Golf Monthly Constructive Criticism

  • Thread starter Thread starter thecraw
  • Start date Start date
I used to travel quite a lot in a previous job. As a result I'd buy various golf magazines just to pass the time in the airport or in the hotel at night. Golf International would be up there on my list of regular reads. Those who feel the current GM format is lacking any real substance should have been around in the heady days of the Fore magazine.... now there was a lightweight if ever there was. It was swallowed by TG a long time ago, and TG certainly improved things !!

the end of the year is a slow period, all the equipment manufacturers seem to launch their gear in September nowadays and that used to fill the late year mags years ago. Now it's an autumn feature so the end of the year is bound to be a bit thin.

last year was different, what with the Tiger stort et al...

:D
 
Hello all

As I always say we welcome all feedback on GM (mag and the website) and while I'd of course rather you were all saying how much you enjoyed the magazine it's all very useful info and views to digest and act upon to try to win over/or win back any of you who have stopped reading the magazine

Much of what’s said above is of course opinion so there's no right and wrong but a couple of things I'd like to highlight

***Issue size
It's true issue sizes do drop off in winter but that because advertising drops off (less product launches) not due to any significant down paging of editorial.

We have between 103 and 107 pages of editorial a month during the year (Ryder Cup issue contained around 122 editorial pages and Top 100 courses issue about same as both attracted some sponsorship so we could afford to do additional editorial paging)

The other golf magazines would be broadly similar to us although a quick look at the December coverdated issues shows we had more total pages and more editorial than TG and GW.
Golf International had the same number of total pages but more editorial pages although it was their Nov/Dev double issue so slightly skews that figures.

Golf Monthly 164 pages (122 editorial 42 advertising)
Golf World 132 pages (104 pages editorial 28 advertising)
TG 148 pages (106 pages editorial 42 pages advertising)
Golf International (164 pages 133 editorial 31 advertising)

With regard to advertising the bottom line is advertisers want to advertise in media (be it TV, internet, newspapers or magazines) for two reasons
1 it has the biggest reach so as GM and TG are the most widely read they attract more advertising.
2 It delivers the right demographic - the advertisers who place ads in Golf Monthly feel that you are the sort of golfers they want to talk to. Take it as a compliment basically!

***Club testing
We are the only magazine who has any tangible reader testing - the monthly reader 4 ball test plus the reader test panel page.
The reason we cant involve readers in the monthly testing is because as the products sent through are individually speced up for our testers by the manufacturers. I think everyone on the forum knows and understands the importance of custom fitting so realise it would be of no use to anyone to send out clubs in an innapropriate spec as the feedback would be next to useless.
However what we do after we have reviwed the products is to send a selection on to members of the reader test panel who's specs best fit what we have been supplied for subsequent reports.

***Price
If you don’t want to pay £4.10 each month then subscribe - there are some massive savings to be had.

Current best offer is a 2-year subscription (26 issues) for £49.00. That works out to be a measly £1.92 an issue!

In the February coverdated issue we are doing a year subscription (13 issues) for £35.99 (which equates to £2.76 an issue) plus we're giving away a dozen Srixon Z Stars Fee with that.
Decent value in my book.

***Poulter pic on page 30 showing him chipping
The picture was of course taken for a 3/4 angle which might make it appear he was standing open but belive me Poulter chips square on and I personally feel the picture shows this. However if this has caused any confusion then the bottom line is we should have found a picture that shows it even more clearly so there is no room for any confusion.

Cheers
 
Ive recently subscribed to GM (not had my first mag thru yet) and was looking forward to receiving my copy until I came across this post. I hope the mag is more interesting that the readers portray it!

The response from the GM staff member (above) was understandably defensive and has made me more optimistic as to the quality of the magazine BUT I would of thought that something more could be done or suggestions for change proposed by the GM staff member?

Maybe there could be a poll as to what will appear in a new 'what the readers want' section (couple of pages in length) or questions as to how the mag can be improved. A defensive answer is expected but its not going to change peoples negative views and experiences with the mag!

With regards to the reader testing of equipment. If the mag had the readers stats a couple months in advance then these stats could be given to the companies offering the test equipment couldnt they?

I will definately be over crititcal when my copy arrives, hoping it will be an exciting read but who knows.
 
Ive recently subscribed to GM (not had my first mag thru yet) and was looking forward to receiving my copy until I came across this post. I hope the mag is more interesting that the readers portray it!

The response from the GM staff member (above) was understandably defensive and has made me more optimistic as to the quality of the magazine BUT I would of thought that something more could be done or suggestions for change proposed by the GM staff member?

Maybe there could be a poll as to what will appear in a new 'what the readers want' section (couple of pages in length) or questions as to how the mag can be improved. A defensive answer is expected but its not going to change peoples negative views and experiences with the mag!

With regards to the reader testing of equipment. If the mag had the readers stats a couple months in advance then these stats could be given to the companies offering the test equipment couldnt they?

I will definately be over crititcal when my copy arrives, hoping it will be an exciting read but who knows.
Click to expand...

Please don't get me wrong GM is a good magazine, I just feel that it has been over diluted lately. The quality is there but lately I feel that everything is brushed over instead of going into that much more detail. As I said, the Dustin Johnson interview in GW was superb, would GM have dived into his past and brought up the stolen gun and buying bullets that were used to kill someone? I doubt it very much, but for me that was a huge bit of Johnsons life and it was very revealing.

With regards to Mike's response, yip it understandable but I don't think it was defensive. It was matter of fact.

I have no issue with the adverts as I appreciate these adverts also help to keep cost of the magazine down.
 
Jimmusuk, just to let you know, the "GM staff member" who responded above is actually the chief editor of Golf Monthly who incidently, I believe is doing a fantastic, job and is an all round good egg. :)
 
I am generally happy with the magazine to be honest.

Always something to keep me interested and I usually read and re-read before donating it to the doctors surgery.

If anyone thinks this magazine is bad try fishing magazines like Sea-Angler. Terrible regurgiation of the same material year after year with just a slightly different spin on it.
 
and is an all round good egg.
Click to expand...

He doesn't look like an egg, he's more like Bob Hoskins ;)


But that's what makes this forum different. The GM guys come on here and comment on all sorts of different matters. So as well as working hard on the magazine each month, they've also go an eye on what's been going on on this forum.

It does make reading some of their articles in the magazine more interesting, especially if you've had the good fortune to meet them on a golf day somewhere and you know a little about what makes them write about the game.

Ach..... I suppose they're all good eggs after all ;)
 
I can understand where Craw is coming from, though I haven't been reading the magazine for long enough to reflect on change over time. However, my constructive points:

Love the letters section, Bill Elliot, Wayne Riley and the updated featured news section. The redesign is top quality and has dragged the magazine into the aesthetic glory of the digital age.

I'm not a big fan of the news bit on tournaments and amateurs but I'm sure many are and it's sponsored by Titleist who surprisingly seem to have a lot of players do well with their balls ;)

The equipment bit, especially reader reviews is great and I totally subscribe to your mantra that it should serve as the start and not the end if your search.

I appreciate that news is slow and product launches are drying up at this time of year. That said the competitions and opportunities GM run are awesome and the fact you pay so much attention to the forum commendable.

However, I totally agree with comments about G-Mac and interviews with professional golfers. You can throw young Sam Hutsby into the mix as well. It's well, how can I put this, a little bit too nice. I know you tread a fine line in terms of building a relationship with the golfing community but is there any place to be a bit edgier? For example when you interviewed Rickie Fowler I would have loved you too ask him: do you think it's possible to win a major with your approach to practice and why do you believe that, or do you think you are naturally gifted enough to never need a coach or do you think amateurs shouldn't have lessons and should just play?

I would love it if every month you had an interview with a top golfer and asked them a really contentious question or two and used it to spark off debate on here. For example there was a really good thread sparked off by comments made by our very own Sam Hutsby that the number of pros retaining their card should drop.

That said I think the mag is brilliant and will definitely renew my subscription in the new year. Jim you have nowt to worry about trust me!
 
What i did enjoy about this months mag was the top 100 courses section and the interviews with course designers.

Am sure someone said earlier about a whats in the bag section ,well there's one every month it was Chris Wood this month.
 
Does this acutally boil down to not being able to please all of the people all of the time or have we been spoilt in the past. Having been to GM Towers and seen a little of what goes on in getting an edition ready, and the forward planning two or three issues in advance I can appreciate the work and dedication that Mike and the gang put in.

I dn't actually think it has ever really been the GM editorial policy (including pre MikeH) to ever be particularly edgey and contentious. That said it will tackle current issues (slow play etc) but has never tried to court controversy. I read the Dustin Johnson interview and it was a brilliant piece of magazine journalism but it also fitted in with the style of writing that magazine has. I agree that some of the articles by the tour players affiliated with GM (GMac in particular) aren't always as deep and incisive as they could be, but believe a lot of that is due in some part to their hectic playing schedules and "forgetting" to post which leaves Mike and the team scrabbling around via text/e-mail to get some form of copy in. Not a defence but an observation. Others like Radar though are a brilliant read and usually bang on the money. He calls a spade a spade.

The readers testing is tough. I can see that manufacturers want decent players to be seen to use their gear to give it credence and clearly there is little mileage in giving a 24 handicapper the latest xxxx branded blades. Most of the GM guys that test (Jezz, Paul etc) are all single figure guys anyway but are usually pretty honest in their opinions about target audiences etc. I guess the bottom line is to read the reports, watch the testing videos and go out and see for yourself.

I do think it would be interesting if GM re-ran their poll from the last revamp. Personally, I'd like to see a few more course reviews (not just the top 100-200 but members courses that the majority on here belong too) and a revamp of the instructional side to try and compete with GW and GI who do have exceptionally good features in this area. I'd love to see more behind the scenes stuff too. What goes on at big events on the practice ground, media centre, in the clubhouse, pro-am day etc. What about behind the scenes at GM itself. A look at Sky and how they produce their golf coverage. A day in the life of tour caddies, club pros, greenstaff etc. There is a wealth of options and it just gives the reader something a little different.

I don't think over the course of a 12 month period GM falls down very often and as I say maybe we've been spoilt. Perhaps we'll put it down to a Ronneyesqu loss of form and the new year will spark a return to glory.
 
I hope that Mike H remembers all these posts when the Free Mizuno Custom Fitting with Luke Donald offer comes up early next year :D
Click to expand...



Yeah I hope he remembers me whenever the PING fitting with Westwood comes around...........
Click to expand...

I want to read whats going on it the golf world not to see some pro chipping out of a bunker or a shot from behind tree's
Click to expand...
I always read Gmac's page but it's nearly always the same old stuff. Some of the courses they review are as much intrest to me as telling me about the moon. I will never play these courses.
Click to expand...
the amount of addvertizing is unreal
Click to expand...
The review clubs pages are hard to follow
Click to expand...
hopefully we will be getting some new stuff in the mag in the new year.
Click to expand...

I hope he remembers me whenever the PING fitting with Westwood comes around
Click to expand...

I'm sure he will :eek:
 
Yeah I hope he remembers me whenever the PING fitting with Westwood comes around...........
Click to expand...

Yep - that'll be reserved for teh bloke who coughs up £95K, which is i think the going rate for a hlf day with Mr Westwood ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ye Olde Boomer
What makes Golf Monthly different?
Replies
19
Views
1K
Arleneg
A
Y
Hiring a vehicle for 4 golfers
Replies
12
Views
874
D-S
D
A
Golf courses in Edinburgh on a budget
2
Replies
21
Views
1K
peld
P
SHaines
Get Fitted For The New TaylorMade Qi10 Driver With Golf Monthly!
3 4 5
Replies
82
Views
10K
JT.
JT.
Canfordhacker
NC 500 and golf
Replies
15
Views
557
patricks148
patricks148
Top