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NOT ONE, NOT TWO, But THREE winners of VOKEY SM10 Wedges Courtesy of Titleist and Vokey Wedges A big thank you to the entire Vokey Team for their awesome support of the Forum and this contest! Read THE Entire post or you may be in danger of missing out on a crucial Step. We don't want any DQ's here! Wedge play at Augusta National can be the difference between winning and losing...just ask Larry Mize 1987, Tiger Woods 2005--remember that one---or even Zach Johnson 2007-laying up to a wedge on all 4 par 4's all four days. So with that we are happy to announce that Titleist Vokey Wedges is sponsoring our 2023 Masters Pool. Read below for the details.... 2024 MASTERS POOL SPONSORED BY VOKEY WEDGES-- Everyone picks a team of 6 golfers. Add your best 4 of 6 golfers scores to form your team score. The best team score wins the pool. Cut golfers (and anyone who doesn’t finish 4 rounds) get 80 for any rounds not completed. Playoff holes do not count. HOW TO JOIN THE POOL Pick your team of golfers here: Join the MGS Vokey Masters Pool Here Follow the action live Live Leaderboard MY Golf Spy Rules for This Contest Please read the 3 Rules Below, there are only two, but if they are not followed completely, your entry will be disqualified. 1) You MUST be a registered member of the Forum to win 2) Your entry MUST be your FORUM USER NAME! as the Team Name when you register!! (NOTE-If the contest will not aacept your exact user name due to punctuation-send me a DM for instructions on how to proceed) Any names that don't match and do not contact me will be DQ'd. 3): please make a post in this thread before the event begins with the following two answers-Note these tie breakers come into play after the Tie Breaker inside the actual contest. If any of those rules are not followed your entry will be disqualified! Also Multiple entries not allowed. Any duplicate entries will be deleted 1st Tie Breaker What is the Cut Number. Such as -4 and better makes the cut 2nd Tie Breaker -Who will be the low amateur If a tie still exists, the winner will be selected at random by the moderation team PRIZES!!! 1st Place: The first Place winner will receive a set of 3 Vokey SM10 Wedges-Your choice of loft, grind and finish. 2nd Place-Three Vokey SM10 wedges of your choice, loft and grind and finish 3rd Place Three Vokey SM10 wedges of your choice of Loft and Grind Entries will close at 11:59 EST Wednesday April 10, 11:59 EST Entries will automatically lock then. NOTE: Not required, but feel free to go to the Vokey Wedge Selector Tool and find out which wedge would best fit you, and feel free to share your selections here. If you win, you will still have time to submit your final specs and choices to us. This is purely for fun, and perhaps to get you ahead of the game if you win! Vokey Wedge Selector Tool

Hello All, This is my 2000th post. I tried to time it up, to hit on March 27th. The 1 year anniversary of my stumbling into what has become a rather integral part of my life. However, because there are so many great things going on the forum, and I gotta get these posts off, I am a week early. Such is life. A look back at the past year reveals quite the journey so here are a few highlights: The Callaway Paradym Iron testing opportunity is what prompted me to join. I signed up and impatiently waited for the announcement. The tester’s were announced and to my dismay, I wasn’t one of them. What happened next is/was critical to my journey. I read @GolfSpy_APH’s how to be a tester thread. Which prompted me to take the initial steps with a completed profile and photo where the B had been. My first actual post came on April 13, 2023 7 people gave a blue heart, which was gratifying, so my initial trepidation about posting was overcome and we were off. My next pivotal moment, and what I would argue is my finest contribution to these here forums would come from a fundamental question I asked myself: Over the course of 2000 posts, this was and still is my absolute favorite. Because I followed the prescribed steps and got myself involved I was chosen to test the Garsen Max Putter Grip. Which was cool, because Garsen sent us three different putter grips to try out. That resulted in: Subsequently followed by: I’m fairly certain this review remains unread by the masses, for reasons I have explained on the community call, IYKYK (yes, it’s still there). We have mentioned in the “want to be a tester” threads that doing a great job on a small item review can be a springboard into bigger tests, I am proof of that as I was selected for one of the most coveted spots for 2023: It was around this time that @GolfSpy_APH put out a feeler for anyone interested in joining the staff. Along with @GolfSpy AFG, @GolfSpy_SHARK, & @GolfSpy_KFT, I joined the staff as a forum leader. Which prompted @GolfSpy AFG to rename us as the “interns”. Almost immediately @GolfSpy TCB had to step away from the forum and I inherited a moderator role and the VCT. For those who are interested: And if you haven’t joined us yet, but would like to, our 3rd season will be kicking off the week of April 8th. We would be honored to have you join us. Lastly, my latest endeavor: Follow along as I try to overcome a series of seemingly random and unfortunate events. As I look back on the past year, I am filled with gratitude and admiration for my fellow testers and the membership at large. You have all made this place a special corner of the interwebs, where civility, intellectual curiosity, and kindness rule the day. A special thanks goes out my fellow staff members: @GolfSpy BOS, @GolfSpy SAM, @GolfSpy_BNG, @Golfspy_CG2, @GolfSpy AFG, @GolfSpy_SHARK, & @GolfSpy_KFT you guys are the absolute best of us and I’m proud to call each of you, my friend. To @GolfSpy_APH, my sincere gratitude and admiration for not only the opportunity you have entrusted me with, but the ever steady hand with which you guide this ship. It has truly been one of the great pleasures of my life, finding this place. Finally, if you made it this far, thank you for indulging my vanity post and know that you have a friend in me. - Ben

Testers Announced! It has been a few years, but we are very happy to have PING golf clubs back as part of our Forum Member Testing! The PING s159 are the newest wedges from PING; however, it is not just new wedges that PING is excited about for this testing opportunity. They have also released their new WebFit App that aims to simplify the often confusing wedge grind dilemma. PING s159 Wedge Features: The s159 wedges are now offered in six different grind options, with two brand new grinds introduced for this series (the B and H grinds). As PING worked closely with their tour professionals on an updated design and look which would appeal to more golfers. PING has included their Friction Face that combines face blast and their optimized precision-milled grooves for what they claim is "the launch and spin control to play score-lowering shots from every distance." Add in appropriately spaced MicroMax grooves depending on the loft; these wedges are packed full of technology. All of their loft and grind combinations have been made available in two different finishes: The Hydropearl 2.0 Chrome and Midnight. The WebFit Wedge App: A simple step-by-step questionnaire based on what their wedge experts use to identify the best grinds and options for their tour pros, the WebFit app aims to simplify and find the best grinds and lofts for your game. The entire process takes only a few minutes and provides several options that best suit your answers, making the choice of knowing what grind should work for you a whole lot simpler! Please welcome and congratulate our 4 testers! @bens197 @johngschulz @aguybadatgolf @Leonvdwesthuizen

Please welcome and congratulate our testers for the following Shot Scope and Bridgestone collab test! Looking forward to seeing everyones results! @Johnsonk9 @C-Lau76 @barney19 @Freshbrockoli @deattle @Bubba1985 @Kbek @unccross @Steven Senft @Preeway @LinksgolfFever @Sixft9 @Everardo @NickyBobby @mdleedy2 @Golf2Much @PhilM75072 @Gopokes14 @Timberwolfmadcat @MIgregb @nupezb @tony@CIC @rarce_torres @fozcycle @WalkerH @acatalano32 @THE GOLF GUY @golfjunky79 @MajorCavalry Happy testing all! This Thread will hold the Bridgestone sampling members (all those who answered the video questions correctly last time around) as well as the Shot Scope test. You are all one big family now!

Testers Announced! Motocaddy has long been considered a leader in the electric push cart industry, offering a wide variety of options at various price ranges, including the new M1 DHC Electric Caddy and M5 GPS DHC Electric Caddy. For this Testers Wanted opportunity, Motocaddy has offered several different models to put to the test! About Motocaddy Motocaddy is a British company founded in 2004, aiming to bring reliable and affordable electric caddies to all golfers. They have won several awards and introduced a variety of different technologies and accessories to their lineup. The electric cart range consists of six different models, with the base model being the M1 DHC, the most simple to use but still including Downhill Control. With more features added, the M3 DHC and M5 DHC include integrated GPS with a touchscreen and further game-enhancing features. Finally, the M7 has two different REMOTE models with or without GPS technology. The electric caddies also include Motocaddy’s EASILOCK technology and a host of other details, such as an anti-tip rear wheel, simple, compact folding, and more. Please welcome and congratulate our testers! @StrokerAce @rkj427 @Erin B

Introduction Firstly, thank you MyGolfSpy and Ping for this amazing opportunity to test these wedges and use their Webfit Wedge app, to get the correct fit to suit our game. Hi Spies, my name is Leon vd Westhuizen and I play off an 18 handicap in and around Durbanville, Western Cape, South Africa, a small country at the bottom of Africa with about 60 million people but with a huge golf following. Our country has gifted the world the likes of Gary Player, Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen to name a few, so we have a rich history of producing great golfers, but I am not one of them! (these are not Gary, Arnold or Jack) As a youngster, I grew up watching Gary, Arnold, and Jack battle it out at the Masters and I wanted to be like them. So, I started playing golf occasionally, while still at school, but I loved rugby more, so I never focused on it. Forward many years later, and I have a wife & son, but I still love golf, cycling and rugby (Our national team, The Springboks, are the 4x World Rugby Champions you know!) But enough about me, this is about the opportunity to test these beauties from Ping, the brand-new Ping S159 wedges in Midnight Black for me. Just a disclaimer, I’m a virgin Ping player... I have never owned and played any club from Ping. Yes, I have taken their driver at the golf shop for a few hits on the trackman, but that is it, not a single club on the course, so this will be my first time in the world of Ping My Rationale We get so exhilarated when we watch DJ, Rory or Rahmbo hit their wedge just inches from the hole, but what about us mere mortals who hit our wedges, on the green, sometimes missing the green, and sometimes fat or thin. I am one of those guys who normally hit my wedge and be happy to get the ball to stay on the green, very lucky when it is anything closer to the hole for a decent chance at birdie, par, or bogey. I am one of those guys, who used to hit my wedges thin or fat. I am one of the guys who had to get creative with my hybrid, 9 & 7 iron, cause my wedges would scare the heck out of me! But I am not that guy anymore! I have more confidence with my wedges, I don’t use my hybrid around the green anymore, I can play a shot onto the green and the ball would check and stop rolling... I have gained a lot of confidence with my wedge game, so I will use my new found skill and confidence and apply it to my testing. Pings’s Webfit Wedge App With the launch of the S159 wedges, Ping also launched their Webfit Wedge app (btw, you can also do a Webfit for all your clubs). This app makes the daunting task of choosing a wedge really easy, as they take the fundamentals of your game, through an easy questionnaire, into consideration and give you the best suggestion to have as little gaps in your game as possible, because that’s how we will improve our short game! Check my results out: Ping suggested I take the S grind on all the wedges, which will help me with enhancing versatility around the green, or just calming my nerves! My Gameplan My game plan is to compare the Ping S159 to my current gamers, the Cleveland RTX Zipcore, which has been instrumental to calm my nerves and my hands. I will play my local, 18-hole par 3 course, Hazendal, twice a week for a month, so I can get used to the Pings and thoroughly test these wedges and see if I can make small incremental improvements or hoping they will be big strides of improvements. Then I want to apply those short game improvements, to the longer courses every weekend, and see how they translate to the everyday golfer and the mid to high handicapper. I have also booked a session at the The Pro Shop (our big national golf retailer offering fittings using track data), to see what my details are, like spin rate, launch angles, bounce control, all while playing my trusty Taylormade Soft response or Callaway Supersoft ball. Thank you for coming on this journey with me!

Runner Golf Putter INTRODUCTION Firstly I would just like to thank MGS, the Forum mods and of course Runner Golf for giving me this opportunity and entrusting me with such a fantastic opportunity. I appreciate how lucky I am to be selected for this and I hope to be able to provide a balanced, informative review for all those that showed interest in this opportunity PLAYER PROFILE So a bit about me. I’m Mick, 52, married to my long suffering wife Michelle (God knows how she puts up with me) for the last 14 years and currently live on the edge of SE London, England. I’m originally from the NE of England but moved down here to the “Big Smoke” 18 years ago when I met my wife. Hence how I got my nickname, Northern Monkey. I’ve been a police officer for 28 years and the last 17 years have been on Traffic, or Highway Patrol as those over the pond call it. As a result I’m an advanced police TPAC (Tactical Pursuit and Containment) driver and motorcyclist. Which means lots of driving and riding at high speed on fast bikes and cars, chasing bad guys and getting paid for it. Who said you needed to work for a living? It can have its downsides and one of these was getting wiped out on a police motorcycle which resulted in numerous breaks in my left hand and wrist, in 2007. 18 months, and four operations, later I have been left with limited movement in my left hand including no movement in my ring finger and partial movement of only one joint in my little finger. This meant 10 years away from golf, due to not being able to grip a club, but I managed to start playing again properly around 4 years ago following a lot of physio. This also helped me get back on a bike and I’m back riding police motorcycles operationally again, and just as fast as I ever was I started golfing in my early teens when my dad used to take me to our local pitch and putt and loved it. This progressed to moving on to our local municipal 18 hole course. It wasn’t that regular due to him working in Africa for 8 weeks out of every 10 but I did keep an interest in the game even if I wasn’t playing that often. Fast forward to me starting a new job with Rothmans ( Tobacco manufacturer) at 20 and there was an active golf society there which I quickly became involved in and started playing regularly. This continued through my police service, where there was also active societies, until the motorbike accident. Although at this point I had never been a member at a golf club I was still playing pretty much every week and had got my society handicap down to 12. Following the bike accident I really missed my golf, and motorbikes, and for a long time there were doubts as to whether I would ever play again. However, thanks to a great surgeon and the fabulous NHS, I was able to lightly grip a club again in late 2015. About 18 months of work at the range, managing to adapt what little grip I have left in my left hand, meant I was able to get back into golf regularly although now with a tendency to play with an aggressive fade, or slice as some prefer to call it. 80910f9c-82cd-4c42-a065-fa0b790f315b.mp4 When I started out I inherited my dads old clubs which were a set of Titleist blades, Wilson woods - which were wood in those days, and a Ping Anser putter. I continued with these for many years before moving on to a Taylormade R5 driver, an ancient Persimmon wood and a set of Ping Zing 2 irons and stuck with my trusty Ping Anser. I changed the Ping irons out for a set of King Cobra cavity back irons and gamed these up until my bike accident in 2013. When I started again I bought a Taylormade RBZ Driver and 3 Wood, a set of Taylormade burner irons and some Mizuno wedges, all second hand from eBay. The reason for this was I didn’t know at that point how well I was going to be able to play again so didn’t want to spend a great deal. Once I realised I was going to be able to stick with it I then bought a Callaway Mavrik driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid and 4-AW irons with Jaws MD5 wedges and an Odyssey 2 ball ten putter which I still use now. Although I must admit I am looking at changing out the driver for a Ping G430 Max. I also joined my local club, Sidcup, and now play there regularly as well as playing a variety of courses through the society. This includes a yearly trip, away which this year is to Portugal, and we have previously played Celtic Manor so I get to play some really nice courses too. I’ve now managed get my handicap down to 15.9 and am hoping to get it down even further this year. My putting is something I want to, and need to, work on which is why I applied for this test so to be selected was awesome for me and I can’t tell you how excited I am for it. I’m really looking forward to receiving the putter and to see if it looks as good as it does in the pics. I intend to get out as much as possible playing full rounds as well as using the practice green for testing. I’m hoping to improve my putting through this test and become more consistent. Some days I seem to putt well and the next I couldn’t hit a barn door from 5 yards but that’s the beauty of the game isn’t it. If we were all consistent we would be golfing for a living! I intend to compare the Runner to my Odyssey 2 ball ten and see how they fare against each other. I also use ShotScope X5 so will be able to track my putting and give accurate feedback. Feel free to ask anything about the Runner, or anything in particular you’d like me to try and incorporate into the testing, and hopefully I’ll be able to give you an interesting and relevant testing of this gorgeous looking putter. Thanks UNBOXING The Runner Golf putter arrived this morning and it took all my willpower not to dive right in and rip it open. Thankfully I managed to restrain myself (God knows how) and left it sealed in the box until I could take it to a more suitable unboxing location. On opening the box the putter was well wrapped and protected in bubble wrap with a foam insert around the head Once the bubble wrap was removed I found the putter was seal wrapped in another polythene bag Once this was removed the shaft had another polythene sleeve over it and the head was protected by the headcover I removed the sleeve, thinking that would be it, but on removing the head cover I found that the head was shrink-wrapped in another polythene coat I think it's fair to say that Runner went above and beyond to ensure the putter arrives in perfect condition. Also in the box was a wrench for the putter that had a carabiner attached so it can be clipped to your bag.to I thought this was a nice little touch and just gave that extra feeling of it being a quality product. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: 20/20 My first impression having unboxed the putter was that it looked like a quality product. The extensive packaging and protection reinforced this as well as the earlier mentioned carabiner on the wrench. The head cover is a really nice looking, and feeling, item. It feels quite substantial and well made with quality stitching, strong magnets for closure and a very plush velvet type lining. It is certainly the plushest head cover I've come across so far and definitely gives the impression that the head will be well protected by it. There's also no mistaking where Runner are based I really like the look of this putter, it looks very futuristic to me and is oh so shiny!!!!! I love the contrasts between the silver, black and red and to look at it truly is a thing of beauty, especially with the added bonus of the MGS logo The precision milled 6061 aluminium face is very appealing and having hit a couple of balls I can say it gives good feedback. There is a distinct sound difference when you hit it on the sweet spot, with a nice reassuring "thunk". Hit it off the toe or heel and it produces a higher pitched "tink". Having previously used an Odyssey 2 ball Ten with a white hot insert this is my first milled putter. Straight away I could feel that it doesn't need as much of a backswing to get the ball going and has a firmer feel to it. Having said that after a few balls I really appreciated the difference and think this could be something that really gels with me, although it is very early days yet. The alignment aid on the putter really stands out to me as it is like a small fin so gives you a 3D perspective. I found it very easy to use and it was effective. There was a choice of grips available and I went with the Garsen Quad Tour. This has been reviewed previously on MGS so I'm not going into detail on it. Short to say I like the feel of it and it suits my grip. The innovation on the Runner is the moveable weights on the rear These can be adjusted to suit your stroke and move the sweet spot. I intend to try different setting for these during the testing to see what effect they have. They do stand out, mainly due to the contrasting red colour, but again this is something that I like the look of on this putter. The putter feels beautifully balanced and on your putting stroke it just feels like it wants to stay straight and true. It certainly gave me confidence when striking the ball that it was going where I aimed In short my initial impressions are that this is a quality, well made putter that looks fantastic. It feels, and looks, like a high end marque item and just oozes class. As an initial comparison to my Odyssey, which I really like by the way, I would say its like comparing a Bentley to a Ford. The Runner just looks and feels like you're dealing with a class item I'm really looking forward to getting into the testing with this and hoping that the performance matches the looks and build quality

After paying close attention to my post count tick towards 3,000, I completely forgot about it for creating this post and see that this one will make 3,001 . Similar to @GolfSpy_BEN, I wanted to create a post to reflect on what has been the past almost two years of consistent posting for me here at the MGS forum. Thanks for the inspiration, Ben! I first joined the forum back in April of 2018, and what brought me initially was the lure of testing golf equipment. I will fully admit that I did not take the time to actively post and engage, and my account was dormant for a long stretch, save for looking at testing opportunities that came up on occasion. All that changed in 2022, when I was having a miserable time hitting my 3 wood and had wondered if a 5 wood would give me an advantage. I created this thread, and as they say, the rest is history I posted this thread not really expecting to get much by way of replies. I was a complete newcomer with hardly any posts, and in my experience at other forums, that leads to you largely being ignored. I quickly found out how different this community was, and had some longtime and very active members replying with advice. Later on in 2022, as I was signing up for testing opportunities but not being selected, I decided to post an unofficial review of some Craftsman headcovers I had received from them. I figured it would be a push in the right direction for me to express my writing ability. Some photos were good, some were so-so with lots of clutter in the background due to my messy garage, but excitement to get some posted . It was shortly after this that I was given a chance to participate in the ProV1/1x Whitebox testing in the fall of 2022, but turned it down as the season was almost over in Wisconsin and I knew I wouldn't be able to to my due diligence. I was bummed, but also opportunistic that I would get a shot at testing in 2023! Fast forward to 2023, and I decided that I wanted to continue some strong engagement and created a " Journey to Breaking 90" thread. With some sound advice from @GolfSpy TCB, I was off and running. That was a step in me being more accountable to my golf game, and did ultimately help me to accomplish that goal on a couple separate occasions. Hoping for lots more this year! To those of you that followed along with me on this thread, it truly meant a lot. I don't have many friends who are "golfers" at home, just friends who play golf. So this aspect of the community has helped me immensely as I tend to take the game, equipment, etc., much more serious than who I play with on a regular basis. Next came the highlight of my golfing and forum life to date in being selected to participate in the COBRA 50th Anniversary Challenge! This was my first testing opportunity and proof that you do not need to be an experienced tester to be selected for big opportunities. Just be a positive and contributing member of the forum! Have to shout out my running mates @chisag, @CFreddie, @sirchunksalot, @Tom the Golf Nut & @JerryB in making this a super fun and memorable event for the majority of my summer season last year. Also a big THANK YOU to @GolfSpy BOS for all the hard work he put into organizing the event. The #LeftyGang was well represented in this one, with @TSauer staying step for step along the way! It was an absolute blast. The remainder of 2023 golf wise was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. I saw my scores improve a lot throughout the challenge, then went through a bout of terrible ball striking later in the summer/early fall where I couldn't put a score together to save my life. I played some of my best golf, though, at the end of the season, and carded 9 hole scores of 40 and 41 on back to back days on the front/back 9 of my home course for a combined score 81 and easily the best golf of my life. Moving further into the year, myself along with @GolfSpy_BEN, @GolfSpy_SHARK & @GolfSpy AFG, were given the opportunity to join the forum staff when @GolfSpy_APH put out a message looking for some extra help on the forum. It has been a privilege to join this group of guys, and I am just trying to keep up with everyone else on providing quality support to all of the great members here. Thanks to @Golfspy_CG2, @GolfSpy BOS, @GolfSpy SAM & @GolfSpy_BNG for believing that we wouldn't mess anything up too bad This has also led to me having an opportunity to write some content for the main site, which I have loved every second of getting to do. There are tons of you here that have made this place what it is today. I am sorry I can't list everyone off, I wish I could. But then this post would be EVEN LONGER than it already is and no one would read it . I just want to finish with saying that I do believe this is the best collective community of individuals you could hope to find on the internet, and I am looking to many more interactions with everyone as the years continue to roll along!

Introduction Hello. My name is Bob and I'm a golfer. (Audience replies, “Hi, Bob!”) Player Profile I've been golfing for about 60 years which should tell you something about my age. Lifelong resident of Wisconsin and have lived in the southeastern part of the state for the majority of my life with the exception of stints in Stevens Point, Eau Claire, and Green Bay. Grew up playing municipal courses long before irrigation was a thing which makes me a “picker”. Trying to take a divot, particularly in the summer months, was literally a question of whether you were trying to sprain a wrist or break it. Golf balls were covered with balata until the glorious day that Surlyn was introduced. Finally, a chance to play a round without having to worry about how many “smiles” our bladed irons were going to inflict on the ball due to a less than perfect strike. We'd put our golf bags on our backs, bicycle an hour to the course, play 18, and head home. A round of golf, a Coke, and an Acushnet “Club Special” cost all of $2.00. I'm left handed...except for golf. Only clubs I had access to were my mother's discarded set from long, long ago. Blades of course, a persimmon driver, a blade putter which was hard to differentiate from a 2 iron other than by the length of the club. Yeah, spent my first six years with a short set of “Miss America” hammer forged blades. Steel shafts, before chrome became a “thing” covered in an acetate sleeve to prevent surface rust from showing. Immediately below is a photo of my first putter. I recall vividly that my score for my first round was 150. Yet I persist to this day. I play a mixture of courses here in the southeastern Wisconsin area. Our season is unpredictable but averages sometime in April until November/December depending on the year. I shoot anywhere between 85-98 depending on how the day goes. I'm a “driving range rat” and honestly enjoy hitting a bucket of balls as much as playing around. I'm the guy who flips to the “you generally hit the ball straight but a lack of distance puts pressure on your game” advice columns in a golf magazine. My short game is pretty good as, for the most part, is my putting. For the past ten years or so I've used a mallet style putter of one sort or another, I find them more forgiving. I also tend to favor a somewhat heavier head. I have a pretty straight back and through stroke and favor face balanced putters versus those wth a lot of toe hang. I tend to point my left elbow toward the hole, something of a “chicken wing” position, to help keep my stroke straight. I entered to test the Runner putter because I liked the futuristic look, my assumption was that the company having been recognized with a “Most Innovative Product” award at the PGA show reflected respect from the industry, and perhaps foremost the adjustable weights at the rear of the putter offering the ability to potentially “dial it in”. I'm hoping the Runner will become a “dependable, reliable friend”and can enjoy an extended stay in my golf bag. My weekend round is generally early morning so I'll be testing my Runner mallet at various times when the dew is still on the green. My weekday rounds tend to be mid-morning to early afternoon so I'll also be testing during the heat of midday when things have firmed up. I'll be comparing the Runner to my Cobra Nova. I've enjoyed the confidence the Sik face offers. I feel that variable face loft helps compensate any variations in the amount of forward press present in any particular putt. I'll also be comparing the Runner to a LAB Golf Directed Force 2.1. I enjoy a good one putt, as we all do. I can live with two putts. I absolutely abhor three putting. We can debate whether those three putt greens are caused by a poor first, second, or third putt. But for me it's missing that 3-6 foot second putt that lights my fuse. I'm sure I'll be testing from close to distant from the hole. Predictable distance control is important to me. More subjectively the “feel” of the ball coming off the face is a big factor in how I relate to a putter. I have a preference for what I guess you'd call a softer face be that via the material, an insert, or milling magic. Right or wrong I'm a golfer who uses a softer ball in the early and late stages of our season and a more typical compression ball during the height of the season. I intend to run tests using different balls (all of which will be yellow) to determine if I experience any noticeable difference. Unboxing/First Impressions It's here! I received a notification from Simon at Runner on Monday of this week that my putter would be shipping. I have to admit I stopped for a second and asked myself if "April Fool's Day" was a thing in France... The email from Fedex on Tuesday morning confirmed the package was on its way. Expected arrival was to be next Monday, April 8th. Lo and behold the doorbell rang at 4 p.m. CDT this afternoon and there it was. I was amazed at how pristine the shipping box was given it traveled 4,000 miles in three days. I've had packages of golf equipment travel from Minneapolis to the Milwaukee area end up looking like they'd been around the world twice before arrival... Upon opening the box the putter had the head wrapped in plastic and inserted into the head cover. The shaft was wrapped in plastic and the entire club was in a plastic bag which was then covered with nicely taped bubble wrap. The head was further encased in a semi-rigid "foam". In short the putter was very well packaged and arrived in pristine condition. I had a video conference call with Simon, the CEO of Runner SAS, as part of the fitting. He'd asked if it was possible to see a video from an overhead view of my putting stroke. My wife climbed a ladder and we managed to send him what he'd asked for. During my call with Simon he stated he was going to build my putter at 34 inches in length. I normally use a 33 inch putter, we discussed it and agreed mutually that he'd do the build at 33 1/2". Which is exactly the length that arrived. The initial impression, keeping in mind I'm a 20 handicap golfer, is confidence building. The head is futuristic looking (which doesn't bother me at all) and has a very "clean" design look. The rear of the putter has to moveable weights. As a tip of the cap to MGS the putter head was laser engraved with our logo. Is that sweet or what??! The shaft is a black KBS 120 stepless steel shaft which, with the black grip, gives what I consider a nice "stealthy" look to the putter. The headcover is lined with a velvet feeling material, the closures are strong magnets (which I prefer to velcro) and if the cover is not made of leather I'd be surprised. The grip we agreed to during my fitting conversation was a Winn 1.18. I normally use a round Edel grip, the Winn was close and the fit feels fine. More importantly to me the flat edge of the grip is perpendicular to the face of the putter. Nothing drives me crazy like a flat faced putter grip that's installed in a non-perpendicular manner. The adjusting tool for the rear weights has a carabiner which allows it to be hooked to the golf bag and be easily available. I considered that a very clever embellishment. The size of the face is significantly larger than my Cobra as you can see below. Runner putter face: Cobra putter face: I mentioned the playing length was exactly what I asked for. Gross weight of the putter is 530 grams. And the swing weight, which I list simply as a matter of technical detail, is E 8. Now if the rain and snow will stop and the wind will blow at something less than 20 miles per hour I can get some balls rolling. If I've left something out just give a holler and I'll update this post. If you've any questions please feel free.

This is kinda a big deal for me - Made the big leagues https://mygolfspy.com/our-team/ I am so proud to have been part of MyGolfSpy and had the chance to see my role expand and grow. While this is still my part time job, it is a crucial part of my life and I am thrilled to be part of this community and part of the greater HQ team!

Until it retires itself either in the woods or in the water. HA!

Good morning everyone. Rough night last night as my wife had to let go of her dad after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He went into the ICU a week ago and just never recovered. He led an amazing life and we’re all glad he’s at rest now after these last few months of severe health problems. It’s been a gentle reminder to treat everyday as an opportunity rather than dwell on the negative. Take care everyone and I hope today is amazing for all of you.

It's a peach!

I know it is a Monday and for many that is kinda a bummer, but I am thrilled it is Monday! Been looking forward to today all weekend. First round of the season, get to hop on a fun staff call with the crew and enjoy the nice weather!

Good morning all, I start a new job today and the temps will be in the high 60’s. Mondays don’t have to suck. have a grand monday

I am thrilled to share my next six weeks and beyond as I work with an awesome group of guys to test the PING S159 wedges. A little about me. Steve, I’m 42, a husband to an amazing wife, father to an incredible daughter and dog dad to a 12 year old American pit bull terrier. My daughter fell in love with golf last year and both my wife and I couldn’t be happier watching her hit balls with utter joy. IMG_2943.mov Golf has played a significant role in my life since I was 7. A native Rochester, NY resident who spent 9 years living and working in golf in Southeast Florida after graduating college. I’ve worked pretty much every job you can name in the golf services. It all began as a 14 year old caddy at Oak Hill CC in Rochester, home of the recent 2023 PGA. I also worked the bag room there for 3 years which included the 1998 Amateur won by Hank Kuehne…who famously hit massive bombs using none other than the PING TiSi. Many of you are familiar with my background but it’s worth sharing now that we have so many new members involved in the forum! I left the golf business after working as a 1st Assistant Professional in 2006. I loved the job but it was not for me. Since then I have been in public safety as a Firefighter / EMT. I currently work as a Captain and as our fire district covers a portion of Oak Hill, was able to spend time working emergency services during the event. I get to play often and while my competitive days are behind me, you will find me playing around 2-3 times a week. Last year was my best ball striking and scoring year since my club pro days and I was able to lower my index to a 3.5. PING has always been a favorite of mine and was cemented for me in 2005. I traveled to Phoenix to visit the PING plant and was certified as a PING fitter. This experience was truly phenomenal, the entire tour of the facility left no stone unturned. From the gold putter vault to the foundry, a complete fitting process, a round at the now defunct ASU Karsten and at the end, a sit down with the Solheim family for some Q&A. I was so impressed with the company that when I returned home I ordered a set of PING i5’s, G5 driver and PING Tour wedges. So let’s talk about WHY I chose to apply for this test… When I thought about this year and eligibility for testing I was dead set on one item…wedges. Earlier in the year in the “what equipment are you thinking about” I shared my thoughts on why these were what had my eye. I certainly consider myself fortunate to be able to test these and put them through an entire season of play. I also am someone who loves to hit wedge shots. It’s a strong part of my game and I love being able to be creative around the greens. IMG_7592.mov Why these wedges? I like my Vokey’s, I want to see if there is something better. PING is THE engineering company. They are the early adapters and the innovators…I’ve seen it first hand in Phoenix and I am looking forward to comparing them to my current setup. I loved the early release photos of the S159, notably the higher lofted wedges. What I loved more was the emphasis on better grind options. I stopped by the local shop last week to finally put my eyes on them and ming…they look even better in person. The shape of the top line off the hosel is exactly what I would dream and I am really believing that PING took a lot of TOUR feedback to design a winner…I mean, look at that 50… My Webfit results were about what I had expected. I’m using it as a baseline and made one change. I really wanted to push my comfort level and dig into something that would prevent digging…I’ll get into that when the wedges arrive and I do the unboxing. Among all three clubs, the 50* will continue to be the workhorse. This club for me will be my go-to as it’s been for years. It’s the inside 100 yards club almost exclusively. I’m playing a similar grind to my recommendation so I expect it to perform similarly. I’m going to be hardest on this club because I hit it for almost every full and half shot inside 100 yards. Around the greens I am excited to get into the turf interaction and really put to test how these grinds work for a variety of shots and conditions. My current setup doesn’t give me the most confidence with the 54 and 60 so I have high hopes that opting for a more versatile bounce will give me a better sense of confidence for creativity. We get the weather and the conditions in Rochester. I have high expectations and a very open mind. At work, I like to say often to my crew that the best ideas have to win. Similarly, the best clubs have to win and if these perform anywhere close to as good as they look, it’ll be a pleasant experience. That’s it for now…Stay tuned

March Recap For The MyGolfSpy Forum Another month has come and gone and another batch of milestones have been hit. A core part of what I believe in for this community is to be open and transparent with all of you. This is a community of like-minded golfers after all and it takes all of us to make this community what it is. While I may not be able to completely open up everything (testing schedule) I want all of you to be as informed as you can be so you can continue to help us grow and contribute in the ways that are best for you. Posting To give everyone a better idea of the high the forum is on I am going to leave this graph for you all to check out. There a ton of new members here now, but it is worth noting a few things in regards to these numbers. First of all - This graph is number of posts per month from the forums creation back in 2010. No surprise we see a boost in 2019/2020 during the pandemic. The hidden aspect of this is the previous system for registering for a test was the requirement to make a post within the thread. This artificially inflated numbers - imagine all the registrations now being posts. We had a big dip in 2021 into 2022. A number of things attributed to this which is a story for another day. However a portion of this dip is the new testing registration system was introduced as well as for some who remember the reviews were also posted here. It meant that a lot of comments were not counted. Late summer 2022 we had another big change over in staff and the crew that you have today really got to work in making changes and strides to improving the platform we have here. 2023 the forum team started managing and running forum testing and we saw a big jump. So with that said - this month we had 18k plus posts. Two thousand more than any other month ever in the forums history. Thank you! It is truly astonishing to see the level of activity on the forum now and I am even more excited to see how things continue to progress when we get into the meat of the golfing season. New Members Next up is registrations for the forum - same deal by month from start to today. A jump now, but clearly this is more consistent or not... what I can say from my end of looking at things is our baseline or floor has been raised significantly. This part is a whole team effort, from HQ promotions, Forum staff socials and a lot more. We are thrilled to see all the new members joining and participating. For socials it is equally impressive - Hayes and Mark have done a great job leading this project to the tune of near 10k followers and consistent posting. Proud of these guys and proud of what more we can do with this platform that we have. Member Testing We know and recognize that this is a key pillar to our platform here on the forum. However it is also a key for MyGolfSpy as we are a stepping stone to getting various brands involved in the HQ space. This team effort has helped us gain new contacts, new opportunities, but also grow the variety of tests we bring to the forum. We take this responsibility seriously and bottom line is our testers have never had more pressure on them to perform and produce than before. Our expectations for every test is sky high - no matter how big or small the product. Of course you have seen a lot more opportunities so far and that isn't about to stop. At the time of writing this we have April - 7 opportunities May - 8 opportunities June - 6 opportunities July - 5 opportunities August - 3 opportunities September - 1 opportunity There are still spaces to fill, but at least at this time we are putting the brakes on to wait till fill later spots. Still having a lot of conversations, but we are not pushing to fill those spots for a little while. Most companies prefer to go asap. As a rough value we have provided just over $33,000 worth of equipment to our members for testing. Not bad! We will continue to work at getting new members involved, we continue to try and get worldwide testing opportunities for everyone and we continue to try and make them have value to you the community and consumer. Bringing new brands, different ideas and of course some of the most popular items out there. At last look we will be needing close to 300 members for testing this season. Other Features Etc We are still working on a few other projects which will be introduced soon, but in terms of March here are some of the highlights. MGS Forum VCT updates - The whole system is being revamped to make it more inclusive for all. Trophy Room - This is a big part it and we will soon have a Trophy Room for each profile when they are awarded the various Trophies. Community Map - Still TBD on this - if you really truly miss it let us know. We need to gather whether it is worth the investment or not. BST - Back up and running (sorry about that delay). FAQ - Updating to make various sections relevant and adding in new areas to help members. Masters Theme - Up and running! Wrap Up So that is about it for March. Sure I missed a few things along the way, but it was an incredible month. I am very much looking forward to April and see how we progress. Thanks to the forum staff for doing all that you do and working hard to keep this place moving forward. Thank you to the members for making it more active and lively. As always if you have more questions or anything please do not hesitate to reach out! Are you someone who wants to look at taking a small step into an expanded role? Let me know about it in a PM and we can chat about getting you involved in our focus group!

Testers Announced! For this tester's wanted opportunity, we introduce you to RUNNER Golf, a small and up-and-coming putter company from France. Founded in 2021 by Simon Linot, the process of getting their putters to market took a little time. However, the time and hard work paid off when they won the “Best in Show” innovation prize at the 2022 PGA GOLF SHOW. About RUNNER Golf Putters: Available in three different models (RUNNER ORIGINAL, BLADE, and MALLET), this series of putters is packed with technology and RUNNER’s signature moving weights system at the back of each putter. All of the RUNNER golf putters are built in Normandy, France. They consist of a multi-material design with precision-milled 6061 aluminum, complete with various weight options and setups to help golfers make more putts. RUNNER Golf also has a comprehensive self-fitting guide on their website, which will help you choose which one of their putters is best for you. This AI configuration guide will consist of a handful of questions and only takes a few minutes to complete. The questions are thorough and cover everything from putter preferences to putting grip. At the end, it will give the best recommendation for putter style, weight setting, and more! Please welcome and congratulate our testers! @Bobbers @Northern Monkey @RTH1 @SDunne

Happy Thursday all! Pumped that it is another community call day and we have a new guest lined up for two weeks from now. Thrilled for another Live Q&A where you all will have a ton of questions to ask about the insights of their product. Exciting times and looking forward to a great weekend as well!

Morning all. In what seems to be the theme of the day, I'm also dealing with some bad news today. Just got a call that my uncle, who's been a golfing buddy and taught me a heap of stuff on and off the course since I was a kid, has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and has only been given a few months at best. Make sure you all enjoy the time you have playing with friends and family, and if you haven't done so recently, give a family member a call or message and tell them you love them.

Early day and long night with the kids just not sleeping. However the sun is shining and overall a good day. Have some golf equipment on order and should arrive in the coming weeks which is exciting. Unfortunately the ticks in our area are awful and even in the back yard we are finding them crawling around and on the dogs. Not fun, but also not much we can do about it.

Afternoon MGS Nation, Hope all is going well for you, I just wanted to let everyone know I;ll be off the site for a short period, My oldest brother pasted away last night at the age of 64. Keep hitting them straight Talk to you all very soon.

Happy Friday all! I hope that everything is able to watch as much of the Masters as they like and for all who are out on the course to go low. Looking forward to a relaxing day today and hopefully this weekend with a round booked for Sunday. May miss some of, but not all of the Masters. Got my Newton 5 dot to go test out as well! Oh and I need to get my next Stack session in today as well.

Morning all! Going to be a beautful week here in the 60s. Not sure how clear the skies will be today for the eclipse but we are around 96% so hopefully it stays clear to see it! Hoping to get out tomorrow for a round. Need to make sure my schedule stays somewhat open to make it happen. Enjoy the eclipse anyone that’s going to be able to see it

Good morning MGSpies from it's dark but only a preview of the afternoon dark for today's Total Solar Eclipse! going straight over my neck of the woods here in WNY where the forecast is for... overcast skies but as the weather forecasters are often mistaken for this patch of God's Green Earth, we may see more than just dark cloudy skies and streetlights. But that is all after a fabulous workday on this zero commute Monday in the subterranean bunker of basement office central. Golf might have a chance of starting for me this week for the season, and hope golf is a part of your day! 51

Good Tuesday Morning Spies! Another Beautiful Central Florida morning, 66 degrees for a 7:20 tee off. Walking 18 holes this morning. Thermos full of espresso for the walk. here is a picture of 18th green being mowed: Have a Great Day Everyone! Stay warm & Hit’em straight ️️

Good morniing Spies on a back to work Monday for me here in Michigan. Cloudy and cool, with a chance of rain most weekdays this week, so hoping to get to the range on Saturday, and a round in on Sunday as both those days look to be sunny and at least 50 degrees. April 1, so not only is it April Fools Day, but I only have 22 Monday - Friday working days left to go. Exciting times, but also chaotic, as with no replacement yet, I still have a lot to do, and want to make sure that I have done all that I could to see them succeed further. Hope your day is the best it possibly can be, and that something enjoyable is in your plans.

Good morning Spies, We had a rather rough evening. Five hours in the ER. The foster dog attacked my wife and I yesterday afternoon. I was saved from serious injury by a baggy sweat shirt and leather slippers. I have very minor abrasions and a destroyed t-shirt and slipper. Unfortunately my wife did not fair as well. She required stitches on her right forearm and leg. My wife in a word is amazing. The hospital staff at Crouse Hospital was exceptional. We dont know what triggered the dog. But she was 4 years old and as a stray we dont know her background. Animal control took the dog. Some positive thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated. @Dcfrench3 welcome to a wonderful and supportive community. The Good Morning thread is a staple of my day. CHA (Club Hoes Anonymous) is what really sucked me in to forum life when I started becoming active here. @Wheelieb good luck on your retirement. Retirement was thrust upon last year. My quality of life has never been better. Wishing all a wonderful day and a blessed Easter weekend.

When your morning starts with a trip to the dentist but then he reminds you that he's a golfer, too!

Good morning everyone! I'll start out by saying Happy Birthday to @Josh Parker! I hope it's a good day for you Today is my dermatology visit so I'm up a little earlier than I wanted. The appointment isn't until 3, but I woke up to a buzzing mind and couldn't shut it off. That, and I'm only used to getting about 6 hours of sleep so the body gets a tad achy if I'm laying down too long. It's going to be a good day, though. My wife and I are going to have lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant beforehand. I need to stop at Academy Sports and see what wood they have for my smoker and hopefully they have some maple. Nummy. I hope y'all have a good day!

So I had all these big plans on doing a fun and cool post for my 10K... apparently that happened sometime yesterday and I blew right past it and am now at 10,062.... oops So for my 10,063 rd post I just want to thank this whole community! Seriously, all of you here make this place a truly incredible community! From the 7k plus new members who have joined in 2024 to those that have been around since day one it is just an fantastic place to spend my online hours. Thank you to the current and past staff. I love working with you guys and we have so much fun and make this job not feel like a job... most the time. I won't be long winded with this, but more just a wow! 10k posts... didn't think or ever believe that near 8 years ago I would make it to 10k. Thank you everyone for making this place what it is!

Good morning Spies on this Community Call and First Round at the Masters Thursday from a wet Michigan. Raining here, and supposedly lasting all day today through tomorrow morning. Although we can use the rain and I don't have golf plans until the weekend, not a big deal to me. Hope you get the t/stat and wiring issue resolved @cksurfdude, a lot of great advice, but with you knowing exactly how the house heating is laid out, you will make the best decision for yourself. Hope that all here have the best day they possibly can, that something fun and enjoyable may be in your plans, and hope to see many on the Community Call later today,

Good morning spies! What an exciting week this is in the world of all things Golf and MGS! So many testing opportunities, and so many new members!!! The next few days will be bringing typical April storms down here, which means I may only be able to get 9 in this morning before GC duties today. Hope everyone gets through Humpday with ease!

Some photos from Findlay, Ohio. Totality: Diamond ring: Sunrise effect: Shadow effect - horizontal shadows (shoulder line) are sharp and others are blurry:

Good morning spies. A pleasant morning here with a little cloud and reasonable temperatures. Just a shame it’s Monday Enjoy the first round @GolfSpy_APH Have a great day everyone

Late afternoon Wednesday my friends.. May it find you all happy, healthy , or recovering with strength of spirit and very little to no physical pain. @Preeway condolences to you and the family on the loss of your FIL. @MattWillGolf hopefully the light of your life, your wife, is recovering with as little discomfort as possible. @sirchunksalot that is great news about that hard head of yours. @EnderinAZ Hope the Medicos are fast, accurate, and completely successful with your procedure. @Erin B May your Big Boss /Lady Fair’s medical protocol planning be a success and lead to her complete recovery. My work is finished and I am headed home to the keeper of my life and owner of my heart…. the wife. Any ideas I had about trying some golf to see how my hands and wrists did handling a club have been dashed by the She of She’s and her Medicos. Have to stay on the IR until at least May. Her Highness warned me that there is more than a good chance that I am looking at multiple hand/wrist surgeries. Won’t know until after the next round of tests ,exam,and then the consult with the Big City specialist. Taking golf purchases off the stove entirely and not just on the back burner. Trying to be an adult about the my situation but as we all know being an acting like a grownup is not exactly my jam. May all that can, enjoy playing some golf… I will be feeling sorry for myself and looking like the one on the right…

Good Tuesday morning Spies! A pretty nice morning to get the day started after last night's storms. Fortunately, we were spared the bad stuff which stayed to the West and North of us. Sorry for your loss @Preeway. Thoughts and prayers to you, your wife, and family. Hope your senior pup does well at the vet today @GolfSpy_APH. Congratulations on your well deserved selections for Moto Caddy testers @rkj427, @StrokerAce, and @Erin B! Congratulations to @funkyjudge, @Wheelieb, @Indy_Oz, and @billpierce on your selection to test the SQAIRZ VELO shoes! Hope everyone has a great day and there is some golf on your agenda! May you enjoy fairways and greens my friends...

Good morning Spies on a cool and rainy Tuesday Michigan morning. @EnderinAZ best of luck with your situation, and hope all works out sooner rather than later. @GolfSpy SAM great video, excellent all around and can only say great things about it. Also thanks for the information on the camera set-up too. @berkeleybob awesome picture, and it reminds me on walking through the woods near my Aunt & Uncles house in northern Michigan. @GolfSpy_BEN glad that the first day went well, and a fresh start in a new field or career path always presents new opportunities and challenges. Normal workday for me today, a lot of my day will be spent pulling data from various systems, and then adding details and formatting it for a meeting later this week. Super grateful and looking forward to testing the Motocaddy along with Jason, @StrokerAce and Erin, @Erin B Make your day the best it possibly can be, and hope that something enjoyable is in your plans.

Good morning all and happy Monday! Full day of work ahead of me today with the new month, but the good news is that our course is opening for full time play this Friday! Hoping to be able to get out of work a bit early that day to play 9, and then wanting to try and get 18 in on Saturday if possible. Sunday afternoon we have player/parent meetings for little league and my wife has an appointment that day, so looking mostly out of the question. Either way, GOLF SEASON IS BACK BABY!

Good morning MGS! Got through a pretty rough work weekend, but made it to my off day unscathed! Golf is the plan for today! Hoping for an hour+ of range time, then off to play 18. Been almost 2 weeks since I've played and hoping I can return to my previous new found habits! Back yard practice is great, but no way to read ball flights and heights. Have a great day. Off to catch up on reading 74 notifications!

Good morning everyone. Not glad to be eliminated from the finals of the VCT but the weather gods appear to have not wanted me to play any golf anyway. Heavy rains overnight last night and now it appears some snow could arrive for the next 36 hours. DAMN YOU GROUNDHOG!!! Crossing fingers it's only a 1 week interruption/delay for spring. Happy birthday @Josh Parker! May you have lots of fun planned for the day. Hope everyone has a great day ahead.

Late night getting work done, but meant I had a much more relaxed morning. Finally a good morning at the curling hall with no core issues and lots of good coffee. Yesterday was a banner day for the forum. We fell 3 posts short of 800 in a day, which to me is wild. Considering looking back not too long ago we were regularly seeing monthly post counts in 4-5 thousand range. I have said it before and I will continue to do so, thank you all for diving into this community and taking part. It has meant the world to us as a community, staff and for all of MyGolfSpy.