03.04.08
Tibbets Goes Low!
Tibbets shot a 34.34 and now has the #1 spot on the leaderboard. He has overtaken Noah382 by a mere .51 points! The battle for the top spot is getting pretty fierce. Anyone else out there have a record-breaking round in them?
We have checked the log data for Tibbets and he is legit. There is no cheating going on. We can’t wait to hear from him how he has made 56 hole in one’s! Some people are just lucky I guess!!
Great job Tibbets!!!
scotty-p said,
March 4, 2008 at 6:22 pm
give me a tip for #8
Tibbets said,
March 4, 2008 at 9:07 pm
The only real tip for #8 that I can give is to remember that the timing is exactly like #4. Like many before me, I’ve had so many games in the teens until getting to #8, only to blow it and lose the ball in the bunker or wide right. I stay with the 2 hybrid, full up in stance, and then vary the spin of the ball to account for the wind, full swing regardless. If I get a 9mph wind, I switch to a 2 wood, full up in stance, full backspin, and swing about 95%. The timing is even harder with the 2 wood, but really the speed of the swing is mostly like #4.
As to how I’ve gotten so many holes in one: On almost every hole, I use the ball full up in my stance, as much backspin as possible, and use a full swing as much as possible. Remember that putting the ball all the way up in your stance means you have to aim much farther right than normal. This style of play means the ball is either spinning backward into the hole, or is landing withith 3 ft of the hole and bouncing in.
For instance, #2: Switch to 7 iron, put full backspin on the ball, and with a 2mph wind, take a full swing. If your timing is right, you’ll be within 6 feet everytime, mo matter the wind.
#1: Full up in stance, full backspin, and full swing(or close to it) with your SW.
#3 Switch to 9 iron, full up in stance, full backspin, and vary your power from 80-100% depending on the wind.
#5 is interesting. With a 6mph wind, use your 6 iron,put the ball full up in stance, aim far left, and don’t change the spin at all. With an 8mph wind, do the same as above, only with a 5 iron this time, and about a 95% swing.
#7 is the only hole I don’t change my stance. I use PW, full backswing, about 80% power, regardless of the wind.
RockRoot said,
March 7, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Too bad I had the round of my life the same day Tibbets did. I didn’t even get “player of the day!” Congrats Tibbets! I think I need to take a temporary retirement as the golf game gods only shine on you once in a while.
martin check said,
March 7, 2008 at 7:03 pm
this program is just like the RNG on a slot machine it has no barrign on what you do when you hit the balls. i have played over 1000 games and 98% of the time wheni get a shot under 5 ft the next hole the balls goes in the water.
rich said,
March 7, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Martin, which club set are you using in the game? If you are using the beginner set it is more difficult to hit the same shot each time. If you are using the Pro set then the results are much more consistent…however the swing speed is much faster so it makes it more difficult to hit a perfect shot.
Pat said,
March 11, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I just finished a round in which I had a 26 going into the 8th hole. Needless to say I blew it! Anyone else out there with a better blown score? I think this should be a prize category too…
Noah382 said,
March 11, 2008 at 10:59 pm
I had 16 points going into the 8th hole… got 12 foot on 8th and 6 foot on 9th to have a 35. how frustrating…
1BAdazzR1 said,
March 12, 2008 at 9:51 am
dood just said he holed out @ 35 … and was frustrated?! =)) Noah, bro … go outside once in awhile man. LOL! I would piss myself if I could shoot under 50. I guess I am just not spending enuff time in front of my cpu and this wicked kewl game.
S~
tibbets said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Yes, I’ve had under 20 and as low as 13 approaching the 8th hole, only to blow it.
Rule#1: Disaster Happens.(even to the best players)
USAPatriot said,
March 12, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Unfortunately, I have to play on a laptop. The graphics stink, the timing’s off and I’m stuck playing with the beginner clubs. I’m still trying to break 124
Pat said,
March 13, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Tibbets brings up a good point (although I doubt the person who is currently leading the game has had THAT many disasters) that we should discuss. I also recently hit the swing bar by accident on #2 and managed to dribble one JUST off the tee box.
Distance from pin = 440.46.
Who else has an eye-popping number such as this?
Tibbets said,
March 14, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Pat,
I’ve had plenty of disasters…
..but not today.
30.99 is the new score to beat, gentleman and ladies.
Good Hunting!
Ted said,
March 14, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Wow
Ted at WGT
Noah382 said,
March 15, 2008 at 12:01 am
How have you gotten 20 Hole in Ones in the last 11 days? It took me months to get 20 HIOs
Tibbets said,
March 15, 2008 at 4:38 am
It’s hard to say exactly how, Noah. Holes 1 and 2 are relatively easy for me to get holes in ones on. #1 I use alot of backspin, so it ends up flying over the hole and spinning back in. #2, I use a 7 iron full backspin, and adjust for the wind. Sometimes theres a 3 mph wind blowing right at the hole, so its just a matter of hitting a perfect shot, about 95% power.
It may be hard to believe, but I;ve had alot more holes in ones than are reported, I;d say probably double the amount. If I hit a hole in one on # 1, but then hit it in water on # 2, I just restart the game and hole in one doesn;t get recorded.
Matt said,
March 15, 2008 at 10:17 am
75 Aces!! Good lord. Its probably up to 80 as I type this out.. lol..
Hey Tibbets - can you tighten up that best score on 9 already? So you can have that potential best of.. uhm… zero? hahaha
Amazing scores really. I gotta ask - do you use a regular mouse? or do you have one of those gaming style mouse/joysticks? Just curious..
Thanks,
Matt
Tibbets said,
March 15, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Hey Matt,
Yeah, #9 is a tough one to get a hole in one on for sure. Maybe one of these days I’ll get lucky. I’ve only gotten a hole in one on #8 once…I doubt that will be happening again anytime soon.
I’ve tried using a joystick to play the game, but I was much worse on it than my regular mouse, so the answer to your question is that I just use a regular mouse.
Thanks for the compliments, and good luck out there.
Tibbets said,
March 16, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Thanks for the motivation Matt!
I just aced #9 to lower my potential best to Zero.
Sometimes you just have to get called out on something before you perform.
Matt said,
March 17, 2008 at 9:19 pm
LMAO! hahahaha Well, let me be the first to say, thank you for tightening that perfect 9 hole score for me!
You’re a superstar Tibbets!
Man, I really gotta throw down a good score. Hopefully your potential ZERO can motivate me to break 40 for once!
Matt
Jeff said,
March 18, 2008 at 9:08 am
30.99 is nothing! It took you NINE holes to get there. I have scored 30 on the first hole!
Oh, wait…
never mind.
Gope said,
March 19, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Has anyone had any problems with using a cordless mouse? It seems like it is so inconsistent… sometimes it swings so late I know it can’t just be my crappy reflexes. I am wondering if I should switch back to a corded mouse?
USAPatriot said,
March 19, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Gope,
Yes, it’s driving me nuts. But I’m also on a laptop so have other things causing inconsistencies. Age is also a problem. Face it, at almost 52 I don’t have the reflexes of a teenager and even then it comes and goes. Sometimes I breeze on through with hardly any problems. Other times I shut it off after a few holes.
I do think the next iteration of the game needs something extra. A gallery! A gallery that will cheer or jeer accordingly. Maybe it’ll put pressure on some of these guys that think they’re Tiger Woods
As a side note, one son of a friend, who happens to be an engineering student, suspects that ‘maybe’ a person or persons is automating the process, using a fiberoptic setup to detect the movement on the screen and trigger a mouse-ish trigger signal through the USB port. It’s a thought, I suppose. -Rod-
Noah382 said,
March 21, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I just had 14.98pts going into the 8th hole and missed the swing by eighth of an inch and got 30pts on 8. this game is rigged.
USAPatriot said,
March 21, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I haven’t been able to land the ball on the fringe on #2 in weeks. I swear they’ve changed something. -Rod-
Tibbets said,
March 21, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I agree, there seem to be some global constants that change from day to day in the game, leading to results that don’t usually happen. It takes awhile to figure out what’s changed and adjust my game accordingly.
Noah, I had the same thing happen today…low score going into #8, miss by the tiniest of fractions, and ended up 28 ft away. There sometimes seems to be a mysterious “soft spot” that shows up on that green from time to time. The ball lands there and just dies. Other days the spot is gone, and the ball goes where it should….right towards the hole.
I guess it will be good when the game changes over on April 3rd. It’s been alot of fun, but definitely time for a new set of challenges.
USAPatriot said,
March 22, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I hope the new game isn’t the same holes merely played from different yardages as is the case now.
It’d be nice if the clubs were more realistic too. Using the Pro clubs, there’s some assumption that everyone swings at the same speed, and that’s not the case. Obviously in the real world a full swing for me is not the same as a full swing for someone younger and stronger. Dialing back on the swing speed while demanding more accuracy in one’s timing would solve that I think. -Rod-
rich said,
March 24, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Hello…I want to assure you that nothing has changed in our game over the past several months. We do not have any global constraints that we update or change. Our physics model has not changed at all for several months, however we will be updating it with our full launch this summer.
As for the course update coming out April 3rd, we will be switching back to our original course that we used last year. It will still be Bali Hai and some of the shots you will recognize from our current challenge. We wanted to make some minor changes so players don’t get too tired of playing the same holes over and over.
We are still on target for releasing The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island this summer…along with some new skill challenges using other courses. Thanks for your patience while we get everything up and running!
tibbets said,
March 24, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Rich,
There ARE things that change on the course all the time. For instance, on hole #4, if the wind is 3mph moving just slightly ESE, I don’t change my aim at all, use full up in stance, and full backspin and full swing. On 3 consecutive perfect swings, I was yielded 3 different results. If nothing changes, and my approach is exactly the same, and the swings are all perfect, then how do you explain 3 different results?
By the way, they are consistent results…that is to say, when I hit a perfect shot in the above conditions, one of the 3 results ALWAYS happens. Trust me, I’ve played this game as much, if not more than, anyone out there. Having seen this repetition of 3 results over and over, logic would conclude that either 1. There are unseen variables that change the outcome …or 2. The outcome of the perfect swing is predetermined to be one of the above mentioned results.
Regardless of all that, it’s a fantastic game. I do look forward to the next generation you have in store for us, as well as the Kiawah Island summer release.
USAPatriot said,
March 24, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Maybe we could slope the lips of the cups too. A few days ago I left one hanging…1/4″ off the hole
-Rod-
rich said,
March 25, 2008 at 1:46 pm
True, the wind speed and wind direction do change on the course, but we only change those variables when we launch a new challenge…not on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. The issue about consistent results (or inconsistent results) on a perfect swing with the same wind conditions can be explained by the wind meter. The wind speed and direction that is displayed on the screen is an average of the wind at the time the ball is hit. Therefore, if the wind speed reads “4mph West” it might actually be “4.5mph West” which would affect the flight of the ball and the end result.
We are working on a way to display more data to you so you can as informed as possible before you hit your shot.
tibbets said,
March 25, 2008 at 3:28 pm
The above mentioned nuances of wind speed would explain the varying results I described in my earlier post. I knew there were was a hidden variable that was being factored into the final result.
Thanks for clearing it up.
USAPatriot said,
March 25, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Rich,
How about a driving range? Would that be doable? Even bunker shots and from-the-rough up and downs attached to a range would be nice. Practice makes perfect but I’ve dropped from 4,999th to almost 6,000th in the last two weeks. There’s no way to practice without penalty. -Rod-
rich said,
March 25, 2008 at 4:57 pm
We are working on including a driving range with our summer release. Thanks for the suggestion!
John said,
March 25, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Just look at Links LS to get ideas! Practice range-driving,sandshots and putting!
Noah382 said,
March 26, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I finally got you tibbets. 28.31pts
Noah382 said,
March 27, 2008 at 7:49 am
USAPatriot, i agree with sloping the lips! you should check out my Number 3 Replay. It says my ball was off by .3″ but if you watch the replay, the ball stops right on top of the hole, and in the middle of the flag.
USAPatriot said,
March 27, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Noah,
Ouch, you’re right. I’ve noticed that the game has problems with distances on the green. Generally they work in the player’s favor but it’s still a problem. -Rod-
dscianni said,
March 27, 2008 at 6:15 pm
hi guys,
I’m wondering on wether CPU speed plays a role… I mean, a faster CPU will probably make for a faster running swing-line (or whatever ou wanna call the flash of colours indicating swing in action)… even with the beginners club that are quite slower it remains very very hard to hit perfect shots regularly..
is it time to take back out my old C-64 to get a chance?! lol
Noah382 said,
March 28, 2008 at 6:51 am
i play the game both on my work machine and my home machine. My work machine, 2.0ghz single core, and my home machine, 3.0ghz dual core, swing speed is a big difference. On my work machine, the swing is frequently choppy where as my home machine is smooth.
i get more perfect swings on my home machine with it being smooth, where as my work machine is too choppy to be consistent.
itchyfinger said,
March 28, 2008 at 3:22 pm
It would be nice to have a driving range- but here’s a way to use the current program that gives some of the same effect. Say you want to practice your 2 Hybrid swing because you often blow holes 4 and 8. Well just play a few rounds using 2 hybrid on EVERY HOLE. Just whack that sucker out-of-bounds. Its kind of fun. ( USAPatriot -There’s no penalty to your ranking for enormous scores - the ranking depends only on your lowest score.)
Robert said,
March 29, 2008 at 3:17 am
keystroke recorder? Read on the web people are using it Just courious when you say ” we checked and it’s legit.. Have there been issues of manipulation of the shots or game?
rich said,
March 31, 2008 at 11:52 am
There have not been any issues of manipulation of shots in the game. We have the ability to look at every shot a player takes there are no instances where it looks like a player is using a keystroke recorder to shoot record low scores.