Good Morning spies,
Sad morning here with the exit of Bill the "GOAT" Belichick. I am excited to start the Pats new era with hope for the future, while watching Bill end up a a loaded contender to get them to the prize.
I think the new era will start at Triggs in Prov. tomorrow at 11:40. I hope to check off Jan as I try to golf 12 months in NE again. Can we say Back to Back!!!!!!!!
Being how last year was not the best year for reasons we will leave alone, this year I plan on getting back out to playing more and more and not trying to be the "big man" swinging out of my shoes. Learned doing that all the time is not conducive in the long run. I didn't play as much last year not just due to pain, but other reasons as well. Last month was the first time in a long time that my back didn't bother me after doing physical therapy. I'm excited to see where my game goes this year and hope to break 90 consistently. Good swinging out there folks.
Being how last year was not the best year for reasons we will leave alone, this year I plan on getting back out to playing more and more and not trying to be the "big man" swinging out of my shoes. Learned doing that all the time is not conducive in the long run. I didn't play as much last year not just due to pain, but other reasons as well. Last month was the first time in a long time that my back didn't bother me after doing physical therapy. I'm excited to see where my game goes this year and hope to break 90 consistently. Good swinging out there folks.
Being how last year was not the best year for reasons we will leave alone, this year I plan on getting back out to playing more and more and not trying to be the "big man" swinging out of my shoes. Learned doing that all the time is not conducive in the long run. I didn't play as much last year not just due to pain, but other reasons as well. Last month was the first time in a long time that my back didn't bother me after doing physical therapy. I'm excited to see where my game goes this year and hope to break 90 consistently. Good swinging out there folks.
Being how last year was not the best year for reasons we will leave alone, this year I plan on getting back out to playing more and more and not trying to be the "big man" swinging out of my shoes. Learned doing that all the time is not conducive in the long run. I didn't play as much last year not just due to pain, but other reasons as well. Last month was the first time in a long time that my back didn't bother me after doing physical therapy. I'm excited to see where my game goes this year and hope to break 90 consistently. Good swinging out there folks.
Being how last year was not the best year for reasons we will leave alone, this year I plan on getting back out to playing more and more and not trying to be the "big man" swinging out of my shoes. Learned doing that all the time is not conducive in the long run. I didn't play as much last year not just due to pain, but other reasons as well. Last month was the first time in a long time that my back didn't bother me after doing physical therapy. I'm excited to see where my game goes this year and hope to break 90 consistently. Good swinging out there folks.
Being how last year was not the best year for reasons we will leave alone, this year I plan on getting back out to playing more and more and not trying to be the "big man" swinging out of my shoes. Learned doing that all the time is not conducive in the long run. I didn't play as much last year not just due to pain, but other reasons as well. Last month was the first time in a long time that my back didn't bother me after doing physical therapy. I'm excited to see where my game goes this year and hope to break 90 consistently. Good swinging out there folks.
Being how last year was not the best year for reasons we will leave alone, this year I plan on getting back out to playing more and more and not trying to be the "big man" swinging out of my shoes. Learned doing that all the time is not conducive in the long run. I didn't play as much last year not just due to pain, but other reasons as well. Last month was the first time in a long time that my back didn't bother me after doing physical therapy. I'm excited to see where my game goes this year and hope to break 90 consistently. Good swinging out there folks.
Good Thursday Morning Spies,
Cold Start to the morning 46 degrees at 6:50am & 7am tee time.
No wind made the 18 hole a nice walk. But that's cold for Orlando! Even Mickey covered his ears 🤣🤣. Putting was D minus this morning.
61 degrees and cloudy now. Enjoying a nice HOT cup of espresso, working from home today.
Have a Great Day Everyone! Stay Warm & Hit'em straight ⛳
MyGolfSpy Forum Guide: How To Be A Tester
As promised I wanted to do an update for our Want To Be A Tester Thread. We take pride in our transparency and member testing platform. 2023 was an incredible season and it continues to provide amazing opportunities to all of our members.
For those new to the Forum let me break down the keys to becoming a Forum Tester and how to increase your chances at being selected. (I will break down the why afterwards)
It should also be noted that we as staff view member testing opportunities as a way to give back to the members who have contributed so much to our community. It should also be noted that these reviews are a lot of work and take a lot of time to commit to.
All Forum Members selected for testing must have a profile photo. This is our most basic rule, but the bottom line is no profile photo = no selection.
Recent Activity - We want to see and have members who are actively engaged in the community. This does not necessarily mean posting everyday 10 plus times a day. But a steady history or pattern of activity is a must.
Posting an unofficial review. This is not a must, but helps give us an idea for your writing style and overall ability and completing a thorough review for us.
These are 3 simple, yet very effective ways to being noticed by the Forum Staff and having your name stand out as we go through the tester selection process.
Now as to why we look for those previous 3 areas of criteria.
Photos and media content are essential for testing. While some people are good writers, a bunch of text can be a tough slog to read through. We want to see creative photos and media that highlight the product. If someone cannot even bother to post a profile photo it gives us little confidence they could do any photos in a review.
Photos and media are becoming ever more important for our reviews, especially with our Forum Recap Articles gaining further recognition and popularity with OEMs and MyGolfSpy readers. Good, high quality photos which highlight and feature the product are essential.
Recent Activity is also extremely important. This shows us reliability to post consistently and take part in conversation throughout the testing period, as well as after the testing period. Being able to see that history gives us added confidence in our selection. Now when I say history I do not mean years of posting. It will be shown a little later in this post, but we actively try to get new people involved.
Posting an unofficial review is pretty self explanatory, but for us when we are giving out thousands of dollars worth of equipment we want to have a level of confidence in who we are selecting.
So is that all we look at when selecting testers? No, definitely not.
The other things we look at and take note of are as follows.
Post to Reaction Ratio: This is a simple metric, but gives us a slight idea of the value contributions to the community. However posting in the Good Morning Thread is a bit of a cheat code for that.
Donor Status: For those that have, but don’t have the tag please let one of the staff members know and we can add that for you. While not a deal breaker one way or another, it can be used as a tie breaker.
OEM requests: This one you can’t really know about ahead of time. However as these companies are providing equipment for free they are within their rights to ask for certain handicaps, situations, swing speeds, geographic regions and more. These questions are asked in the signup form.
For those with lower post counts we can see login dates to see that someone is visiting the site. Maybe you are someone who loves reading the forum, but are hesitant to post that much or feel as though you do not have a lot to contribute. I ensure that you do have a lot to contribute no matter who you are, but at least this allows us to see that someone is taking an active interest in the forum.
For those that have tested before. Previous review grades and comments are taken into account. More on that below.
How long do I have to be a Forum Member before I am considered for Testing?
A week? A month? Longer? I was a member for 2 years before I was selected for my first testing opportunity. However it took me a year to really get involved. There is no magic number for how long it takes to be a tester. Simply put we want to select members who are active contributors within our community. That doesn’t have to mean a long history of posts.
We also actively try our best to give at least one new tester in on every testing opportunity that happens. In 2023 this happened in nearly every test.
What else can help me become a tester?
These are small things and are not requirements, but help with us getting to know you a little more or at the very least recognize your forum name.
Follow us on our social platforms - The Forum has accounts on Instagram and Twitter… or X.
Join our Community Call: Every Thursday we host a Community Call for our members to have general chit chat and sometimes Live Q&A with different golf companies or people. These are a great way for a member to get to know the staff, ask questions and for us to get to know you a little better. Importantly you don’t have to have your camera or mic on, but can simply sit back and listen or type questions in the chat. It is a great way to quickly get involved and see what our community is all about.
What are the other rules or guidelines to Member Testing?
Members generally only get one opportunity to test each season. Meaning if you are selected for a set of irons it is unlikely you will be selected for another test during the season. There are some exceptions, however we have a lot of great members and want to spread the opportunities around as best we can.
Smaller tests such as golf balls, gloves, grips and that sort of thing do leave you eligible for other tests later in the season, however members will only be allowed to be involved in one review at a time. Basically no testing two items at once.
For our testing opportunities like Cobra Challenge and full bag opportunities a member can only take part in these once. Period. These are amazing opportunities and of course a lot of fun and work, but we have too many incredible members to give these to any member multiple times.
I mention these previous points to highlight a greater point. Please only register or sign up for the testing opportunities you are really excited about and if you are currently testing please do not sign up for other testing opportunities. To be frank it looks greedy and like you are only here for free stuff.
Are there certain things that would make me ineligible for a testing opportunity?
Outside of not having a profile photo, it should go without saying but all testers must be members of the forum. To that end you must also be a member in good standing. This means no current warnings on your account.
Another factor that comes into play are poor previous review scores. I will put this bluntly, if a tester have gone mia on a testing opportunity in the past or been a difficult tester missing deadlines, not providing a review or come close to meeting the deadlines. We have very little reason to consider that person for any future review opportunities. We have too many deserving members to go back to that well or take that risk.
Geo Restrictions are the other factor. It should be highlighted and noted that we encourage all testing opportunities to be eligible for all our members, however some OEMs have certain restrictions and in the end it is their call. I am a lefty and live outside the US so I am in your corner, but we are also not going to deny an opportunity if is just US only. Another factor in this is over 90% of the community is US and Canada based. Getting a larger portion of outside NA members will help increase are chances of getting more worldwide testing.
I have been selected as a tester, now what?
Your lead Forum Staff Member will guide you throughout the process. If there is a fitting involved or any other requirements they will facilitate those and ensure that everything is run smoothly.
Most importantly, carefully read all the instructions and documents provided. There is a lot to go over and missing key points can cause you to get behind or miss important deadlines.
The biggest thing is ask questions if you have them! The forum staff are here to help and work with all the testers throughout the process.
What Happens After Testing?
Even after an official test is completed it is highly encouraged that testers continue to take part in discussion. There may still be questions and may still activity on the thread which you should engage in. We love seeing ongoing and longer term updates as it helps anyone considering buying the product have a longer term view of how the product performs.
Your Lead Forum Staff Member will then grade your review and participation and you will be given a survey to fill out. After these have been completed you will get your official tester badge!
Technically speaking you are now eligible to enter in for more testing opportunities, however as we said above for the most part a member will only get to take part in 1 tester per season. Again I repeat it is why anyone should only sign up for the products they are truly interested in.
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FAQ
I never get picked! Why don't I ever get picked?
I hear you, but have you done most of the above? Have you provided worthwhile contributions to the forum? Do you have a profile photo? The answers are all above and we lay out the process pretty clear. The rest is up to you. That being said posting in the TESTERS WANTED pages does not count towards your post count. Also the pick me pick me type posts don't really fly with us. Post them as you like or if you like, but again we want to see members adding value to the forum. Those posts are not.
What happens if I get sick or injured during testing?
Look this is a lot of work, but at the end of the day we understand things in life happen. TELL THE FORUM STAFF! We can make adjustments and arrange dates to work with everyone's schedule. However you have to tell us first!
I don't have social media accounts, does that mean I can't be a tester?
This is not a requirement for us. It is nice when the forum gets mentioned and a member is able to bring attention to the forum via social channels, but not a requirement. Good photos however are and with phones today there is little reason why anyone wouldn't be able to take a decent photo.
Why don't we know what tests are coming so we can wait to sign up for the ones we really want and not risk getting picked for one we don't really love?
We build our schedule out starting about now, however it takes time and things move around so there are no guarantees on when a test will be posted or moved. Posting our schedule to everyone also wouldn't be fair to the smaller tests or some of the lesser known brands which come to testing. We want excitement for every test and mystery in whats to come. If you aren't excited about the product up for testing, don't sign up.
I was picked and the product just didn't work for me. What now?
First I hope that the person enjoyed the review and was able to provide a good thorough and honest review. If it doesn't work, so be it! That being said we do not allow for any reason a member to sell their testing equipment for at least 2 product cycles. If it doesn't work for you, then pass it along to another member and let them try it. This happened several times this season with various products and members were able to get more testing opportunities. Pay it forward!
But seriously, I have been here for X amount of years and still never get picked.
Yeah I bring this up again because you would not believe the emails we get. We picked a lot of testers this year, if a longer term member hasn't been picked the basics of is the timing wasn't right or the activity level just wasn't there. There are some tests we feel some testers would be great for and others not as great, we have thousands of applications and have to pick 4-6, it isn't easy and not a ton of fun. If your name hasn't been called there are some gaps in the above material.
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I hope all of you have found this beneficial and productive to go through. The forum staff spend a lot of time going through all the applicants and reviews and so much more. It is not an easy task and we take pride in the selections we make. The testers that don't live up to expectations well that is tough for us and not a great look on us, the forum and this community. Therefore we take a good amount of time and effort to hand pick each tester. There were some testers this year that under performed to a level that they will not be partaking in testing moving forward. On a good note there were a ton of excellent testers and reviews which we are all very proud of.
If you have questions please just ask! If you have concerns or want to know more then please reach out to one of the forum staff members. The other thread is going to be locked and this will be the main thread moving forward. There will also be subsequent larger drops of information here for all to view as we aim to be as transparent as possible with testing and make sure that anyone who really wants to be a tester will have that chance and ability to be.
Thank you all for reading!
Tensei Blue is the way to go I think. I switched over to the 75g version last year and I love it. It really changed my flight path and I feel my swing is significantly better.
I bought a used Tensei blue that was apparently a demo shaft from an epic flash from the Callaway used shop. If it wasn't for the sticker just under the grip you wouldn't have been able to tell it was used. I didn't even need to change the grip. And the price was great. Highly recommend if you see the shaft you want
About a year ago a couple friends and I went out to play. We knew the round was going to be wild when the group ahead of us were on the first tee and they were all playing pranks on each other when they were trying to swing. Cool, we have no problem as we aren't tour pros or even club champs. We like to go out and have fun. Well hole 6 comes up and they are on the tee, we pull up and start talking with them and it became a sevensome starting on that hole. We were making bets about anything and everything we could, but we were good about it as we played like a scramble format to keep pace of play up. the guys who didn't hit their driver far wouldn't hit on driver holes but all the par 3's we all hit. Anyhow, the last few holes got way more interesting. Hole 14 became the I challenge you hole where I got challenged to hit over water to the green instead of playing it safe. If I didn't make it I had to pay for a round in the club house. No problem, cause if I did he had to buy that round. Well I hit and we saw a splash. I resigned myself to the fact I'm going to be paying an extra 60 bucks for beers in about 45 minutes to an hour. we drive around and my ball had hoped out of the water and was sitting about 2 feet away from it. He was buying drinks. The next hole I challenged him to a double or nothing on a dog leg left hole. He could hit his driver and get it around the corner and not hit any limb he wouldn't have to buy the round, but if he hit and limb he had to buy two. This guy hit and the ball was headed for the smallest limb, but there was a variable no one took into account. A hawk was flying by holding a fish in it's talons. dude's ball hit the fish knocking it out of the hawk's grasp but avoiding trees and cutting the corner. Never in my life have I seen that. Probably won't ever see that again.
That doesn’t help much. Actually seeing how hard you pull on the handle is what’s needed to even have a clue. You may think you swing like you do when your feels may be different than the actual swing.
Without seeing your swing it’s a crap shoot. It’s a load issue. You may swing 117 and most online will say you should be x-stiff and perhaps even tipped. The problem is without seeing your swing we have no clue if you are a heavy loader of the shaft or not. Many different ways to get to that swing speed and you may in fact not be a heavy loader and therefore can get by with stiff or stiff tipped slightly.
The issue is even if someone knows they can’t tell you how the feel will be for you and how that feel will translate into performance.
The linear design of the Tensei 1k might not be a fit for you.
as mentioned above you can’t compete flex across brands. You can’t even compare them across the same manufacturer in different lines sick and tensei white 1k and the black 1k.
Gold galaxy isn’t going to have a wide range of shafts. You probably aren’t going to find a light weigh x flex shaft and probably really don’t want to. The 60g class is probably the lowest you want to go.
Then it’s finding the right profile which is going to come from either testing a bunch of shafts or getting fit.
If you choose club champion tell them you aren’t buying.
Do you remember what version of the arc shaft you hit? Iirc they came in blue and green
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