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Golf Digest Hot List

SuperStroke
SeeMoreGuy

SeeMoreGuy

They Make 'em. I Buy 'em.
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Their Hot List came out and I have to say it is becoming a bit boring. Our Fourm has done a much better job of rating the clubs and presenting the information via THP The Magazine. I think having the Readers Choice is by far the best way to see what clubs are HOT! I beleive our members have as much if not more skill in evaluating clubs than those over at GD and are not beholden to the golf companies. I would think the companies appreciate a more unbiased review of their equipment. Not sure they would ever admit that b/c if you pay for great reviews as they obvioulsy have via GD you ultimately sell more clubs.

One thing I noticed in the GD issue under putters is that not one SeeMore was listed which surprised me given my experience and how their sticks have been rated on THP. Not sure why GD left them off but it did not make sense to me.

The more I stay on this site and heed of the advice and knowledge everyone has here (not just JB and GG), but from Andy the Pro, to the everyday members it makes this site stand out even more.

Just one THP'ers two cents.
 
Keith,
I am not sure that SeeMore submitted putters for rating.

But do keep this in mind. The HOT LIST is NOT a rating system of what is best. If you ask Bomb & Gouge they will tell you the same thing. It is a list of what is HOT. Hence having a category for demand/buzz.
 
Totally agree Keith and like JB noted, it's what's hot, not necessarily best. Although I though Golf Magazine's 'hot list' was by far the worst ever for any publication. Golf World's wasn't too bad this year actually either.
 
Golf Digest has about 35 people try the clubs. (This according to them last week)
If you knew some of the things that went on by a few select manufacturers to make sure that their clubs are appropriate for the testers you would die. Just about all the companies send stock items to them for testing, just like they do for our Shoot Outs. But a select few do things far different to stack the odds in their favor.

In the end, I have tons of issues with the hot list, (starting with the fact that it is portrayed as club testing when in fact it is, but it is more about what is hot) but lets remember it is a thankless job too. No matter how you do it, there will be people believing what they want to believe.
 
You guys are right....HOT does not mean BEST. I think most THP'ers are much more interested in BEST and couldnt care less about HOT. Quality, Function and Performance is what any evaluation should be about. Glad that is what is done on THP.
 
I read through most of it just for the reading and general interest in golf stuff. But theres just not that much that helps me decide if I want this or that next piece of equipment.
 
I find the "hot list" ok for finding out what's new from the some of the major golf equipment companies but so many others are left out it's really just one big advertisement as far as I'm concerned.
 
I haven't gotten my mag yet, just took a peek online really quick. It looks like it took a step back... last year wasn't there a section that had high/low launch, high/low spin, high moi etc... What happened to all this extra info? At least that was somewhat helpful (assuming you know what you wanted) as oppose to the selected regurgitated comments from the panelists. Again I haven't gotten my mag yet, maybe its in there...

I can't wait for the THP Shoot-Out results so I can get some real and honest (and useful) comments and feedback!
 
Read a bit of the Hot List in the magazine section. Not a great deal of info. Got what I needed in about 5 minutes.
 
2659edward said:
Read a bit of the Hot List in the magazine section. Not a great deal of info. Got what I needed in about 5 minutes.
Click to expand...

+1 the pics look decent but that's about it. I'd rather hear from the THP testers than these guys. More in depth info with varying playing ability input.
 
JB said:
Golf Digest has about 35 people try the clubs. (This according to them last week)
If you knew some of the things that went on by a few select manufacturers to make sure that their clubs are appropriate for the testers you would die. Just about all the companies send stock items to them for testing, just like they do for our Shoot Outs. But a select few do things far different to stack the odds in their favor.

In the end, I have tons of issues with the hot list, (starting with the fact that it is portrayed as club testing when in fact it is, but it is more about what is hot) but lets remember it is a thankless job too. No matter how you do it, there will be people believing what they want to believe.
Click to expand...

JB makes an excellent criticism. The "Hot List" has far too much input from retailers, which is nearly a fatal flaw in my opinion. Every "testing and review" site has it's flaws, but GD is ridiculous. IMHO, the best sites can merely eliminate the weak sisters from my consideration.
 
Phana24JG said:
JB makes an excellent criticism. The "Hot List" has far too much input from retailers, which is nearly a fatal flaw in my opinion. Every "testing and review" site has it's flaws, but GD is ridiculous. IMHO, the best sites can merely eliminate the weak sisters from my consideration.
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Retailers? I dont think retailers have any say in what comes of it.
 
Where did the specs go?

Where did the specs go?

No Specs listed? I need specs. Lots of specs! :act-up:
 
JB said:
Retailers? I dont think retailers have any say in what comes of it.
Click to expand...

He probably just meant manufacturers.
 
JB said:
Retailers? I dont think retailers have any say in what comes of it.
Click to expand...

JB, I do not blame you for having that opinion, I found it unbelievable as well. However, direct from their webpage touting the 2010 Hot List, "there are 94 products profiled in this, our seventh annual Hot List. How did we get here? It's the culmination of a year's worth of investigation, including unbiased input from a team of 32 players, teachers, golf retailers and scientists during two weeks of testing in Mesquite, Nevada."

Perhaps this is their "out" if the actual club test does not favor one of their major advertisers. There was an reference about the 2007 Hot List where retailers were specifically consulted while the list was being compiled. I guess someone gave them the heads-up, I can no longer find it.
 
What I meant is you said that I said retailers, I did not. Retailers have input in the buzz category. That is it.
 
JB said:
What I meant is you said that I said retailers, I did not. Retailers have input in the buzz category. That is it.
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You have a different opinion of their standards than do I.
 
I know Mike and Mike a little bit and it is a thankless job that most people look at as ranking clubs. That is not what they do.
 
JB said:
I know Mike and Mike a little bit and it is a thankless job that most people look at as ranking clubs. That is not what they do.
Click to expand...

I understand what they are doing, and you make a point about any test/review/ranking will be criticized. However, I am familiar with some of Golf Digest's other procedures for "ranking," and that really hurts their credibility. Having retailers involved is simply not a good idea.
 
I agree with you there. I have made plenty of rants about their practices. I will be back to discuss it later. We have a fast paced large contest going on right now in the contest section.
 
So, what is the REAL deal with the Hot List? What kind of equipment do some of the OEMs send in?
 
Look at the clubs in the hot list, and then go through and look at all the ad's in the magazine and try and tell me you'd don't smell something fishy
 
DefCon1 said:
So, what is the REAL deal with the Hot List? What kind of equipment do some of the OEMs send in?
Click to expand...

They send in all the new equipment. Taylormade did not send in the new drivers hence the reason they were not in there.

Kiwi said:
Look at the clubs in the hot list, and then go through and look at all the ad's in the magazine and try and tell me you'd don't smell something fishy
Click to expand...

Just about every OEM advertises in the Hotlist so that says nothing to me. Yet take a company like Nickent that advertised and never got a mention. Then pulled their advertisement and got a Silver.

I am not saying advertising has nothing to do with it. It does I am sure. It is a thankless job that I am glad that we do not have. But it is NOT a club test and ranking. It is a list of what is hot that is coming out in 2010. A preview of sorts and they happen to give star ratings to the ones that they feel are the hottest.

This exact thing is the reason we do not accept advertising on this site. Sites that say it does not matter have to contend with what people are thinking and it is just not worth it in the end.
 
I got a chance to look through my mag last night and the hot list is sooooo predictable... the same manufacturers get the same ratings year after year. Over the years the best clubs for me have been off the silver list (and some not even on)... so I never put much stock on what is being said there.

I do like being able to see all the new equipment, their specs, and a quick blurp about what technology has gone into them. More from a curiosity stand point than a suggestion on what I should get, I save that decision for my fitter and me (and my wallet).
 
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