MyGolfSpy Forum Member Testing 2025

[mynerds]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I have roughly 17 of our slots for next year locked and loaded. We will do a slow release of tests throughout the early part of the season then aim to have weekly tests from April to August before winding down again. 

Out of curiosity, what brands or products do you want to see coming for next year? We still have a few to sort out, but are happy with our core group of companies involved. 

What small companies do you think would be valuable to have? What tech type products do you think would be valuable? What non-club products should we look at? 

WhyGolf has some interesting practice aids. I'd be interested in some of their bundles to see if there are synergies (sorry for the corporate buzzword) between their products.

I've also wondered if it's possible to have more "service" tests a la Fit For Golf. Are there self-guided lesson subscriptions (e.g., Me and My Golf) that could be the driver (no pun intended) behind a long-term test?

[Coulter]

Speaking of DTC I came across one not too long ago called Burke I think. They had an entire line up of clubs then Lombardi who I’ve found through social media that specializes in putters

[Wolfstrum]

6 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Out of curiosity, what brands or products do you want to see coming for next year? We still have a few to sort out, but are happy with our core group of companies involved. 

What small companies do you think would be valuable to have? What tech type products do you think would be valuable? What non-club products should we look at? 

To be honest I come to the MGS Forums to learn about all the options I don’t already know about. Companies like New Level were not on my radar before I read about them here. I probably would have been behind the curve on learning that Vice was introducing irons without the MGS forums.

I count on you guys to be the ones with the inside knowledge of which small companies are doing exciting, interesting, and impactful product launches that would be worth member testing. 

[Shrek74]

6 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I guess by smaller companies I mean some other DTC companies we may have not had. 

I should have been more clear

I'd love to see the DTC irons looked at, that are more GI/PD style. Takomo 101/101t, Haywood SV2/PD1, Sub70 699/Pro v3, etc. We've done the CB/MB stuff, but not the more bell curve products. I'd even be curious to see if Maltby would be interested. They don't give clubs for reviews on YT, but I wonder what they might do for MGS.

[Rob Person]

DTC companies based solely off of social media

RIVL, Lazrus, Indi, Caley, Haywood, New Level, Lombardi, Macgregor, Sub70, Takomo, Vice, Stix (if something new comes out)

Also, while not necessarily cheap, there are a half a dozen new electric/ push cart manufacturers out there too.

Outside the box ,non club items , can include bag accessories, phone mounts, GPS watches, travel gear was done well this year too!

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

4 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

Avoda combo or one length.

Golfyr carbon putters

Tried to Golfyr putters, they are Swiss and while they may be forgiving they feel and sound terrible. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

4 hours ago, mynerds said:

WhyGolf has some interesting practice aids. I'd be interested in some of their bundles to see if there are synergies (sorry for the corporate buzzword) between their products.

I've also wondered if it's possible to have more "service" tests a la Fit For Golf. Are there self-guided lesson subscriptions (e.g., Me and My Golf) that could be the driver (no pun intended) behind a long-term test?

We are doing what we can to see how training aids or practice aids work as products for testing, but from what we have seen on our end they are major flops and we won't be moving forward with them in a traditional sense. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

3 hours ago, Coulter said:

Speaking of DTC I came across one not too long ago called Burke I think. They had an entire line up of clubs then Lombardi who I’ve found through social media that specializes in putters

I think there are now 5 or 6 members who are now affiliates with Lombardi, so we are content with the exposure they are currently getting here. 

Burke I have never heard of so will check them out!

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

I'd love to see the DTC irons looked at, that are more GI/PD style. Takomo 101/101t, Haywood SV2/PD1, Sub70 699/Pro v3, etc. We've done the CB/MB stuff, but not the more bell curve products. I'd even be curious to see if Maltby would be interested. They don't give clubs for reviews on YT, but I wonder what they might do for MGS.

There could be, but it also depends on what the company looks to feature. That is a big reason we have had the ones we have had so far in that space. That said Sub 70 has done the 699 prior and other more GI irons, same with Takomo those have been reviewed and not changed. 

Maltby is seemingly happy with how they go about their business and hasn't shown interest in member testing at this time. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 hour ago, Rob Person said:

DTC companies based solely off of social media

RIVL, Lazrus, Indi, Caley, Haywood, New Level, Lombardi, Macgregor, Sub70, Takomo, Vice, Stix (if something new comes out)

Also, while not necessarily cheap, there are a half a dozen new electric/ push cart manufacturers out there too.

Outside the box ,non club items , can include bag accessories, phone mounts, GPS watches, travel gear was done well this year too!

 

RIVL could be one worth looking out for. 

Lazarus is a pass for reasons. 

Indi would need to have something new come out, but they are also not overly keen since the wedges didn't do so well in Most Wanted testing. 

I am personally hesitant with Caley after the whole marketing thing that happened. 

Haywood is on the fence, need to check in with New Level (recap comes out this week). Lombardi I already mentioned in a comment above. And the others it would depend on the equipment they have coming out. 

We would certainly like to see another pushcart or two come, but time will tell there. 

I like the ideas for the other items, but also think most of those are ones that members can do on their own and not need to be given them for a member test. Much prefer those that have them to do little mini reviews on them!

Travel gear is out as well - we had another travel bag which we could have offered and axed it due to their difficulty and essentially one time use. Just not a product that works well with our formatting. 

[Northern Monkey]

How about Vega? They make some beautiful clubs but don’t seem to get a great deal of publicity?

[Shrek74]

8 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

There could be, but it also depends on what the company looks to feature. That is a big reason we have had the ones we have had so far in that space. That said Sub 70 has done the 699 prior and other more GI irons, same with Takomo those have been reviewed and not changed. 

Maltby is seemingly happy with how they go about their business and hasn't shown interest in member testing at this time. 

I wonder if the "new" Hogan would be interested. Their new "3 irons in one set" thing is any good.

[GolfSpy_APH]

I will say we are pretty much set on the club front - for the most part - it is more of the other stuff we are looking at filling out.

[Shrek74]

Just now, GolfSpy_APH said:

I will say we are pretty much set on the club front - for the most part - it is more of the other stuff we are looking at filling out.

I know the main site did a 2 part article on the Skillest app, not sure if something like that with certain coaches would be of interest, especially with the popularity of online coaching. Doesn't have to be Skillest, just some type of online swing coaching.

Perhaps a TPI assessment and follow-on program might be something to consider? I did an online assessment, but am also looking for a local TPI expert to do an in-person one as I felt the online one just couldn't do certain things that an in-person one would.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I would love to see some more tech in the sim /launch monitor arena. Optishot Orbit, Optishot Nova, Square, Uneekor Eye Mini and such. Lots of new ones out there. The over head ones would be awesome but they are probably to pricey for a manufacturer to give out for testing. 

[cnosil]

18 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I like the idea and do think grips have their place, but I do think for a typical member test moving forward we are going to avoid items like grips, apps, training aids, gloves and even possibly golf balls. 
 

We are doing what we can to see how training aids or practice aids work as products for testing, but from what we have seen on our end they are major flops and we won't be moving forward with them in a traditional sense. 

I think the biggest part of this is applicability and what people generally buy for long term use.  I get the appeal of DTC brands to assess if they match up to the major OEM from a quality and performance perspective for a lower prices.   Grips, apps, gloves, and balls while possibly applicable to every golfer they could be considered more of a disposable item and could be bought for reasonable prices, tried, and then moved on from if not liked.  As mentioned those items are great for unofficial member reviews.  

what do you mean by “major flops”?  Poor reviews, hard products to assess, difficult to pick testers because they are targeted at specific golfers, poor interaction, or all of those  plus other things?   Does this include simulators and launch monitors or just generic fix your golf swing type aids?    One day I’ll get a garage and have my own launch monitor so I find them interesting from a user experience perspective.  Does this include also speed training, shot tracking, and GPS devices?  Seems like those concepts have been proven via past testing and all of them work it’s just what subscription strategy the player wants to follow.   

For me shaft reviews are not something I would generally look at but the Otto-flex thread is great because people are testing a concept. But it doesn’t really work as a forum test opportunity since it isn’t tied to a single OEM.   

i mention concepts because that is what interests me the most; essentially how can I get better at this game.  Green reading skills like Aimpoint and Tour Read app.   Training strategies like block versus random versus differential.  Course management like Lowest Score Wins and DECADE.  Online versus in person lessons. Because I like putters, putter shaft comparisons are interesting.   Unfortunately, these don’t translate well to the forum testing approach because they generally need a significant amount of  pre testing data to be in place because we are measuring player improvement.  
 

sorry not really any ideas, mostly just questions and rambling  

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I think the biggest part of this is applicability and what people generally buy for long term use.  I get the appeal of DTC brands to assess if they match up to the major OEM from a quality and performance perspective for a lower prices.   Grips, apps, gloves, and balls while possibly applicable to every golfer they could be considered more of a disposable item and could be bought for reasonable prices, tried, and then moved on from if not liked.  As mentioned those items are great for unofficial member reviews.  

what do you mean by “major flops”?  Poor reviews, hard products to assess, difficult to pick testers because they are targeted at specific golfers, poor interaction, or all of those  plus other things?   Does this include simulators and launch monitors or just generic fix your golf swing type aids?    One day I’ll get a garage and have my own launch monitor so I find them interesting from a user experience perspective.  Does this include also speed training, shot tracking, and GPS devices?  Seems like those concepts have been proven via past testing and all of them work it’s just what subscription strategy the player wants to follow.   

For me shaft reviews are not something I would generally look at but the Otto-flex thread is great because people are testing a concept. But it doesn’t really work as a forum test opportunity since it isn’t tied to a single OEM.   

i mention concepts because that is what interests me the most; essentially how can I get better at this game.  Green reading skills like Aimpoint and Tour Read app.   Training strategies like block versus random versus differential.  Course management like Lowest Score Wins and DECADE.  Online versus in person lessons. Because I like putters, putter shaft comparisons are interesting.   Unfortunately, these don’t translate well to the forum testing approach because they generally need a significant amount of  pre testing data to be in place because we are measuring player improvement.  
 

sorry not really any ideas, mostly just questions and rambling  

Your ramblings are much like mine so they are appreciated. 

Major Flops - unfortunately we have seen that training aids and apps are just tough given our current structure. They have minimal interactions and don't get the engagement we hope for. The testers are also in a tough spot as there is only so much they can do. Try it and if it works great, if not, well that's that. 

Apps are just not something we have interest in anymore. Tried it, don't like it. 

Speed training is something we may do, but it would have to be Rypstick. SuperSpeed tests have run their course and after 3 or 4 of them I think we get the deal. The Stack only came back because we were able to combine it with the MLM. 

LM, Sims, Shot Tracking and gps devices are all ones we definitely would appreciate having as they are products which make for good information pieces and are easier for reviews. 

I doubt we will see much more in the way of shafts. We have already talked about iron shafts and their difficulty and I am pretty sure we had every Driver shaft possible done this year so next year will certainly slow in that perspective. 

I do like your concepts idea - once again though we need to look at our process and see how they fit as they dont fit with our current structure, but that is also where we need to adapt and modify our platform to make it viable. We are in the initial stages of completing some of this which should help set us up better for the future. 

[Erin B]

On 9/15/2024 at 3:55 AM, GolfSpy_APH said:

Hello all, 

2024 season is wrapping up and going to finish off strong with plenty of fun and exciting opportunities. Which leads us to what some may find a harder conversation, which is 2025. 

The truth is this season we pushed the limits of what this community was capable of. We pushed the limits of what the staff were capable of as well. We have had a record year with member testing which has been fun, but as with all things they must adapt and change for the better. 

For 2025 we will only be hosting 30 member tests. There are a few more things we are contemplating, such as even releasing the schedule when we have it built. 

So why the big change? A few things, one is HQ and what they want to see. With so much focus on member testing it was important that our forum not just been seen as that and that we have an identity outside of member testing. The other is we have seen a drop off in the quality of some of the reviews. If I break down the grades we had too many reviews that received lower grades and participation. We want these to be truly special and if it means lower the number to make them more earned then so be it. 

We will have had 350 plus members take part this season which is great, next year that number will be in the 160 range. 

I am sure there will be more questions and as I have always been I will be open and honest with the community about the approach and what we can expect to see. After all it is us as a community that will make this forum thrive. 

The last week or so the staff have been hard at work thinking of new ways to bring content and excitement to the community and to hopefully keep up the pace with the participation we had this year. 

You can look to see more of your content on our social platforms and more basic forum inspired content. 

We will have more Live Q&A and more of our fun and engaging community calls. 

We are hard at work for a new community map with course reviews integrated. 

I already know plenty of the reaction will be why and not a full understanding, many of you have been here long enough to know that we have in a sense been down this road before. For many of those who are newer, between 2017-2021 the norm for our community was about 28, 2022 we only had 12 and 2023 we boosted that number to 44. This year once again we pushed that limit. 

There are a lot of great new members who we will look to get involved, but with limited numbers we will have even higher expectations. 

While this change could mean some slowing of the growth we have seen it will also show the community who is here for what we offer as a community vs those who just want to sign up for free stuff. 

As Forum staff we look forward to this new challenge that is being presented to us and look forward to making the most out of each and every opportunity that is brought to the Forum!

Thanks for the heads up! I’m really enjoying the member blogs and the opportunity to write.

[Erin B]

20 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I have roughly 17 of our slots for next year locked and loaded. We will do a slow release of tests throughout the early part of the season then aim to have weekly tests from April to August before winding down again. 

Out of curiosity, what brands or products do you want to see coming for next year? We still have a few to sort out, but are happy with our core group of companies involved. 

What small companies do you think would be valuable to have? What tech type products do you think would be valuable? What non-club products should we look at? 

I want to see more small companies, DTC, and would love to see some head to head like GolfShot vs Arccos and the Grint vs GolfLogix. Steadfast shafts would be a good one as well. 

[Shrek74]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I do like your concepts idea - once again though we need to look at our process and see how they fit as they dont fit with our current structure, but that is also where we need to adapt and modify our platform to make it viable. We are in the initial stages of completing some of this which should help set us up better for the future. 

I had a thought after reading both Chris' and your replies.

Something like the OP concept could be adapted to be a proper forum test, or something like it. The forum could determine what shaft to use, or provide an option to testers of 2-3 shafts to choose from based on who is chosen and their swing speeds. The forum or HQ could cover the cost of the shafts/adapters, as long as the testers have them built to fit a certain length and final club swing weight based on the OP/AF recommended specs. Then have them run the testing like normal on the forum. We could ask that at least one of each shaft is chosen to really allow the concept to run it's course with various options. The cost to the forum/HQ wouldn't really be bad as the whole point of the OP is to find less expensive alternatives (PLB is about $60 on GW). We might also look at having some do driver and some do FW woods to see if the concept works in other clubs.

I realize there is a very long OP thread already, but this would get more exposure for the concept as well as show our members what's possible when you think outside the box. Just a thought I had.

[GolfSpy_APH]

24 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

I had a thought after reading both Chris' and your replies.

Something like the OP concept could be adapted to be a proper forum test, or something like it. The forum could determine what shaft to use, or provide an option to testers of 2-3 shafts to choose from based on who is chosen and their swing speeds. The forum or HQ could cover the cost of the shafts/adapters, as long as the testers have them built to fit a certain length and final club swing weight based on the OP/AF recommended specs. Then have them run the testing like normal on the forum. We could ask that at least one of each shaft is chosen to really allow the concept to run it's course with various options. The cost to the forum/HQ wouldn't really be bad as the whole point of the OP is to find less expensive alternatives (PLB is about $60 on GW). We might also look at having some do driver and some do FW woods to see if the concept works in other clubs.

I realize there is a very long OP thread already, but this would get more exposure for the concept as well as show our members what's possible when you think outside the box. Just a thought I had.

The forum staff doesn't have a budget for anything like that sadly. HQ had made it pretty clear we should shift from member testing in it's current form so I doubt we have or get a budget for that. Especially since the current thread has been so successful.

I would love to see more organic threads like the Otto Phlex thread happen from our community. 

While we will still have member testing we are going to rely a lot more on the community to do independent reviews, much like your TPI writeup. Those are great and we want people to share their experiences!

[William P]

I would like to see another club build opportunity with one of the DTC suppliers providing components. The creativity of personalization displayed our members during this year's review was nothing short of impressive. 

[Josh Parker]

9 minutes ago, William P said:

I would like to see another club build opportunity with one of the DTC suppliers providing components. The creativity of personalization displayed our members during this year's review was nothing short of impressive. 

That was a really awesome thread to follow. 

[Shrek74]

13 minutes ago, William P said:

I would like to see another club build opportunity with one of the DTC suppliers providing components. The creativity of personalization displayed our members during this year's review was nothing short of impressive. 

Agreed. So many new thoughts, so little money.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Definitely hope to have something similar come back like that one. It was a fun thread and one which I think provided value and insight for the educational side of things. 

One thing I don't want to see happen is the burnout like we saw from Arccos and SuperSpeed where those happened a bit too frequently. 

So just gotta be sure we find a few fresh ways to spice things up. 

[Coulter]

On 10/20/2024 at 11:32 PM, GolfSpy_APH said:

I think there are now 5 or 6 members who are now affiliates with Lombardi, so we are content with the exposure they are currently getting here. 

Burke I have never heard of so will check them out!

When we talked about Burke last I couldn’t find them online which made me think it wasn’t a real company. I think their servers were down. They are back up now and I found out Angel Yin on the LPGA uses one of their putters! So it’s kind of strange I haven’t ever seen or heard of them until now considering they have at least 1 player on tour using their products.

[Rob Person]

1 hour ago, William P said:

I would like to see another club build opportunity with one of the DTC suppliers providing components. The creativity of personalization displayed our members during this year's review was nothing short of impressive. 

I loved that thread! 

 

[TJ Hall]

46 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Definitely hope to have something similar come back like that one. It was a fun thread and one which I think provided value and insight for the educational side of things. 

Think this is key, the educational side of things.  Helping spread knowledge throughout the community here…there was definitely some learning coming out of that particular testing thread.

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 minute ago, TJ Hall said:

Think this is key, the educational side of things.  Helping spread knowledge throughout the community here…there was definitely some learning coming out of that particular testing thread.

It kinda goes in step with the MLM/Stack test, both products have been tested before, but let's see how they work together as they are meant to. 

TPT Putter shafts, let's see if they are really worth the upgrade. What is the difference? Not much, a lot? 

These member tests should be more about getting answers to questions that members have about the products and their claims or value to someone considering purchasing them. 

[MattWillGolf]

In a word, this test season has been amazing. The opportunities seemed endless. The forum staff certainly have crafted a wonderful community as well. Hats off to you all on the staff and what has been created this year.

Thank you for the transparency for what expect next year. @Josh Parker has it right. Quality over quantity. As former tester, I appreciate the guidance going into testing because it sets expectations and allows members to select things that they feel comfortable with testing. It sets the table for success.