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Event gear: How long is long enough?

Outside of the required review period, you should do whatever you want.

...especially if what you want is giving them to your good buddy huhhh :D
 
ddec said:
Being 100% honest, I think the participant has the right to go home from the event and play what they want to play from there. I say that with the caveat that I believe those participants should still be active in those equipment threads whether it is talking about their experience with said club, or the knowledge they learned about it from said event.

I have had the privilege of being in 5 full THP events where I have gotten a full bag of gear(6 if we count a media event). There have been times where I enjoyed the whole bag of clubs, and others where there were some areas that just didn't jive with me. For example, my first ever MC, I wholeheartedly hated the Callaway Jaws CC wedges that we received. I got them 2 days prior to the event, played 2 practice rounds and the entire weekend with them. When I got home, I used that bag for my next few rounds of golf, and then started to pick the bag apart, starting with those wedges. Just because they were not in my bag didn't mean that I couldn't talk about the tech, the shape, the feel, the performance of them. In fact I'm confident if anyone wanted to ask my about those bags or equipment from those lines from Callaway, TaylorMade, Bridgestone, or Cobra, I'm confident I could so so because I made sure to learn about the equipment.

I have had people say to me, well I got back from the event and it was winter, what am I supposed to do? My answer is always simple, talk about your experience with them and what you saw. When you remember a good shot, talk about it. Talk about the clubs in general. Not every review needs to be a shot by shot analysis of your most recent round. When guys from the Northeast return from something like the Grandaddy, it's the middle of December. But they can still chat about what they got and how they liked or didn't like it.

Chris, you have done a great job with the MC gear this year. Whenever you feel you are ready to swap something out, I say feel free to do it. Just because it's not in your bag doesn't mean you need to be excluded from the conversations.
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I think the bolded is the key thing here for me. While I dont think a couple rounds after getting the gear is a fair shot for a club or fair to the OEM (and I know thats not what the point of your post is) I do think that you can still actively review equipment without it still being in your bag for your next round of golf.

12 of the 14 clubs I got at the Grandaddy are still in my bag. I have replaced the putter and the driver but just yesterday I had the grandaddy putter out rolling putts and I have input for the Odyssey putters thread. I think where the misunderstanding comes from is where people think they are being forced to keep clubs in their bag. They arent. They know what they sign up for when they put the entry in. Just think of if it was your company and your livelihood on the line, would you vanish from the thread too?
 
huhhh said:
Outside of the required review period, you should do whatever you want.

...especially if what you want is giving them to your good buddy huhhh :D
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what if there is no specified required review period?
 
tequila4kapp said:
As it relates to the Grandaddy, here’s what I’ve been asking the team: If you gave away let’s say $8000 worth of stuff plus provided an experience that literally cannot be purchased, how long would you want that person to review the gear?

Non-GD, I think we have an obligation to play the clubs long enough that we truly experience them, so that we can continue to discuss them in the threads and provide meaningful / intelligent feedback on them even if we’re not playing them.


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I think, in some ways, the answer to this can be “forever”. Now, I’m not saying the bag is set from December to forever (though it will be for quite a while) - but as dean said, that doesn’t stop you from answering questions about the equipment as they come up, or drawing from your experiences with that equipment when the next version comes out and you hit it at a demo day.

I know I’ve gotten PMs and answered questions in threads that get revived after a couple years on equipment I’ve reviewed. And I’m happy to take the time to provide that info.
 
I just joined this site in January so my only experience with winning anything has been the Gamechanger event and so far, everything has solidified a spot in the bag.

My original plan was to play the clubs for 3 months or just shy of 1/3 of our golf season here in Wisconsin. That would give me time to not only shake off the winter rust but to also get accustomed to the clubs. Since I only play about once a week, that comes out to roughly 12 rounds give or take.

I almost find it more useful to hear what doesn't work or what people don't like about the clubs than what they do like. The reason is, they tend to explain why something doesn't work more than why it does.

For example if someone is spinning the ball too much, they'll say that the head is spinning too much whereas if they're using a low spin head, they'll more than likely say the club works for them.....but WHY does it work? That's why I held nothing back when I reviewed my Cleveland gear. The driver was simply too dang loud and I hated it but it performed so it stayed in the bag.

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For whatever my $.02 is worth, for many I think it will depend. :act-up: For guys up North and in the East that can't play over the winter and for those that when they can play they typically play once a week it is probably longer. For someone who can play year 'round and several days/week, basically, it can be a much shorter time frame in days or months to absolutely know what the clubs can and can't do for you. In both cases, I think it also depends on how often one posts their thoughts.

As others have said, whether in the bag or not, it is owed to the OEM to continue to post about the equipment, be available and answer questions, discuss, etc., in my opinion and personally, until that same event takes place the following year. It serves the purpose of giving other THP members and the OEM long term feedback, it gives the OEM continued appreciation for holding the event and helps promote the following year's event.
 
I gamed the Grandaddy bag for a full year until the next one as that felt like the right length to me, though I made a couple of changes. I bought the epic fw the next month because it wasn't available yet and I picked up a 4 iron to match the rest of my irons.
 
In my opinion I feel if given the chance at any review, I would ride out the whole year. I received some Chrome Softs through THP for testing earlier this year, there still in the bag. I have posted reviews slowly on them ( not being the greatest at describing things) but I’ve posted, have played a competitors brand for the last 10 years and new what the ball would do, did I think the new ball would be different, or better? Nope I had no clue but the fact it was given to me for FREE I think it deserves the complete test and focus from me as a golfer , again my opinion. I’m not a Tour player or club company staffer, so receiving anything free or at a incredible discount is a unbelievable thing to me that doesn’t happen to everyone so why not live it up and enjoy, review its a honor. I plan on playing golf for however long I can, me giving up a year or so is well worth it to me good or bad results. I’m not getting kicked of the tour lol. I am just a internet golfer and enjoy the game. Again IMO.
 
rogt said:
In my opinion I feel if given the chance at any review, I would ride out the whole year. I received some Chrome Softs through THP for testing earlier this year, there still in the bag. I have posted reviews slowly on them ( not being the greatest at describing things) but I’ve posted, have played a competitors brand for the last 10 years and new what the ball would do, did I think the new ball would be different, or better? Nope I had no clue but the fact it was given to me for FREE I think it deserves the complete test and focus from me as a golfer , again my opinion. I’m not a Tour player or club company staffer, so receiving anything free or at a incredible discount is a unbelievable thing to me that doesn’t happen to everyone so why not live it up and enjoy, review its a honor. I plan on playing golf for however long I can, me giving up a year or so is well worth it to me good or bad results. I’m not getting kicked of the tour lol. I am just a internet golfer and enjoy the game. Again IMO.
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beautifully said rogt! follow-up question to the bolded above: what if the clubs provided by the oem impact one's ability to enjoy the game? i know it's a first world problem to 'suffer' through a club that is giving you fits, but what value is being given to the oem in this case?
 
So here is my take. I think if we are given clubs or gear at an event or through a contest hear it is our duty to review the heck out of them. Now depending on the product depends on how long it will take to do a thorough review. For example, with clubs there is a break in period that it takes to get used to them for you to really truly understand how much you really like or dislike the clubs. Now I understand there are different circumstances but, when thinking about events like the MC and the Grandaddy, you are not there for yourself. You are there representing something bigger and the company has put their trust in you to show others about their equipment and how it works for you or doesn't work for you and why. They want the pros and cons. They understand that not every review is going to be 100% positive, but that's because every piece of equipment isn't for every person. They want honest feedback so they can make it better the next time. Overall the subject of "time line" and reviewing is situational to each piece of gear but its bigger than you just putting your thoughts on the forum. You are helping spread the greatest game in the world and keeping great companies alive and moving forward so they can continue to give experiences just like these that THP and its affiliates give. Just my 2 cents, but hope it ads value.

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Solely up to you, but you better be in that thread giving feedback and answering people's questions about them. Easier to give feedback and answer those questions when you know some stuff about the club though..
 
I feel that a season is fairly appropriate. I know that I haven't done a great job with the EXO from the event in May since I haven't played as much this summer as I'm used to and I wasn't getting along with the version of the putter that I had. I got another one this week and I'm looking forward to playing with it and hopefully being able to have some better reviews because I had a great experience at the event and I want to make sure that they continue.
 
I think one full season of play makes sense. Or maybe until that OEMs new release comes in the ensuing rollout? Hard to say. I know with my Pros I won’t be changing anything anytime soon in the iron set, the wedges, hybrid or UT iron. The 3 wood, I simply have been playing better with my rogue so it’s replaced my F8 3w. The driver has been great until lately but I’ll be making it through the season with it for sure. Probably into next spring unless something tickles my fancy
 
c.a.eleric said:
beautifully said rogt! follow-up question to the bolded above: what if the clubs provided by the oem impact one's ability to enjoy the game? i know it's a first world problem to 'suffer' through a club that is giving you fits, but what value is being given to the oem in this case?
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This happened to me with my Morgan Cup irons. Basically I did what I mentioned above in the thread - I stayed with them long enough to know what the clubs offered, didn't offer, etc. The event meant so much to me I felt terrible moving on from them; I stayed with the same OEM but different model of irons then tried to stay active in both threads.

Almost worse than the clubs not working for you is when your thread is dead...it is really really hard when it's an echo chamber. (I know visitors are reading the posts but it's still tough)
 
tequila4kapp said:
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Almost worse than the clubs not working for you is when your thread is dead...it is really really hard when it's an echo chamber. (I know visitors are reading the posts but it's still tough)
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man i know this feeling. the 718 tmb thread felt like me talking to me most of the time. got to the point where i became forrest gump, “that’s all i got to say about that.” really took the wind out of my sails if i’m being honest, and i got a very small taste of what the reviewers sometimes deal with. gave me an appreciation for how well (and positively) they slug through that kind of stagnation.


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I feel like every situation is different based on the event and each individual's practice/playing frequency. For me, I will not go less than 1 golf season with my Grandaddy reviews, and can see myself having this entire bag for many seasons to come. I am not a club tinkerer and have 3/4 yr old wedges and 5/6 yr old irons.

As previously mentioned it's not just talking about how you played with them. You can answer questions others have about looks and setups as well. Maybe someone has the same irons I used to play and want a profile view of the 7i. A question like that can get answered anytime I'm free. Perhaps someone else doesn't like playing the latest and greatest clubs, and is ok with last year's model and wants to know how the faces hold up to nicks and sings after a season. If I can help them in late 2019/early 2020 be more comfortable buying a year old set, perhaps at a discount on CPO, great!

Each person's time on the course and playing frequency will vary, but for myself, less than a season is not enough time for me to feel I can stop providing feedback.
 
c.a.eleric said:
man i know this feeling. the 718 tmb thread felt like me talking to me most of the time. got to the point where i became forrest gump, “that’s all i got to say about that.” really took the wind out of my sails if i’m being honest, and i got a very small taste of what the reviewers sometimes deal with. gave me an appreciation for how well (and positively) they slug through that kind of stagnation.


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I think something that I've enjoyed the most this year is following along with the King Forged Tec review thread this year. I think you and others have knocked it out of the park giving feedback and answering questions about them. You and Frank are right, it's so much easier to give a review and feedback when people are talking.
 
For me when attending something like the Morgan Cup or Grandaddy I think reviewing that equipment until the brands next release is a good amount of time. After that though I think popping back in to that thread when there are questions or discussion should continue indefinitely. When you look at the investment these companies put in to us the last we can do is talk about it. I'm also one that will give that brand first shot at the bag over other manufacturers when the new releases come out.
 
BlueHen2006 said:
I feel like every situation is different based on the event and each individual's practice/playing frequency. For me, I will not go less than 1 golf season with my Grandaddy reviews, and can see myself having this entire bag for many seasons to come. I am not a club tinkerer and have 3/4 yr old wedges and 5/6 yr old irons.

As previously mentioned it's not just talking about how you played with them. You can answer questions others have about looks and setups as well. Maybe someone has the same irons I used to play and want a profile view of the 7i. A question like that can get answered anytime I'm free. Perhaps someone else doesn't like playing the latest and greatest clubs, and is ok with last year's model and wants to know how the faces hold up to nicks and sings after a season. If I can help them in late 2019/early 2020 be more comfortable buying a year old set, perhaps at a discount on CPO, great!

Each person's time on the course and playing frequency will vary, but for myself, less than a season is not enough time for me to feel I can stop providing feedback.
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Well said!

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I've been fortunate enough to go to 2 events and I think that I've kept the things I've gotten in my bag for at least 6 months. I played the RTX 3 wedges for over a year, only switching from steel to graphite along the way. I'm currently about 3 months into my EXO period and I don't see myself replacing it anytime soon. I feel fortunate and happy to have the stuff that I have acquired from these events.

I personally think as long as anyone gives it a fair chance and appropriate feedback it's ok to move on. I don't think you can really put a time window to that. Each experience is probably different. The bigger the equipment, the bigger the time window it may deserve to get an appropriate review but as like others have said, sometimes you just know something doesn't work for you and the honest feedback is a part of that.
 
BlueHen2006 said:
I feel like every situation is different based on the event and each individual's practice/playing frequency. For me, I will not go less than 1 golf season with my Grandaddy reviews, and can see myself having this entire bag for many seasons to come. I am not a club tinkerer and have 3/4 yr old wedges and 5/6 yr old irons.

As previously mentioned it's not just talking about how you played with them. You can answer questions others have about looks and setups as well. Maybe someone has the same irons I used to play and want a profile view of the 7i. A question like that can get answered anytime I'm free. Perhaps someone else doesn't like playing the latest and greatest clubs, and is ok with last year's model and wants to know how the faces hold up to nicks and sings after a season. If I can help them in late 2019/early 2020 be more comfortable buying a year old set, perhaps at a discount on CPO, great!

Each person's time on the course and playing frequency will vary, but for myself, less than a season is not enough time for me to feel I can stop providing feedback.
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This is a great response and one I can really relate to.
 
When I've had the honor to do so it's been anywhere from 6 months to two years. Totally understand your thoughts on feeling like nobody reads or responds and that is tough.

When people are all Honeymoon about the new stuff and the sliced bread becomes stale sooner than expected I guess it can lead to perceptions.

I think I remember a guideline of 3 months of active feedback for general testing but have been wrong and memory isn't as good as it used to not be. Just give it one's best and due diligence I think is what's important.

The larger events and bag deals I think needs to be longer. Especially if a fitting was involved and supposedly dialed in on what is best. Short fittings are tough to nail though as most of us don't do the same thing every time we swing.. 02
 
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IMO there is no right or wrong answer here. We all play golf differently and sometimes after the event, the honeymoon phase is over and you are coming back down to earth a bit. Me personally I think anything from 3-6 months is more than adequate to provide quality feedback on any gear received. Some of the clubs will be in the bag longer depending on the success I am seeing, but it will all get a fair shake and I will honor my end of the deal to provide feedback as it pertains to my game.
 
Every situation and event seems to have it's own "vibe" with regards to the duration of testing and reviewing, and every individual is going to be different due to their golf schedules. In the past if I'm honest I would say that I've been on both sides - I feel like I've completely laid an egg with an equipment review and I feel like I really did well on a couple.
To answer "How Long?" is tough. Is it a time frame? Number of posts? Number of rounds? Heck some guys play more golf in a week than I play in a month. When given free equipment with the understanding that it will be reviewed, we all need to look ourselves in the mirror and say we did the best we could IMO.
 
I’m still gaming my clubs I received at The Shootout last Aug. I love the clubs so much it might be a while before I change them up!
 
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