Tell Us Why You Should Be A Tester!

[TJ Hall]

I am still relatively new to the forum in the grand scheme of things, but have been fortunate enough to take part in a recent club test.

Read the How To Be A Tester Guide that has been posted previously and be active in the forum.  If you don’t participate, moderators won’t know if you will contribute during the test.

While you get a cool piece of gear, it comes with a lot of work and effort…you have to be committed.  Be sure to read the.m guide and instructions for the test, if you can’t follow those, you won’t be selected for the test…simple!

Be prepared to put in effort and spend time with the product and posting/responding on the forum.  Pictures, charts, data and videos are key.  Know how to post and upload content to the forum.

Really think about how you will “test” the product…what is the manufacturer advertising/selling and how can you prove it does what it says.

Start small, a ball or glove test is a good way to get involved and prove that you can provide good feedback.  Another way is to post your own member review of something you’ve tested/worked with.

The moderators on the forum are all awesome…if you have questions, reach out!

I enjoyed being part of a test and also seeing others feedback on theirs.  Knowing these are not paid actors really helps emphasize performance.

I would love to be part of a future test…helps me justify going to the course/range.

Me: “I have to go for this test, the forum needs me!” 

Definitely learned a lot from the opportunity, but also appreciate more the effort that goes into a test.

Edited February 5 by TJ Hall

[jbern]

12 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

I can remember getting chosen for the first time and how excited I was. I was new to the forum with something like 100 posts and I got the email I was chosen to be part of the SuperSpeed test and I was literally shaking as I read it. 

That is how I felt when getting selected for the Clicgear 4.0 pushcart test last year! I was shaking out of excitement, but also nerves!
Below was my favorite photo I took from that Clicgear 4.0 test:

There are two main areas I’d improve for the next test. 

1. Video: I took a couple of videos during the test, but I felt like they could be improved a lot by improving my editing and my on camera ability. 
    
2. More hero photos. I was previously a photographer so you would’ve thought that this would’ve been easy. For whatever reason, I noticed that I mostly took photos for specific reasons and very few photos simply showing off the product. 
    

On another note, there is some fabulous advice in this thread and I really enjoyed reading through it! 

[TJ Hall]

3 minutes ago, jbern said:

That is how I felt when getting selected for the Clicgear 4.0 pushcart test last year! I was shaking out of excitement, but also nerves!
Below was my favorite photo I took from that Clicgear 4.0 test:

There are two main areas I’d improve for the next test. 

1. Video: I took a couple of videos during the test, but I felt like they could be improved a lot by improving my editing and my on camera ability. 
    
2. More hero photos. I was previously a photographer so you would’ve thought that this would’ve been easy. For whatever reason, I noticed that I mostly took photos for specific reasons and very few photos simply showing off the product. 
    

On another note, there is some fabulous advice in this thread and I really enjoyed reading through it! 

That is a nice looking push cart!  It is super exciting to be picked for a test, I had to look at the initial post multiple times to make sure it was real.

[cgriffy100]

I think I would be a great candidate for testing the Qi10 because I had a Sim2 a year or two ago and loved it but I had the Max version which created way too much spin for me. I’m a low handicap, about a 3 or 4 in which I just broke 70 for the first time recently, and I can accurately depict how it feels hitting different shots under different conditions. I loved the Sim2 but decided it was time for a different driver in which now I play the PingG430 LST. All in all I can give accurate feedback for distance, spin control, workability, and forgiveness. Higher handicappers can’t consistently hit the center of the face so, MyGolfSpy, don’t hesitate to send one over the in my neck of the woods in good ole Florida. Thank you for your time.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Lots of great responses!

Did you know that the best way to get noticed it to do an unoffical review of a product? Check out other reviews, write your own and show us your skills prior to being selected! 

[Preeway]

I think I make a good tester because I put a lot of thought into how I want to test the product before it arrives. I'm not the world best photographer and my creativity behind a camera is nothing compared to my creativity with a golf shot. Having said that, I still look for ways to get in those glamour shots. I added a video I took from my Nitron test as an example of my creativity. It's a 130 yard par 3 with about 50 feet of elevation drop from tee box to green. My kids thought I was nuts when I did this and were certain my clubs were going to go flying everywhere.

Being a product tester is all about serving our forum community and potentially thousands of additional golfers as well. It has been an honor to be chosen as a tester and I hope to be able to serve our MGS Forum community, and the broader golf community at large, again soon.

[Wheelieb]

12 hours ago, TJ Hall said:

I am still relatively new to the forum in the grand scheme of things, but have been fortunate enough to take part in a recent club test.

Read the How To Be A Tester Guide that has been posted previously and be active in the forum.  If you don’t participate, moderators won’t know if you will contribute during the test.

While you get a cool piece of gear, it comes with a lot of work and effort…you have to be committed.  Be sure to read the.m guide and instructions for the test, if you can’t follow those, you won’t be selected for the test…simple!

Be prepared to put in effort and spend time with the product and posting/responding on the forum.  Pictures, charts, data and videos are key.  Know how to post and upload content to the forum.

Really think about how you will “test” the product…what is the manufacturer advertising/selling and how can you prove it does what it says.

Start small, a ball or glove test is a good way to get involved and prove that you can provide good feedback.  Another way is to post your own member review of something you’ve tested/worked with.

The moderators on the forum are all awesome…if you have questions, reach out!

I enjoyed being part of a test and also seeing others feedback on theirs.  Knowing these are not paid actors really helps emphasize performance.

I would love to be part of a future test…helps me justify going to the course/range.

Me: “I have to go for this test, the forum needs me!” 

Definitely learned a lot from the opportunity, but also appreciate more the effort that goes into a test.

That no chipping sign looks awfully familiar

[TJ Hall]

2 minutes ago, Wheelieb said:

That no chipping sign looks awfully familiar

It’s around the practice green at Newport News Park.

[OdinSnipes414]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Lots of great responses!

Did you know that the best way to get noticed it to do an unoffical review of a product? Check out other reviews, write your own and show us your skills prior to being selected! 

 

[TylorJudd]

These are always tough and induce some stress as none want to be overly selfish and egotistical, BUT SCREW IT! All kidding aside, this is about having fun. If you don’t get excited about golf, we see it through the test. 
 

I live, breathe, and exude this sport as my passion. I try my absolute best to share that with others. This game has so much more than 4 hours with buddies away from your significant other. I am fortunate enough that @LBee is an avid golfer too, but I want to show everyone the other possibilities. There are no places period, where you have such a large landmass away from city structures, fresh air, sunshine, exercise, and emotional rigour. This is the best therapy session you can buy with your money. It is a game ripe with opportunity to self betterment, regardless of status, with endless routes to achieve multiple goals. 
 

This is what I try to bring to testing, not only the products themselves and what they offer, as we are so fortunate that the staff here do such an amazing job securing them, but how to incorporate them for more enjoyment. That is the overall goal after all, more smiles. Why else do we play? 
 

I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been selected for 2 different testing opportunities, and while golf has coincided with my journey to better life and mental/physical wellbeing, these always help. These tests create new friends, new journeys, and endless amazing days. If I do get any other opportunities to test, these are what I want to help our community find, and makes me a tester that provides growth for everyone who reads what I share. 
 

I’ll share a few photos of El Camaleón, Mayakoba. Tell me how you don’t get excited about these places..

[turkgirlmama]

I've never been selected as a tester, and am brand new to the forum, but am interested in testing specifically for the women's golf point of view. Not knocking men's products or the need to test them but women have truly embraced golfing in recent years, and to say that I am excited about this wave of women that has occurred is an understatement. When my mom needed a golf partner back in 1993, because golf wasn't flooded with female golfers at that time, I started lessons in Rochester, NY at Big Oak at the age of four. "Just make contact" -- that was the best advice I have been given in all of my years that has stayed with me...just show up. I now teach my four-year-old daughter that lesson -- silence the noise, who cares who is watching because you are showing up for you. Just make the contact and we can go from there. Being relatable is the first lesson of golf, you can do it all, if you show up and try.

I took a break from golf when we decided to have our two daughters, who I hope will love the game and have this ability in their back pockets when they need a seat at the corporate golf tournament table, to have as they age to stay active, or even if it's a party trick like it has been for mom with the hilarious "wait, you golf?!" comments when people learn more about me. I hope that one day, when my daughters walk into a golf pro shop, there will be more than one rack of women's clothes and one quarter-sized wall of clubs, and the demand from female golfers happening right now shows me it is around the corner for us. In the 90's, I remember how little women's/girls' equipment was available to try in-person, it was Lady Hagen attire, and pink golf balls. How far we have come! 

So, anyway, I'd like to be considered for testing because I am a woman golfer, I love the game and am trying so hard to support the women and girls in our community who want to take the jump into golf, and it helps that I write for a living. My day job writing for a top research institution in Western New York certainly helps, too. Thanks for the potential opportunity, I look forward to making women's golf, and the equipment we use, relatable for all. 

[Ballenbrandon87]

I would love to become a product tester for MGS and I know I would do a great job. I’ve played golf since I was 8 years old and really got into it when I was in my late teens. Later in life my love of golf took me into the fitting and club tech side of the golf world as I became a fitter and also worked in club tech for Golf Galaxy. While working as a fitter I gained new insight into how and why each new club made improvements to help my clients. I’m currently back down to a 5-7 handicap, it briefly went up while attending graduate school. I would be a good tester because I have a course very close to me as well as access to Trackman facilities where I can gather data about the club and how it’s helping me. I’m currently gaming a Taylormade M1 and haven’t had to upgrade because nothing new has been able to outperform my current setup. I hope that I’m considered a good candidate because I know how much insight MGS has given me. MGS is where I turn to and where I send my friends for unbiased reviews and testing and I would love to be a part of it too. 

[Kipp Little]

My wife and kids think I’m a golf fanatic!  I guess they are absolutely correct. I play 2-4 times and week and work at a pro shop once a week. Outside of that I am reading about golf and watching golf channel and yesterday because Pebble was not on I watched the entire LIV final round.  I want to be a tester to see what competition in clubs, balls, etc can do for my game. Always up for new and better ways to improve my game and understand the dynamics of golf business. Let’s test on!! 

[jlconnolly11]

I'm pretty new to the forums and just now getting to a point in my life where I can spend multiple hours a week playing/practicing. While I'm newer to golf, I'm not new to testing and reviewing products. I'm actively engaged in the unreleased/upcoming product scene in the IT world. I receive and test products several times a year under an NDA with several large networking brands. I've been doing this for about 5 years now. As these are unreleased products, the companies are looking for very specific feedback in order to improve their products before release.

That is not quite the case with all of the golf equipment typically available in these tests, but I think the white box golf ball tests and several others have been unreleased products looking for honest feedback.

I think my experience in reviewing products, as well as the fact that I'm relatively new in the golf space, would be a benefit to those seeking these types of reviews. I've not come to a conclusion on my top brands in any specific category, therefore I'm not biased by where I think a new product should fit in the industry. This could be seen as a downside, but I think a lot of golfers have preconceived notions about what product should do based on the brand.

The MyGolfSpy forums have been a big benefit to my game, and I would like to be involved with helping others in the future with potential reviews.

[GolfSpy_APH]

15 hours ago, jbern said:

That is how I felt when getting selected for the Clicgear 4.0 pushcart test last year! I was shaking out of excitement, but also nerves!
Below was my favorite photo I took from that Clicgear 4.0 test:

There are two main areas I’d improve for the next test. 

1. Video: I took a couple of videos during the test, but I felt like they could be improved a lot by improving my editing and my on camera ability. 
    
2. More hero photos. I was previously a photographer so you would’ve thought that this would’ve been easy. For whatever reason, I noticed that I mostly took photos for specific reasons and very few photos simply showing off the product. 
    

On another note, there is some fabulous advice in this thread and I really enjoyed reading through it! 

Pretty sure I used that photo for the recap... It was one of my favorites!

[snoopy79]

Love seeing all the new members!! This is why I enjoy MGS! Yeah the testing is fabulous, but really its the people that make this all work and that is the reason I am really looking forward to the tests and another great pool of testers. 

That being said, I love being a tester because its something I really love to do. My golf game is all about feel, and these tests are great way to communicate the feel of a product to the rest of the community who is also wondering. If it helps me make decisions then I want to make sure it helps others too. I have never been an early adopter of things, I tend to reserve judgement until I have my own context and that is what I bring to these tests. The marketing hype is just that, but hands-on impressions with honest feedback based on real interactions for the everyday joe are what separates facts from fiction.

Edited February 6 by snoopy79

[Wib081]

I would love to be a part of testing for MGS. I was selected last summer but due to family vacations I would not have been able to meet all of the obligations and asked to be removed. The vacations were great but man I wanted to test the Swing U app on my Apple Watch! Being that it’s February I feel confident I could commit to any and all obligations! Thanks again for providing all these amazing opportunities!

[Gawinner]

I should be a tester because I play a lot of golf. Even though it's seasonal for us northerners. I also work in a golf shop with access to Flight Scope so I can compare a lot of data.

[carlblencke]

I have played every iteration of the Taylor Made driver all the way back to the Pittsburg Persimmon.

I traded my Sim2 Max last year for the far-giveness of the Stealth 2.  I am 74 and have shot my age, but I really need all the distance help I can get from Taylor Made technology.  I hit 11 of 14 fairways on average but struggle to carry 200 yards.  

I know I should take the advice of Butch Harmon when a student complained that he was not reaching par fours in two and needed another 20 yards off the tee.  Butch simply said, "move up a tee".  

[Rob17452]

I am always interested in improving my game, while most improvement will be related to better ball striking and shot choices, there are times when new equipment can make a difference as well. I read a lot of the equipment reviews and think to myself how would I rate this if I were the one testing it and would the product have enough of an improvement to warrant purchasing it? A plus to being a tester is having the product in my hands to compare it to what I currently play. 

[Wheelieb]

5 hours ago, TJ Hall said:

It’s around the practice green at Newport News Park.

I was saying that cause I played the Cardinal Course Friday Morning.

[warrenator8]

As someone who has been selected twice as a tester (See the links below), I feel that I did a pretty good job with them. But there is always room for improvement. I can definitely say this based off the putter review I did last year, where I was unsure as to how much I would need/want the numbers data with my review. When it came to the Titleist Ball review, I think I did a better job balancing out anecdotal and statistical for my review. Overall, it is a great opportunity that I hope to be selected for again.

 

[TylorJudd]

On 2/3/2024 at 8:08 AM, Fongle said:

Great thread, and some great info there and insight into both what it takes to be chosen to be a tester, and what goes on in the background from the mods that enable all of this for us.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first time testers last year (for the HackMotion Swing Analyzer), and it was a fantastic experience. I'd also done an unofficial review on my Voice Caddie sc300i Launch Monitor prior to that, and I'd definitely recommend newcomers to try doing something like that first, to get an idea of the scope and scale of what's required when doing a review, as it can be pretty involved (but a lot of fun doing it).

I was looking through my golfing glamour shots earlier, and I was beginning to think I have an unhealthy putter obsession, but then the little voice in my head told me it's fine and I should keep buying them...

 

 

 

 

Now, I might not have the calves to pull off a skirt, but if you want humour, then I humbly present this video that I definitely promised my mate I wasn't going to post anywhere else online 

 

 

 

 

Those shoes though……

[TylorJudd]

19 hours ago, jbern said:

That is how I felt when getting selected for the Clicgear 4.0 pushcart test last year! I was shaking out of excitement, but also nerves!
Below was my favorite photo I took from that Clicgear 4.0 test:

There are two main areas I’d improve for the next test. 

1. Video: I took a couple of videos during the test, but I felt like they could be improved a lot by improving my editing and my on camera ability. 
    
2. More hero photos. I was previously a photographer so you would’ve thought that this would’ve been easy. For whatever reason, I noticed that I mostly took photos for specific reasons and very few photos simply showing off the product. 
    

On another note, there is some fabulous advice in this thread and I really enjoyed reading through it! 

That photo is next level, like you are writing a magazine. Did you take that with a phone?

[DJ in AZ]

I would take being selected for testing as an honor. I believe all feedback whether good or bad can be written in a way that is productive. What works for me might not necessarily work for you. Proper documentation is the key in my opinion. Although I am new to this forum I know I could be impartial and provide adequate feedback for everyone. I’ve come to love this game as you all have and equipment is a key part of it. Hearing from the skilled to the not so skilled about their likes and dislikes is very important when selecting golf gear. I was selected to participate in the Amazon Vine program based off my reviews from products I had purchased from Amazon. This is where you receive an item, test it and write a review. 

Thank you,

DJ

[TJ Hall]

3 hours ago, Wheelieb said:

I was saying that cause I played the Cardinal Course Friday Morning.

Nice…not the best course around, but the price is right!

[Jordy023]

I don’t know the first thing about testing. That’s just brutally honest but you bet your ass I’ll be hitting bombs with it. Driver is the one thing I’m decent at. I can tell you.. does it hit the fairway? Does it give me confidence at address? Are my friends jealous? I’ll Let everyone know I’m mygolfspy professional tester! Would that be stretching it? Probably, but I’m here to test golf equipment. Given an honest opinion, from there you tell me what else you wanna know. Bring it on. 

[Josh Parker]

20 hours ago, jbern said:

That is how I felt when getting selected for the Clicgear 4.0 pushcart test last year! I was shaking out of excitement, but also nerves!
Below was my favorite photo I took from that Clicgear 4.0 test:

There are two main areas I’d improve for the next test. 

1. Video: I took a couple of videos during the test, but I felt like they could be improved a lot by improving my editing and my on camera ability. 
    
2. More hero photos. I was previously a photographer so you would’ve thought that this would’ve been easy. For whatever reason, I noticed that I mostly took photos for specific reasons and very few photos simply showing off the product. 
    

On another note, there is some fabulous advice in this thread and I really enjoyed reading through it! 

That photo is bad a$$!  And the white and black combo!

[Wheelieb]

15 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

Nice…not the best course around, but the price is right!

Oh no, better than Honey Bee in VB. But kiskiack just up the road is pretty nice. Played there once in part of the Moose league. Haven’t made it back yet, but will this year. 

[Daddyawn]

Up until 2023 I was only playing 2-3 times a year (yes, you read that right) but in 2023 I played about 20 times.  I am 63 and was hitting my Cleveland HiBore XL about 230 with the occasional (okay maybe a little more frequently than that) slice. I have just started using a PXG 00311XF Gen 5 and have picked up an extra 10-20 yards and now occasionally draw the ball, which can really screw with alignment for the tee shot! So I could be a great test dummy for any drivers. Of course the rest of my game could use some help since I am a 20+ handicap.  Also, because I am in a demographic that is usually willing to spend $$$ on their game... use me, abuse me, send me toys!