And from a 2 year old post:
This is a very 'realistic' game; they have thrown in (unknown & unexplained) variables in order to continually challenge players. I'm not that good (nothing like some of the WHIZ KIDS in lower tiers shooting "Legend" scores) but I have learned a few things which are worthy of your consideration:
1. Every course plays a little bit different(ly?).
2. That said, each course plays the same - each time you play it. I.E. St Andrews today will be (mostly) like St. Andrews tomorrow - but will be different from Royal St. George!!
3. It seems that green speeds change (by just a bit) each day. So if the game says "Very Fast" today and "Very Fast" tomorrow - the amount of power that you need to make the ball roll 6 feet into the cup, well, changes - daily - but not by a huge amount ( more like 1-3 %). So pay attention on your first putt - if you hit it (for what you thought was a 6' putt and it only went 5.5' - add a little more juice on the next putt & remember that you will have to add a little more juice on every other putt - for that course - all day).
4. If higher level players are whining about the (fiction) fact that their shots are falling longer (or shorter) after an update - TAKE THIS TO THE BANK - they probably never bothered to "index" or "map" their clubs - I.E. they don't really know what to expect from their equipment. If they did (see #3 above) , when game conditions change (daily??), they would adjust their play to add or subtract power/spin as needed! To be a little more "direct", if your first 2 balls travel shorter than you should reasonably expect - consider adding more power ; - ()!!
5. How to Index/Map clubs: WGT gave each club a 'rating' distance - do you know how accurate it is? I'm not saying that WGT is lying - please the conspiracy thread is elsewhere! For example, your Cleveland 60 deg. wedge is rated at 75 yards. Here are the types of shots that you can take with a Wedge: Full, Punch, Pitch, Chip, and Flop. In addition you can apply spin to your ball. So which type of shot and with which spin do you get 75 yards of travel?
When you have "mapped" your clubs, you will know (pretty accurately) which club to choose and what type of spin to apply.
To map the clubs go to 1 course (the best players here recommend BPB Back 9), practice game, low wind (still hoping WGT will give us a 'no wind' option some day), with your ball of choice. Get on the fairway, choose the club, choose the spin, DING it toward the pin. Now record how far it traveled when it hit the ground and how far it rolled to the stop.
When the screen moves for the next shot: pull the aiming triangle back toward to Tee box (i.e. direction opposite to your first shot). Choose the same club & spin - DING it back up the course & record "air travel" and and ground roll. Average the numbers to cancel the effect of wind and record them on your 'Club Map".
If you don't DING it, your numbers will not be quite as accurate. This is a boring & expensive exercise (I used over 2 sleeves to to map my irons).
6. Just as bad as never really learning the equipment, some jump from one ball to another in an effort to find a combination to their liking, LMAO!!! REALLY!!! You don't see PGA Pros doing this IRL - so why do it here? I chose the L33 Cally ball and because most players say that it is the most consistent performer in the Pro Shop. Until you get a whole lot better (& me too), stick with that ball, "map" (index) it to your clubs and play the darned thing. This way, at least you have a reasonable idea of how far the ball should be traveling on any given shot and are able to adjust to (daily?) changing
conditions.
7. ***After you have 'mapped' your clubs, take notes for each course that you play. Note what you calculated as the desired distance, which club did you use, at what % power, was your hit early, late or Ding, and where did the ball go (long, short - right-on). Then use these notes to adjust your shot to get closer to the pin.
8. Faulty meter performance has, in this Forum, for (at least) the past three years that I've been playing here, been attributed to the browser that a player is using, the version of Flash resident in your computer, and the cleanliness (for lack of a better term) of your cache. I use the latest Flash update, the latest Foxfire update & set my computer to clear my cache each time I leave the web. Also the Forums have suggested holding your club at whatever backswing power you have calculated for 3-5 seconds before releasing it for the shot. Following the above, I have found VERY FEW problems with the meter (& I am on a 6 year old E-Machines box running on Windows XP with old Athlon XP chip).
9. Real truth - there is no substitute for experience - practice the game, take notes and your scores will improve.