What would you like to see MyGolfSpy test?

[tony@CIC]

I's like to see shot tracing devices/apps tested. i.e. Shotscope vs. ARRCOS 

[GolfSpy AFG]

I'm still intensely interested in some of the programs that are out there, specifically DECADE and FitforGolf.

For DECADE, it'd be a long term commitment but you could put 3-4 testers on DECADE Foundations and monitor scoring as they progressed.  Fit for Golf might be a little tougher to baseline, you might need different levels of fitness for testers, but it'd be interesting to say the least.  I suspect results could certainly help sell the product, although I doubt either are hurting for business at the moment, DECADE in particular.

[B_R_A_D_Y]

I am a 64 yr old golfer with 25 years of chronic back pain, just beginning to experience arthritis in my fingers for the first time. There have been some discussions in "Equipment" regarding larger grips, and once in a while hand and wrist pain might also be mentioned. Dri-Tec LT and JumboMax Ultralight are great examples of how manufacturers are beginning to play with taper as well as impact absorbing materials. So how about looking at grips that might eliminate some hand & wrist pain? Granted this wouldn't be a new product evaluation, as much as a classification evaluation which could save people tons of money. To determine which Dri-Tac LT I might want, I bought all 3 sizes and put the biggest on my driver, next size on 3 wood, and smallest on 5 wood. I can't afford to make the wrong choice even on a set of grips that I install. And now I'm looking at JumboMax. No retailer can stock all these grips on clubs you can hit. Therefore a review / test by people similar to me, would help immensely. If I want to test JumboMax, I'll have to buy several sizes, install one, try it, then cut it off and try another ... either that or put a different grip on each club. This is an important and expensive question for people with hand and wrist pain.

Arthritic gloves are another topic for pain suffers. There are approx 4 types of arthritic gloves. The first adds padding for reducing impact pain, plus it allows players to reduce their grip force ... the Bionics glove is approved by the USGA. Another style of arthritic glove generates heat in an effort to reduce swelling. Heat is generated either by battery or via a heat absorbing material which utilizes the sun's warmth. And then the fourth style, the simplest, gloves that are merely elastic compression gloves, again with the goal of reducing swelling during play. Arthritic gloves are highly subjective ... maybe just an article instead of a test. How about an article on these gloves with opinions from mini-testers. Mini-testers don't each write a review yet they still provide input on the subject matter. You'll need to get the marketing department to come up with a better title than mini-tester.

Harvey Penick dubbed Senior Golfers as Seasoned Golfers. The Seasoned golfers I play with all have similar equipment issues. First and foremost they use name brand golf balls ... usually bright colors for their reduced eyesight. My question is, if a Seasoned Golfer can't generate enough backspin for shots 50yds and in, then shouldn't they be looking at distance balls instead of performance balls? How about a test by seniors & physically handicapped golfers instead of young thumpers? Or at least make us a sub group of your ball testing results.

Utility clubs. Some of my 20 fellow elder golfers have severe flexibility issues. When is the time to eliminate wedges around greens in favor of utility chippers. I like an 8 iron, but a meatier utility club could benefit bad flexibility and weak hands. Do they improve play for the senior market, as they advertise?

Shafts? When is it time for someone to switch to  R, A, or L shafts? The short answer is get tested. But I can't afford to get tested every year. The right answer might be: When your swing speed drops. Or: When you begin losing distance. When the cost of getting fitted is approx the same price for a new driver, most people might think a new driver will give them more distance. So a general understanding is needed by seniors of not only what signs to look for, but what results should be expected.

A bit more detailed question would be: Should seniors be using the same flex throughout their bag?. Would whippier short irons be better ... definitely result in higher shots. This idea sounds more like testing the age group instead of specific shafts. But the idea needs testing. It all boils down to helping us stay on the course another year. My biggest fear is that an injury will end golf for me, forever.

My prediction is that in 5-6 years AutoFlex shafts will be more affordable and solve these issues for us old swingers.

Here's two ideas that would fall under the category of how to enjoy better golf ... which is a department y'all should have..

When taking medicine for pain, back or hands, people tend to pop Motrin before teeing off on the first hole. The half life of a four hour drug is 2 hrs, which means it begins to lose effectiveness in 2 hours ... when you are finishing the first 9 holes ... and it may be completely out of your system an before the round ends. So when during the round is your pain the strongest? Match the meds to the round and not simply for overall pain reduction. Who gets better results? The person who popps Motrin (or other pain reliever) at breakfast, in parking lot on arrival, on first tee, or on 10th tee? This is testable.

And finally, what about energy & nutrition? Admittedly even the pros are working hard to figure this one out. At my age I start to crash after 9 holes and feel drained by holes 17 & 18. I eat a protein heavy meal an hour before teeing off. What should I eat while playing and when should I eat it? Do protein bars actually impact playing energy? Are seniors more likely to lose energy quicker and need to eat something during a round? Maybe something like this would be better served by groups of people taking a survey first ... like "When do you begin to lose energy during a round? Etc." Then give people energy & protein bars and repeat the surveys. Admittedly a forum does approximately the same thing when people contribute their experiences. But would readers rather sift thru a hundred threads or be better served with a nice summary chart of the most liked protein bars?

I better stop before you start suffering from brain fogged ... still awake?

I for one would love to be a part of any effort to aid golfers playing in pain. Hope this generates some thought not only with HQ, but with readers as well.

Edited July 12, 2021 by B_R_A_D_Y

[TBS]

I would love to see grips get put to the test. This is literally the sole connection that a player has to their club. I'm not sure how but there has to be some marginal gains to be had in having the best grips. 

I know some/many will say that grips are "personal" but this idea of feeling is subjective and in so many other tests, feeling did not equal better results.

[Golfspy_CG2]

15 minutes ago, TBS said:

I would love to see grips get put to the test. This is literally the sole connection that a player has to their club. I'm not sure how but there has to be some marginal gains to be had in having the best grips. 

I know some/many will say that grips are "personal" but this idea of feeling is subjective and in so many other tests, feeling did not equal better results.

We've done one, maybe two that I recall.  Know the GP Align for sure.

They were very challenging to get good info on as you mentioned they are vey personal in a lot of ways.  But like all tests, i believe there was some info that came out of it that may have helped at least a few people 

[Mtbryant01]

This bag.  Kind of joking, kind of not. (Sorry if this has been mentioned, I didn’t scroll back)

[TBS]

6 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

We've done one, maybe two that I recall.  Know the GP Align for sure.

They were very challenging to get good info on as you mentioned they are vey personal in a lot of ways.  But like all tests, i believe there was some info that came out of it that may have helped at least a few people 

Thanks - I'll dig those up and take a look. 

I think it would be interesting to see multiple grips tested. Think Most Wanted Drivers but for grips. The data might not show anything significant but maybe there is a grip that results in strokes gained. It would be expensive and very time consuming but grips are a piece of equipment that golfers change somewhat frequently.

[Bohnson]

Tour issue heads, shafts, etc. against your off the shelf. 

[ST3LTR0]

A blind feel test for iron heads and shafts (irons or woods). For iron heads we could see ranked choice voting on each head based on preferred feel throw some masking tape over the top line and back of the iron I'd also propose no shot data is provided until after the choices. Then you can give the people what they want which is judging golfspy crew based on their preferences (Top Flight full set feels the best.) That or the Scotty Cameron Driver. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by ST3LTR0
Spelling

[in4par]

New Mizuno 221's against PXG Gen 4 0311's.

[Londo]

On 4/27/2021 at 7:23 AM, tony@CIC said:

I's like to see shot tracing devices/apps tested. i.e. Shotscope vs. ARRCOS 

I would LOVE this, especially since there have been some updates to both in the past year or so

[pakman92]

I have a crazy idea.  Can we test swing thoughts?   We can have people swing with particular swing thoughts in mind.   You can't tell the subject which thoughts until after they have taken their baseline swings.  We can then have the subjects take swings with some time-tested swing thoughts and see if it helps them.

Some swing thoughts I have in mind are (They should not be a swing mechanic type thoughts, but ones that are believed to benefit everyone)

1. Empty your mind of thoughts

2. Slow down your backswing

3. Relax your arms and shoulders

I really want to know if these universal swing thoughts work!!

pakman92

[cnosil]

3 hours ago, pakman92 said:

I have a crazy idea.  Can we test swing thoughts?   We can have people swing with particular swing thoughts in mind.   You can't tell the subject which thoughts until after they have taken their baseline swings.  We can then have the subjects take swings with some time-tested swing thoughts and see if it helps them.

Some swing thoughts I have in mind are (They should not be a swing mechanic type thoughts, but ones that are believed to benefit everyone)

1. Empty your mind of thoughts

2. Slow down your backswing

3. Relax your arms and shoulders

I really want to know if these universal swing thoughts work!!

pakman92

I think this would be an impossible test to perform and I wouldn't say they are universal "good" thoughts.   Current guidance seems to be to not slow down your backswing.  If the thoughts don't work for the test group,  does that mean they aren't good thoughts for some?   Do you allow pre shot thoughts as those shape performance as well; when do you "empty your mind of thoughts"?  

Thinking as one of the testers; which I am,  I wouldn't want to participate in this test.  

[pakman92]

39 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I think this would be an impossible test to perform and I wouldn't say they are universal "good" thoughts.   Current guidance seems to be to not slow down your backswing.  If the thoughts don't work for the test group,  does that mean they aren't good thoughts for some?   Do you allow pre shot thoughts as those shape performance as well; when do you "empty your mind of thoughts"?  

Thinking as one of the testers; which I am,  I wouldn't want to participate in this test.  

Thanks for your opinion.  I disagree.

[cnosil]

48 minutes ago, pakman92 said:

Thanks for your opinion.  I disagree.

Here's some swing thoughts of professionals.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWYaHvcDnjr/

 

[juspoole]

Testing against different types of fittings

I know we've had lots of reviews and comments on different fittings, but not sure on actual tests or if it's even plausible.  

 One group go to your PGA SS, Golf Galaxy location

Another goes to a certified fitter at a golf course

Last goes to your Club Champion/True Spec.

Follow them for the next golf season to find the change in handicap based on the new clubs and their feelings if they feel they truly got a great fit or not.  

Very high level on this idea so tweak whatever you think, but just the overall idea would be nice.  

Or pure off the rack purchases based on what they believe is correct versus a great fit and seeing how those compare throughout a season for the same person.   

Or have one group do off the rack and another get fit at a top fitting studio.

Main idea - fitting tests, but not sure how to organize

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, juspoole said:

Testing against different types of fittings

I know we've had lots of reviews and comments on different fittings, but not sure on actual tests or if it's even plausible.  

 One group go to your PGA SS, Golf Galaxy location

Another goes to a certified fitter at a golf course

Last goes to your Club Champion/True Spec.

Follow them for the next golf season to find the change in handicap based on the new clubs and their feelings if they feel they truly got a great fit or not.  

Very high level on this idea so tweak whatever you think, but just the overall idea would be nice.  

Or pure off the rack purchases based on what they believe is correct versus a great fit and seeing how those compare throughout a season for the same person.   

Or have one group do off the rack and another get fit at a top fitting studio.

Main idea - fitting tests, but not sure how to organize

This could be a good unofficial test with some members. 

Who is all looking for a driver this year? We can do off the rack - self fit - big box fit - pro fit.

Hard part is going to quantity the fit and the results. 

[cksurfdude]

2 hours ago, juspoole said:

Testing against different types of fittings

I know we've had lots of reviews and comments on different fittings, but not sure on actual tests or if it's even plausible.  

 One group go to your PGA SS, Golf Galaxy location

Another goes to a certified fitter at a golf course

Last goes to your Club Champion/True Spec.

Follow them for the next golf season to find the change in handicap based on the new clubs and their feelings if they feel they truly got a great fit or not.  

Very high level on this idea so tweak whatever you think, but just the overall idea would be nice.  

Or pure off the rack purchases based on what they believe is correct versus a great fit and seeing how those compare throughout a season for the same person.   

Or have one group do off the rack and another get fit at a top fitting studio.

Main idea - fitting tests, but not sure how to organize

Cool, intriguing idea but .. yeah difficult to actually pull off.....

One more suggestion anyway to consider to help further complicate things - one more test group, comprised of any fitting type, but each tester has a new driver PLUS IS TAKING LESSONS during the season.

 

[MaxEntropy]

I would actually like to see some testing of online swing fixers/lessons. I recently received an email about the Hank Haney 1-swing slice fix. I watched about 20 minutes of his info-mercial, and he sounded a bit like a snake oil salesman. Anything to it? I have no idea. I have to assume there are others that seem somewhat shady. Compare those to "legit" online lessons?

[JerryB]

10 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

This could be a good unofficial test with some members. 

Who is all looking for a driver this year? We can do off the rack - self fit - big box fit - pro fit.

Hard part is going to quantity the fit and the results. 

I think this would be really cool.  If I had the money to burn I'd love to upgrade my driver and try a few different fitting options. I'd be interested to see if whether I get fit into the same, similar, or wildly different drivers, then play with those resulting drivers over the course of a few months or a season and see which one "wins."

[Clayton]

I mentioned this over in the "how to be a tester" section.  I'm REALLY interested in a Bushnell/GC3 unit. I have a 2 and 4 yo now and after this season, I don't think I'll be able to golf as much, AND I want to teach them how to golf. Yeah, MGS did a short story on how accurate they are but I'd love to see a few people test them - maybe just into a net with a laptop, even full blown simulator experiences. I, for one, would even be willing to pay for the unit and a gaming laptop if Bushnell unlocked it for the testing. I've been working at a Trackman simulator place so I could even test it in the facility (just hook it up to the hdmi cable and the camera unit just sits on the ground, it would be so easy to do). It seems like with the MGS people using GC Quad for all their club and ball testing, it would be a natural fit for MGS members to test some units.

[cksurfdude]

3 minutes ago, Clayton said:

I have a 2 and 4 yo now and after this season, I don't think I'll be able to golf as much, AND I want to teach them how to golf.

Not related to testing, but if you haven't looked at it already maybe check out the Mevo+ .. it comes with some target games included.

[Clayton]

13 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Not related to testing, but if you haven't looked at it already maybe check out the Mevo+ .. it comes with some target games included.

Yeah, it's more affordable as well I think. But I think you need quite a bit more area (like with Trackman) so it can watch the ball with the radar while the GC3 takes pictures at launch.  I'm certainly open to the Mevo+.

[MattF]

More Sub70, especially the new driver. Word on the street is it's very very good.

[Shapotomous]

@MattF  Like this one....  The word on the street is correct!!!

 

[Shapotomous]

Since I am a wedge-a-holic I'd love to see a fleet of wedges tested out this year.

 

[GolfSpy TCB]

I would like to see all club test in swing speed categories (similar to the three driver speed categories), but with one "improvement" that would make the tests more relevant to me (maybe I'm selfish)....

The "slow" swing is all speeds up to 90 mph (driver), the "mid" swing is 90-105 mph.  So... there is really a 30+ mph difference from top to bottom... my swing sits right at the top of "slow" and bottom of "mid" so I can never tell how much of the testing is at the extreme ends... so.... a category that is high-80's to low 90's would be the most helpful for my game.  Drives me crazy watching all the club testing videos showing guys hitting 190 yard 7 irons... that has as much relevance to my game as choosing my sticks based on the tour players.  Show me a guy hitting a 140 yard full 7 iron, and I'll subscribe to your channel ;). 

While I'm at it... the 2022 ball test should include that tweener swing speed too.  

[GolfSpy_APH]

6 minutes ago, Tiftaaft said:

I would like to see all club test in swing speed categories (similar to the three driver speed categories), but with one "improvement" that would make the tests more relevant to me (maybe I'm selfish)....

The "slow" swing is all speeds up to 90 mph (driver), the "mid" swing is 90-105 mph.  So... there is really a 30+ mph difference from top to bottom... my swing sits right at the top of "slow" and bottom of "mid" so I can never tell how much of the testing is at the extreme ends... so.... a category that is high-80's to low 90's would be the most helpful for my game.  Drives me crazy watching all the club testing videos showing guys hitting 190 yard 7 irons... that has as much relevance to my game as choosing my sticks based on the tour players.  Show me a guy hitting a 140 yard full 7 iron, and I'll subscribe to your channel ;). 

While I'm at it... the 2022 ball test should include that tweener swing speed too.  

Coming from a forum members testing standpoint. We normally do it best to get a range of swing speed groups in all our tests. Sometimes it isn't possible, but normally we take that into account to make then more relevant to all. 

[GolfSpy TCB]

8 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Coming from a forum members testing standpoint. We normally do it best to get a range of swing speed groups in all our tests. Sometimes it isn't possible, but normally we take that into account to make then more relevant to all. 

Thanks APH.  Sincerely wasn't a knock against the testing protocol or the testers... it is ALL great information and a tremendous job done by all.  But the question was asked "what I would like..." there you go

[Clayton]

1 hour ago, Tiftaaft said:

I would like to see all club test in swing speed categories (similar to the three driver speed categories), but with one "improvement" that would make the tests more relevant to me (maybe I'm selfish)....

The "slow" swing is all speeds up to 90 mph (driver), the "mid" swing is 90-105 mph.  So... there is really a 30+ mph difference from top to bottom... my swing sits right at the top of "slow" and bottom of "mid" so I can never tell how much of the testing is at the extreme ends... so.... a category that is high-80's to low 90's would be the most helpful for my game.  Drives me crazy watching all the club testing videos showing guys hitting 190 yard 7 irons... that has as much relevance to my game as choosing my sticks based on the tour players.  Show me a guy hitting a 140 yard full 7 iron, and I'll subscribe to your channel ;). 

While I'm at it... the 2022 ball test should include that tweener swing speed too.  

Golf shafts generally come in 4 flexes - senior, regular, stiff, and extra stiff.  The swing speed stuff they do here at MGS should reflect what I consider to be a 4 swing speed standard as well, not 3. It would make more sense to do it that way and seems like it would be easier for users to fit a swing speed category.