TGC Putting Distance

[DirtyGarry24]

First off I want to say that putting distance in TGC is phenomenal. I think I learned something though this last week that I wanted to share and also get others input. It should be well known to most that distance should be adjusted according to uphill/downhill as 1 inch = 1 foot of adjustment. IMO this works great 95% of the time. IMO you should use this as a guideline though and make further adjustments for severe slopes.

Here's what I found though. So we have the flagstick and a distance that shows (ex. 20' and 5" down). Then we have an aim point to adjust for break. The aim point also has a distance and an uphill/downhill reading. Often this aim point distance will be a lot further away than the flag which is weird. However, you can adjust that length using "s" and "w" keys. This is extremely helpful when putting off the fringe and is a real asset for me. It's kind of vague if you don't adjust that aim point length. Maybe I'm the only one that didn't already know this but I find it very helpful. You can also use this to find the tipping point on a big slope and really refine your hitting length.

Another thing that I found yesterday while using this aim point distance is that often the uphill/downhill amount is not the same when they are at the same distance. I found this a bit odd and am looking to see if others have noticed this? This could be the missing piece to that 5% extra adjustment needed when figuring out the distance on severe slopes? Curious to read what others have to say on this topic.

[Boerdoc]

What I have found is that the 1 inch = 1 foot only on straight-ish putts. When putting a breaking putt that finishes on a downhill roll, the 1 inch may be more than on foot, a lot more.

I am not sure what you mean by "Aim point distance". Could you make a video of how you are adjusting the aim point distance?

I would like to make better sense of the greens.

In you last paragraph, " uphill/downhill amount is not the same when they are at the same distance." Are you saying that the up/down of the flag and aim point are different when they are at the same length?

[DirtyGarry24]

Yes to your last question. Next time you are in TGC just take a look at the aim point when you are adjusting for break. You should notice the 2 different distances. Then use "S" and "W" keys to adjust distance. I could see how the aim point distance could be overlooked as it's often way longer than the flagstick.

[mikeingp]

Usually the up/down difference between the aiming 'stick' and the flag is an inch or two and depend if your a few inches in front or behind the hole. For example, let's say your putt is 12' 6" long and 6" downhill...if you put the aiming stick at 12' 1" if would most likely say 5" downhill and if your 12' 11" it would probably say 7" downhill.

[mikeingp]

Not in front of my computer right now but I think for me it's 3 or 4 key presses to move the aiming stick a foot.

[DirtyGarry24]

You are correct mikeingp. This same logic applies to moving the aim point side to side as well. This answers my questions to the differences in uphill/downhill as well. If the putt is breaking left to right and you move the aim point to the left to compensate for the slope then it makes sense that uphill/downhill will change. I took some pics yesterday that will better explain this.

[DirtyGarry24]

Attempting better pictures.

Attempt failed, but the last picture should show what I'm talking about if you lean in and squint. Lol.

[HeMan]

TGC as a PC/console game involves quite a bit of math and putting distances are no different. I am not sure if it exactly translates to the SIM version but here is the math for putting distances in the game.

For an uphill putt, it is elevation plus half plus two. Then add that to the distance to the hole. I will use your above picture as an example, 24 feet with 10 inch uphill elevation. This would mean 10+5+2=17. 24+17=41 so you would set your aiming marker at 41 feet.

TGC auto sets the marker for uphill putts at close to the correct distance but puts downhill putts at the hole. For downhill it is generally one for one but it also depends on the green speeds. Faster greens will roll much more downhill as they should.

Again, not sure how close the game version is to the SIM version for these calculations but you can give it a try.

[DirtyGarry24]

Thanks HeMan. I'll see how well that translates.

[awisnia]

HeMan in PC/Console is there some input for the speed of the putt, or is that what the aim-stick does? I've always ignored the aim-stick for near/far and only worried about left right, figuring that the sim would get speed data from the skytrak. Maybe I've got it wrong.

[HeMan]

The putter distance is how you know the green speed. Putter distance can go from 101 (really slow) to 187 (really fast). When designing a course this is set via a slider.

In the game version of TGC, adjusting the aim marker up/down tells the game how far you intend to hit it. You really can't putt consistently without doing this.

[BadEddieKit]

That's good to know, however, with the patch from protee that allows everyone set their own stimp, this calculation may not translate very well. the one for one that i have been using, works for what i have setup, but won't for the next guy. just a thought!