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THP Contests.........and the future

I want to add something to what has been said. Our testing threads are not a contest. THP is known for their contests and have new ones almost every day of the week. Are forum testing is done for a couple of reasons, but mostly to expand upon what we think the demo day does very well. That is give regular consumers a chance to have a voice outside of regular marketing on products that are new or pre-release. When we send out the rules once people are selected, one of the only rules is to be honest. The goal behind any testing is to find out if a club works for people and I believe that outside of demo day, forum testing is one of the best ways to do this.

However in selecting testers, whether it be THP or the company, or a combination of the two, it is always a tough process. We would love to include everybody, but that is obviously not feasible (so to do so, we have the THP Demo Day). Selections for testing are many times based on activity level, what makes up that activity level (post info), and availability. In the last 30 days THP has announced both iron testing and picked 10 golfers for that and hybrid testing and picked 6 golfers for that. None of those overlapped and we believe those chosen will do an outstanding job.

THP will continue to do testing as often as possible and will always search to find great reviewers as we know so many will/can be on THP. The easiest way to become one, stay active on the forum.
 
Very well said fltc, even if you dont like to use the shift key you do excellent, thorough reviews that provide insight and knowledge that everyone will find helpful. And you have a little game from the left side.
 
I would have been thrilled to test this Mashie and will still test and probably buy this Mashie as soon as it is released. Sure I wanted to be picked but I am not bitter because I wasn't! I am a litle peev'd at Ole Gray for not entering because he thought it would give me a better chance if he didn't sign up. I had no idea of his intentions and he would have been a great tester and I could have helped a little too. :act-up: He's too good for his own good sometimes! Honestly he is!

I joined this website for a lot of reasons. I never knew of all the bonuses involved! I have already been allowed to test the Chromax balls, the unnamed Taylormade balls and am now testing the Sureputt. I think it is so cool that we get these opportunities. I'm an optimist and always believe there will be something even better around the corner for me!

Thanks THP for all the neat stuff you have brought into my golfing life.
 
KellyBo said:
I would have been thrilled to test this Mashie and will still test and probably buy this Mashie as soon as it is released. Sure I wanted to be picked but I am not bitter because I wasn't! I am a litle peev'd at Ole Gray for not entering because he thought it would give me a better chance if he didn't sign up. I had no idea of his intentions and he would have been a great tester and I could have helped a little too. :act-up: He's too good for his own good sometimes! Honestly he is!

I joined this website for a lot of reasons. I never knew of all the bonuses involved! I have already been allowed to test the Chromax balls, the unnamed Taylormade balls and am now testing the Sureputt. I think it is so cool that we get these opportunities. I'm an optimist and always believe there will be something even better around the corner for me!

Thanks THP for all the neat stuff you have brought into my golfing life.
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Great post KB.
 
KellyBo said:
I would have been thrilled to test this Mashie and will still test and probably buy this Mashie as soon as it is released. Sure I wanted to be picked but I am not bitter because I wasn't! I am a litle peev'd at Ole Gray for not entering because he thought it would give me a better chance if he didn't sign up. I had no idea of his intentions and he would have been a great tester and I could have helped a little too. :act-up: He's too good for his own good sometimes! Honestly he is!

I joined this website for a lot of reasons. I never knew of all the bonuses involved! I have already been allowed to test the Chromax balls, the unnamed Taylormade balls and am now testing the Sureputt. I think it is so cool that we get these opportunities. I'm an optimist and always believe there will be something even better around the corner for me!

Thanks THP for all the neat stuff you have brought into my golfing life.
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Great post Kelly but I want to focus on the one line I highlighted. We all have our reasons for joining this site and further more for staying around (for those that have). Without dragging this on too much, if you joined this site merely for the shot to win a contest or be selected as a tester then I personally think you have joined for the wrong reasons. THP is so much more than "just another web site" and you cant realize it but joining up and entering for a contest then not doing anything else till the next contest is offered a couple of weeks later. You can not possibly see the friendships that have formed or the love that is present among many of the people here. That can be seen by showing up on a regluar basis and getting involved in the different threads. Whether it is talking about new equipment or our new weight loss group where we are all pushing and supporting each other for a healthier lifestyle. Or even some place as crazy as the sports area where you can usually find some intense discussion about something so silly as trades in fantasy football. But that is what we all are here, passionate people who are passionate about golf, other things and sometimes each other. I might not always agree with all the people here on everything but I respect them and I look at THP as an extended family (one screwy one at that but still) and I really dislike it when others take pot shots at it and say things that are grossly incorrect. The people who "run" this site bust their asses for us to enjoy this place. To all that are bitching, maybe if you stuck your head out of the ground and looked arond a bit you would see that.

I just went through this thread ( well maybe skimmed) and noticed alot of people asking to be cosidered for this opportunity have less than 50 posts total many less than 10 and while some just joined this month many have been here for 6 to 8 months. So my question to those people is Where have you been? I don't think it is fair to complain about the way THP is run or the decisions made by THP or the vendors involved when you only come by just to join contests. And don't respond to this and say you are not becasue it is obvious you are but your lack of postings on the board.

I look at the opportunity to test equipment, let alone equipment that has not even been released yet as a great honor and one that is earned over time. I am happy I received this opportunity and I plan to do the absolute best I can in reviewing this golf club because the good people of THP deserve nothing but the best.
 
just to reiterate, THP did NOT select the testers, Cleveland did. Please don't blur those lines.
 
I am shocked that anyone could possibly become upset with this Mashie deal. We are all getting something from this. We got a chance to test a club pre release, and the excitement of daydreaming about what it would be like. We also get the opportunity to hear some reviews from regular unpaid folks. Best of all we are able to ask questions and get answers almost instantly. This is so much better than buying a club based on hype and feeling let down. Thanks THP and Cleveland.
 
There has been some talk about why don't more women get chosen and I am going to say something that might rustle some feathers but I feel it's important to say. As a female, and a person in the golf industry, we often wonder why we don't see more women offering up equipment reviews and why women seem to get left out of club testing. Please don't shoot me for saying this but I am a realist and a business woman and because of that I understand why. The general consumer, with a large majority being men, are far less likely to take the advice of a female reviewer, even if she carries a lower handicap then them, then they would be of their male counterpart. It is what it is and maybe one day that will change but for now it won't and as a business person I can understand why an OEM would choose men over woman. The vast majority of people reading the reviews and buying their clubs are men. You have to please the masses. That's where the dollars are and in this kind of economy it's even more important to get those dollars and that market share.

This is merely my opinion on the matter but it does make sense to me.
 
Good points GG. I was gonna stay out of that topic because I dont feel like I know enough to say anything about it. One thing I can say is I see a lot of womens golf gear sitting on the shelf for a long time. Im not sure its as simple as "If you build it, they will come" as said previously by another poster.

Basically my point is while its disappointing not to get selected there will be more opportunites. I was bummed I didnt qualify for the irons but it gave me motivation to work harder on my game. I was extremely happy for my friends that were chosen. Cleveland had their reasons for choosing who they did and Im thankfuk I was selected. Noone will be let down by the info all of us provide.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Congrats to everyone who got chosen - you all deserve it, and I look forward to you guys helping me spend my hard earned money!

To those who are upset about not being chosen, I think that entering into one of these review selection processes or competitions is still just a game of chance that you can sway. In pure statistical sense, based on the number of replies, the odds are still against you, just like in a lottery, just like in a casino. Yes you do get that "I'm going to win/be chosen" feeling, but setting your heart on that, and subsequently setting yourself up for disappointment is just a destructive state of mind.
However, like TC says in his excellent write up, you can sway the odds in your favour by being active, being positive, and helping others. THP works with reputable companies who want good, honest reviews of their products to better serve their customers. So put yourself in their position. Would you rather have someone who posts occasionally and only in these kinds of posts, or would you want someone who is on every day, always positive, and always pushing the community spirit? Now granted that in some cases people who are on the very top of the post count are chosen, but this doesn't present itself as always being the case. Now, I live in Canada and therefore excluded right off the bat. Should I be angry? Was I angry? Did I write a letter to Cleveland stating how I am disgusted with their practices? Nope.
Sure, it'd be nice to have the opportunity to test these new clubs, but I understand from a business perspective why a company would wnat to keep their initial testing/offerings in their domestic market. V
I view these testing opportunities as being nothing more than an extra source of information that goes above and beyond the normal call of a forum. Whatever happens normally is what I come for, whatever else happens, is just icing on the cake.

Don't take this as an attack against anyone, this is just my view whenever I enter into anything and I thought I would share to maybe shed some light from a different perspective.
 
I keep hearing about all the complaining, but after skimming back through all I see is where the ladies where disapointed. Did I miss something? I think everyone who did not get chosen is disapointed, that's understandable, but I guess I dont see anyone making a fuss.
 
thedue said:
I keep hearing about all the complaining, but after skimming back through all I see is where the ladies where disapointed. Did I miss something? I think everyone who did not get chosen is disapointed, that's understandable, but I guess I dont see anyone making a fuss.
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I was wondering the same thing Due. They might be trying to take a preempive strike before others share their thoughts and disappointment.
 
Dirt_Guy said:
I was wondering the same thing Due. They might be trying to take a preempive strike before others share their thoughts and disappointment.
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Must be DG, lol. I'm certainly disapointed in not getting to test these, but Cleveland didn't chose me, maybe next time.
 
Just wanted to say something real quick in here and this is not pointed at anyone and is not meant to call anyone out. I think its great that ANYONE was picked from THP to test the Mashie. First we were lucky enough to have hit this club before anyone else has even seen it and now THP has a select few chosen to test it. Thats just awesome and a huge privilege of being an active forum member here. I have no issues whatever with those that were chosen. Sure I would have loved to have been picked just like the anyone else. But Id be lying if I told you I joined THP back in '09 because Id get free equipment to test. I came here for unbiased reviews about equipment. And that is exactly what I expect to get from the Mashie testers. Great, informative reviews that are thorough, come with pictures and some really cool info. And this is why I joined THP. If I happen to get chosen to test something its a privilege that comes with being an active member. If I dont ever get anything else to test, I'll enjoy the reviews from those that do. I look forward to reading each and every one of these guys reviews and once again congrats to each one of you.
 
OEM Kevin said:
Just wanted to say something real quick in here and this is not pointed at anyone and is not meant to call anyone out. I think its great that ANYONE was picked from THP to test the Mashie. First we were lucky enough to have hit this club before anyone else has even seen it and now THP has a select few chosen to test it. Thats just awesome and a huge privilege of being an active forum member here. I have no issues whatever with those that were chosen. Sure I would have loved to have been picked just like the anyone else. But Id be lying if I told you I joined THP back in '09 because Id get free equipment to test. I came here for unbiased reviews about equipment. And that is exactly what I expect to get from the Mashie testers. Great, informative reviews that are thorough, come with pictures and some really cool info. And this is why I joined THP. If I happen to get chosen to test something its a privilege that comes with being an active member. If I dont ever get anything else to test, I'll enjoy the reviews from those that do. I look forward to reading each and every one of these guys reviews and once again congrats to each one of you.
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thanks OEM! i know if anyone is disappointed about this it would be you. great post!
 
GolferGal said:
There has been some talk about why don't more women get chosen and I am going to say something that might rustle some feathers but I feel it's important to say. As a female, and a person in the golf industry, we often wonder why we don't see more women offering up equipment reviews and why women seem to get left out of club testing. Please don't shoot me for saying this but I am a realist and a business woman and because of that I understand why. The general consumer, with a large majority being men, are far less likely to take the advice of a female reviewer, even if she carries a lower handicap then them, then they would be of their male counterpart. It is what it is and maybe one day that will change but for now it won't and as a business person I can understand why an OEM would choose men over woman. The vast majority of people reading the reviews and buying their clubs are men. You have to please the masses. That's where the dollars are and in this kind of economy it's even more important to get those dollars and that market share.

This is merely my opinion on the matter but it does make sense to me.
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This is a chicken-egg argument, and I think it's a huge conundrum. You claim that there's no equipment for women to test because there are no women playing golf. Someone else might reason that there are no women playing golf because there's no equipment for them. Which is it? You can't really say because this is representative of correlation, not causation. Maybe if there were more availability for women in golf, women's opinions might count more.

To those who have criticized my criticism: Look, I am active on this forum when it comes to golf, and to the extent that I am able to be. I'm generally not one for chatty stuff.

I think I did a good job when it came to my glove reviews.

There are many instances in which I don't feel qualified to offer myself for testing -- for example, the 2.0 irons. It's winter here in Chicago, and I'm truly not going to be able to play until next spring. So why take a testing chance away from someone else?

And when it comes to some stuff, as a beginner, I just don't have the knowledge or the experience to offer my opinions or answer questions (and let's be honest: as with every forum, some newbie questions are answered with the standard "look it up" response that discourages further participation. I'm not criticizing here: This happens in every forum and I've been known to do it myself in my own forums... which is why I usually allow others to answer those kinds of questions.). For example, I didn't know what a "standard set-up" was: should it include FW and hybrids? Can you have one without the other? THPers graciously answered these questions and I was grateful for all the information offered.

But how can someone like me benefit from testing or winning different brands of shafts (!), for example, when I am so new to everything that it took me months to pick out my clubs? Again, these things, and others, would be wasted on someone like me.

I do participate as much as I can and in ways that make me feel comfortable. I certainly lurk a lot. But please don't condemn me for not wanting to be part of the weight-loss or sports threads or the threads that I can't possibly hope to contribute something to.

Kim
 
Miss Shanksalot said:
This is a chicken-egg argument, and I think it's a huge conundrum. You claim that there's no equipment for women to test because there are no women playing golf. Someone else might reason that there are no women playing golf because there's no equipment for them. Which is it? You can't really say because this is representative of correlation, not causation. Maybe if there were more availability for women in golf, women's opinions might count more.

To those who have criticized my criticism: Look, I am active on this forum when it comes to golf, and to the extent that I am able to be. I'm generally not one for chatty stuff.

I think I did a good job when it came to my glove reviews.

There are many instances in which I don't feel qualified to offer myself for testing -- for example, the 2.0 irons. It's winter here in Chicago, and I'm truly not going to be able to play until next spring. So why take a testing chance away from someone else?

And when it comes to some stuff, as a beginner, I just don't have the knowledge or the experience to offer my opinions or answer questions (and let's be honest: as with every forum, some newbie questions are answered with the standard "look it up" response that discourages further participation. I'm not criticizing here: This happens in every forum and I've been known to do it myself in my own forums... which is why I usually allow others to answer those kinds of questions.). For example, I didn't know what a "standard set-up" was: should it include FW and hybrids? Can you have one without the other? THPers graciously answered these questions and I was grateful for all the information offered.

But how can someone like me benefit from testing or winning different brands of shafts (!), for example, when I am so new to everything that it took me months to pick out my clubs? Again, these things, and others, would be wasted on someone like me.

I do participate as much as I can and in ways that make me feel comfortable. I certainly lurk a lot. But please don't condemn me for not wanting to be part of the weight-loss or sports threads or the threads that I can't possibly hope to contribute something to.

Kim
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First let me say that I am not trying to be augmentative or argue. However, I do not think you understood what I was saying and you said that I am claiming that there aren't enough things for women to test but I have not said that anywhere in this thread. There is quite a bit of ladies equipment on the market. Just about every major OEM carries ladies equipment and any men's equipment can be used with a ladies shaft if someone so desires.

What I am saying is that I can understand an OEM not picking a female for seeding because they are trying to get information out to the masses who are more inclined to listen to a review and purchase equipment based on it. Based on that I can see, from a business stand point, why they would pick a man over a woman. Call it whatever you want and like it or not, but from a strictly business point of view I understand it. I am not saying whether I agree or disagree with this because I do not want to get into that debate. I am just saying that as a business person I understand the reasoning. I am also not saying this is their reasoning. This is my take on the situation and what I think is the reason behind it. This is just my opinion.
 
I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but for those that are really disappointed in not being selected, get in line... It's a long one! But be disappointed for the right reason. If you are disappointed because you think these opportunities are only given to "the usual suspects", you could not be more wrong.

I was selected for the TM Blind Ball test after having only been here for a couple months. Hopefully I did a respectable job in my reviews, but if I did not then I don't deserve to test anything else. As for contests, I was the winner of the TM Burner 2.0 contest and I had only been here a month or so. So, it does happen!

But if you are only here for contests and the hopes of testing something for free, you'd be better served buying lottery tickets. Contests are just that, and can often be won merely by luck of the draw. On the other hand, testing is a privilege. A privilege that is earned IMO by being active here. Many of the members here have forgotten more about golf than I ever knew. But every once in a while I come up with something that can help.

My goal as a member here isn't to win stuff! It's not to test stuff either! I love this game, remember it is JUST a game, and I want to learn as much as I can about it. I want to get better at it. And I hope to be able to share some things along the way.

I may get yelled at for this, but so be it... If you are ONLY here for the contests and to be able to test stuff, GO AWAY! This community has so much more to offer.
 
Hawk said:
All this debate should be going on via PM or a different thread. This isn't the place. This thread should be a place to say our congratulations and be happy for our friends that were chosen.
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No kidding. This may have to be sent to the debate room,lol. What a shame! I feel sorry for Cleveland.
 
mdbuschsr said:
I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but for those that are really disappointed in not being selected, get in line... It's a long one! But be disappointed for the right reason. If you are disappointed because you think these opportunities are only given to "the usual suspects", you could not be more wrong.

I was selected for the TM Blind Ball test after having only been here for a couple months. Hopefully I did a respectable job in my reviews, but if I did not then I don't deserve to test anything else. As for contests, I was the winner of the TM Burner 2.0 contest and I had only been here a month or so. So, it does happen!

But if you are only here for contests and the hopes of testing something for free, you'd be better served buying lottery tickets. Contests are just that, and can often be won merely by luck of the draw. On the other hand, testing is a privilege. A privilege that is earned IMO by being active here. Many of the members here have forgotten more about golf than I ever knew. But every once in a while I come up with something that can help.

My goal as a member here isn't to win stuff! It's not to test stuff either! I love this game, remember it is JUST a game, and I want to learn as much as I can about it. I want to get better at it. And I hope to be able to share some things along the way.

I may get yelled at for this, but so be it... If you are ONLY here for the contests and to be able to test stuff, GO AWAY! This community has so much more to offer.
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I'm certainly not here for the contests or testing. I've been here since May and have only put in my name for three. I agree with what you're saying.
 
What the heck?? Why did I get moved over here? I was showing support!
 
nice move GG!
 
TC said:
i know that there are some out there who are disappointed, and i get the impression that there are some who don't understand why certain forum members are selected over others, and i'm 100% sure that some of you look at me in this situation and think it's completely unfair that i was selected for this process, especially b/c i was selected by Taylormade for the 2.0 seeding. i am sorry that you weren't selected and i wish that everyone could be, but unfortunately, that's just not possible.

in this case, i am honored to be selected and i feel as though i am a deserving candidate. i am active on this forum and i take great pride in being able to assist others, answer questions, and help anyone with any sort of research or equipment pondering based on my experiences. i also feel as though i have a good track record when it comes to previous reviews for other companies and their products here on THP. it's one thing to apply, get selected, and post your findings once, but it's another thing to keep up with your testing process, keep updating the thread, and most importantly, to be here to answer questions from other forum members when it comes to your findings/results/testing.

seeding is a wonderful things and i do hope that many others get selected in the future, and chances are you will, but those chances greatly increase by participating and getting to know other forum members via conversation here. i take this process very seriously, and perhaps i was chosen by cleveland b/c they appreciated the effort i put forth in prior testing.

again, i want to congratulate those selected, i think you will all do a wonderful job, and for those of you who may be bitter or confused, please support these testers b/c it is a wonderful opportunity and they'll need your support in order to ensure that processes like these continue to take place.
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TC speaking as someone who always gets bummed that he's not picked I would have no issues with you getting picked. You work your butt off for this site and quite honestly you are one of the main reasons that I became an active participant. You deserve it man!!
 
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