What do you want to see more/less of in GM next year

[Dave3498]

I'm a great fan of the instructional articles, many of which I enjoy and try to follow the advice given, but please don't keep giving us drills that we can't possibly do. We can't lay sets of clubs over the practise putting green. We can't stick rings of tee-pegs in the practise putting green. We can't make ladders of clubs to chip onto the chipping green. Other golfers want to use the practise areas and mostly they don't have time to wait for one person to comandeer the whole area. Some of the drills given are only OK if you have made previous arrangements to reserve the area, with a professional camera crew and the name of a top tour player attached. But apart from that, please carry on as you are.

Oh, and one more thing while I'm in the mood. It really grates on me when I read about players receiving 'invites.' I know it has become usage via the BBC but receiving 'invitations' is so much nicer way of putting it.

 

[thomas1981]

Really look forward to getting my copy of GM in each month. And like the way the mag is moving forward,for example,i like the new feature of the indepth look at a certain piece of equipment.
Not to interested in whats been happening on tour and other comps as keep an eye on this week to week.
On the instruction point maybe more simple hints and tips rather than trying to change your whole swing within two pages.
And maybe more club level articles.
So not to much i would change,enjoyed my last year of the mag and will be subscribing again for another year.

 

[happyhacker]

Less travel for me. Or I would perhaps like to see more U.K based deals? Perhaps GM reviews of short stay breaks with golf for these budget conscious times? Maybe even GM could do a deal with these places for discounts for readers ?

One the instruction front I think less is more. Its not that I particulary try everything that is in the magazine but sometimes from issue to issue it can jump from tip to tip with little relevance to whats gone before?

Maybe an idea would be to give over an instruction bit to a top 25 coach each quarter? They could then take a particular drill / tip and run it over three issues. Ie after issue 1 readers work on a b c, issue 2 they work on c d e and then by issue 3 they should arrive at their destination golfing nirvana!

 

[Sneds]

Less travel, more hot girls in golfing attire.

TY.

 

[billyg]

Less travel, more hot girls in golfing attire.

TY.

Try Golfpunk's - 'babe in the bunker' (or something similar) page if you like that kind of malarky

blimey- how old does the above sentence make me sound?

bill

 

[TonyN]

Definitly less travel for me, I think that could be a feature that only pops up twice a year maybe, a summer special, winter special etc as a supplement.

FFTD had a good idea and something I have always thought about.

Could GM take your average golfer (I.E ME) 18ish handicapper and with a full years coaching with one of the top 25 get down to single figures. With enough time and excellent resources maybe even scratch? Far fetched I know but would love to do if not track something like that!

I love the mag and to be honest there isn't alot I would change. Would like to see more from the pro's as suggested.

One thing I would like to see and I know alot will disagree is an upgrade to the forum. Just the ability to create sticky threads, guides, reviews etc and a few moderators. Maybe even some avatars that work. I know it was discussed in the past and most said the site was fine but its growing all the time and I think it has the potential to develop alot more with the afformentioned.

 

[viscount17]

forum/reader involvement is great, long may it continue

exotic courses are lovely to look at - but as for ever getting there? 1 in a 1000? (however I can see the problem that you could have with making travel too domestic for your overseas sales)

pro tips - need some joined up thinking on this issue guys. these are an important part of the mag, but one month a pro says do this and save a zillion shots on your short game, month or two later a different pro says something completely different and contradicatory. some of the tips are also a bit irritating (impractical) as unless you are a pro you can't get the exclusive access to practice facilities that the tip demands and, as billy said earlier, a couple of stills and two lines of text is not enough.

this may be a one-off requirement, and maybe one to keep online(?), but as with most specialised subjects, golf has a language all of its own; difficult to learn amd frequently misunderstood.

with all the rules questions we get on the forum, and the strong feelings some engender (Tiger's rock! and 5 minutes), a discussion on rules, perhaps some feedback to the R&A in time for the next update?

 

[cm_qs]

I'd like to see more of the type of articles which explore peoples motivation to play golf. I 'm much more interested in how people connect with the game ( and each other ) than the mechanics.

I always find it much more engaging to read " I play golf because..... and what I gain from the experience is....." than " I cock my wrists here and tremble my left knee at this point in my swing whilst using this club"

I would also like to see more grassroots stuff and honest course reviews of UK clubs that are within the grasp of the ordinary club player looking for a new challenge.

I'd also like to see more instructional items on rules and ettiquette..... and having to wait until next month to find out the answers is infuriating - just hide them somewhere else in the mag. You're only encouraging four extra weeks of ignorance otherwise.

I'd prefer less....
Travel (can't afford it)
Instruction (only serves to confuse the already confused)
What's in my bag - (usually custom made clubs I couldn't obtain if i tried and that the player is being paid to carry)

Also - what about a directory of clubs in each region which shows availability of membership , yearly fees and any joining fees - Give the clubs who may be struggling for members the opportunity to publicise any good deals and give the golfers a chance to find the best value clubs in their area.

 

[Troy]

I think less instruction, to be honest I've read so much of it over the years in the various magazines that I barely even bother looking at it now. The travel section, as many have pointed out, is too long. Often, it can just seem like an extended advert, which, I suppose, is what it is.

I would like more 'reading' in the magazine. Longer feature articles, for example. This is something that Golfpunk does better than GM, in my opinion.

I would also like to see a better section on courses. More in depth reviews rather than just a paragraph or two.

Also, with equipment, the reviews tend, obviously, to be for new equipment. It would be nice to see the way this is done varied a bit. It would be interesting, for example, to see a feature where one of your writers played the same course twice, once with, say Mizuno or TM kit, from 2 or 3 years ago and once with the brand new stuff. I'd like to see all the stats etc.

Overall, the magazine has to appeal to a fairly broad range of people and, on balance, it is the best golf mag out there but could be better.

 

[SS2]

A "The Way We Were" where you include a feature/editorial/review or even advert from an old edition of the mag. Given that you have every copy going back to 1911, there should be alot to choose from.

A few examples:
1. A reprint of an article comparing the merits of 1.62 and 1.68 ball sizes.

2. Interviews/articles on Trevino in his heyday.

3. A reprint of articles showing what was state of the art equipment in the 1960s.

Each reprint could be accompanied by today's comments written with the benefit of hindsight.

Apart from the above idea: less glossy pictures, more quality articles and editorials.

 

[USER1999]

A comparison of kit from 10 / 20 years ago versus modern stuff would be interesting, especially with regard to balls / spin / driving distance.

The exotic travel is always interesting (especially the photos), but out of reach for most. As an addition to the far away stuff, some long weekend stuff in the UK would be nice, ie Ashbury Manor (not great courses, but cheap, and maybe ok for less experienced golfers), The Belfry (what do you get for the cash, which courses etc). Just the odd review of somewhere the average Joe might think of for a short break.

More in depth interviews with tour players (not just staffers), followed by a 'what's in the bag', which from my view is more interesting to see what they have in the bag that isn't sponsored than what is. For example, Padraig carries 12 Wilson Staff clubs, but why does he carry two that aren't (putter and fairway wood if I remember correctly).

A Q and A with few pros on the benefits etc of the race to dubai as opposed to the old order of merit. What do they think of the changes? Was it necessary? What do they think of members of other tours jumping on the gravy train?

I like the equipment reviews, particularly those done by readers, but the staff reviews are good too. It would be nice to know if the supposed benefits of the new stuff actually make the club a good buy over the outgoing model (hard I know, as the mag needs the golf manufacturers to keep supplying kit to test, and you can't afford to T them off). However, is a G10 driver really better than a G5 or G2?

I like the letters, but often feel that the readers letter asks questions or stirs up debate which could be answered or commented on more by the editorial staff than just a couple of lines of text underneath.

For the instruction pages, I accept these are necessary (and expected), but rather than do a 'driving' issue, where every type of swing fault is assessed in 4 pages, ie: hook, slice, casting, fading, drawin. A more indepth look at each one, giving 3 or 4 drills to cure each one, maybe one fault per issue would be better, with 3 or 4 pages on the one fault, showing time lapse photos from side and back showing the fault, and the correction.

I prefer drills to the more technical coaching. They can enliven a range trip, especially through the winter when less golf is played.

 

[SammmeBee]

Less exotic travel - more UK/Ireland or Ferry/Train accessible places.

Review of courses outside the Top 100 as well as those in it. A 'this is my club' type feature by a reader would be good...

 

[USER1999]

But you haven't got a club - short article then.

 

[SammmeBee]

I want to read about other's so I can join.......oh and I have, I've just not played there......!!

 

[Parmo]

Less of: -

Travel

More of: -

Articles like the one pagers we have (love them btw).

Basic lessons for golf noobs, rather than chipping through two sand rakes over a water hazard and then getting 5 yards of back spin.

Regional course reviews, not sure if its just me but Yorks & N. east get very little reviews, so maybe one or a couple per region per month?

Other than that its the best golf mag out there.

 

[John_Findlay]

A bit more on great players and characters of the past, maybe. Things that newbies to the game might not know about the greats like Hogan, Palmer etc. Who knows about the great Moe Norman, for example? What a story he had !

Behind the scenes stories and anecdotes from the likes of Alliss. That's the sort of thing I like.

 

[cm_qs]

I want more articles from the mysterious John_Finch!

I hear he's da man!

 

[GB72]

I like the suggestion of regional course reviews. For example take a county each month a review a few of the lesser known courses. Perhaps even announce the intended county a couple of months in advance and invite readers to submit course reviews or course suggestions.

 

[TWM]

I agree with Toad, more on golf schools please.
And what about something for the elderly decrepit people like me who still want to play golf and would like to improve.

 

[Dave3498]

'Know the Rules' is good.