Golf Monthly Constructive Criticism

[bigslice]

before i started to SUBSCRIBE to GM, which was two years ago. i bought 4 or 5 different golf related magazines. i read them cover to cover. then decided to SUBSCRIBE to GM. i like to read something while dropping the kids off at the pool. i dont want too spend a lot of time reading different magazines. (time is money) i like to stay with one im happy with. i currently subscribe to Volkswagen Driver (10 years). what im saying is i know what i like and stick to it. yes somethings in it dont interest me, but sometimes it does. better go i need to drop a batch with my favourite golfing magazine

 

[golfcitydweller]

craw
u`ve hit the nail right on the head !
used to buy it every month but now i just read the golf club`s issue as it`s a waste of money ..same old instructional tips..how to get out of a bunker with a 2" lip etc
gcd

 

[feary]

One thing I would like to say about the mag mike is what happened to the 'max your game' double page spread. I thought this was excellent and would be great to have back. Other than that quality read

 

[Tommo21]

craw
u`ve hit the nail right on the head !
used to buy it every month but now i just read the golf club`s issue as it`s a waste of money ..same old instructional tips..how to get out of a bunker with a 2" lip etc
gcd

I know what your saying is a generalisation but most basic instructional stuff is the same. Considering there is a fair turn over of new golfers each year then it’s relevant to them I suppose….no getting away from that.

 

[Region3]

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 think the testing is a double edged sword.

On one hand it must pay to have testers who have plenty of experience doing it, and lots of other kit to draw comparisons with.

On the other hand, a small proportion of club golfers are single figures, and the majority of potential buyers aren't.
Why would a sfg saying club x is great influence a 20hc to buy it. If I were in the market for clubs and 20hc, I'd rather take the opinion of a similar level saying ACME golf clubs helped them a lot.

 

[Golfmmad]

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 think the testing is a double edged sword.

On one hand it must pay to have testers who have plenty of experience doing it, and lots of other kit to draw comparisons with.

On the other hand, a small proportion of club golfers are single figures, and the majority of potential buyers aren't.
Why would a sfg saying club x is great influence a 20hc to buy it. If I were in the market for clubs and 20hc, I'd rather take the opinion of a similar level saying ACME golf clubs helped them a lot.

I was thinking the same thing Gary and if they want to appeal to the masses, of which will be mid to high handicappers. Therefore the testers should be a mixture of all.

Golfmmad.

 

[shagster]

not a regular mag buyer, but febs deal of 26 mags and a dozen z's looks very tempting.
most mags have the same type of article year on year, take fishing, there are only so many ways to use a piece of kit.
taking some of the points raised, the top 100 courses is vertually the same year on year, and to be honest, i am unlikely to be able to afford, or be allowed on most of these courses. that said, i have been a guest at rye, a long tough course.
i would rather see courses reviwed that are in the reach of every day golfers, £20-£40 courses, not £150 courses that are out of a lot of peoples pockets. a longer review, by a mix of handicappers, as a good course for a pro/low handicap player, may be a nightmare for a 22 capper, and vice versa, and a cheaper course may actually be better than these so called special courses.
also the same with gear reviews, let the real golfers give there feed back, not just print the manufacturers blurd.
a review by homer,smiffy or the craw means a lot more to me than a club hit by a pro, who plays very good golf and could play better than myself playing wrong handed.
when the pros bags are looked at, do we get the full picture.
the first article i read, is the rules page, but i think this could be expanded a lot,especially with decisions of golf being thrown in.
i know its a lot harder work then we think, running a mag, plus your interaction on the forum is of great use, but i would like more veiws by real golfers like you and me. the pros are in a different world, but interesting.
i like some of homers ideas, interviews with people behind the scenes, especially the caddies.
one article a while ago stuck in my mind, was the gm team against the ping team, i was dissapointed, as i would loved to have seen a 5 or 6 page write up, plus pictures and thoughts about the course and match.
hope i havent bored you, just a few thoughts
shagster

 

[ColinR]

I would like to see a version for the iPad, with instructional videos in a more interactive format.

 

[JustOne]

I was thinking the same thing Gary and if they want to appeal to the masses, of which will be mid to high handicappers. Therefore the testers should be a mixture of all.

Can you imagine a 20 h/cap tester? "Yeh, the club was good I only fatted 8 out of 10 shots instead of my usual 9".

If anything I'd like to see more pages from the 'forum members' section. There's a lot of regular posters here and a lot of good topics, more than enough to make over 2 pages surely?

Shouldn't Bobmac get a FREE ad in the forum members section each month for his V-Easy? After all he offers shite loads of free advice here and is practically the only qualified pro who posts (those 'top 25' GM pros disappeared over a year ago)

 

[MashieNiblick]

I've bought about 9 issues this year including the Ryder Cup one and the last one. Generally I'm happy with it and think it's a good read.

Had another look at the last issue in the light of this thread and actually I think it was pretty good. Bill Elliot's review of the year, Tom Watson interview, 100 top courses, extended piece by GMac on strategy, review of wet weather gear, interesting piece on Callaway tie up with Lamborghini, a good range of gear reviews by staff and readers (h/c range 7 - 17) and a double page spread on the Beau Desert forum meet (including murphthemog's green diamond patterned trousers in full techicolour). What's not to like

Ok so a lot of instruction is repetitious, that's inevitable I suppose, and the Poulter pic was a poor choice (you can barely see his feet let alone his alignment) but the main picture was clear and tip itself is different and worth a try. True, it's not edgy and controversial, although Tom said some interesting things about the money on offer on tour and the impact of technology on the game. Maybe a "Monthly Rant" by someone (reader, pro, or journo) on something in the golfing world that really gets their goat would spice things up a bit.

Looking at past editions, the course review section does include affordable tracks and gear reviews do include mid/high h'cap readers. There have been lots of "what's in the bag" features including an extended one with Paul Casey.

That's not to say it couldn't be improved and there are a lot of good suggestions from forummers in the posts above. From what I see on here Mike H and the guys really value the readers' views and input and that in itself is worth a lot.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I was thinking the same thing Gary and if they want to appeal to the masses, of which will be mid to high handicappers. Therefore the testers should be a mixture of all.

Can you imagine a 20 h/cap tester? "Yeh, the club was good I only fatted 8 out of 10 shots instead of my usual 9".

If anything I'd like to see more pages from the 'forum members' section. There's a lot of regular posters here and a lot of good topics, more than enough to make over 2 pages surely?

Shouldn't Bobmac get a FREE ad in the forum members section each month for his V-Easy? After all he offers shite loads of free advice here and is practically the only qualified pro who posts (those 'top 25' GM pros disappeared over a year ago)

Good point up until you mentioned the V-Easy when it lost all credibility

 

[shagster]

when i said whats in the bag, i meant more in depth, ie ptototypes shafts etc, i think there is more to there gear than meets the eye sometimes.
also top 20-30 courses but a lot more localised
ball test by real players, who do hit it perfect everytime
there has been a lot of good ideas, would like to see more
shagster

 

[madandra]

Jimmusuk, as already mentioned the GM reply came from Mike who I and most on here have met and are on friendly terms with. I dont think many mags can brag about their rapor with their readership in the same way GM do. I think that side of the business is superb but I am looking for more 'reading' in the mag....


And by the way Mike.

What has happened to Fergus Bissett, his columns were class.

 

[colint]

Personally I'm still quite happy with it and at the subscription rate it's good value. Some months it's better than others, but that's to be expected with single subject magazines.

I think the other mags have raised their game over the last year, GW and GI have some great articles but I still prefer GM as an all rounder.

 

[Aztecs27]

I hope that Mike H remembers all these posts when the Free Mizuno Custom Fitting with Luke Donald offer comes up early next year