Guide coming soon!

[SloanerTW]

I figured the game has been out long enough and a few days ago i finally figured out the swing for the most part so Im going to write a guide on how to play like a Legend . I know this game is about to end but it may also be somewhat useful in the new game.

Stuff that will be covered:

- The swing (tempo, loft box and whatever else i can think of)
- Setting up your shot. (Wind, Lie, Elevation wont be exact values because i don't know them and they are always changing)
- Short Game (Pitching , Flops, Chipping)
- Putting (speed, how to read Breaks, Uphill and downhill)
- Course Management

If there is anything else anyone would like to know or may think it needs to be added let me know below.

I'm also thinking about writing something for the new game before it comes out like what to do to figure it out quickly. 

[CTLegacy]

Chipping I would assume is the most frustrating mechanic for newer players. Trying to chip by the carry distance is probably torture! I've always felt the loft box without the percentages or grid lines has been the most frustrating new thing from TGC2. Some shots a few taps of loft shorts the shot by 20 years and other times full loft takes of hardly any distance.

I'd be very excited to read tips on the new game if there is a demo or maybe the week leading up to release. I've been on and off this game the past couple years but really looking forward to playing a lot again when 2019 comes out.

[edi_vedder]

Jun 8, 2018 1:09:01 GMT -5 SloanerTW said:

If there is anything else anyone would like to know or may think it needs to be added let me know below.

How to shoot around -60 each and every week.

Thank you!

[SloanerTW]

Jun 10, 2018 19:02:50 GMT -5 edi_vedder said:

Jun 8, 2018 1:09:01 GMT -5 SloanerTW said:

If there is anything else anyone would like to know or may think it needs to be added let me know below.

How to shoot around -60 each and every week.

Thank you!

Thats a novel.. Although I'm 4 pages in just on tempo... Think i'll need to shorten this up

[SloanerTW]

Jun 9, 2018 20:12:59 GMT -5 CTLegacy said:

Chipping I would assume is the most frustrating mechanic for newer players. Trying to chip by the carry distance is probably torture! I've always felt the loft box without the percentages or grid lines has been the most frustrating new thing from TGC2. Some shots a few taps of loft shorts the shot by 20 years and other times full loft takes of hardly any distance.

I'd be very excited to read tips on the new game if there is a demo or maybe the week leading up to release. I've been on and off this game the past couple years but really looking forward to playing a lot again when 2019 comes out.

Yea both chipping and the loft box will be there unfortunately I'm not very good at chipping and i putt more than chip off the green.

[CuseHokie]

A breakdown on chipping - from different clubs (LW vs SW vs GW vs PW), to lofts (more or less), to the grass you're hitting off of (fringe vs. fairway. vs L rough vs H rough). I believe all these things listed have an impact but it is inconsistent at best.

[SloanerTW]

Im thinking about doing a twitch series instead of a write up for two reasons. 1) Writing is taking way to long to find the time and 2) it might be easier to understand what the heck I'm talking about if there is video with it. Now i can't record like i used to do with that other golf game so it has to be live and then saved so i'll figure something out.

[SloanerTW]

Heres what i have so far let me know if it makes any sense. There are a few gems in here as well.

The Swing

Basic Tempo:
There are 5 different outcomes (maybe 4) on each direction you swing and I’ll cover them here. A thing to note is that even though there are 5 outcomes for the shot feedback they aren’t static in the result they’ll produce. So a fast could be a slight fast or a normal fast or even a faster fast all producing different results.

Backswing

Very slow:
This is usually achieved by holding the top of your backswing for 2-3 seconds. It could also be possible by slowly pulling the swing back at an abnormally slow rate. The result of a very slow backswing is a massive loss of distance.

Slow:
Achieved by holding the top of your swing just a little too long 1-2 seconds or by pulling the analogue stick back too slowly. This reluts in a minor loss of distance and can be used strategically in some situations. For example you need to land a shot a few yards less than the loft box will allow. Like a 2 hybrid will only loft to 229yards but you can purposely hit a slow to bring it down to 225 or so. Use this technique with caution, as there is no set value on how much a slow backswing will take off.

Perfect:
You did everything properly and started your downswing at the right time. The result being close to the distance or exactly the distance you set up your shot for.

Fast:
99.9% of the time you started your downswing before you reached the top of your backswing. The 0.01% may be myth as ive never done it but some say they have is pull the stick back to quick but I really don’t think its possible. The result being a loss of distance that relates to the position on which you pushed forward on your backswing.

Very Fast:
If you’ve done this then you deserve an award, as I don’t think its possible.

Downswing

I’m about 90% sure your downsing tempo is somewhat tied to how fast you pulled the stick back on your backswing. Meaning if you pulled the stick back fast you should push forward at roughly the same speed if not slightly faster to achieve perfect tempo.

Very slow:
You pushed forward a lot slower than you pulled back. Or you hit a lag pocket and that’s unfortunate. The result is a huge slice and massive loss of distance.

Slow:
You pushed forward a little bit slower or maybe even the same speed that you pulled back. The result is a push or fade and a slight loss of distance.

Perfect:
You pushed forward slightly faster than you pulled back. The result is your shot went roughly where you wanted it to go.

Fast:
You pushed forward too fast. The Result is a pull or draw and a slight increase in distance.

Very Fast:
You probably did nothing wrong and the game hates you or your fps hates you or your ISP hates you. Usually comes from some sort of lag or you smashed the *&^# out of your downswing. The result is a hook and massive loss of distance.

Its pretty obvious the goal is to hit perfect backswing and perfect downswing if your want your shot to go roughly where you want it to go. Although don’t count out the slow backswing perfect downswing combo either for some shots.



Advanced Tempo

I didn’t really know what to call this so I named it advanced tempo. Basically what it is the tempo inside the tempo that helps you swing straighter in the shot feedback meter.

For instance your hitting perfect /perfect but your swing plane is showing you being off and you struggle to hit close to the center of the cone. This is because your perfect / perfect isn’t so perfect. Like I said before there is no static result on hitting each tempo. What I have done to achieve straighter shots is I try to pause a little bit at the top of my swing and almost try to hit a slow backswing without actually hitting a slow backswing. It will take some practice but once you master it I bet you’ll hit the ball straighter than you ever have.


Swing plane or the white line in the feedback meter

I’m not going to go into what the white line in the feedback meter is or anything like that cause no one cares about that. What you care about is how to make the white line hit as close to the center as possible and I’ll give you some tips on how to swing straighter.

1 - Look at your controller during the backswing: 
This will help you be consistent in where you are pushing down on the controller. The goal is as straight as possible but some people try to pull back at a slight angle to the left or right in order to set up their downswing. What I mean is straight down may feel awkward on the transition to the downswing and you may get better results pushing just of to one side. Its something you’ll have to play with and practice but it may cure some of your pushes and pulls.

2 - Look at the screen before you start your downswing:
You need to know when to push forward to start the downswing and while there are ways to do it without looking at the screen it is still a good idea to have a visual cue. Don’t forget you have a slight pause at the top of your swing so learn it.

3 – Audio cues:
You can also use audio cues to start your downswing as you can hear the swoosh during your backswing. Practice the timing for it but don’t rely on this as you should also be looking at the animation on the screen as well.

4- Technique:
Personally I use my thumb to swing and I think it’s the most popular/ natural way to do it, but its not the only way. Some people adapted and use their index finger to pull back and use their thumb to push forward. It’s all personal preference and you should do whatever feels most comfortable to you.

5- Feedback meter:
While it’s an ok learning tool and will get you close to what you want, don’t ever trust it. First off it doesn’t tell you the location of your back swing so who knows where you pushed down. It does not always tell the truth on your downswing either. You could hit a perfectly straight line that will still move left or right of where you intended to go..

The Loft Box.

This is your main tool for distance control. When your starting out the best thing to do first is get to know what distances you get when you loft to certain places within the box. I use the letters for FADE to get my distances as well as going to the limits of the box. For example if I loft a PW to the D in FADE it goes roughly 122 yards or I loft a 3i to the top of the box it goes 191 yards.

You can also add draw and fade within the box. I only use draw and fade if I absolutely have to or as a trick to take some yardage off of a shot. Usually I’ll use extreme draw or fade if I need to take yardage off a 3 wood without getting the crazy bounce and roll that delofting it will produce. This is extremely risky as its hard to control and more often than not you end up missing your target. Only use this if you think there is no other option..


Setting Up your Shot.

I could literally right a novel on this subject, as there are so many variables and outcomes that can happen with each shot. I’ll try to keep this as simple as possible.

Disclaimer: I do not know the exact values for every situation and any value or equation I give after this is just my personal experience and should be used more of a way of thinking about your shot than an absolute this is what you do.

First off you need to know that every wind, lie, and elevation play different with every club and on top of that they’ll play different on the same club depending on how you loft it.

Wind
The best advice I can give in terms of how to control the wind is group your clubs into categories. Wedges, Short Irons, Long Irons, Hybrids, Woods and Driver. Or you can group it into distances. Less than 100 yards, 100-115, 115-140, 140-170, 170- 200, 200+

For wedges I use the SW as my base for figuring out wind and move out from there. So for 110 yards and in I’ll play the wind a certain way and make slight adjustments depending on which wedge im hitting. So if a SW loses a yard per mph headwind I’ll do the same with and LW and take off a yard or 2 as I know it wont be affected as much by the wind.

For example Im 96 yards away from the hole no elevation flat lie and I want to land at 95 yards. I’ll play the shot at 100 yards because 5mph headwind is 5 extra yards that I need to hit. If I’m 82 yards away with the same wind I may only add 3 or 4 yards with the lw.

The strength of the wind could also change how you set up your shot. Like above a 5mph headwind may be 5 yards with a SW but a 12 mph wind might be 13 or 15 yards.

Wind and Lofting.

When you loft a club it will change the way the wind affects the ball. Delofting will make the wind play less and lofting will make it play more. How much more? That depends on the club. Fully lofting a 3i could potentially make the wind play close to double the strength while fully lofting a pw wont change much because the distance of a fully lofted pw is so short.

Lie
Your lie plays an important role in affecting your shot.
Uphill lies will make the ball fly higher and take off some distance.
Downhill lies will make the ball come out at a lower angle and will travel farther
Sidehill lies will kick the ball left or right depending on the lie.

Lie + wind
You need to take into consideration your lie when setting up for wind. For example an uphill lie will make the wind play more. A Downhill lie is less.

To be continued..............

[GW_Hope]

Good job on the tempo. It’s the key to everything in this game. Said it many tones that if you are “truely” p/p it’s hard to NOT hit it straight. My tip is slow it down at least that is what I have to tell myself.
No other advice will help until this is correct.

[Deleted]

Thanks for doing this Steve, it will help out a lot of people, but it is way too much to think about when playing a video game.

[SloanerTW]

Jun 13, 2018 10:30:35 GMT -5 @happymandan said:

Thanks for doing this Steve, it will help out a lot of people, but it is way too much to think about when playing a video game.

Its really not that much  once your used to it. Explaining it is a lot but actually doing it can be pretty fast. My shot setup is usually less than 15 seconds i know what i want to hit.

[mde8965]

Good write up Steve. The tempo thing is probably the least understood in this game. And perhaps a big part of why some folks just cannot get on with tour clubs. I was one of them until a couple months ago. A friend on here was noticing me having big issues and said that the tempo followed by the backswing (direction) are the number 1 and 2 keys to hitting straighter.

I do look at the controller on backswing and have a white mark on my controller at the bottom to aim for on backswing. Then the transition to forward swing includes looking up at the screen.

When you do it right and are relaxed it is almost hard not to hit the inner 3rd of the cone. Problems come from nerves even when you know how to control tempo. When nervous I tend to push in slightly in the stick (R3 type of push). And I get fast with the downswing entering the transition before the top and pushing forward too fast. This results in a lot of fast/perfect and fast/fast swings. And even the perfect/perfect swings tend to be pushed toward a slice or an outright banana slice. Not that I swing crooked, it was all in my tempo and pushing in on the thumb stick. You need to maintain a light touch on the stick.

Would be very interested in your videos. Chipping is another key area. I am now using a de-lofted chip a lot from inside of 20yds.

Thanks again Steve.

[Daren Fairhurst]

For me the one skill I need to learn is the lofting up of clubs to get the ball to stop dead. I watched a couple of your rounds Steve and you put an insane amount of loft on a 130 PW to go 112y to kill the ball dead on the green. I feel that it is these and the mid iron loft shots that don't get right enough to improve my game

[paulus]

Good stuff, +1 for the new Boomer

[Deleted]

This small delay you speak of at the top of the swing is interesting. If I do that I will 100% get a slow backswing. If I’m not swinging down straight away it’s slow.