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Future of Product Testing on THP

SuperStroke
GolferGal said:
I agree with this. I don't think a review should be judged in a certain way based on whether or not the person donated. But I am starting to think that one of the best ways to fix this issue is to start charging people for shipping. I hate to do that but with the amount of testing we are doing these days maybe it's the best choice. Plus it could open up the door to allow international testers.
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That sounds like a reasonable solution.
 
StLCardsFan said:
Do we start a VIP program and only members of that program are eligible? Not a good idea IMO. Then you will be inundated with people wanting to be a VIP. And that exclusivity will only separate what you have created. I think it would create a ‘good ole boys’ network that have a hand in every topic and every thread and everything will end up liked or dislike based on the opinions of a few. You would also see backlash in the future with members assuming there is favoritism among the VIPs on other things.
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I strongly agree with this well written argument. I fear the creation of a VIP area / group will turn THP into the equivelant of a frequent flyer elite program. Every week I see dozens of fellow 'elite' flyers getting bent out of shape because they weren't given a free upgrade to first class.
 
Guys I want to thank you all for this awesome feedback. Keep it coming from both sides.
 
Seems like the overwhelming consensus of the forum IS to charge for shipping for testing product which I thought was the process all along (sorry, new member). And I think this is a great idea. As someone above stated, this would open the door to international testers and give those in the US a view of thoughts on equipment from across the pond.
 
GolferGal said:
I agree with this. I don't think a review should be judged in a certain way based on whether or not the person donated. But I am starting to think that one of the best ways to fix this issue is to start charging people for shipping. I hate to do that but with the amount of testing we are doing these days maybe it's the best choice. Plus it could open up the door to allow international testers.
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If it will get some past the donor-no donor hurdle then do it. People are volunteering to test, they know it's not a contest giveaway. Secondly most contests make the winner pay shipping anyway.
 
the boss said:
i agree with you i wouldnt mind paying the postage to the uk to test a ball thats going on the market earlt even if the postage was worth more than the balls. i feel i could give total newbies to golf like myself some good reviews
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I definitely think charging shipping would be the way to go and then THP funds could help with other events and opportunities.
 
I agree we should leave it the same. I understand that I have no room to complain, I've won 2 contests and been a part of 2 testings in a year. Those are all awesome, but I wouldn't have been upset if I weren't chosen to test - I would look forward to the next opportunity we have to test equipment. I for one would be as excited about the r11 testing if I hadn't been picked because I know the forum members will provide enough info like I was testing.

Tap before talk.
 
As a newcomer, in my opinion..

I believe a "VIP" type system would be best but on some equipment I think everyone should get a chance. But some people would take advantage of it which in my short time would just be depressing.

Honestly in my short time of being on this forum I have loved being part of a great community, even with not being able to be part of any contest/testing, I am still able to talk golf with some of the best people out there. Heck! I have even reduced my handicap by 2 strokes just by reading tips people have been giving to others. I hope to be a big part of this community one day, but I think there is a huge deal to THP.
 
JB and GG,

Every single piece of work and time that you guys have put into this website and forum is simply unbelievable. I came here by chance looking for club reviews last year, and was AMAZED when I found this website! After I began surfing the forum, I began to think that this is the place to be!

I have been a forum member for a while, but honestly havent been as active as I should be. I had the wonderful opportunity to test three differen't balls, including Bridgestone and Polara balls. Even though I have became more active (which I wish had had done A LONG TIME AGO :banana:) as of late, I do think that testing equipment needs to be by those who do participate and are more active on the forums. To me, it would show companies that there is TRUE interest in THP by it's members and would possibly help grow it even more than it already has. I do think that more expensive equipment, such as full sets, drivers, etc. should be reviewed by eligible members who have more equipment reviews, or those who have a certain number of posts (such as 500, 750, etc). I think some newer members may try to take advantage of equipment testing, which is wrong just as thechosen1 said above. It should go on some type of VIP system.

There is no way with words to thank you guys at THP for the opportunities that you guys have given us. In my opinion, I do not think that ANYTHING should be changed. At all, period. JB and GG, you two have done a wonderful job with product reviews, testing, in-depth professional interviews, and the THP outings that I have never been able to be apart of!

Whatever you guys decide to do will be the right thing, because every single detail that has been made on THP has been nothing short of spectacular!

Thank you THP!!
 
Wow ok, I leave to do some work and I read through this thread and thought I would put my 0.02 in. I personally like it the way it is but understand why it might have to change due to people being upset about not being selected. I have never viewed product testing as a contest, but an opportunity to test equipment and provide honest feedback to fellow THP'ers who have given me valuable information when they tested products. It is a lot of work to try and post your thoughts on how you feel about the product, pros and cons, and constructive comments from other forum members is a great help when testing a product.
Donating to the site was important to me because I value the community and friendships I have made on the site, even though I have yet to meet any of you. You should not donate just because you would like to demo a product, or think it would give you a good chance at it, but because you value the site and the enjoyment it brings you. If you get the honor to demo a product, and it has to be shipped to you, then a separate donation to cover those shipping costs would be the right thing to do, but IMO separate from the idea of "donating" to the site.
The THP testers IMO should be involved in a lot of the larger forum testing as that is what they are here for. They test a lot more equipment than the majority of us here and I find their thoughts on the equipment they are currently testing invaluable knowing all the products they have hit before. This should not upset anyone, as where else can you find the thoughts of everyday golfers in an unbiased manner. Just my thoughts after reading this thread.
 
I'm fine the way it is. I don't sign up for all testing - I'm not the intended market for some things, others I know I have a bias against, perhaps, or have tried it already and know I wouldn't be the best tester for that item. Anything else I enter I hope to be picked but never expect it. That's how it should be. We can't all test everything. And we can't all meet the target criteria that are sometimes setup. No big deal. Forums are for communicating, not free-stuff-getting. If someone only wants to hang around for free stuff they are here for the wrong reasons and I honestly don't care too much if they get upset when they aren't picked. You guys do what you've gotta do.

Community first, stuff second. (Am I becoming a communist now? Nah...)
 
Mustng5 said:
I understand that, but thats their version of an HONEST review, im sure there were other reviews that would give you the information you were looking for. Dont let one bad review stop your quest for information. Some people are pretty bias, they want a ball that spins so if it doesnt spin they dont like it, they want their balls to do what they see the pros balls do, they dont want the ball that might truly help their game, I understand your point, but if someone only has negative points from a ball thats there HONEST review, and im sure in 60 characters that they gave you atleast ONE reason that they didnt like the ball or club they were testing...not everyone is going to give you a dissertation.
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Its about effort. If the review is that short and not detailed, they more than likely didn't put the time into testing. Which is the reason why the testing occurs... TO TEST. Then you write up your opinions about the test. I just feel like you owe more to THP.
 
I don't have a dog in this fight since I'm not interested in testing clubs for THP. I'm going to pretty much buy and test every major release from every manufacturer on my own, its part of the fun for me.

But this thread is all about honesty so let me say a few things. I have been chosen to test two different sets of irons from another site and certainly didn't turn down the opportunity, but that selection process was done completely different than the one THP has in place. Personally, I feel like their process is better since it completely eliminates the possibly of other members being jealous of those who are chosen. I also feel the hidden selection process helps keep the reviews a little more honest. I have to say that I've never seen so many glowing reviews of equipment as I've seen here on THP, with the exception of the Polara golf balls. I feel that some members appreciate the opportunity so much that it clouds their ability to be totally honest. They may also want to give positive reviews since they are aware manufacturers are reading, and perhaps want to make sure they don't hurt their chances for future testing. I've used enough equipment over the last 20 years to know that its not always rainbows and butterflies and to be brutally honest I have a hard time taking a lot of the reviews here seriously. I've always preferred to email or PM people directly to get their opinions on golf clubs, you would be surprised how different someone's opinion of something can be when they aren't posting in public.

Also, I'd like to address a situation that was brought up earlier in this thread about a PM that was sent to another member about the Morgan Cup selection process. I wasn't the person that sent the PM in question but the entire exchange was forwarded to me and I was aware of the situation while it was happening. I can assure you that the original message was intended to be taken in a facetious manner and the sender of that message certainly had no ill or malicious intentions towards the other member and the entire situation was blown completely out of proportion.
 
tomahawk18 said:
Its about effort. If the review is that short and not detailed, they more than likely didn't put the time into testing. Which is the reason why the testing occurs... TO TEST. Then you write up your opinions about the test. I just feel like you owe more to THP.
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True, they should be a man/woman of their word, but I just think that they would just give you atleast ONE thing about the ball that they didnt like...spin, feel, flight, touch around the green, etc...that would help on your search to get honest feedback about the product, they do owe more, we are in agreement that they should give more effort but I know on THP if you combine one "bad" review with a few good ones you can still get an understanding about if this product might be something that can improve your game or not.
 
Mustng5 said:
I understand that, but thats their version of an HONEST review, im sure there were other reviews that would give you the information you were looking for. Dont let one bad review stop your quest for information. Some people are pretty bias, they want a ball that spins so if it doesnt spin they dont like it, they want their balls to do what they see the pros balls do, they dont want the ball that might truly help their game, I understand your point, but if someone only has negative points from a ball thats there HONEST review, and im sure in 60 characters that they gave you atleast ONE reason that they didnt like the ball or club they were testing...not everyone is going to give you a dissertation.
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If the tester doesn't like the product, but will continue to use it for testing purposes, then they can keep it. But if they don't like it and won't continue to use it , then they should have to send it back.
 
littlepingman said:
I don't have a dog in this fight since I'm not interested in testing clubs for THP. I'm going to pretty much buy and test every major release from every manufacturer on my own, its part of the fun for me.

But this thread is all about honesty so let me say a few things. I have been chosen to test two different sets of irons from another site and certainly didn't turn down the opportunity, but that selection process was done completely different than the one THP has in place. Personally, I feel like their process is better since it completely eliminates the possibly of other members being jealous of those who are chosen. I also feel the hidden selection process helps keep the reviews a little more honest. I have to say that I've never seen so many glowing reviews of equipment as I've seen here on THP, with the exception of the Polara golf balls. I feel that some members appreciate the opportunity so much that it clouds their ability to be totally honest. They may also want to give positive reviews since they are aware manufacturers are reading, and perhaps want to make sure they don't hurt their chances for future testing. I've used enough equipment over the last 20 years to know that its not always rainbows and butterflies and to be brutally honest I have a hard time taking a lot of the reviews here seriously. I've always preferred to email or PM people directly to get their opinions on golf clubs, you would be surprised how different someone's opinion of something can be when they aren't posting in public.

Also, I'd like to address a situation that was brought up earlier in this thread about a PM that was sent to another member about the Morgan Cup selection process. I wasn't the person that sent the PM in question but the entire exchange was forwarded to me and I was aware of the situation while it was happening. I can assure you that the original message was intended to be taken in a facetious manner and the sender of that message certainly had no ill or malicious intentions towards the other member and the entire situation was blown completely out of proportion.
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If a company is reading the reviews, how would it be different if a person is selected live on the forum or behind closed doors to test a product? Wouldnt the results be exactly the same? The company would know who they sent them to right? We have done both (recently in fact) and the results seem pretty much teh same for us. It could also be that a different type of golfer goes to different websites and some are more critical than others in terms of what works and what does not.

I guess that is the point of forum testing in my opinion. To get as many different types of players together and see what they have to say. I appreciate your honesty though.

As for teh PM, I was not forwarded and frankly am glad, but clearly it was not taken that way by the recipient. Joke or not, it stings a little to have our ethics questioned on how we do things here.
 
So much in this thread already and I don't mean to pass anyone by with this comment. Stl brought up a point that some people want their name out there when writing reviews and want people to read their stuff (aka being the star).

ABSOLUTELY. I think your goal as a tester should be to be honest and give insightful feedback. You want discussion. Personally, if I'm doing a bad job I want some feedback rather than none. Same with doing a good job. I didn't get a club to test to sit on it. Free gear rocks. It absolutely does but I also made a committment to Josh and Morgan to make sure I bust my @ss and give a good review. If I put hours upon hours a week into something, I want it to be good. I want people to read so they can ask questions. Get a real feel for what the gear is.

That's the other thing, I want to know what these clubs that are out there are about. Sometimes there isn't a bad thing to write, is that bad? NO. Just sometimes clubs work.

I don't think asking for shipping is out of the question, in fact I think it should be the norm.

I understand some people can't donate for whatever reason, but I definitely think if you can't and you are chosen to review, at least give back by giving the best, most honest review you can.

Thinking about it, I'm though THP takes chances. It would also be unfair of me to say make to those who have always been around. But maybe start out smaller. I dont know. It's certainly an eye opening discussion.
 
blugold said:
If the tester doesn't like the product, but will continue to use it for testing purposes, then they can keep it. But if they don't like it and won't continue to use it , then they should have to send it back.
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Sorry blugold. Don't agree with this! This definitely creates a reverse incentive to only give favorable reviews rather than honest reviews!
 
blugold said:
If the tester doesn't like the product, but will continue to use it for testing purposes, then they can keep it. But if they don't like it and won't continue to use it , then they should have to send it back.
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IMO They should be allowed to do whatever they want with it.
That's why THP shuold only give testing equipment to people they trust.
 
You know, it kind of saddens me to see this thread at all. I joined here after stumbling upon the site while doing research for some new clubs because I had finally decided I needed to move up from the set I had been playing off and on for the last 12 years. After I made a couple of purchases I decided to register on this site and try to be a member of the community and give back what little knowledge I had on the subject. I mean in my eyes, it was only fair of me to do so since this site had given me a wealth of knowledge in my decision making process.

When I saw that forum testing was done, I though it was a novel idea. Sure I've been part of forums where people do product reviews, and some where the companies provide the product to the site to review. But I had never until now been part of a site that gives the opportunity to it's members to test, give feedback, etc. The reason I thought it was such a novel thing is because you get to see clubs tested by all different golfers of all levels of skills and abilities. It's truly a unique thing because of how transparently it is handled here and the fact that everyone really does have a chance to be an equipment testor.

Having recently been part of the Polara testing, I really enjoyed the chance to give my feedback on a product to the community based on what I saw in my game, playing conditions, etc. I've put in to test other equipment, because like I said, I love the idea of real world testing. Now, obviously I've not been selected, but I'm not bitter, hurt, offended, questioning. I don't care, if I get selected great, if not that's great too. I'm not going to leave this site one way or the other. It's a fantastic opportunity, and I am happy that anyone gets the chance to partake, whether its me or anyone else. The flip side of this is, these companies obviously think that what THP does for equipment testing is a great thing, otherwise they wouldn't provide the gear for THP to get into the hands of every day people for unbiased testing.

Honestly and unfortunately, I think that any kind of public testing will leave someone upset because 99% of the people on this site just enjoy seeing the real world testing and take it for what it is. However there will always be that 1% that feel its a contest, they deserve it, it's rigged, whatever else and will be left with a sour taste. But you have to ask yourselves this, those people that are here because they think they can get free gear/deserve free gear, do you really want them as part of this site?

In the end, you have to look at as the majority of people here from what I've seen enjoy testing and are very gracious when they are selected and understanding when they aren't, those are the people that make THP what it is. Those that want to have a bad attitude or think this site is here to give them free stuff, are probably better off moving on anyway.
 
littlepingman said:
I don't have a dog in this fight since I'm not interested in testing clubs for THP. I'm going to pretty much buy and test every major release from every manufacturer on my own, its part of the fun for me.

But this thread is all about honesty so let me say a few things. I have been chosen to test two different sets of irons from another site and certainly didn't turn down the opportunity, but that selection process was done completely different than the one THP has in place. Personally, I feel like their process is better since it completely eliminates the possibly of other members being jealous of those who are chosen. I also feel the hidden selection process helps keep the reviews a little more honest. I have to say that I've never seen so many glowing reviews of equipment as I've seen here on THP, with the exception of the Polara golf balls. I feel that some members appreciate the opportunity so much that it clouds their ability to be totally honest. They may also want to give positive reviews since they are aware manufacturers are reading, and perhaps want to make sure they don't hurt their chances for future testing. I've used enough equipment over the last 20 years to know that its not always rainbows and butterflies and to be brutally honest I have a hard time taking a lot of the reviews here seriously. I've always preferred to email or PM people directly to get their opinions on golf clubs, you would be surprised how different someone's opinion of something can be when they aren't posting in public.

Also, I'd like to address a situation that was brought up earlier in this thread about a PM that was sent to another member about the Morgan Cup selection process. I wasn't the person that sent the PM in question but the entire exchange was forwarded to me and I was aware of the situation while it was happening. I can assure you that the original message was intended to be taken in a facetious manner and the sender of that message certainly had no ill or malicious intentions towards the other member and the entire situation was blown completely out of proportion.
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I was aware of the conversation and I know it was blown out of proportion. It's all good.

Thanks for your thoughts on the matter lpm.

I feel like a big asshole right now. I suppose my wording or my sentiments were completely taken the wrong way. I don't like offending anyone. I'd like to believe that I'm one of those guys that anyone can come to with a question about anything. Goes to show how heated we can get over things. I think that a few of you have made some fantastic points and I certainly shouldn't discount anyone's efforts when it comes to a review. Like I said, I am just privy to more information than others when it comes to shipping costs, and when it comes to what it costs THP to stock their store, and what it costs for THP to host the dinner at the Outing.

Sorry again.
 
blugold said:
If the tester doesn't like the product, but will continue to use it for testing purposes, then they can keep it. But if they don't like it and won't continue to use it , then they should have to send it back.
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Or play it forward. I know if I tested something and after the testing was done, wasn't going to game it in the future I'd be inclined to pass it on to someone on the site who wanted it and would get use out of it (with THP's permission of course).
 
Personally i like the way its done, sign up in a thread for the product and people get picked. I got picked for the Rescue11 testing and i dont look at it as a free club, i am TESTING a new product for the people of THP and Taylormade and doing my best to list everything good and bad that i have found, getting to keep the club is a bonus. I think the people complaining should grow up, everybody wants stuff for free but thats not what this is about, its not a contest, its TESTING.
 
I can't keep up. HAHA

I really haven't given my opinion to the initial question. I haven't been on the site long enough to know whether there is some huge bias towards some members when it comes to testing. The way it is set up now, it allows for this type of concern to come up. But this concern seems minor compared to forcing a VIP membership and alianating non VIP's. The reason I like this site so much is that it seems average people are testing the products. Which is who I am. Average. Heck, I had never heard of a Mashie before I joined here, and now I want one, because of the reviews. I think that more active members should be rewarded with testing equipment. And if they have to pay shipping, I think it is fair.
 
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