Championship LevelChampionship LevelAim : To explain the attraction of championship level golf, to motivate you to try it out once you've "mastered" pro level and to assure you that it's not as frightening as you think if you just persevere without any preconceptions of your scores as made at pro level...also to tell you that you can finally get to a game where your scores are more real-life like and thus the excitement of shooting the occasional great round is enhanced no end.How many 59's do you have at Pro level ?, for most of you it will be a lot....well try this out and then you might half-understand why a 59 in real life is an awesome experience.
The Championship Note :The game I will be talking about will be the PRO level of difficulty, because thats the game most of you will play, and certainly the Champ level players wont be needing any help from me ! However, at the end of most sections I will add a "championship" note, basically explaining if there are any adjustments to be made when considering the CHAMP difficulty setting, when there are occasions when the normal routine is not necessarily the ideal method.
As far as championship level goes the obvious difference is that the snap is much more critical, and more so on the longer clubs. For this reason it can be very frustrating but I can't imagine anyone not enjoying the challenge once they've had several months shooting in the 50's at pro level.Because of the massive deviation your ball will have with a bad snap and the fact that the effect of things like lies is double the amount in pro ( and bunkers are hell!) your game must change when you play championship level, there are some pins you just can't attack and some shots you just can't take on. This results in a wonderful tactical battle against the course and the tension of fighting the bad snap, especially that twitch with the driver which sends the ball about 100 miles wide.I wouldnt necessarily advise playing championship level but once you've started shooting in the low 60's at pro level and you are hitting the snap quite regularly, you should definitely give it a go. It will be a bit of a shock at first but once you've got over that you'll really appreciate it, and the fact that a birdie is a real "result" again...bogies are unavoidable but it's much more like the real game where a bad score is only a shot away and you really have to fight to get under par....If you can keep calm and hit the snap regularly ( assuning you do at pro) you'll even get to the stage where you hit good scores at championship level...that's the time to try champ level in windy/hard/fast conditions !...In pro mode I would expect scores of say 63,60 and 57 in windy,breezy,no wind...but at champ level I average about 65 in no wind, 67 in breezy and 70 in the wind, and I can tell you every round of champ level is immensely enjoyable, even the horror rounds ! No way in pro level do you think so much about the layout of the course, the percentage shots to play and the tactics of getting round, and it really helps you learn the game of getting up and down for par out of tough spots. My final recommendation regarding the championship level is that it unquestionably helps your pro game, honest ! After playing champ level for a few rounds, try switching back to pro, you'll usually find your snap is much tighter and because you've become accustomed to fighting for birdies and making long putts for par, you'll be amazed how bad your snap can be in pro and still get close.After this year, I wont be playing pro anymore, I love championship level and the fact that each round is like playing a new course all over again as there are new challenges each time you tee it up, and new bad spots to get out of ! You'll have to decide yourself when you want to switch to championship level, but ask yourself if pro is really too easy ? have you started getting mad at pars? do you shoot 50-odd every time you tee it up ? If so, give it a go at the old champ game and you may find your enthusiasm comes back and then some ! I can hardly describe the joy you feel the first time you break par at champ level, and watch as those course records start to look a bit more like real life ( I dont think I have a 59 yet at champ level, but I have a 60 and it felt amazing...how amazing does it feel to score 54 again at pro level ?)....I know some of you have a long way to go at pro level, but you will get there eventually and then your time will come to face the real challenge ! Another bonus of champ level (as ErnieB tells me)..there are so many less championship players out there that you will be able to compete better than you think, and you'll realise that there are many players struggling along with a bad snap ! So, give it a go with an open mind, don't get mad, thats "pro - brain" for you.....a birdie is a real bonus, and a par should be hard gained....enjoy the ride and dont forget to stop and smell the flowers along the way !
Top Tips: Create a new player and set the ability to champ, do the same with a pro level player and start playing fresh with both of them...compare the scores and stats of both players over time to see the areas you need to tighten up on, and see how the champ level scores are really quite realistic for a change! A great tip to start with is to use woods and long irons off the tee..the deviation with a bad snap increases as the club is longer and the driver is a very unforgiving club...by hitting the fairways with 3,4,5 Woods and long irons you'll avoid much of the horror scores, and play for the centre of the greens to start with..remember 100% Greens in regulation = birdie putt on every hole and an almost certain score of par or better.....If you use the driver, try hitting the pace at 10 rather than 12 o'clock to reduce the hell if you miss the snap, and never, never,EVER go past 12 at championship level, especially with that pesky driver........dont say I didnt warn you