The Golf Club 2019

[Diablo25]

Well, you can sort of adjust tension on the Elite. You can set the stick’s movement to Default, Delayed, Aggressive, Instant or Smooth. I have my Right Stick set to Smooth on all of my shooter profiles. It helps me with aiming.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the whole concept (definitely possible), that's just how quickly the movement changes register. How much it "sees" you moving the stick, and it will speed up or slow down movement based on that profile. So you have it on "smooth", and you might change the stick to 70% in the configuration tool, but you see the green icon show you 50%, because it's smoothing your input. It's not changing how you move the stick, so it would still be registered the same...just slower.

Tension adjustments would change the physical resistance of the stick, giving you more or less resistance when physically moving it...or am I not understanding what people are talking about? A stick where you could make side to side more rigid with vertical adjustments less so would definitely help something like a golf game where you want to swing straight.

Thankfully, I don't think anybody's got one of those yet. Years ago on PC I did take an old "roller" mouse and remove the horizontal bar so it would only move up and down. Then used a second mouse to navigate the UI, and the "vertical only" mouse to swing. It was cheaty AF in the days before internet prevalence, but it worked like a charm

That’s why I labeled it as ‘sort of’. Obviously you can’t physically change the tension.

[J_Cauthen]

Check out today's daily at The Silverback. I loved the course after trying it on a whim. It's like Pebble Beach meets Kapaluah meets Bandon Dunes... hard to classify, but it looks and plays great!

Also, our current 55 event season ended with today's daily. I'll start a new season tomorrow, if Vader approves and is willing, after I get home from work in the morning. I don't want to risk killing today's event and season by trying to put it on the books now. Please post your course suggestions!

I'd like to get back to the PGA schedule if possible for the weekend events. I realize it doesn't start until January.

https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/schedule.html

I'm all for that myself. As long as we have a decent, playable replica of the PGA Tour course of the week being played, I think that gives our tournaments more legs.

[Leadfoot5]

No preference. I just show up and play.

[J_Cauthen]

No preference. I just show up and play.

That you do...and well played at The Silverback! We had a good tournament there with only six strokes separating the field. I was 6 under par after the first 6 holes, and played the rest of the round 2 under. I noticed the greens got progressively tougher to read, especially on the back 9, but I thought it was a very compelling play and a good looking course.

[Leadfoot5]

No preference. I just show up and play.

That you do...and well played at The Silverback! We had a good tournament there with only six strokes separating the field. I was 6 under par after the first 6 holes, and played the rest of the round 2 under. I noticed the greens got progressively tougher to read, especially on the back 9, but I thought it was a very compelling play and a good looking course.

It was fun, I had to birdie the last 3 holes to tie you, I was only 3-under at the turn!

[dbdynsty25]

Well, I guess I must have missed something. Was the consensus that we’d be playing w/ Master Clubs on the 4 round tourneys or can we play with whatever? I haven’t won many tourneys, and I had a few really good rounds to lead going into Sunday. I’m playing on Pro Clubs...so I’m just assuming the rest are using Masters...or I wouldn’t be winning.

Either way, I am admitting to using Pro clubs, not Master. So if the rule is Master clubs...my apologies. I’ll use Masters going forward on the 4 rounders.

[J_Cauthen]

Well, I guess I must have missed something. Was the consensus that we’d be playing w/ Master Clubs on the 4 round tourneys or can we play with whatever? I haven’t won many tourneys, and I had a few really good rounds to lead going into Sunday. I’m playing on Pro Clubs...so I’m just assuming the rest are using Masters...or I wouldn’t be winning.

Either way, I am admitting to using Pro clubs, not Master. So if the rule is Master clubs...my apologies. I’ll use Masters going forward on the 4 rounders.

As far as I recall from the origin of this Society, there hasn't been any restriction on the club sets being used. I've vacillated back and forth between Pro and Master. I played the first three rounds of the latest 72 hole tournament at Reverand Green using Pro clubs, then had my best round of the tournament using Master clubs in the final round. We're all playing off the same tees, which I think helps offset the advantages of Pro clubs, at least to an extent.

In the long term, I'm sure I would score better overall, on average, using Pro clubs from the tournament tees, but it wouldn't be a huge difference.

[Leadfoot5]

I'm pretty sure you guys are all good. No "official" decisions were made. I experimented with Beginner clubs a few weeks ago and consistently scored in the -7 to -10 range, so I have moved back to Pro again in the interest of fairness - as it's VERY hard to have a "blow-up" hole with those clubs.

But no, we certainly did NOT say Master clubs only for the weekend tournaments. I'm pretty sure that both Pro and Master are totally acceptable.

[Danimal]

I'm playing with Pro clubs, I thought we said no beginner clubs for weekend tournaments but I don't really care myself.

Really enjoyed this weekend course.

[dbdynsty25]

Okay cool...just wanted to be clear so I wasn't "cheating" vs. the rest of you if everyone was using Master for the 4 rounders. If Pro clubs are allowed, all good.

[Leadfoot5]

I'm two shots behind the leaders this weekend after 2 rounds. Looking forward to the final 36!!

[J_Cauthen]

I'm two shots behind the leaders this weekend after 2 rounds. Looking forward to the final 36!!

You should easily catch, and pass me in the third round then. I really blew up in that round with some stupid course management decisions!

[J_Cauthen]

I'm playing with Pro clubs, I thought we said no beginner clubs for weekend tournaments but I don't really care myself.

Really enjoyed this weekend course.

I find the beginner clubs to be just too boring with which to play. The game feels compressed when I use them, so I've set them aside forever. I'd be all for a sanction against beginner clubs if everyone else is on board with it.

[10spro]

Pro clubs all the way for me. I’ve been away for most of the week and finally caught up with all four rounds today at once. Combined with my jet lag I am mentally exhausted now. Found the course challenging yet fair. For the last two rounds I was just fatigued from trying to save par after par never mind trying to make birdies.

Just couldn’t buy any fairways at the end and you’re pretty a lame duck hitting from the rough on this course.

Nice shooting there Leadfoot.

[Leadfoot5]

Pro clubs all the way for me. I’ve been away for most of the week and finally caught up with all four rounds today at once. Combined with my jet lag I am mentally exhausted now. Found the course challenging yet fair. For the last two rounds I was just fatigued from trying to save par after par never mind trying to make birdies.

Just couldn’t buy any fairways at the end and you’re pretty a lame duck hitting from the rough on this course.

Nice shooting there Leadfoot.

Thanks! Was hoping you'd be posting a score.

[DChaps]

+25 after 9 holes in round 1. I cannot figure out this game, especially with how to play after going in the water. I have got to be missing something. I actually played 2 rounds just to see if things would get better or I figure out the tempo. +35, +31 and I could not get the motivation to finish the last two rounds. Pretty course though with some Class III rapids.

[10spro]

John, I think when I first saw this course online it was for its pure beauty, the mountains, the water and therefore I recommend it. Little did I know that it played as the name suggests. I was in hell and stayed there for awhile.

[J_Cauthen]

New patch released today for TGC 2019. Swing tuning changes seem to be the biggest item. They've also changed online matchmaking to where everyone, regardless of club set being used, will play off the same tees. This might help even things out a bit, but I'm not sure how much it's going to help when red or white tees are being used

Here are the patch notes in total:

Additional Content
• New Under Armour apparel! Including Shirts, Shoes & Glasses.
• New The Golf Club, HB, and 2K branded apparel! Including Shirts and Hats.
• Over 20 new Course Designer Assets expanding customization options when building a custom course.

Gameplay Changes
• Tee sets being used for Matchmaking have been adjusted to have all players playing from the same tee location.
• Online Society Membership limit has been increased from 5 to 10.
• Tuning has occurred to the difficulty/timing required for tempo and swing plain.

Bug Fixes
General
• Fixed leaderboards showing rankings unhelpful to the user.
• Fixed the sorting of Proximity to Hole stat.
• More from designer tab is no longer grayed out in the course details screen.
• Improved matchmaking search to avoid getting stuck in a searching loop.
• Improved stability.
• Updated pre-round screens to display default settings for firmness and speeds.
• Pre-round screen now has a scroll bar for match rules and conditions.
• Fixed a crash while viewing course leaderboards with a high number of entries.
• Improved load times for leaderboard stats.
• Fixed an issue where tees would sometimes be restricted without user input.
• Improved visibility to shot shaper lines for setup.
• Fixed billboarded trees swaying in high winds.
• While tied in matchplay, putting out before your ghost opponent no long awards the win.
• When quitting a skins match online you will be presented with a warning about lost currency.
• Fixed an issue where elevation on the HUD was displaying the wrong direction.
• Fixed an issue where XP would not calculate correctly over multi-round events.
• Improved relief from crowd seating.

Gameplay
• Gameplay and Difficulty tunings impacting the swing plane and tempo windows balanced to coincide with previous shot outcome tuning.
• Fixed issues with round results screen not displaying correct information when playing only the front 9 or back 9 in a fourball match.
• Fixed an issue when watching another player take a shot they may visually have had the wrong club selected.
• Fixed issues around tee and pin restrictions in private matches.
• Fixed a desync where players could get stuck waiting on each other to take a shot and not be able to advance.
• Fixed an animation glitch which could occur at the top of a ghost's backswing.
• Fixed some cases of upper arm twists in certain animations.
• Added new commentary
• Improved Club SFX for the Beginner set
• Tuned bunker lie penalties.

Course Designer
• Fixed Red Maple shadow casting
• Fixed a crash while placing cart paths in the course designer.
• Fixed an issue where wall snapping could break rotation and placement.
• Advanced edits to waterfalls no longer reverts when backing out of the object.
• Improved performance and stability in course designer.

Societies
• Fixed mini leaderboard showing incorrect information for users who didn’t compete in the event.
• Fixed online society gating for top 150 points rank.
• Users are now able to leave a society that they are an Admin of.
• Fixed scrolling when setting up event entry requirements.
• Membership screen now showing correct stats/ranks on player cards.
• Player flags are being displayed correctly.
• Solo society’s event information updates on event results screen.
• Canceling a request to join a society now removes it from your membership list.
• Main Event changes no longer only apply to the alternate event.
• More than two requirements will appear if set for an event in the schedule tab.
• Fixed the inability to add Major events to the schedule.
• Fees set for an alternate event no longer overwrite settings for main events.

PGA TOUR
• Fixed an issue with the FedExCup not awarding points correctly.
• Updated TPC Sawgrass – THE PLAYERS Championship updated event assets and signage.
• Fixed Under Armour Level 3 Sponsor objectives.
• Corrected reseeding for Season Championship

[J_Cauthen]

+25 after 9 holes in round 1. I cannot figure out this game, especially with how to play after going in the water. I have got to be missing something. I actually played 2 rounds just to see if things would get better or I figure out the tempo. +35, +31 and I could not get the motivation to finish the last two rounds. Pretty course though with some Class III rapids.

Don, try the game out today after you download the patch. It is supposed to help with the swing inconsistencies that have plagued the previous update. I'd also suggest using Pro clubs to get a handle on the game. Beginner clubs are so neutered that they teach you very little about the crucial tempo requirements needed to play the game at its two highest levels.

The important thing with this game is to avoid the tendency to kill the ball. An even paced, rhythmic swing is going to serve you so much better. It goes against most golfer's natural tendencies to accelerate through the ball, but accelerating through the ball in this game is only going to get you a fast, or very fast tempo, which is going to result in a draw or a hook.

[J_Cauthen]

John, I think when I first saw this course online it was for its pure beauty, the mountains, the water and therefore I recommend it. Little did I know that it played as the name suggests. I was in hell and stayed there for awhile.

She was a beauty for sure! I don't think I've ever felt my fear of heights kick in as it did at some spots on this course It was an interesting diversion, but I spent a lot of time guessing on clubs with the severe elevation changes. It was a cohesive design to be as extreme as it was though.

[Diablo25]

So how has the patch impacted things? I haven’t played in a while so I may not notice anything.

[J_Cauthen]

So how has the patch impacted things? I haven’t played in a while so I may not notice anything.

Downloading it now, I'll be back with a report in less than an hour.

[J_Cauthen]

I just played an 18 hole Society tournament round (TGC Tour CC-Pro) and a 9 hole online matchmaking round, all with Master clubs. I found that it was a bit more difficult to regulate the tempo. It made the game feel a little more challenging. A slow tempo seems to result in more of a loss of distance now, as I left a couple of slow downswing tempo approach shots considerably short of the hole, more so than fading or slicing them.

I had one swing that went "Very Slow/Very Fast", but it was preceded by an animation glitch, right at take away, that I should know from experience to abort the swing and start over. I foolishly continued on and got the usual result from trying to play through that animation hiccup. I'll take the blame for that one because I know better... the result was a slightly pulled 210 yard drive that barely made it to the start of the fairway, but I salvaged par on the hole.

I was pitted against a Pro club user in the online matchmaking match from the "Green" tees at Wagtail CC. It felt like a more legitimate match and I have few complaints about the equity of it, although I would still prefer to be pitted against a player using the same club set. I lost the match, but it was mostly because I seem to have forgotten how to putt over the last two months. I'll play more online matchmaking with this new policy.

I'd like to ask HBS if they could respond to this question about online matchmaking. Does the game decide the tee to be used for the match by defaulting to the tees that are associated with the lowest club set being used by the players in the match? IOW, I played with Master clubs against a player with Pro clubs from the "Green" tees, the second shortest tee set on the Wagtail course. If I had been using Beginner clubs against this same player, would the game have then defaulted to the "Red" tees... the shortest tee set at this course?

I'm not sure what to think about the new loft box. It's not one of my things, although I use it by feel less than math. I wish we could hit partial shots with more acuity and use address position more to deal with loft needs.

The first thing I did was take note of whether the spoiler leaderboard issue has been fixed... and it hadn't. The two ghost balls I was playing with the TGC Tours round were 8 and 14 holes ahead the hole they wee actually playing with me in the round. Why is this so hard to correct? ???

It's going to take a lot more seat time with this patch to assess the nuances of it, but so far I'm intrigued with what I'm seeing.

[Danimal]

I'm not sure what to think about the new loft box.

Umm what's new about the box?

[J_Cauthen]

I'm not sure what to think about the new loft box.

Umm what's new about the box?

It's range of motion is bigger and has more distinguishable moveable lines, although there are still no grid lines in it. It just seems like there are more gradients you can dial, but I have to do the science to see if the results are backed up by my impressions just looking at it.