WGT Golf Guide: Tips, Tricks & Strategies to Become a Pro Golfer and Dominate Courses

Taking on a game like WGT Golf means that you are tackling a well-established title with a lot of seasoned veterans. Our WGT Golf guide is meant to get you ready if you’re new to it or keep you aligned with concepts that can help you stay competitive if you’ve been in for quite a while already.

Similar to most sport games, WGT Golf is a skill-based game. We’d dare say about 95%, with the remaining 5% attributable to having better clubs, balls, and apparel (which gives bonuses except in tournaments).

Having more or better clubs equates to possessing the ability to be flexible and make better, more precise shots. Gears give a minor advantage, but it all boils down to skill. If you have thrived in other golf games before, you’d need little adjustment in taming the courses and keeping up with the competition.

The main difference of WGT Golf from its more visually-friendlier counterparts (a.k.a those that come in kiddie animations and layouts), like Golf Clash and Golf Rival, is that you do not have an ability to get a rotatable, zoomed in look over the course which makes it more challenging. This is exactly why players ranked as Tour Masters take a long while to shoot at times, some really do the math for shot calculations since visual scouting is limited.

Topgolf Media did a mighty fine job to keep evolving WGT Golf since its release. Everything here is solid: console-grade graphics, elegant interface, and incorporation of options common to other golf games while fusing its own flavor for a more realistic taste of golf competition. The question now is, how solid are you?

We’d be honest to admit that we won’t take the mathematical approach here, as the majority of the players still go with the gamer’s instincts flow. After all, it is a much more exciting way to play. Still, we’d give a few pointers on how to develop an approach that is almost as chiefly effective as being math-dependent.

Furthermore, we’d like to clarify that this guide is primarily for players who are quite new to the game and seeking to improve quickly. If you’ve been playing the game for years now or since its release, it is very likely that you already know the details and tips we are sharing. But of course, feel free to hang with us here; this article may contain info about the game that may realign your knowledge and perspective of WGT Golf and every gamer is welcomed here at Level Winner!

Before we jump into more details, let’s get you briefed first with the interface that you see while you’re in a match and the options or features that each one offers. A deeper understanding of the in-match options will give you a permanent edge because paying attention to them will convert you as someone who is “just playing” into a golfer who is actually playing to win.

1. MATCH INTERFACE AND FUNCTIONS

1.1 Course Info Cluster

By course info cluster, we are pertaining to the small panel at the upper left corner of the screen. It displays your shot number, distance from the hole, and the wind’s direction and speed, useful details that will shape your approach to the course. Tapping on it will open some settings and options including the end round (forfeit match) command.

Furthermore, it also shows the par count (expected number of strokes to play the course/hole), the hole number, green speed and the corresponding logo of the course. Just to note, you can tap on the exact icon of the flag to remove the flagstick.

In our experience, we have registered a few flagstick hits and learned it quite late. Hitting the flagstick may be ambivalent, it can redirect the ball and send it far should it collides with too much excess force or offer a “brake” that may prevent the ball from rolling far.

1.2 Turn Indicator and Profile Shortcut

These objects, situated at the upper right and lower left corners of the screen, respectively acts the same way when tapped. You can scout the profile of your opponent and even the gears they have—only if time allows and if you are that keen to get a background info of who you are up against. The turn indicator will magnify the player label of whoever’s turn it is and the remaining time one has to perform a stroke.

The turn indicator will also show labels for leads and deficits and the useful reminder tag that shows if the current stroke is for an birdie, par, bogey, etc.

1.3 Stroke Bar

The stroke bar is your best friend and worst enemy in WGT Golf. If you read your target distance to correctly and aim for your optimal range in the Stroke Bar with respect to it, you might get ahead of your opponent by securing a solid landing spot.

Meanwhile, if you are unable to make a proper estimate on your shot’s ideal power for a particular distance or you missed the perfect stroke for quite a margin, you’d likely be at a disadvantaged especially if you’re up against a seasoned foe.

The key, therefore, is to befriend it. When you get to level 15, the Shot Pal feature will be unlocked. The Shot Pal is essentially segmentation marks along the Stroke Bar. This can improve your ability in determining the correct power-to-distance ratio that you want to put on every shot because you don’t have to purely rely on estimation.

The Shot Pal’s availability is, however, limited and you can replenish it by buying charges in the Pro Shop. In the event that you no longer have an active Shot Pal, you just have to mentally segment the bar relying on the selected club’s maximum range (which you can see to the left of it).

For example, if your club has a range of 90 and  you’re trying to send the ball approximately 42 meters away, you simply have to swipe the power input before the corresponding color of power reaches about half of the Stroke Bar.

1.4 Mini-map

Surveying the location is essential in planning on how to attack the course; for that you must turn to the mini-map. When it’s your turn to shoot, tap on the mini-map to get a general view of the target area. You cannot proactively enter a certain, movable “drone” type of view to survey the field, instead you will be taken to a preset wide view of the numbered spots on the course between the tee and the hole, depending on which shot you are taking.

If you wish to make your shot veer away from a target preset (say, to offset the wind’s ability to throw your ball off your desired landing area), check the “ghost” line on the mini-map as you drag and move the target placer. The ghost line will be navy blue in color if the marked area is reachable and will turn red if you drag it to an inaccessible area (with respect to your club’s power).

Note that some areas may not permit the placement of the target marker and may instead “allow” you to point at a very far location (as such, it will turn red). In such case, don’t mind that the red line warning or if the actual target is far from reachable, it’ll only be the general direction of your shot.

When transferring the target marker in favor of a safer landing spot or to scout how much you need to offset the wind’s influence (we’ll discuss about this later on), it’s better to tap on the mini-map first and drag it directly from there. Inside it, you have a finer spot-nomination ability than outside of it.

Just be wary of dragging the target marker prior to opening the focused view. If you have moved the marker too far away, you may not be able to see it within the focused view. Moving out of the focused view to re-drag the marker within the viewable area and reopening the mini-map will eat up a good amount of your turn time.

1.5 Golf Bag and Shot Type Selector

Depending on where you’re shooting, the game will nominate the most optimal club for you. If you ever want to change the currently equipped club, just tap on the active club’s photo and interact with the menu.

This is mostly helpful when you have specific clubs that you trust to work on tricky patches, we’re talking about rescue clubs and hybrids. In general, though, there is no serious need to swap clubs because proper spin, adequate stroke strength, and a decent swing will normally get things done.

To the left of the equipped club’s picture, you will see what type of stroke is preset for you on your turn. In contrast to the club selection, changing your stroke type is more of a necessity than just an option. Say for example you got caught in a bunker or a bush, the general rule is to switch from full to punch and then put more spin on your ball (not unless you are under tree). Punch strokes are the most effective in such a scenario.

Some shots will prove to be more appropriate than the presets, especially when dealing with sticky situations. To give you an example, the default shot type in the picture below is a chip; we trusted the preset twice and fell into the water, that is because a chip barely offers flight and is not meant to cover a long distance.

Also, the other bank of the trench actually slopes down which is why we needed a bigger shot for which case, a flop did save us.

Feel free to read the description of each shot type when you highlight/select them and try each shot in solo practice mode to have a better feel of what they can do. As for club and shot type selection, the general rule we can share is to never use a driver after the tee.

Similarly, when you’re already in the green and you still have a significant distance from the hole, make sure to switch clubs first if you opt to not commit to a putt because the putter can’t chip or flop.

Now that we’re cleared about what you see around the screen when in a match, let’s set our sights to the concepts that will matter in finishing a course.

2. GENERAL KEYS TO SUCCESS

Everyone knows that the chief goal in golf is to send the ball to the hole. In that goal, there are rudimentary concepts the both apply in real-world golf and WGT Golf and here they are.

2.1 Hone Your Swing

A consistent swing is what separates great golfers from the “just” good ones. Fortunately, unlike in real golf, you don’t need a dexterous arm and phenomenal kinetic linking. In WGT Golf, all you need is a neat sense of timing and, to a degree, a decent eye and hand coordination.

To ensure that you can put as much force and precision in your swing, the goal is to time the corresponding swing of your stroke when the bar gets to the middle line of the Swing Meter; tapping on your screen when the bar is right smack at that line will give you an excellent stroke.

In a perfect world, we’d all be making excellent strokes every single turn; in reality, it’s quite impossible to always time that swing meter right at the very center. The general rule known to advanced players when it comes to getting a perfect stroke at full strength is to fast count from 1 to 6.

We took the liberty to identify the pace and figured it is around 165 BPM (you can check an online metronome to get a better grasp of it). Just to clarify, this timing idea is not guaranteed to get you an excellent stroke, but it will help you aim within a few hair strands from it at least.

The counting method, however, will no longer apply when making shots that are far from full power and if you wear levelled up apparel that can slow the stroke bars for particular club classes. As such, it may eventually come down to developing instincts or a “feel” for strokes and hand and eye coordination.

You’d eventually develop that feel as you keep on playing games. No need to worry too much because as long as your stroke is not too far off left or right, you’d still be somewhat okay.

Just like in basketball, no matter how good and quick your mental calculations are, if your hand and release wouldn’t cooperate, that long-distance jumper isn’t going in. More often than not, a bad stroke usually happens on high pressure situations like when you’re only up by 1 stroke against an opponent who is noticeably skilled and your lead was out of sheer luck (i.e., your opponent had to take 1 extra shot from an error).

Fortunately, you can develop your stroke instincts by taking advantage of the no-pressure situation offered in the solo player mode (Game Modes > Stroke Play and CTTH).

2.2 Shot Placement

While the game feeds you a default target marker placement for each turn, always feel free to move it especially if you are new or not so familiar of a terrain yet. The idea is to nominate a safe landing area.

Shooting straight taking the direction that will eliminate most of your displacement is not always conducive. This is usually true in courses where a dogleg is covered by land mass, sand bunkers, fescue, brush, and rough that is thicker than 2^nd cut.

This is why familiarity of the terrain will play a factor because you would have a general idea on where you can aim as you approach the hole; being a bit farther from the hole, but landing on a fairway will give you better command on range and control for your next shot, as compared to taking a shot from a patch of sand or fescue.

The good news is that you can scout maps in the single-player mode. The game does not “lock” courses depending on a player’s level or tier; everything is available right away. Visiting each course may take time, but you can play around whichever hole the game sets you in; simply send the ball in places you wish to scout.

The practice mode will not penalize your account’s stats. If you ever chat with advanced players and ask them for tips or even just by commending their skill, they would often refer to practice and map familiarity. The solo player mode is valuable practice tool, capitalize on it if you wish to progress.

2.3 Consider the wind

No matter how superb you are in timing the swing meter and how smart your target area nomination is, if you don’t take into account the wind, your shots may still land badly. Never miss considering the wind’s direction and strength, particularly in locations where there are water hazards, bunkers, and sand pits between the tee and the hole.

There are also maps that are narrow and the fairways are interrupted with multiple patches of barriers and unfavorable terrain. A shot intercepted by the wind may often force the golfer to take 1 or more additional strokes to recover. At higher levels of competition, being down just by 1 or 2 additional strokes will already make it quite impossible to chase for a tie, let alone, a win.

If the wind indicator is pointing to the right, you must offset by moving your target marker to the left of where you intend the ball to land. Additionally, your offsetting differential should be proportionate to the wind’s strength; if you see that the speed of the wind is reaching or beyond 30s, ALWAYS offset because you will definitely land far from the marker.

The wind is not always an enemy especially if you’re trying to gain more distance on your shot. There will be times that the wind is inclined towards your general target’s direction. Shall you be in such a circumstance, allow the wind to help your ball reach further. If the wind barely inclines left or right, always go for max power shots for your tee in par 3 courses.

2.4 Watch your spin

Dealing with tricky patches of terrain is inherent in some locations which is why you must put as much control as possible on your ball. Not tweaking your spin while shooting from bad patches may not allow you to recover in just one shot. In the same way, you’d surely not want the +2 stroke penalty for lost balls and water drops that you can actually avoid by shooting the ball at a higher angle.

Increasing the spin of your ball makes it fly higher in shots that would involve a jump, ensuring a safe gap coverage. High spin shots also causes the ball to land at a steeper angle which results to the ball having lesser tendency to roll further forward upon landing (except of course if it lands forward a downhill surface). On the other hand, putting less spin will allow the ball to reach and roll further as favored by being thrown at a more slanted angle.

At times, winning is decided by who will create the least errors especially if the skill level of golfers is almost equal. Putting on the “brakes” by increasing your spin is particularly helpful when you are trying to be safe and play around treacherous patches of water hazards, trees, and bushes.

Keep in mind, that adjusting your ball’s spin is an option that you should always explore whether your aim is more distance, rescue, or control. To recap, less spin allows more reach while more spin empowers you to hurdle obstacles and limit the ball’s after-jump roll.

Apart from these 4 concepts, choosing the appropriate club for a shot is also essential, but the game automatically nominates the most applicable club for a turn anyway, so we won’t need to touch on that anymore. Carrying these vital ideas in each game will allow you to adjust to whatever circumstance you meet in the course and net you with wins as you grow your career.

3. DEALING WITH DILEMMAS

As skill, math, and luck intervene with your journey to the hole, you’d often find that despite having just one apparent destination, your approach to the course actually has forks in the road. We are to discuss now the three most common dilemmas you’ll encounter as a golfer.

3.1 Power vs. Safety
The default placement of target markers on tees are normally safe landing areas and this characteristic is the reason why players would usually commit to a full power tee. After all, who doesn’t want to cover more distance as early as the first stroke, right? However, the sense of security that the tee shot offers is something that may make players forget that playing it safe is an option too.

In the picture above, our high-level opponent, who is equipped with a better driver, went all-power from the get-go. It didn’t go well for him as his shot fell into the water. As if the stroke penalty is not enough, the game forced him to take the next shot at a pre-determined shooting spot which, unfortunately, is on a rough.

The key in discerning whether to go for power or safety is the course itself; if it was designed to have a fairway right before an obligatory jump, players would likely need it. The lesson: glance at the mini-map and have some self-control. 

Terrain Gamble vs. Far Green Landing

Sometimes, when the distance that you see in the target marker is within the max range of your club, it is tempting to go for it straight away. However, the power of your club is not the only factor. To ensure that a stroke won’t be wasted, always take into account the wind and terrain.

Let’s say that the wind is neutral or favorable to your shot, you should still think of your ball’s flight path if it has to fly over a land mass. If the differential between your club’s max power and the distance of the marker is less than 20 meters, it’ll be better to abandon the idea of taking a direct shot. This carries the same essence as the earlier item in this section, you can never go wrong by playing it safe.

Gambling to reach further or to take a shortcut is still an option, but you basically need to have a “yes” to the following questions.

1. Is the wind neutral or favorable to your shot’s direction?
2. Is there an adequate, safe landing space that can accommodate back rolls?
3. Does your club have at least a 20-meter power differential from the marker?
4. Are you familiar with the course’s exact part you are planning to land?
5. In case of a bad shot, can you still clinch the win or at least get a tie shall you need to do an extra stroke?

Yes. Five conditions. Quite a handful to take in, yeah? Admittedly, we took several gambles despite not being positive on those conditions and it is safe to say, it back fired to us.

Themaincourse of action in tackling this dilemma is to examine your standing. If you cannot afford to commit errors, play it safe; if you still have a point buffer, you may go and take a leap (or stroke) of faith.

Fringe hitting vs. Putting

There is no course in WGT Golf that sports a symmetrical green with the hole perfectly placed at the center.  Most greens are designed to have an irregular shape and, to make things more complicated, the hole is often placed at an awkward spot surrounded by multiple shifting elevation levels.

When dealing with awkward holes, you can choose to go vanilla, enter through the dogleg and take long putts that would frequently involve trial and errors for repositioning and attempts. This is the “textbook” approach, but it may burn through your stroke count limit if you can’t make the ball stop at a safe ground near the hole; a common occurrence if it has its own slight, uphill slope.

Alternatively, you can tactically play around the green’s frame and take a shot from the outside instead. In this approach, your aim is to land the ball on the rough, fringe, or fairway that is nearest to the hole. This is the better option if the safe entrance to green is far and rolling/putting your way from there clearly requires two or more additional strokes.                                                                      

Putting with less force, for the purpose of positioning for the next shot will be extra trickier and may not be conducive as how it is in flatter greens. If the hole has a bit of slope approaching to it, the wiser choice (like shared in an earlier section) is to give it a high-spin and a short jump (flop shot) eliminating the need to make the ball crawl up.

If you still have the chance to put a jump on your shot, you can skip any positioning pursuits and aim directly for the hole itself hovering over uneven ground. If lady luck favors you, the after-jump roll can even finish the job sometimes. We’ve lost count how many times we managed to get a birdie or par by doing this. Still, we recommend that you only prefer fringe hitting when you are already comfortable with it.

With these inevitable situations and the right frame of mind in addressing each clearly laid out, we hope that you will develop an impeccable sense of discernment in picking your shots.

4. PUTTING

Performing well in putts is extremely crucial that our desire to educate you about it deserves a section of its own. Landing on the green may serve as the homestretch for every hole and a successful putt is the finish line. However, such bid to cross the finish line may be met with multiple “checkpoints” a.k.a. missed and miscalculated putts. Here then are tips to help you minimize the occurrence of such checkpoints.

Respect the ground

If the ball has to travel across micro depressions and elevations, give an allowance to the power you put into the shot to account for any climbs and dips. In conjunction to it, placing the target marker behind the hole will help direct the ball as it powers through depressions and elevations.

When estimating your putt, check the color of the grid lines on the green. If you see three colors, it means that there are depressions and elevations of all sorts around the target marker. You can scout the surrounding elevation by dragging the marker around while in putt view.

Most importantly, focus on the movement of the small wide dots and be sure to take your time to carefully inspect them. The dots on the grid lines will always “roll” even if the level change only has a minimal angle of elevation or depression. While the hole is more than twice the width of the ball, a minor downhill angle to it may still cause your shot to miss.

When on an uneven ground, look closely if there is a flat or a safe slight uphill adjacent to the hole as putting from there would allow you a cleaner closing shot especially in matches where a gimmie is not allowed.
 
Profit from the Putt Preview

The Putt Preview is a limited feature which allows you to see the direction of at least one putt attempt. The preview will take into consideration the placement of the target marker and the amount of force you plan to put to the shot. It will even show the ball’s curvature and trajectory which will fine tune your decision making.

When you are still within the Hack tier (Level 19 and below), this feature is always available even in competition modes (Play Now matches). That single shot forecast will help a lot with your ability to readjust your putt and will give you a general idea of how putts happen depending on the distance, target marker placement, and the force you apply. Its limited availability is the game’s way of introducing players to the nature of putting and taking it away is a good means to force players to learn the skill.

Shall you need help to improve your ability in gauging how strong your putts should be, there is a Putter Pal in the Pro Shop; it can also be bought using WGT Tokens and works exactly like the Shot Pal.

Additionally, if you really wish to perfect your putting approximation, take advantage of the Putting Green game mode. It lets you play around the green with a difficulty of your choice. You can even place the ball wherever you wish to putt, so you can sharpen your putting from all angles and distances.

5. CHALLENGING SCENARIOS AND TERRAIN

We’re counting that with the previous sections, you are already equipped with all of the ‘offense’ tools in conquering matches. Now, let’s get your defenses up and mince each means of dealing with treacherous objects around the courses.

Bodies of water

The game will be kind enough to warn you if you landed virtually next to a body of water with a “water hazard” feedback. However, if your ball landed in an actual body of water, there is nothing more you can do. The shot will be treated similar to a lost ball and you have to redo it from a predetermined spot before the body of water that claimed the ball.

The key to dealing with bodies of water is to survey the area. If you see patches or strips of dark blue color, tap on the mini-map to confirm the existence of water. Either way, the aim is to not land on them. The best course of action if the map has water areas is just to avoid them altogether or aim at the general location before it if the course features a mandatory water crossing (jump shot).

Hills and Cliffs

Land mass barriers and cliffs are unnavigable areas that spell sure death to your turn. Shall your ball fall on one, that’s a quick +2 on your stroke count. Pits are not to be literally played around with since they are almost always skirted by downhill slopes which of course, will make the ball roll downward.

If you are ever tempted to cover more distance by shooting over one, make sure to take into account the wind’s interference. If the wind is blowing towards the direction of the cliff, it is better to overcompensate by adding more power to your shot and better yet add more spin. Usually, it is better to veer away from pits—position your target marker at a safe ground avoiding the cliff and just shoot at max power to sacrifice less distance.

Barricaded areas / structures and obstructed roads

Similar to pits, shall your ball land within a barricaded area, structure, or a big road, it will automatically be deemed out of bounds and that’s a +2 stroke. Most maps with such features are windy due to lack of natural obstructions like hills or mountains. Add to that, they are commonly narrow which presents a constant threat that a bad stroke could well mislead the ball.

They are, however, considered a lesser evil than hills and pits because you can land at their border; there are no downhill slopes, thus no threat of rolling out bounds. Just be wary of any concrete ground because they don’t offer good friction for the ball to halt it from rolling and bouncing. That means even a high spin shot will not stand a good chance of making the ball stop.

Trees

If your shot got caught in a tree line, don’t sweat to do a “proper” big shot toward the hole. No matter how much power you put into your next stroke, it will all be stuffed by the branches above you. Shall your ball land in a bushy area with trees canopying over it, go for a low spin shot and nominate the nearest, safe fairway or thin rough to land at.

Your aim is to recover and be back on negotiable grounds. Fescue, sand, bunker, and rough are bad places to be at, but they are far less threatening than being deep within a tree line because you can at least shoot high to escape from them. Note that trees are usually skirted with thick rough which will further hamper your stroke’s strength.

6. FARMING OPPORTUNITIES

WGT Tokens

The prime currency in the game are the WGT tokens and they are honestly scarce. You are awarded a handful each time you are able to climb unto the next tier.  The ad viewing opportunity gives a mere 2 tokens per ad and anything of value that can help with your game (clubs, balls, and limited use enhancements) will require you hundreds or thousands of it. The other free credit earning paths are very conditional and rarely available.

The only means to acquire a significant amount of it is to purchase them with real currency. We honestly think that it’s just fair; WGT Golf is a masterfully created that players are actually fortunate that is available on mobile as a free-to-play game.

WGT Coins

As for coins meanwhile, you receive thousands of it each time you level up. In case you want to rack up more, you do that by competing with other players in the multiple match types within the Play Now cluster.

The catch however is that, to compete with other golfers, you have to pay a playing fee. This is a wonderful dynamic of WGT Golf to encourage everyone to play skillfully. For efficient farming, we suggest to go for the Casablanca challenge because it is just a 3-hole match and you can earn 8,000 per win (playing fee is 10k).

Apparel

Apparel give bonuses on all non-tournament modes, which is why you should claim the free sponsorship feature. Activating a free sponsorship will reward you with random pieces and quantities of apparel from the sponsoring brand every time you finish a match. Sponsorships have a 6-hour cooldown and will stay active for 30 minutes. This means that the most optimum way to earn apparel is to compete in 1-hole matches (you can do about 5 on the average).

Top Golf Mode

If you wish for a risk-free way to earn coins, you can play Top Golf mode. It is perhaps the only non-realistic feature of the game (apart from apparel bonuses and item special effects, that is). Top Golf sets you on a driving range with multiple large holes wherein your aim is to rack up as much points as you can in 15 shots before the timer expires. Each hole basically acts as a target board, in which the closer you drain a shot to the center, the higher points you are given.

It is technically a fun mode that offers its own different flavor of pressure, especially if you’re up against players who are really well-versed of the mode. You earn points every shot you drain but higher points are given for scoring streaks when you make a shot on the highlighted hole. The idea, therefore, is to take your time to aim at the highlighted hole (taking into account the usual suspects: wind, distance, ideal spin). If you miss a shot, your streak obviously breaks and you have to wait on which hole will be highlighted next.

And we’ve reached the 18^th hole! Thank you for taking time in reading this article. We hope you’ve learned something in this WGT Golf General Guide that we’ve brewed for you. We truly had fun in learning and becoming better in the game, especially those times that we bested way more superior opponents.

Despite WGT Golf’s formal and sophisticated vibe (which is akin to the sport being a game of the affluent) the game has a very amazing and helpful community. From the forums to the in-game chat everyone is warm and welcoming. Speaking of welcoming, if you’re already a WGT Golf pro or higher and happened to come across this guide, you are very much welcomed to share your experiences and perhaps tips too in the comment section below! We wish that you consistently score aces, eagles, and birdies as for now, we bid you bye-bye!