MGS Forum Now and Moving Forward

[Lacassem]

13 hours ago, MattF said:

Doesn't feel like it to me...I'm almost done.

Hate to hear that, hope it turns around.

[MattF]

3 hours ago, Peaksy68 said:

Is @The Hat still going to be around?

For you, in your nightmares. 

[cksurfdude]

Been thinking about this, and may have posted similar thoughts earlier in this thread .. and I know I have elsewhere in the forums ... So...

What initially brought me to *this* forum, earlier in my golfing life (which was not that many years ago) when I didn't know a lot about equipment, including e.g. the different performance characteristics between the same club from different manufacturers, between different types of clubs for different types of players, between different shafts, different golf balls, etc etc etc.

The annual (so-called) test and review presented in one of the major print publications was wholly, totally unsatisfactory - everything was wonderful (of course) and yet it said *nothing* about what might help me with my game...

So a Google search for golf equipment reviews led me here.

Where I found a much fuller description of the player types doing the testing, a much fuller description of the _what_ the equipment is and of the _who_ is the target golfer. 

I enjoyed reading thru the personal experiences .. and not long after joined the forum so I could participate, and not long after that signed up for a club test - and got selected

 

* OK - here's where I finally start getting to my point

 

During that first club test .. again several years back when my swing was waaaay worse than it is now .. I felt like I was struggling with the club. I read thru the other testers personal intros and PMed one of them to ask a question...

... He and I struck up a conversation, which has CONTINUED into the present .. about many things golf-related and not related .. we just chat about life events sometimes .. and this conversation WILL continue into the future..!!

I've learned so much from him, and also from -all- the others who take time to share their knowledge and experience - in a friendly, respectful, cooperative way. To me, that's "Community"

 

[Lacassem]

12 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Been thinking about this, and may have posted similar thoughts earlier in this thread .. and I know I have elsewhere in the forums ... So...

What initially brought me to *this* forum, earlier in my golfing life (which was not that many years ago) when I didn't know a lot about equipment, including e.g. the different performance characteristics between the same club from different manufacturers, between different types of clubs for different types of players, between different shafts, different golf balls, etc etc etc.

The annual (so-called) test and review presented in one of the major print publications was wholly, totally unsatisfactory - everything was wonderful (of course) and yet it said *nothing* about what might help me with my game...

So a Google search for golf equipment reviews led me here.

Where I found a much fuller description of the player types doing the testing, a much fuller description of the _what_ the equipment is and of the _who_ is the target golfer. 

I enjoyed reading thru the personal experiences .. and not long after joined the forum so I could participate, and not long after that signed up for a club test - and got selected

 

* OK - here's where I finally start getting to my point

 

During that first club test .. again several years back when my swing was waaaay worse than it is now .. I felt like I was struggling with the club. I read thru the other testers personal intros and PMed one of them to ask a question...

... He and I struck up a conversation, which has CONTINUED into the present .. about many things golf-related and not related .. we just chat about life events sometimes .. and this conversation WILL continue into the future..!!

I've learned so much from him, and also from -all- the others who take time to share their knowledge and experience - in a friendly, respectful, cooperative way. To me, that's "Community"

 

and how great it is to have you here! So who is it we can thank for keeping you here? 

[cksurfdude]

Alright since that last post was so long and boring, I'm starting out my next set of thoughts into this next long and boring post...

 

Testing.

My opinions on forum member testing:

 

#1. Should be SUBJECTIVE, e.g. I'm a high handicapper and this club definitely [ did | did not ] help me hit a golf ball better towards the hole.

..and of course include here's some info about me as a golfer, here's some info on how I did my testing, here's some info on how I felt about this club vs the thing that's in my bag now, etc etc.

 

2. Should be run IN TANDEM with the more objective / data-driven testing done at HQ (e.g. a club is run thru the lab at HQ and then is handed off to a forum member tester).

Yeah it's a plus if the forum testers can supplement their reviews with hard data, but imho should not necessarily be a hard requirement.

No, you don't want people to take free gear and then whiff on the review, but HQ is in a much better position to collect and publish data .. in a consistent format/presentation .. vs a group of testers (using different testing methods and different data collection / presentation methods).

At HQ this could be a part of .. or completely separate from .. Most Wanted testing.

But in my mind a dual testing protocol could be way more impactful to information seekers, and thus possible would-be forum members.

 

======================

(..forum software combined this post with my prior one...)

 

1 hour ago, Lacassem said:

and how great it is to have you here! So who is it we can thank for keeping you here? 

Haha it's *you* and all your fun doggos!!!

[Lacassem]

10 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Alright since that last post was so long and boring, I'm starting out my next set of thoughts into this next long and boring post...

 

Testing.

My opinions on forum member testing:

 

#1. Should be SUBJECTIVE, e.g. I'm a high handicapper and this club definitely [ did | did not ] help me hit a golf better towards the hole.

..and of course include here's some info about me as a golfer, here's some info on how I did my testing, here's some info on how I felt about this club vs the thing that's in my bag now, etc etc.

 

2. Should be run IN TANDEM with the more objective / data-driven testing done at HQ (e.g. a club is run thru the lab at HQ and then is handed off to a forum member tester).

Yeah it's a plus if the forum testers can supplement their reviews with hard data, but imho should not necessarily be a hard requirement.

No, you don't want people to take free gear and then whiff on the review, but HQ is in a much better position to collect and publish data .. in a consistent format/presentation .. vs a group of testers (using different testing methods and different data collection / presentation methods).

At HQ this could be a part of .. or completely separate from .. Most Wanted testing.

But in my mind a dual testing protocol could be way more impactful to information seekers, and thus possible would-be forum members.

 

======================

(..forum software combined this post with my prior one...)

 

Haha it's *you* and your all your fun doggos!!!

Dogs and golf keep us sane, that I know for a fact.

[GolfSpy_APH]

3 hours ago, Lacassem said:

Dogs and golf keep us sane, that I know for a fact.

Should be a super like for this. 

[GolfSpy_BOS]

3 hours ago, Lacassem said:

Dogs and golf keep us sane, that I know for a fact.

 

3 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Should be a super like for this. 

I don't know.... one of mine is actively trying to drive me crazy!

Had me up at 3, 4, and 5:30 this morning to go outside.

I don't have babies anymore, I'm supposed to get to sleep! 

[GolfSpy_APH]

8 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

 

I don't know.... one of mine is actively trying to drive me crazy!

Had me up at 3, 4, and 5:30 this morning to go outside.

I don't have babies anymore, I'm supposed to get to sleep! 

Why not just leave it outside? Did that with the dalmatian the other day lol

[GolfSpy_BOS]

5 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Why not just leave it outside? Did that with the dalmatian the other day lol

1.  Tempting, but my wife would not approve.

2.  It was also raining.  Which only added the displeasure I had.

[ejgaudette]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

1.  Tempting, but my wife would not approve.

2.  It was also raining.  Which only added the displeasure I had.

Gotta move to the woods. I just open the door the dog goes out in the trees, does the business and comes home. Very nice in the dead of winter.

[Lacassem]

8 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

1.  Tempting, but my wife would not approve.

2.  It was also raining.  Which only added the displeasure I had.

Coyotes

[GolfSpy_BOS]

4 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

Gotta move to the woods. I just open the door the dog goes out in the trees, does the business and comes home. Very nice in the dead of winter.

I’ve got the woods.  My dogs would likely never come home. Perpetually chasing rabbits they’ll never catch lol

[tommc23]

4 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Coyotes

My dogs have actually tried to take coyotes out

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

I’ve got the woods.  My dogs would likely never come home. Perpetually chasing rabbits they’ll never catch lol

My dogs would be coming back with dead rabbits, free food though

[Lacassem]

1 minute ago, tommc23 said:

My dogs have actually tried to take coyotes out

My dogs would be coming back with dead rabbits, free food though

Mine might but wouldn’t make it against a pack that’s for sure! She would go swinging thiugg

[tommc23]

4 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Mine might but wouldn’t make it against a pack that’s for sure! She would go swinging thiugg

All of mine are very fur driven hunting dogs having 3 would make it uneven my dogs would definitely chase coyotes off

[Lacassem]

2 minutes ago, tommc23 said:

All of mine are very fur driven hunting dogs having 3 would make it uneven my dogs would definitely chase coyotes off

Few years ago my 3 would have been ok together. They werent hunting but super protective of the property. They were a pack and a half.

 

Amazing how this thread turns to dogs in about 2 minutes....

[bens197]

2 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Few years ago my 3 would have been ok together. They werent hunting but super protective of the property. They were a pack and a half.

 

Amazing how this thread turns to dogs in about 2 minutes....

Did somebody say dogs?

 

[russtopherb]

Pffft. Cats are better.

 

[cksurfdude]

On 6/19/2022 at 9:30 PM, hckymeyer said:

But at the end of the day it's the members interacting with themselves organically that makes a good forum. 

Yup yup yup.

For me, my primary content consumption / participation on the site includes... "How'd You Play?", "What Did You Practice?" and the always entertaining "What Have You Bought Lately (CHA)?"

(..and of course "What's Your Best Joke?" and pictures of other people's pets )

As others have mentioned, it's through threads/discussions like these that I also feel I've made a bunch of virtual friends - which a few weekends ago at Annapolis I had the chance to convert a few of into IRL golf buddies