Leaderboard

Member product testing is a big part of the MGS Forum and our community takes this responsibility very seriously. The OEMs have been incredibly generous with us through the years and it’s important that we continue to merit their trust. When they commit to sending our members new gear, they have obvious goals: they’re looking to create some buzz by proving the worth of their product. For starters, it's useful to read examples of great work already completed by members like YOU. While we never promise an OEM positive reviews (we want honest reviews), we must be able to promise the OEMs that they will get a review. It’s a huge black eye to our whole forum when someone receives a new driver or a set of wedges and then we never hear from him again. It’s why you don’t hear us talking about review opportunities as “contests” or reviewers as “winners.” While we understand that it’s a thrill to get brand new free gear, it’s also a real responsibility to get the review done in a thorough, informative, and timely manner. For that reason, it’s the moderators’ highest priority to choose testers who’ve proven that they’re invested in our forum community. So how do you get our attention? Set up a profile picture. It’s a small thing, but it’s really one of the basic ways we separate between those who are part of our community and those who are (often) just here to get free stuff. Start posting. Of our thousands of members, there are many who have only posted in review opportunity threads. If that’s your entire posting history, you won’t get chosen. Prove your review chops. There are plenty of opportunities to post unofficial reviews. Start by posting a WIYB. Get some good pictures of your clubs, bag, balls, and accessories. Explain why you use the club setup that you do. Post content that our community finds valuable. The reaction system (likes, etc.) is fun but it also has a serious purpose: racking up likes is a solid indication that your posts are a positive contribution to our discussions. Want an idea of how to add value to our forums? Check out the Leaderboard and especially some of our Hall of Fame members. You’ll find all kinds of different personalities, interests, and posting styles, but they have quality in common. Become a MyGolfSpy donor.

You might notice that many of our members list their current bag setup in their signatures. To get one like that yourself, click your forum name in the upper right corner, then choose “Account Settings”: Choose “Signature” from the list of options on the left of the page. To insert the custom icons of the various club and accessories OEMs, click the emoji (the smiley face) in the toolbar and scroll all the way to the bottom of the list.

Welcome! We’re glad to have new members in our forums. We think you’ll find this one of the best golf communities anywhere, with discussions that are both substantive and respectful. MyGolfSpy is like no other forum on the internet. We're content by the people for the people. You can make it your own in a judgement free zone. We don't have rules but encourage you to read our Forum Moral Codes. They’re short but they lay out the basic expectations that we have for our community. Next, fill out your profile. Click on your member name in the upper right corner, then on “Profile”: From there, you can change your profile picture by clicking the picture icon. While you’re there, fill out the rest of your profile, with your social media handles, your location, and your handicap by clicking the “Edit Profile” button: Then start posting! A great place to begin is the “Introduce Yourself” subforum. Jump in the thread for your region and let us know where you’re from and why you love golf!

Just ask for ‘em! The complete set of options for the badges can be found here. A couple of the badges have to be earned, like the winner of the MGS Fantasy Football and Golf leagues. Others relate to your vocation or golf accomplishments. Product testers receive their badges after fully completing all the aspects of their review. You can get nearly any of these badges by requesting them with a post in the badge thread or a DM to one of the forum moderators. For the “Donor” badge, you need to DM one of the moderators the transaction ID for your donation as a verification.

You will be able to find all our testing opportunities here: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/tests/ Use the signup button in any test that says Testers Wanted and you will be entered in as a potential tester. Always read the instructions in the first post and within the signup portion. Normally, we’ll ask for some specific information that will help us choose a variety of testers or testers especially suited to evaluate that particular product.

The OEMs generously provide equipment for our members to test. They are in the business of selling gear and each OEM has its own business model and goals. In most cases, we’re dealing with a specific business unit that only has control over a certain geographic area. Items shipped outside that region create a logistical nightmare—customs and duties are no joke. While we understand that our international members are sometimes frustrated by these restrictions, we trust that you understand that these are OEM decisions and that there are reasonable explanations for their choices. Whenever an OEM gives us the go ahead to choose testers from Canada or other countries, we almost always make sure to choose testers outside the USA.

If you want to discuss something with a forum member directly, the DM system is your best choice. Click the envelope icon at the top right of the screen, and then click "Compose New": In the "To" box, start typing the forum member name of your recipient. Add a subject and a message and hit send.

As a way to bring all our Forum Members together to compete against each other from wherever they are… The MyGolfSpy Forum is proud to present the: MyGolfSpy Forum Member Weekly Virtual Championship Tour (VCT) How to participate and become an official member of the MGSVCT (aka “The Tour”): Rules to enter The VCT: · Any MGS Forum Member is welcome to participate · You can post rounds in Any Week you play · You can post multiple rounds each week · Two 9’s can be combined to make an 18 hole score for entry. · 9’s can cross over weeks, but we ask that you post your 18 hole score in the week the 2nd Nine is played. · Because we at the MGS Forum are all HONORABLE people, and in keeping with the traditions of this great game of Golf... this is an Honor System Competition. · Post your score as you would for any in-person tournament you may play in. Ready to ENTER THE TOUR?? Simply open up the current week’s thread, and find the “Post Score” Button Click on that button and it will open up the template to post your score: Player Automatically filled in with your Member Name Date: You can adjust the date to the date of your round (date can be edited to be any date within the current competition week). Course Name Add the Course Name of the course you played Gross Score This is the score you actually shot Course Handicap: Using your handicap index (USGA/GHIN, or other equivalent means such as Diablogolf.com), calculate your "Course Handicap". (See more details on how to calculate your Course Handicap below) Gross Strokes over Par Post the strokes you shot over the course par. For example, if your course par is 72 and you shot 82… you would enter “10” in this field. Net Birdies or Better Using your course handicap, and your courses hole by hole handicap rating - count the number of net birdies, net eagles, net albatrosses, etc. Birdies count as 1, Eagles as 2, so on… post that total in this field. Longest Drive Just as the field says… enter your longest drive yardage here Comments Details of your round, pictures, etc. Based on the information entered in the template, your net score will be calculated and all your details will be posted automatically to the weekly VCT Leaderboard that can be seen at the top of each page in the thread: Each week, The MGS Forum Member VCT Tour Commissioner (me ), reviews the scores posted and awards one of three badges to the Winning Member Profile. Weekly Low Net Score (AKA the MGS Forum Black Jacket Badge) Weekly Most Net Birdies or Better Weekly Longest Drive These profile badges remain on the weekly winner’s profile for the following week, until a new winner is crowned. How To Calculate Your Course Handicap: As an example, My handicap index is currently 4.6. With my course's slope and rating, that equates to a Course Handicap of 5 (see below) and that is the number to enter into the post score template. Remember, this is a friendly competition between the members of the MGS Forum. A place for us all to have fun and compare our rounds with others across the world. The more we all post and add our comments in the thread, the more fun it can be. Play Often and Post Often in the MyGolfSpy Forum Member Virtual Championship Tour. If you have any additional questions about the MGSVCT or need help to post your scores, please don’t hesitate to reach out to @GolfSpy TCB

Donating is not a requirement for testing. You can look through the official forum review threads each year and find that roughly half of the reviewers aren’t donors. MGS Forum testing is decidedly not a pay-for-play proposition. That said, we are looking for testers who are committed to the mission and ethos of MyGolfSpy, and donating to MGS is a significant way of showing that a member is on board with that mission. When we pick testers, whether someone is a donor is part of the total package of qualifications that we consider. In many cases, it breaks the tie between two equally-qualified candidates. If you’re interested in donating to no-nonsense, data-driven golf testing, you can find out more here.