:13 PM

  Another absolute tip for the beginers.

  Go to the search box and type in putting tip distance control.

  and another one by Iconian called chipping tips.

• neildiamond11790 1,115 Posts

  Sat, Oct 9 2010 8:33 PM

  gonna disagree on #2.  Punch from rough can work, but rough to me is all about what distance I have remaining and what club is in my hands.  Wedges out of 30-40% can act, well, just like a wedge.  Long irons, different story.  Mid irons, well there leaves the room for playing different shots.

  I would say to expand on #2, just like real golf, working the shot to what you are trying to accomplish.  Are you still going flag hunting?  Can you clear the trap and still hold the green?  Are you better leaving yourself a better shot at par playing it to a safe spot?  30-40% rough, from more then a wedge is going to mean a flatter trajectory, hot shot with little spin.

  Practice, practice, practice, and play with others, TIPs # 4 and 5

• SGTBilko 1,686 Posts

  Sun, Oct 10 2010 7:53 AM

  6packmike:

  Number 3 is learn to use a flop shot. In the same way you drew up the punch shot you will see a flop shot available. Sometimes as in real golf you need to get the ball up and down without a lot of roll. When you are near a green and figure out through practice that a chip is just going to go hardly anywhere or go bounding way past the hole you can use this shot. The trick is the shot naturally goes to about one oclock to the right from the triangle aiming point. So unless you have a severe slope to the left on the green you need to drag the triangle to the left at about 11 oclock before hitting your shot along with applying full backspin. Don't expect miracles especially with free clubs and free balls but this will also save you a lot of strokes

  Better yet...if you have noticed the tick marks on the left and right side of the ding line you will notice the space in between is blue. on the down stroke stop the ball at the left edge tick mark. This will eliminate the need to move the aiming triangle most of the time since the ball will now go straight instead of landing to the 1 oclock position. if you have a severe left down slop you can use the far right tick mark instead. 

  Clarification: if looking at the Ding line it would be the first line to the left. Give it a try.

• SGTBilko 1,686 Posts

  Sun, Oct 10 2010 8:10 AM

  neildiamond11790:

  Practice, practice, practice, and play with others, TIPs # 4 and 5

  Neil is absolutely right. If you really want to see the true dynamics of a player that is good go look at their sand and scrambling stats. I have seen some here in the 80%'s. This game is about being good at the chip, pitch, punch and flop as much as it is about putting. Playing with others is important in the fact you will see how they play a hole and learn from them. If you have low scrambling and sand percentages work on these. You might be amazed at how much better your game will improve. 

  Another big tip no one mentioned: Count every game and do not quit if you are having a crappy round. That great average means nothing to anyone on here but you! 

• 6packmike 235 Posts

  Sun, Oct 10 2010 8:55 PM

   

  neildiamond11790:

  gonna disagree on #2.  Punch from rough can work, but rough to me is all about what distance I have remaining and what club is in my hands.  Wedges out of 30-40% can act, well, just like a wedge.  Long irons, different story.  Mid irons, well there leaves the room for playing different shots.

   

  You"re correct. I edited that to relate to where it can help them the most. I forgot that they can be pretty close to the green from those tees way up. 40% to %50 is probably a good idea to punch most shots foul with the drive, as you would probably only add about ten yards to the distance. It's much more on a full shot from there.