THWGolf
 

So,...you want to know a little more about us, eh? Well,...OK

Overview

For starters, we play Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for the Wii. (Although, given EA's ridiculous 2 player limit for online games in the Wii version only, that may change in the future.) We usually gather on Friday and Saturday evenings around 9PM MST. Scores are entered into a database after each gaming session so that we can keep track of player stats. Why? Because we all want to know who is No.1. Also, we strive to maintain a PG-rated gaming environment.

Equipment

At a minimum, the following items are required to play

  • A Wii
  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters for Wii game
  • Motion Plus controller

The following items are optional but, in our opinion, you’re really missing out on half the fun if you don’t have them.

  • Chicken Stick - What is a Chicken Stick? The Chicken Stick is a golfclub-like accessory that holds the WiiMote and helps simulate a real golf swing. This accessory has enhanced the Tiger Woods game experience by at least 1000%. You can buy one at amazon.com
  • Wireless Headset - A wireless headest is needed so one can join in the live banter going on during the game via our TeamSpeak server (more on that below). We happen to like the Logitech Clearchat Wireless headset but any headset you can connect to your computer will do. You can find the Logitech models at amazon.com

While the Chicken Stick is listed as optional, it is REQUIRED for tournament play and/or if you wish to participate in the stats system and appear on the leaderboard. Playing without the ’stick is for FUN only.

Game Settings

In order to maintain the integrity of the stats, all games are set up with the following settings. Games not set up with these settings are not eligible for entry into the stats database and are commonly referred to as Exhibition games.

  • Tee Select: Black (Hard)
  • Flagstick: Expert
  • Swing Difficulty: Tour Pro
  • Putting Style: Precision
  • Gameplay Difficulty: Tournament
  • Course Conditions: Tournament
  • Weather: Forecast Channel
  • Shot Clock: 60 Seconds
  • Focus: Allowed (optional - but usually allowed)
  • Wii Balance Board: Not Allowed (optional)
  • Ranked: Yes (optional)

Rules

There are no official rules at THW Golf. Basically, just the rules of the game itself. We do, however, have a set of by-laws that we use as a guideline. And even though the game allows it AND is not strictly prohibited in the by-laws, pitching on the green is severely frowned upon.

Communication

  • TeamSpeak Server - On game nights, we communicate via our live voice chat server powered by TeamSpeak. We usually chat/smack amongst ourselves as one would during a real golf outing. Rated PG, of course. This is where those wireless headsets come in handy. The specifics for joining the server will be given out upon an invite from a THW Golf member. You can download the TeamSpeak client here TS3DL.
  • Mailing List - Throughout the week we communicate (lots of PG-rated smack talk and taunting) via our email Mailing List. This list is for members only.
  • RSS Feeds - Don't have time to visit the site, yet want to keep up with the latest headlines? No problemo. Subscribe to our RSS feed at feed://www.teamhousewares.com/thw/index.php/thwgolf2/atom
  • Live Streaming - On select game nights (especially tournament nights), binkdog will stream his game live on our livestream channel at www.livestream.com/thwgolf. Works on iPhone and iPad, too!
  • You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube
  • Contact Us - Need to get a message to us? Use our handy-dandy contact form.

Tournaments

THW Tournaments coincide with real world PGA tournaments, provided the course being played at is included in the current EA Tiger Woods PGA Tour for Wii game. We use the same settings listed in the Game Settings section above.
Everyone has two days to play their four rounds. Players do not get to choose their best four rounds played during the weekend. A player must announce beforehand if the round they are about to play will count as one of their four rounds. Preferrably, two rounds are played on Friday and the other two on Saturday. The Chicken Stick is required to participate in tournaments. And, as stated in the by-laws, a player must play at a minimum two consecutive weekends prior to the tournament.

IT

Web site seem a little slow? That’s most likely due to the fact that it is hosted on an older PowerMac G4. A 500MHz dual processor G4, that is. Connected to a 4-drive RAID 10 drive array. OK, now we're just bragging! Anyhoo, it seems to work for our little low volume web site.
The TeamSpeak server, Mailing List and RSS feeds are maintained by MacTHW.
binkdog takes care of iOS programming and livestreaming
AshTHW takes care of YouTube and the Twitter feed while both AshTHW and binkdog (and GeekTHW) update our Facebook page
All members are welcome to submit materials for the Headlines

About THW Golf

THW Golf is a private online golf league that plays Tiger Woods PGA Tour on the Wii. Membership is not open to the public and one must be invited by a current member in order to join. THW Golf was formed during the Tiger Woods 2010 season and provides for a family-friendly environment where known friends can get together and compete in challenging and cheat-free golf sessions. We think that not opening ourselves to the trolls and cheaters and hackers of the greater World Wide Web is key to maintaining that environment.

Although we are closed for public membership, please feel free to check out our stats, headlines, tournaments, promotional videos, and heck, even our by-laws. As you can see, while we may be a small group, we like to think BIG. But more importantly, we like to have FUN.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, thanks to the team’s resident social butterflies,
Ash and binkdog.