No Wind Meter - Opinions (after you try it!)

[Doyley]

We had a healthy discussion in this thread about the Wind Meter option.  I'd like anyone that wants us to keep the wind meter on to play a round with it off and post your thoughts on it.  I appreciate opinions from both sides of the debate but I just want to make sure the people saying it would be a guessing game with it off have a round under their belts with it off before coming to that conclusion.  After playing post your thoughts here and we can continue the discussion.

My opinions:
Wind meter off is fairly easy to play with - Trees, audio and even flag give you a good starting point for how windy it is before you take your first shot.  After your drive on the 1st hole you can adjust your first estimate of how fast the wind is blowing by how far/short your drive goes.  This gives you a base number to go off.  Your 2nd approach shot uses this base number and the result of that shot should allow you to narrow it down more.  If the wind blows your ball further than you thought, then your base wind number goes up for the next shot.  Eventually you get it to a place where it's pretty accurate.  When the wind changes you need to adjust on the fly.  Find that one shot doesn't move quite as much, then the wind likely dropped a few MPH.  Adjust on the next shot. etc.  This results in less dart throwing, puts more emphasis on putting and drops scores a few strokes per round across the entire field.  This would accomplish one of the goals - bringing the scores down across the entire field.  We're just trying to get away from the 60-under for a tournament type scores.

It's an interesting option that has enough visual and audio cues to get you started off on the right foot and your ball flight can then help hone in the last few mph. 

So again, if you think I'm crazy but haven't tried it - please do and let me know (in as much detail as possible) your thoughts following a round with wind meter off.  If you think I am crazy and have tried it, please post your thoughts referencing the round(s) where you used it.

While we discuss this, please keep in mind that TGC Tours won't even consider using this option until HB brings in similar winds per round for all users in a Tournament/Tour.

[Deleted]

So is your first drive just a shot in the dark? (no pun intended) Maybe HB will add a feature where you can toss a bit of grass if you press RB.

[Doyley]

Feb 26, 2015 12:14:10 GMT -5 MAJORHIGH said:

So is your first drive just a shot in the dark? (no pun intended) Maybe HB will add a feature where you can toss a bit of grass if you press RB.

No - here's what info you have on the first tee

• Wind direction (arrow is still present when option is turned off)
  
• Audio cues (if you hear wind it's usually double digits)
  
• Trees - they barely move in light wind, and bounce around pretty good in high wind
• Flag - if you go up to the flag (and it's on the pole...hb!!) it will help
• Clouds - they move faster in high winds

Personally, the driving is easy enough that all I need to do is listen for wind and look at trees on the first tee to gauge the adjustments for my first shot.  I never take the time to go up to the flag.  After that, your ball flight is the best indicator.

[fuzion]

I played my first round without the wind speed at Doral Day1 -- shot a 61. I think the winds were only around 5-8mph out there though, but I think the wind speed off is actually a good idea, it should add a stroke or two onto peoples' scores.

It should give more choice to the player, whether to go for the pin or play it slightly safe. Without knowing the exact speed, it adds an extra risk/reward element, which is good.

[Deleted]

Oh, ok...So the direction is known, just not the speed. Definitely more true to life.

[steelereign]

My only concern with wind off would be those holes with strong headwinds where you need to carry a ravine or some other terrain feature that swallows your ball with no hope of recovery.

After OB is introduced then I'm 100% behind it.

[Pubknight]

I've been trying out the No Training Wheels tournaments and turning off the wind meter for myself for a while now.
I find it plays much more like 'regular' golf.

Here are my observations on playing with no wind meter:
- rounds play faster (less calculating math)
- I use a lot more 'stock' clubs without lofting/delofting (ok, pin is 150, my 7 iron is 158... but I have some wind in my face... 7 iron it is)
- getting a shot within 15' of the hole actually feels like an accomplishment instead of a miss
- use a lot more thoughtful shot making (ok the pin is left but protected, I have a right to left wind... going to play this over the right part of the green and let the wind move it... as opposed to "I'm going to aim straight at the flag and use cut to neutralize the wind and keep the ball straight")
- planning your misses (if I'm wrong, do I want to be wrong right, left, short, long)... brings course management into play

For things like the ravine issue, that's where shotmaking comes in to play.
Again, as Doyley mentioned, with round by round winds, everyone would be playing in the same conditions.
So maybe there is a ravine that just can't be cleared that day with that wind, by anyone.
So you lay up short of it.
If it's a green, well, you make darned sure you take enough club to clear it.

Honestly, it's a very minor change, and after a few holes you basically 'attach' a wind speed in your mind.
So it's exactly like playing with it.
But you have to adjust during the round, and that's the joy of it.

Here is my typical approach with a no wind meter round:
- First tee, I know the direction... so if it's a side wind, I aim at that side of the fairway and see how much it moves the ball... that gives me a pretty good idea of the wind strength. If I already know it's strong (from sound/trees/clouds/John telling you 'hey, it's windy out there'), I throw some draw/fade offset in a bit to keep it in the fairway
- if it's a head or tailwind, I watch my drive to see where it lands, and that also gives me a good idea of the strength

Really, all you have to do is pay attention.
People should not have the expectation of putting approach shots within 10'.
I know this is a video game, but from 125-150 yards, getting inside of 20' would put you inside the top 20 of the pga (real life) tour. With 16'9" being the best. (www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.339.html)

Giving the wind just a bit more of a variable effect would be a minor way to reign things back a little bit.

[fondername0]

I didn't care for it. In real life I can feel how heavy the wind is blowing. I did enjoy playing with no scout cam. Felt real and I did end up in the rough a couple times more per round.

For the life of me I can't figure out how to put with no grid.  I can't read the break hardly at all.   I must have terrible eyes.   

[DaveC_87]

No wind is only what I play. It adds randomness and realism. I play with all aids off so my opinion may be biased. I am hoping someday that TGCT holds a tour with all aids off. Only way to play for me.

[fuzion]

Feb 26, 2015 13:10:36 GMT -5 Pubknight said:

Giving the wind just a bit more of a variable effect would be a minor way to reign things back a little bit.

When we get our round-by-round tournament only winds, I hope HB will actually increase gusts and the variance of the wind a bit.
I was going to say that otherwise you could watch other peoples' ghost balls, but a random wind direction would mean that won't help so much.

[theclv24]

Feb 26, 2015 13:10:45 GMT -5 fondername0 said:

I didn't care for it. In real life I can feel how heavy the wind is blowing.

No offense, but even in real life you are just guessing with the wind. Even though you feel it, you can't assign an exact mph to it and calculate exactly where you need to aim. Playing without the wind aid in the game really is no different.

[fondername0]

Feb 26, 2015 13:20:28 GMT -5 theclv24 said:

Feb 26, 2015 13:10:45 GMT -5 fondername0 said:

I didn't care for it. In real life I can feel how heavy the wind is blowing.

No offense, but even in real life you are just guessing with the wind. Even though you feel it, you can't assign an exact mph to it and calculate exactly where you need to aim. Playing without the wind aid in the game really is no different.

I'll try it again. 

[IlludiumQ36]

Feb 26, 2015 12:18:49 GMT -5 Doyley said:

No - here's what info you have on the first tee

• Wind direction (arrow is still present when option is turned off)
  
• Audio cues (if you hear wind it's usually double digits)
  
• Trees - they barely move in light wind, and bounce around pretty good in high wind
• Flag - if you go up to the flag (and it's on the pole...hb!!) it will help
• Clouds - they move faster in high winds

A 3mph in the Boreal theme sounds like a hurricane on my PC.

[joegolferg]

Played it and loved it, I would welcome this addition to any future tournaments.

[jimgem]

Nah not for me, alot of the times i listen to music when playing and sometimes i don't even use my headphones,i think the ambiance sound in the game is annoying especialy on a desert course i take my heaphones off.Thats why on one of the devs twitch streams i asked if we could get seperate sliders for the sounds ingame, especialy an ambiance slider.