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St. Andrews' 1st hole

• Oldstir 434 Posts

  Mon, Jan 24 2011 1:50 PM

  Need some exact instructional help please.  I have tried the Second-shot approach on this hole every which way from Sunday and I can see no way of getting the ball to stop within 50 ft when the pin is located closest to the front of the green.  Impossible! :)  Not only that but I also learned you have to hit 1 club stronger than the default club even though the 'default club' ALWAYS indicates you have more than enough club for the distance.  Which is dumb and that must be a programming error and also dumb because even if you have a 12 mph tail wind, you still have to hit "1 club stronger than the default club" or you'll go into the water!  In fact, it makes no difference if it is a 12 mph tail wind or head wind which is even dumber-er. :)

  Anyway I am completely baffled and when you hit a club stronger to make sure you won't go into the water, it almost always goes off the back of the green even if you put max back spin on the ball.  So at best, you're always left with at least a 50 ft putt if you can stay on the green.  What am I doing wrong or is this just an accepted problem for Everyone on this hole?  I need a stroke-by-stroke lesson from someone who has ever stopped their ball within 20 ft of the pin with their 2nd shot?  Or maybe backspin doesn't work with 'Beginner Clubs'?  I have no idea?  But from what I can see, an Eagle is IMPOSSIBLE on this hole and there is no way to even stop the ball within 40 feet with the approach shot which makes Birdie virtually impossible too then.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about? :)  Thanks.

  BTW, I was using a Driver to start the hole from both Red and Yellow tees

• piztaker 5,743 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 12:57 AM

  I can only assume that you are unaware that by using less backswing the ball will travel a shorter distance. Give the FAQ's and instructional videos a try.

• Noobingalltheway 222 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 2:08 AM

  Hey Oldstir, here was my first attempt since reading your post:  Screenshot shows I'm using a 115 yd rated club for a 113 yd shot with a 27mph cross-headwind, replay shows where it ends up ((just to show that you definitely don't need to go a club stronger))

  

  Replay the first

  Not the best shot in the world, but just to prove the point that it does not take a longer club.

  Ok, now I try this shot with standard balls and a starter (50 yd) wedge - my only starters club

  Replay the second

  It took me about 8 attempts just to be able to hit the ball within 50 yds but I got there :)

   

  Ok, so now you're less prejudiced about the hole itself - how can we help?

  I'm sorry to say that firstly, it is more about "feel" and practice, I can't say "Do this and it'll always work" but I can give a few tips

   

  1. For this approach, I always use FULL backspin.
  2. If the wind is a tailwind or a crosswind I always use about 3-5% less power than it says (i.e. if the shot is 100 yds, go for about 95-97 yds
  3. If the wind is a small headwind (about 10mph) use the full amount of power (i.e. 100 yds for 100 yd shot)

  Play around with the figures a little, and for larger winds amend the powers needed, but this should get you a lot closer than 50 feet! As this is one of the holes on St Andy's that I expect to birdie at least 50% of the time (and usually do) I know it is possible

  

  Any questions/amendments will be answered as soon as I can :)

  Thanks,

  Rob

   

   

• Joeyola 1,210 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 2:53 AM

  Oldstir:

  Need some exact instructional help please. 

  I'd have to say what you are experiencing is normal for a new player.  Your Beginner clubs, although having a slow meter, are not as long and provide very little spin.  This makes it very difficult to stop a ball, especially when crossing over water to a tricky pin placement, and all but impossible to stop a ball when playing with the wind.

  You might want to try the Starter clubs.  Yes, you'll need to learn a slightly faster meter, but we all need to do that as we progress.  Some attributes are...the driver gets you farther down the fairway and closer to the green...making second shots easier; the wedges (as do all the Starter clubs) have more precision, more spin and a higher trajectory.   

  Joey    

• Noobingalltheway 222 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 3:08 AM

  Actually, the Starter Plus full set (inc. Driver, 3 Wood, Hybrid and full iron set) is only 99 credits and has the slowest swing meter out of the lot

  Though for Wedges, starter meter is faster

• mantis0014 8,946 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 3:45 AM

  Interesting replays Rob... But with your first replay, if the wind didn't carry it right, then you would have ended up in the water..   With a wind like that you have to aim the shot alot left of the hole, which means you have to hit the ball a bit harder aswel, and you would have to use the nxt club up.

   

  Once you get the water out of your brain (which I had to do), the pin position is quite easy and it is easy to stop it within 5ft of the hole (occasionally), maybe every blue moon for me...lol.

  What Joey said was true.....all depends on what clubs and balls you use, but now saying that, the really good players can use anything to get it close.

   

  Cheers

            Roger

• Noobingalltheway 222 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 5:03 AM

  Yeah I was just getting at the point that you don't always need to go up a club (in fact, if anything I rarely go up a club for that particular hole). Though I think that if I were actually playing that game, rather than just a practice, I would have still used a 115 yd club and it should have dropped in line with the hole (if I had bothered to move the aimer properly, and dinged it, lol)

  I guess if anything I showed the OP that hitting to the right of the hole is safe :D

  Rob

• Oldstir 434 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 1:49 PM

  I tried less backswing and it goes into the drink. :)  Amazingly though I birdied this hole today BUT I had to try something radical to do it.  I still needed the extra club but I aimed way ridiculously Left and then sliced it pretty good.  This left me with a 22 ft putt going directly left to right on the screen and fairly straight.  So it was luck that made the putt from so far away and that is the first time I was ever able to get it within 40 ft.  But have You ever stopped the ball within 30-40 ft aiming straight at the pin?  If so, how did you do it?

• Oldstir 434 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 1:59 PM

  Roger, I see You figured out the necessity to go 'Left'. :)  But no one has answered my main query yet.  Which is; even with the best possible set of irons, has 'anyone' ever stopped the ball within 30-40 ft aiming straight at the pin when it is situated nearest the creek?

• Joeyola 1,210 Posts

  Tue, Jan 25 2011 2:52 PM

  mantis0014:

  What Joey said was true.....all depends on what clubs and balls you use, but now saying that, the really good players can use anything to get it close.

  Lets keep in mind we are trying to help a new player that hasn't even recorded a rated round.  I know, when I was here only a few weeks, I didn't know which way was up^.

  Joey (0;\