World Golf Tour: Three ways to approach this mobile golf simulation
What suits your golf game best?
World Golf Tour (WGT) is one of the more realistic golf games out there on any platform. That's not a promotion either, the way they use satellite images of real-world courses and implement them into the game is always remarkable. And this has been a signature aspect of the game for a long time now.
The game has been out since 2008 and has remained a staple among golf games on PC and mobile. Some of the courses the game features include legendary real-world courses like the Old Course at St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, and Merion.
Gameplay is realistic in WGT while also featuring fun little quirks (such golf ball effects after you hit shots). It's a game that is really suited for folks who are really into the sport of golf. That said, it offers enough simplicity to be fun for the non-golf gamer too. Here are a few ways you can approach the game style-wise.
The Yardage/Wind Reader
It's usually a pretty good idea to read yardages in WGT before your shots, especially on approach shots. That said, it's not totally necessary. Sometimes, you can just view your target briefly and swing away. But there are many players (especially those who play on the European eTour) who use yardages to their competitive advantage.
Many times, players will club down or up based on the combination of the distance they have to work with, and where the wind is blowing. The wind aspect is about as important as the yardage because you'd need to adjust yourself accordingly to where the wind is heading.
Yardage can also be highly critical off the tee. Many courses may present you with a unique fairway design that could have you thinking about how you want to approach your power. Do you want to play it safe and go with something like a 3-wood or long iron? Or do you pull out the big, thick sword known as your driver and crush down the fairway and hope that you're not in the rough or bunker?
The choice is yours, but one style to play in the game is the yardage/wind reader. In short, you're being your own caddy out there.
The Putting Machine
OK, so you're into being"good" at all areas of your virtual golf game, right? But perhaps you're the type of player who wants to become a "master" at putting. Putting may arguably be the most important aspect of the sport of golf. It's the scoring skill, the one that puts the ball in the hole 90% of the time.
Putting in WGT requires you to read the greens like in real golf (there's no putt preview feature). the best thing you can do is read the beads, and see which direction they're going and how fast or slow. This will give you an excellent idea of where to set yourself up.
And this is what the players who put emphasis on putting do. They read the greens masterfully and drill those putts. A good putt can bail you out if you were having trouble on a hole and can also lead you to a great score of course. Are you a lord of the flat stick?
The Escape Master
This is not an area that is focused on as you never want to find yourself in these positions in the first place, but you do have players in WGT who are great at escaping trouble. I'm talking the icky stuff: bunkers, the rough, etc. It requires an extra bit of skill to hit some great shots here.
You'll need to definitely tweak around with which club you want to use, especially coming out of the fairway rough (also known as the second cut). In bunkers, you'll more than likely use a wedge, probably a sand wedge. From there in the sand, you can splash the ball out with a good flop shot if you're greenside.
From the rough or fairway bunker, you'll just need to use a long iron (5, 4, 3, or 2 iron) and see how close you can get to the green, depending on the hole's layout. So although you avoid these gross situations, you'll have the ability to make something spectacular happen if you want to practice it.
