MGS Forum Focus Group: What would YOU like to see change?

[STUDque]

MyGolfSpy Forum Focus Group

We did this last year and we'll do it again.  The 2018 season is winding down and it's time to start preparing for 2019.  MGS experienced a great deal of growth and change this year and now it's time for YOU, the membership, to weigh in.  

Let's start with the basic premise: There's no such thing as a bad idea.  ANY idea can start the brainstorm to refinement and lead to even greater ideas that eventually get implemented.   I'm asking everyone who passes by this thread to share a few thoughts.  This can be about contest, events, the products tested,  review formats, forum structure, feature upgrades,  app functionality, or anything else that comes to mind.

 

One thing to be clear about: This thread is NOT to discuss bugs or issues with the upgrade.  You can go here to discuss that:

 

 

 

We're appreciative and open to all feedback.  If you're uncomfortable sharing your ideas in the public space, feel free to message me privately.  I can't promise all ideas will be incorporated but I can promise all ideas will be considered. 
 

Thanks to you all for participating in (what I believe) to be the best forum in town!

[Shankster]

Just an App Refresh to go with the main update and I’d be happy.

Picture storage upped.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[PlaidJacket]

Good topic you've started Studque. Should get lots of ideas.

This morning I'm thinking of clubs tests using major brands against brands that aren't advertised in magazines or normally tested/reviewed in the Blog or Forum. Just as one example;

Perhaps have a Forum members test a particular Wishon iron such as the 565MC Forged. I understand that these types of clubs can't be pulled off the rack or sent to members like for example Cobra can do. But maybe there is another way this could be accomplished i'm not thinking about. Anyway... that's my thoughts this morning.

 

 

[Wedgie]

Only thing I can think of that I would like to see is clearly defined timelines for forum member testing opportunities. For example when testing opportunities are announced also post the expectations that stage 1 will be competed on X date and stage 2 completed on X date or stage 1 within 2 weeks of receiving product etc....

The top secret Bridgestone testing was awesome not because it was top secret. IMO it was because all stage 1s were posted within 24 hours of one another. On the other hand the testing I participated in over the summer we still await a stage 2. Defining timelines also helps potential testers determine if they can meet those expectations. I’d also recommend contact info from all testers go to the mods if follow up is needed. If you need someone to follow up I will be happy to do it so we understand if life is getting in the way or if they are D-bags.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[deejaid]

I agree with all the above so far. I’d like to see some smaller equipment companies like Wishon and Maltby be evaluated. You could even select a first time club builder and have them document who hard or easy it is to build your own. I’m sure many here have never done it but would be interested in trying or seeing another beginner give it a whirl.


I also agree with more definitive timelines for reviews. I’ve lost a lot of interest in the reviews because stage 1 is just a “thanks for the opportunity, I play twice a week.....” and then we never know when there will be a follow-up or stage 2.


I’d also say let’s see more tests of new equipment vs. 3, 5, or even 10 year old equipment. See if the upgrade is really worth it.

And how about a classic golf section for me, Stu, and Nifty?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[tony@CIC]

On reviews: I'd like to see clothing - specifically outerwear/rain gear and as others have stated a broader or more brand inclusive review of clubs, etc. As an example on your glove review you left our Hirzl and Kakadu. I have both brands and I think they far outlast the domestic brands. 

[PING Apologist #9]

I'd like to see more give-aways and free stuff...! I only joined in hopes of getting those for nuthin' and just generally lurk about...

Just kidding!!!!

I too would like to see some more official evals of these TV clubs that claim absolute magic things for your game for just "$49.95 + shipping"...BUT WAIT, there's more..! Yeah right...more crap,...but are they really??? Ole Grey is a total advocate of the Square Strike Wedge, but many of us are most likely reluctant to try any of those clubs for fear of simply handing out cash for crap.

[PING Apologist #9]

2 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

On reviews: I'd like to see clothing - specifically outerwear/rain gear and as others have stated a broader or more brand inclusive review of clubs, etc. As an example on your glove review you left our Hirzl and Kakadu. I have both brands and I think they far outlast the domestic brands. 

Good call!

[null]

I'd love to see the forum cleaned up and organized, especially on the equipment side.

Mods have done a great good job of merging threads with similar themes, but the equipment threads still become confusing and there are multiple threads started when people want to leave their own feedback on a specific club rather than going into some sort of master review thread for that specific club.

[GC70]

Great ideas. I agree on the stage 1 and 2 time lines. I really don’t know how to fix it, but it needs to be smoother. Maybe some of the groups are too big and it’s tough to get everything and everyone on the same timeline. We just need the thread to keep moving before people loose interest.

I’d also like to see live threads. When some members get to go to a destination and play golf, get fitted. They keep the thread moving with pictures and comments. The MGS members get feel like their right there with all the action. Members ask questions and the guys on the trip answer and post pictures. It’s a lot of fun.

Just my 2 cents.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[GolfSpy MPR]

The SuperSpeed thread makes me think that perhaps other training aid reviews would be interesting. Many reviews of these products online, even decent reviews, are merely first impressions, with some initial hunches about whether the reviewer thinks it will work. Rarely do you get a review in which the reviewer committed to using an aid for a few months and reports back with measurable data about whether it made any difference.

In the same way (and others have suggested this), reviews of the benefits of lessons would be great. Something from a chain like GolfTec might be interesting.

[null]

Great ideas. I agree on the stage 1 and 2 time lines. I really don’t know how to fix it, but it needs to be smoother. Maybe some of the groups are too big and it’s tough to get everything and everyone on the same timeline. We just need the thread to keep moving before people loose interest.

I’d also like to see live threads. When some members get to go to a destination and play golf, get fitted. They keep the thread moving with pictures and comments. The MGS members get feel like their right there with all the action. Members ask questions and the guys on the trip answer and post pictures. It’s a lot of fun.

Just my 2 cents.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I think a great change for reviews would be to make sure the reviewers are actively discussing their experience as they go along. The stage one and twos are nice summaries, but often time all momentum for discussion is long gone by the time the stage 2s roll around.

Live posts during rounds, small posts after practice sessions and just general thoughts should be constantly posted by the reviewer. It engages the readers/members much more and promotes discussion rather than the blog-post like stage 1 and 2s that I'd wager very few people read entirely

[GolfSpy MPR]

3 minutes ago, jlukes said:

I think a great change for reviews would be to make sure the reviewers are actively discussing their experience as they go along. The stage one and twos are nice summaries, but often time all momentum for discussion is long gone by the time the stage 2s roll around.

Live posts during rounds, small posts after practice sessions and just general thoughts should be constantly posted by the reviewer. It engages the readers/members much more and promotes discussion rather than the blog-post like stage 1 and 2s that I'd wager very few people read entirely

I don't disagree with your post. Here's the challenge, as I see it: I know that in the G700 review, there were several times that I said something like, "I want to save my thoughts here for the Stage 2." The incentive right now is to give some thought, but not to spoil the final review. Changing things the way you suggest (which, again, I think is a great idea) would need to change how some of us think about Stage 2s.

[GB13]

6 minutes ago, mpatrickriley said:

I don't disagree with your post. Here's the challenge, as I see it: I know that in the G700 review, there were several times that I said something like, "I want to save my thoughts here for the Stage 2." The incentive right now is to give some thought, but not to spoil the final review. Changing things the way you suggest (which, again, I think is a great idea) would need to change how some of us think about Stage 2s.

That would make Stage 2 more like a wrap up. Stage 2 could become more of a summation of your thoughts on the product instead of the "full review". I think that could be a good idea, it would keep people more engaged throughout the review. 

[null]

41 minutes ago, mpatrickriley said:

I don't disagree with your post. Here's the challenge, as I see it: I know that in the G700 review, there were several times that I said something like, "I want to save my thoughts here for the Stage 2." The incentive right now is to give some thought, but not to spoil the final review. Changing things the way you suggest (which, again, I think is a great idea) would need to change how some of us think about Stage 2s.

Then stage 2's need to change.  Very little discussion is generated by the actual reviews.  There's really no point in saving anything for the stage 2 - I believe it should be discussed openly with the community as you go along and the stage 2 can basically be a final summation of the entire experience with the clubs.  Sure, most of the stage 2 will already have been discussed  by you in the various posts you make throughout the thread, but isn't the point of a forum review to discuss things with forum members?  If MGS just wanted forum members to do blog post reviews, then they wouldn't post the reviews in the forums at all.

There really shouldn't be any surprised in the Stage 2 for those people that have been following and actively engaging in discussion throughout the review.   Maybe the "likelihood to buy and final thoughts could have some new stuff, but the general performance of the item being reviewed should be discussed throughout the review thread from the moment the product is received.

I have done just that in almost all of my reviews because, to me, the best part of doing a forum review is sharing things with my fellow forum members as I go.

[Wedgie]

One thing that has been great this year is testing opportunities are announced late Thursday on the forum and on the blog Friday morning. Testers are then announced the following Thursday. Knowing this is great. Maybe a great next step is combining stage 1 and 2 and creating a calendar so all reviews hit at different times to avoid overlap.

 

For example Mizuno testing announced April 1 with final review June 1. Cleveland testing announced April 8 with final review on June 8. This not only provides testers with timelines but we get a full set of product reviews every week instead of a little of this and a little of that along the way. As always banter and questions as we go.

 

Testers need to understand the commitment they make and fulfill those obligations while providing the readers ease of info. Also tester group policing and more communication amongst the group of same product testers should be encouraged to keep all on track.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

1 hour ago, mpatrickriley said:

The SuperSpeed thread makes me think that perhaps other training aid reviews would be interesting. Many reviews of these products online, even decent reviews, are merely first impressions, with some initial hunches about whether the reviewer thinks it will work. Rarely do you get a review in which the reviewer committed to using an aid for a few months and reports back with measurable data about whether it made any difference.

In the same way (and others have suggested this), reviews of the benefits of lessons would be great. Something from a chain like GolfTec might be interesting.

I think this would be awesome to do.  I have never been fitted or had any lessons but a review of each stage of fitting or after each lesson would be sweet to read. 

 

Like others have stated, small reviews after each round, range session, fitting, or lesson followed by a final review would keep a thread rolling along better than just 1 big stage 2 imho.  I like reading people's thoughts as things happen. 

 

Example:  My swing was off today but this new driver was still in play or I had a grooved swing and was longer compared to XYZ.

[tony@CIC]

3 hours ago, PING Apologist #9 said:

I'd like to see more give-aways and free stuff...! I only joined in hopes of getting those for nuthin' and just generally lurk about...

 

 

Winner 

[GolfSpy_APH]

My local course did some major work on 5 holes and it was 8 or so hours and they had it all fixed. I called them, sent them a email with the photos they needed and it was done in no time!

I also say this as I'm writing up my stage 2 now. This may help as well with the word cap we try or at least attempt at sticking around haha

[Mr_Theoo]

3 hours ago, jlukes said:

Then stage 2's need to change.  Very little discussion is generated by the actual reviews.  There's really no point in saving anything for the stage 2 - I believe it should be discussed openly with the community as you go along and the stage 2 can basically be a final summation of the entire experience with the clubs. 

I agree with this. I look at my stage 2s as something someone on the outside looking for reviews may stumbleupon and doesn’t wanna read like 20 pages of questions and follow ups. But I would love to be asked more questions before or after the stage 1 is posted. Since the state 2 has a template let that be for a formal and final review but holding things back from active members just seems pointless when we have so many reviews going on at once. I know I’d be more engaged in asking questions if the answers weren’t  just “can’t say much saving it for stage 2”

[cksurfdude]

I'd love to see the forum cleaned up and organized, especially on the equipment side.

Mods have done a great good job of merging threads with similar themes, but the equipment threads still become confusing and there are multiple threads started when people want to leave their own feedback on a specific club rather than going into some sort of master review thread for that specific club.

Second this ^

There's sooooooo much great info within the member review main thread, but it kinda gets lost after a while.....

Maybe one idea is some sort of heirarchy, for example under Member Reviews then break out by, eg., club type and then possibly by target player then by year ..
Drivers / Woods / etc. ...
Player / GI / SGI ...
2018 / 2017 / etc. ...

[GB13]

I wouldn't mind seeing a review on a Skytrack or comparable device for winter testing. J/K (maybe)

I like the idea of seperating out the review threads by category, drivers, irons, putters, training aids, etc.

I also think that we should bring back Stage 3's in review threads. I think a six month update could be useful for product attributes like; durability and to see if it is still in your bag or how much it helped your game. I am still rather new here so I don't know why we got rid of Stage 3's to begin with??

Just my $0.02. 

[PMookie]

1. Hitting mats. I’m going to put one in the garage at the new house in front of my net, so I need some reviewed. Big square ones.

 

2. Grips. I need some tested for tackiness, sweat absorption.

 

3. Golf insoles. There are a few companies out there that claim the user’s golf performance benefits in various ways from wearing them. My coach sells https://aline.com/golf/

 

4. Hybrid golf bags. Stand/cart is great, but I need the hybrid bags tested for staying in their place on an electric cart (trolley for our UK friends) as my SunMountain one moves around ALL THE TIME!

 

5. Replacement cleats. We all need to replace our cleats at some point, so it would be nice to see which are the best.

 

6. Golf towels. Waffle patterns say they’re best, Frogger claims theirs is.

 

7. Golf 1/4 socks. Kentwool, Swiftwick, FJ, etc.

 

8. Water bottles. I use one EVERY round, and EVERY trip to the range.

 

Other ideas:

 

OEM Q&A days post-show. Let’s go LIVE and hear from the OEMs and ask some questions about the releases.

 

Game improvement Live posts. Let’s get some golf coaches to spend an hour on putting, chipping, pitching, etc, etc, etc. Live video, us asking questions.

 

“Spies in the Crowd”. Make some tees/hats and have folks wear them to sporting events. PGA tournaments, MLB, NBA, NFL, NCAA. Get creative, win some prizes!

 

Drawings for the equipment used in testing. Have folks that donated win some of the gear.

 

MGS. My Giving Spies. Threads that note great opportunities for us to donate, give time to great causes. Another place to wear Spy Gear and take pics.

 

ThanksGIVING, Christmas Santas. Where can we all chip-in and help folks during the holidays? Would be awesome to be a site that gives to COMMUNITIES!

 

Anyway. That’s what I got.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Golfspy_CG2]

Since it's been mentioned several times. I'll chime in on the timelines of the stages.

Trust me we as MODs would love to put out a definitive timeline of stages. Meaning if you are selected on June 1st then Stage one should be 10 days later and stage two three weeks later.

However, we are at the mercy of OEM shipping. They all handle the forum testing in different ways. Which results in some companies building and shipping the clubs within two days. Others have more internal procedures to follow and thus timelines have taken up to four weeks just to get shipped this year and in the past. So each review can have moving targets as those of you who have tested know.

I have to say. The testers that have been selected this year were phenomenal. I can't recall more than one or two occasions where Enrique or I had to ask about someone's review status and push for it. 

Out of 20 plus testings. Most with 3-5 testers that's a pretty good ratio. You guys rock!!

Keep the ideas coming. We're taking them all in and love hearing input from everyone.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

 

[tony@CIC]

1. Hitting mats. I’m going to put one in the garage at the new house in front of my net, so I need some reviewed. Big square ones.
 
2. Grips. I need some tested for tackiness, sweat absorption.
 
3. Golf insoles. There are a few companies out there that claim the user’s golf performance benefits in various ways from wearing them. My coach sells https://aline.com/golf/
 
4. Hybrid golf bags. Stand/cart is great, but I need the hybrid bags tested for staying in their place on an electric cart (trolley for our UK friends) as my SunMountain one moves around ALL THE TIME!
 
5. Replacement cleats. We all need to replace our cleats at some point, so it would be nice to see which are the best.
 
6. Golf towels. Waffle patterns say they’re best, Frogger claims theirs is.
 
7. Golf 1/4 socks. Kentwool, Swiftwick, FJ, etc.
 
8. Water bottles. I use one EVERY round, and EVERY trip to the range.
 
Other ideas:
 
OEM Q&A days post-show. Let’s go LIVE and hear from the OEMs and ask some questions about the releases.
 
Game improvement Live posts. Let’s get some golf coaches to spend an hour on putting, chipping, pitching, etc, etc, etc. Live video, us asking questions.
 
“Spies in the Crowd”. Make some tees/hats and have folks wear them to sporting events. PGA tournaments, MLB, NBA, NFL, NCAA. Get creative, win some prizes!
 
Drawings for the equipment used in testing. Have folks that donated win some of the gear.
 
MGS. My Giving Spies. Threads that note great opportunities for us to donate, give time to great causes. Another place to wear Spy Gear and take pics.
 
ThanksGIVING, Christmas Santas. Where can we all chip-in and help folks during the holidays? Would be awesome to be a site that gives to COMMUNITIES!
 
Anyway. That’s what I got.
 
 
 
 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

Wow what a great list!


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

[geez2323]

I think some course reviews would be fun and interesting. We have members all over and would be interesting to see the different courses we all play throughout the country. Would be great to see pictures and the scenery different parts of the country and world provide from a “average” persons perspective. Would be great for people who travel to golf to find and hidden gems or to stay away from any courses that disappoint. Kind of our own “worlds best” for golf courses. I think it would be fun and interesting. I would be happy to provide reviews on our courses in AZ. Just a thought I had.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[PlaidJacket]

Been seeing some great ideas in the post.

I'd like to see MGS have a method for donations to The First Tee . Perhaps an annual donation drive. Our donations made by way of MGS wouldn't be tax deductible but it would be for MGS!

www.thefirsttee.org.

 

[null]

Been seeing some great ideas in the post.
I'd like to see MGS have a method for donations to The First Tee . Perhaps an annual donation drive. Our donations made by way of MGS wouldn't be tax deductible but it would be for MGS!
www.thefirsttee.org.
 

While I love the thought behind it, I'd rather donate directly to the chapter of the First Tee that is most local to me. It's pretty darn easy to do.

[Kenny B]

21 hours ago, geez2323 said:

I think some course reviews would be fun and interesting. We have members all over and would be interesting to see the different courses we all play throughout the country. Would be great to see pictures and the scenery different parts of the country and world provide from a “average” persons perspective. Would be great for people who travel to golf to find and hidden gems or to stay away from any courses that disappoint. Kind of our own “worlds best” for golf courses. I think it would be fun and interesting. I would be happy to provide reviews on our courses in AZ. Just a thought I had.

I would like this, but I would add that maybe MGS needs to develop a set of review criteria and format.  Sure, we can look up reviews on golf websites, but I don't know anything about the person writing the review or their game.  Of course it should be organized by state, or more local locations, to make it easy look top locations.

[STUDque]

I would like this, but I would add that maybe MGS needs to develop a set of review criteria and format.  Sure, we can look up reviews on golf websites, but I don't know anything about the person writing the review or their game.  Of course it should be organized by state, or more local locations, to make it easy look top locations.

Without some big cash flow, I doubt MGS will be able to sponsor official course reviews like this. If it pleases the court, I could put together a standard review template for unofficial course reviews. These would be posted into a master review thread like we have for golf balls. Folks could review their home course or other courses as they travel to share the goodness with the rest of us.

________________________________________________


Thanks to everyone that has submitted input thus far. There's definitely some great stuff in here. Keep it coming!