Is GolfWRX even relevant anymore?

[chisag]

11 hours ago, BIG STU said:

Some people will argue with a sign board as my old man used to say. Some people they exist to start stuff. 

 

... You probably remember Matt Pavin when he worked at Titleist and provided the gea with inside information. Too many of those idiots gave him such a hard time he left and a fountain of really valuable information was gone. One of the things I truly dislike about social media/forums is the amount of people that say things in print they would never say to someones face. 

[BIG STU]

21 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... You probably remember Matt Pavin when he worked at Titleist and provided the gea with inside information. Too many of those idiots gave him such a hard time he left and a fountain of really valuable information was gone. One of the things I truly dislike about social media/forums is the amount of people that say things in print they would never say to someones face. 

Yep I remember him---- And you know how keyboard warriors are---- They will hem and haw about what they are going to do behind the safety of their keyboard---- If it comes down face to face their butt will draw up so tight you could not insert a toothpick with an air hammer

[ParFore74x]

11 hours ago, BIG STU said:

Some people will argue with a sign board as my old man used to say. Some people they exist to start stuff. 

It seems that people like that exist everywhere too. In almost every facet of life, there exists someone that wants to ruffle feathers. 

24 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... You probably remember Matt Pavin when he worked at Titleist and provided the gea with inside information. Too many of those idiots gave him such a hard time he left and a fountain of really valuable information was gone. One of the things I truly dislike about social media/forums is the amount of people that say things in print they would never say to someones face. 

I use this as one of my primary rules when interacting online. Treat the conversation like we are standing face to face and ask myself if it’s truly appropriate. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

3 hours ago, BIG STU said:

- If it comes down face to face their butt will draw up so tight you could not insert a toothpick with an air hammer

I somehow suspect that analogy would get the @ole grayGold Seal of approval

[Rickp]

8 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I somehow suspect that analogy would get the @ole grayGold Seal of approval

Without a doubt!!

[BIG STU]

Well you guys know all of us rednecks are alike

[BIG STU]

9 hours ago, ParFore74x said:

It seems that people like that exist everywhere too. In almost every facet of life, there exists someone that wants to ruffle feathers. 

I use this as one of my primary rules when interacting online. Treat the conversation like we are standing face to face and ask myself if it’s truly appropriate. 

Absolutely I am the same way

[Headhammer]

I believe I've finally found the epitaph for my tombstone, thanks @BIG STU

 

[Rickp]

Just now, Headhammer said:

I believe I've finally found the epitaph for my tombstone, thanks @BIG STU

 

Perfect

[GolfSpy_APH]

Something us as a mod team has kept an eye on what's going on over there and without question they have a different vibe, but we are seeing more crossovers between the two in they are also providing some member testing (both sites have Modus 115 tests) and now fresh in the mail looks like they have their own version of a most wanted type thing?

 

[Berg Ryman]

13 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Something us as a mod team has kept an eye on what's going on over there and without question they have a different vibe, but we are seeing more crossovers between the two in they are also providing some member testing (both sites have Modus 115 tests) and now fresh in the mail looks like they have their own version of a most wanted type thing?

 

Kinda Jaime, they just ask the opinions of a group of fitters they feel confident in. Again, it's a starting point but this is more gauge the people in the industry with what they're seeing in their personal fittings instead of a data driven process like MGS. Not saying either is better or worse, mind you, as these should be used as starting points, not absolutes.

[driveandputtmachine]

I post on both sites, but WRX is WAY more active in the forum areas.  So I end up posting more there.  I even changed my username here a few months back to match since they didn't for some reason.

I learned club fitting a couple of different ways, first from Dana Upshaw.  He taught me so much when I was trying to figure some things out.  I also did an OEM master clubfitter program(which was a joke and I will not mention which OEM as I am not here to bash and I like their clubs).  When Dana passed away I lost someone to bounce questions or ideas off of, so I now get a lot of that info from Stuart and Howard.

Opinions on clubs from a company are just like the old saying.  I know that MGS is trying to focus on and apply data on their reviews/most wanted stuff, but it will never convince me to buy a club.  My swing is weird, everyone's swing is different and unless MGS has me testing something to gather data then their data doesn't really help me much at all on clubs or shafts.

Can it give me good starting points for those items?  Sure it can. The ball testing stuff since I know my numbers with my two preferred balls I can use that to compare what they show those balls at to the other numbers to get an idea of things that may work.  The quality stuff was truly eye opening though, I mean I have never played a Callaway golf ball other than those I may find to hit a crazy shot or buy a sleeve to test because i never liked them for my game, but it was eye opening.

[Golfspy_CG2]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Something us as a mod team has kept an eye on what's going on over there and without question they have a different vibe, but we are seeing more crossovers between the two in they are also providing some member testing (both sites have Modus 115 tests) and now fresh in the mail looks like they have their own version of a most wanted type thing?

 

Actually to be fair they have been doing this for several years.  

And just like Berg says, it's feedback from some of the top fitters in the country that offer fittings of all brands.  They relate what has been selling well for particular handicap groups and overall.  I think like @driveandputtmachine mentions above, neither method is going to be the absolute answer for every golfer, but it gives you both data and subjective onions from a wide variety of players to use in your own evaluation of clubs you are looking at for a  starting point. 

[Siamese Moose]

8 hours ago, driveandputtmachine said:

I post on both sites, but WRX is WAY more active in the forum areas.  So I end up posting more there.  I even changed my username here a few months back to match since they didn't for some reason.

I learned club fitting a couple of different ways, first from Dana Upshaw.  He taught me so much when I was trying to figure some things out.  I also did an OEM master clubfitter program(which was a joke and I will not mention which OEM as I am not here to bash and I like their clubs).  When Dana passed away I lost someone to bounce questions or ideas off of, so I now get a lot of that info from Stuart and Howard.

Opinions on clubs from a company are just like the old saying.  I know that MGS is trying to focus on and apply data on their reviews/most wanted stuff, but it will never convince me to buy a club.  My swing is weird, everyone's swing is different and unless MGS has me testing something to gather data then their data doesn't really help me much at all on clubs or shafts.

Can it give me good starting points for those items?  Sure it can. The ball testing stuff since I know my numbers with my two preferred balls I can use that to compare what they show those balls at to the other numbers to get an idea of things that may work.  The quality stuff was truly eye opening though, I mean I have never played a Callaway golf ball other than those I may find to hit a crazy shot or buy a sleeve to test because i never liked them for my game, but it was eye opening.

I did not know that Dana had passed,  I am extremely sorry to hear that. I visited him four times, and beyond clubs, he made a big difference in my game.

[billybob456]

wrx has a purpose.  

it's mainly to help the 14 handicapper.

well not really.  but kinda.  

it's like anything. there is a bell curve.  and most of the viewers lets face it are probably 8-18 index.  with matching wedges.  spotless iron sets.  and staff towels to go along with staff bags.  

sure scratch players are there.  i get it.  

every single player i know who is scratch or plus or playing on a tour has no idea what wrx is .  15 players in total. 

 

the most annoying posting is a guy saying he just ordered a club and hasn't gotten it yet and can't wait to hit it.  

lol.  that's it.  that's the posting.  a guy posting about how he can't wait to hit a club.  

 

 

the discussion boards can be both useful and detrimental.  one guy's opinion on club or shaft can be totally useless and irrelevant. 

this can be dangerous and you know nothing about his swing etc.   it isn't a taste test.  golf swings vary wildly.  so feel and experience on a shaft for one guy can be polar opposite for another.  sometimes useful mostly not.  

 

the club fitting tech sections seem to be dominated by a few guys who go way past material and information that is relevant to the OP.  

partly to help and mostly to show off to the world how much they know.  

the WITB sections never show the faces and leading edges of clubs.   pros grind leading edges and trailing edges all the time.  when they do , it makes the club dramatically different.  so if you buy their iron set and go hit it, based on your turf conditions etc you may not like it.   clubs, for some pros are like comparing a nascar car vs  a car driving on the street.  after 8 years of observing i've come to suspect they are not allowed to. 

 

showing club brand and shaft brands is 20% of the equipment equation imo.   length, weight, true flex.  hotmelt if any.  etc etc.  is way more important and pertinent.  

i get it.  they probably have to give exposure to new clubs for sales.  corporate etc. 

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by TomLee2412

[Bang60]

Well as someone wrx banned because I questioned why I got no answer to my question to the so called "tech experts" in 3 days, it was asked like "wow I've asked a question the experts can't answer" and that's when the abusive posters abused me and I responded with like and then I asked them to delete my user account which took awhile but I still get the odd message from them. Maybe because I asked them to delete my account technically I'm not banned, but once I'm out I don't go back ever. 

Actually I've cancelled my membership with my Golf club because of the management b.s. so I'm looking for a new CLUB lol, yesterday's...

[cardia10]

I'm a member both places with a recent WRX ban. There was a bash Patrick Reed thread and I questioned as a site, if it were easier to let this discussion continue based on him being on the LIV tour now and WRX not having to see him in person at events and ask to photo his bag and clubs. Thought that was totally a fair question as it was some of the mods doing the bashing. They didn't like the fact that Reed has the same number of penalties on tour as Tiger I guess. Yep, that got me 30 days and now any comment I write has to be approved by mods....I guess I'm just not big on online bullying, I don't care if you are picking on a child or adult, there is no place for it, especially if you run and manage a golf site.

I think it is very much quantity over quality there. No doubt, there are some great members, but it is almost out of control with newer members and BST scams. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by cardia10

[GolfSpy_APH]

Bottom Line Golfwrx is and likely always will be extremely relevant and busy. 

They have a huge membership and signature features like all their tour stuff.

I haven't spent too much time there, but do have an account. Besides being so involved here for obvious reasons i found it chaotic and hard to follow along with threads. I love the sense of community we have here. 

There are other what I'll call stereo types that go with WRX which I'm not sure is all fair, because I'm sure there is a ton of great information there, however in my experience it can get lost in a long of other discussion. 

So relevant yes and will continue to be. 

 

[golfr]

So it's interesting, I think this topic should be revived.  

Golfwrx has been censoring their content now for a while, more and more threads require "moderator" approval to post in, so they can control the narrative we discuss. 

In addition, they now just signed an "exclusive" deal with the PGA tour to get access to the WITB photos, BUT, the consequence is it seems we can't really discus or reference the LIV tour at all. In addition to them scrubbing out the LIV content in the tour discussions, there are several members over there who are very aggressive about bashing LIV if you bring it up, almost to the point of stupidity.  It would not surprise me if those "users" are really admin accounts that they use to direct the conversations outside the normal administrative channels.  

The BST used to be a huge draw.  Lots of neat stuff and great deals.  But lately, it's more likely to see people asking MSRP for everything OR you find pages of SWAG crap....super expensive premium brands, funny enough, asking more than retail in many instances.  It's just become something it never was.  

Overall I'm not sure where this new "pga only" strategy is going to lead them.  The aggressive content monitoring though has gotten very off-putting.  And the BST has become irrelevant, honestly there are better deals on Ebay most of the time now.  

It seems to be another "moment of change" for Golfwrx.  

[GolfSpy_APH]

6 minutes ago, golfr said:

So it's interesting, I think this topic should be revived.  

Golfwrx has been censoring their content now for a while, more and more threads require "moderator" approval to post in, so they can control the narrative we discuss. 

In addition, they now just signed an "exclusive" deal with the PGA tour to get access to the WITB photos, BUT, the consequence is it seems we can't really discus or reference the LIV tour at all. In addition to them scrubbing out the LIV content in the tour discussions, there are several members over there who are very aggressive about bashing LIV if you bring it up, almost to the point of stupidity.  It would not surprise me if those "users" are really admin accounts that they use to direct the conversations outside the normal administrative channels.  

The BST used to be a huge draw.  Lots of neat stuff and great deals.  But lately, it's more likely to see people asking MSRP for everything OR you find pages of SWAG crap....super expensive premium brands, funny enough, asking more than retail in many instances.  It's just become something it never was.  

Overall I'm not sure where this new "pga only" strategy is going to lead them.  The aggressive content monitoring though has gotten very off-putting.  And the BST has become irrelevant, honestly there are better deals on Ebay most of the time now.  

It seems to be another "moment of change" for Golfwrx.  

We have one Central thread for LIV discussion. Much like them. It is a decision made to keep that divisive topic contained and not effect other areas of the forum. Also we aren't nearly as PGA centered. 

Stay tuned for a BST update here as well!

WRX has a huge following and while I don't post there I do have a account and check in from time to time. Many do. 

Part of being a much larger membership are those things where things need to be looked at more. 

We are fortunate here with a pretty unique online community that differs in ways for both the better and worse. 

I've said it before and say it again. WRX will always be relevant as they are a massive site which has found it's niche and is incredibly successful.

[golfr]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

We have one Central thread for LIV discussion. Much like them. It is a decision made to keep that divisive topic contained and not effect other areas of the forum. Also we aren't nearly as PGA centered. 

Stay tuned for a BST update here as well!

WRX has a huge following and while I don't post there I do have a account and check in from time to time. Many do. 

Part of being a much larger membership are those things where things need to be looked at more. 

We are fortunate here with a pretty unique online community that differs in ways for both the better and worse. 

I've said it before and say it again. WRX will always be relevant as they are a massive site which has found it's niche and is incredibly successful.

 

I definitely didn't say I thought golfWRX was irrelevant, however I do think they are changing significantly.  If it's for the good or bad is out for debate, but many of us over there are not super happy and have been withdrawing.  

IMO censoring conversations, not because they are political or inappropriate, but because you have an agreement with another entity that doesn't like them is NOT for the betterment of the game, that's for the betterment of the owners of both.  Some of us are starting to feel like there's a whole lot of "BS speak" going on over there.

[GolfSpy_APH]

3 minutes ago, golfr said:

 

I definitely didn't say I thought golfWRX was irrelevant, however I do think they are changing significantly.  If it's for the good or bad is out for debate, but many of us over there are not super happy and have been withdrawing.  

IMO censoring conversations, not because they are political or inappropriate, but because you have an agreement with another entity that doesn't like them is NOT for the betterment of the game, that's for the betterment of the owners of both.  Some of us are starting to feel like there's a whole lot of "BS speak" going on over there.

Apologies. Given the Topic of the thread, just read it with that undertone. My bad.

It's tough I guess, they have a fine line to walk or a decision they have made in the LIV PGA discussion and are prepared to live with the consequences of that decision. 

My own personal thing with WRX is it feel chaotic to me. Likely because I'm not on there enough, but I find it hard to follow along with many conversations and notice some shorter blunt comments when truly seeking help or advice. It is a reason I came here and am more of a looker vs poster there.

[golfr]

12 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Apologies. Given the Topic of the thread, just read it with that undertone. My bad.

It's tough I guess, they have a fine line to walk or a decision they have made in the LIV PGA discussion and are prepared to live with the consequences of that decision. 

My own personal thing with WRX is it feel chaotic to me. Likely because I'm not on there enough, but I find it hard to follow along with many conversations and notice some shorter blunt comments when truly seeking help or advice. It is a reason I came here and am more of a looker vs poster there.

 

No worries, I was just clarifying. 

Yeah, I think that's a fair criticism.  I've been a member over there a long time, and at times I've participated a lot.  In that experience, I think I learned there are a handful of members that seem to like being short and disruptive (probably the same in most large forums).  There's also a set of members who are just 100% dug-in on their opinions, and will repetitively post about it again and again.  There's also some "guru" members, who frankly, are sometimes helpful, and sometimes sharing opinion (it's hard to tell sometimes).  For example, back when adjustable driver hosels came out there was a premier member over there who kept posting all these "informational" posts about how they didn't work and didn't do anything.  Of course, they provided a "wood lie and loft adjustment service" and sold their own line of bendable woods.  So.....you can decide what that was about.  

I think the largest change that I've seen over there is in the BST.  That used to be one of the best places for getting deals on really unique stuff.  But now, it's more like people dumping stuff at MSRP that they found in an outlet or at a pawn shop.  Or let's be real, it's industry folks using their purchase discounts and then reselling at MSRP.  Anyway, it's the most disappointing part of the changes for me. 

[chisag]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

My own personal thing with WRX is it feel chaotic to me. Likely because I'm not on there enough, but I find it hard to follow along with many conversations and notice some shorter blunt comments when truly seeking help or advice. It is a reason I came here and am more of a looker vs poster there.

 

 

... I was a member at WRX before joining MGS. I still post in the equipment forum because ... well ...  I love talking equipment. But the huge difference is those that want to argue about an opinion when it is after all, an opinion but worse they want to argue about facts. And arguing if done respectfully is perfectly fine but more than a few are very snarky and/or just rude and very confrontational. Those are things I just don't see here. Most everyone is respectful in their disagreement and they don't dig in and want to have the last word. Ok, maybe a few here    but they are easy enough to avoid interacting with.

... It is almost like WRX is a big party and when party goers get a few drinks in them it can get confrontational, argumentative and unpleasant because they aren't gonna see each other in the future. Where MGS is like a big family outing with maybe one Drunk Uncle but everyone else knowing we have to see each other the next day and genuinely care about each other.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, golfr said:

 

I definitely didn't say I thought golfWRX was irrelevant, however I do think they are changing significantly.  If it's for the good or bad is out for debate, but many of us over there are not super happy and have been withdrawing.  

IMO censoring conversations, not because they are political or inappropriate, but because you have an agreement with another entity that doesn't like them is NOT for the betterment of the game, that's for the betterment of the owners of both.  Some of us are starting to feel like there's a whole lot of "BS speak" going on over there.

They aren’t controlling narrative in most threads, and I haven’t been in the LIV thread but the conversation got to political and they wanted to avoid that. What they are controlling is personal attacks and members getting off track to cause problems. Just see the amg shallow thread. 
 

As for the bst when you have a growing membership at some point you are going to get new members just there to sell. There’s one or two members who only post here to sell.

If you think they are irrelevant you misunderstand the reach they have. The amg shallow thread has numerous teaching professionals reading that thread who aren’t members 

[GolfSpy_APH]

33 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

If you think they are irrelevant you misunderstand the reach they have. The amg shallow thread has numerous teaching professionals reading that thread who aren’t members 

He did clarify by saying they were changing. Rather than being irrelevant. 

More likely this was just the most relevant post to put his comments in. 

[golfr]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

They aren’t controlling narrative in most threads, and I haven’t been in the LIV thread but the conversation got to political and they wanted to avoid that. What they are controlling is personal attacks and members getting off track to cause problems. Just see the amg shallow thread. 
 

As for the bst when you have a growing membership at some point you are going to get new members just there to sell. There’s one or two members who only post here to sell.

If you think they are irrelevant you misunderstand the reach they have. The amg shallow thread has numerous teaching professionals reading that thread who aren’t members 

 

Again, I clearly said the aren't irrelevant, so.....?

I'm sorry, but they are controlling the narrative.  I know from personal experience, I've had posts rejected by moderators that had NOTHING to do with politics, and were not attacks on anyone.  I've talked with other long time members in private, they've had the same exact experiences.  There are entire sections of threads that get deleted, I know you don't realize that because they are already missing when you read them, but for those of us in them it makes no sense.  They were not attacks, they were discussions about marketing ethics, or some other thing they don't like.  or simply saying things like the positives that were in a broadcast.  So I completely disagree based on the actual experience I've had with rejected posts, closed threads, etc.  

I understand the need to stop personal attacks and political nonsense, but that's not what they are doing.  And with the PGA sponsorship, it's becoming more obvious they don't want LIV conversations.  For example, we can have 100 threads discussing the minutia of the PGA tour, but all "liv tour" discussions have to be in 1 thread?  

I'm not sure what your point really was, they certainly are relevant.  They will be especially relevant to people obsessed with the PGA tour, given the access they are likely going to get.  I obviously don't agree with you about their control over the content, I've seen first hand, if they don't want something discussed they shut it down or take the posts out.  And they aren't attacks on anything or anyone (except the PGA tour at times, or marketing ethics of some manufacturers, etc).

As for BST, maybe it's inevitable but it doesn't change the fact that it stinks.   

Edited February 26, 2023 by golfr

[GolfSpy_APH]

9 hours ago, golfr said:

 

Again, I clearly said the aren't irrelevant, so.....?

I'm sorry, but they are controlling the narrative.  I know from personal experience, I've had posts rejected by moderators that had NOTHING to do with politics, and were not attacks on anyone.  I've talked with other long time members in private, they've had the same exact experiences.  There are entire sections of threads that get deleted, I know you don't realize that because they are already missing when you read them, but for those of us in them it makes no sense.  They were not attacks, they were discussions about marketing ethics, or some other thing they don't like.  or simply saying things like the positives that were in a broadcast.  So I completely disagree based on the actual experience I've had with rejected posts, closed threads, etc.  

I understand the need to stop personal attacks and political nonsense, but that's not what they are doing.  And with the PGA sponsorship, it's becoming more obvious they don't want LIV conversations.  For example, we can have 100 threads discussing the minutia of the PGA tour, but all "liv tour" discussions have to be in 1 thread?  

I'm not sure what your point really was, they certainly are relevant.  They will be especially relevant to people obsessed with the PGA tour, given the access they are likely going to get.  I obviously don't agree with you about their control over the content, I've seen first hand, if they don't want something discussed they shut it down or take the posts out.  And they aren't attacks on anything or anyone (except the PGA tour at times, or marketing ethics of some manufacturers, etc).

As for BST, maybe it's inevitable but it doesn't change the fact that it stinks.   

I guess as you said time will tell how these changes effect the site. Maybe it just merges into something else? Who could say, but that is for your insights. 

I went over there for a little last night. No posts and just read a few things. There is so much info and plenty of great threads, often they are far too hard to find tho for me.

Part of that is the Invision theme they run and it makes the header huge for many of the ads.

 

[DukeStKing]

On 9/25/2019 at 12:43 PM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

i think this sums it up very well. 

I still go on WRX,....obvisouly not near the amount I did before joining MGS, but I like to keep track of what the competing sites are doing.  Well at least them, I don't so much worry about the third one.   WRX does indeed have a large knowledgeable membership. 

However, the one thing I have witnessed first hand and heard many times, is it's not the most welcoming of sites to newer golfers or members who have a differing opinion.

I think that's THE absolute best thing about the membership here, you guys value everyone's opinion, whether it's a scratch golfer or a brand new player who shoots 110.   There truly is no class system here.

And of course the full honest unbiased opinions on the member reviews is something you don't see much of on the other sites.   If something works well, they will say so, if something isn't great, they will say so in a very constructive but yet honest way. 

I do love how MGS is becoming more well known then perhaps the other two.   On a side note, the Wilson Rep just left my shop this morning, I've known him for 15 years, but he somehow didn't know my role with MGS.  When I mentioned it, he got very excited saying Wilson LOVES MGS...ha   So we spent a bit of time talking about what MGS does.  He admitted his a bit of old timer and not real up on SM but says he's going to have to get more involved.    That is all said, to say every rep I have spoken to this year has nothing but great things to say about MGS.   Well all except for one

 

 

I think this sums up the difference in membership very well- there’s a snarkyness on WRX that I haven’t experienced on MGS. 
I also do think the testing is better here on MGS- it’s more scientific because the methodology is so transparent. 
 

[vandyland]

21 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The amg shallow thread has numerous teaching professionals reading that thread who aren’t members 

Love the shallowing thread and I would never have found Monte Schienblum without golfwrx. I am a member on both and there are a few threads on Golfwrx that I really get into but most of it I can take or leave. I agree that over here things are more civil and move a slower (and easier to follow) pace. That said, if I want to go pick a fight with people over a stupid golf take that I have (ex. playing short tees, picking one shot shape, trying something wacky in my equipment) golfwrx is still a very fun place to go.