Where are the great American club reviewers?

[Duffner's Waggle]

Why does it seem like all the really well established, "famous" Youtube pros who review clubs are from overseas? I have nothing against any of them, but I am honestly just curious. Guys like Shiels, Finch, Taylor, Robinson, Alex Etches, Michael Newton, Average Golfer, etc. are all from the other side of the pond. Even TXG is from Canada, not the USA. 

 

Love watching these guys and I'm not complaining, but it has always struck me as off that there aren't any mainstream golf club reviewers, or if there are, I'm just unaware of them. 

[jpbova]

I’ve wondered the same question. Mr short game is the USA. But I don’t think he is good let alone great.  Actually there are only a few guys on that list that I trust. Some of them, **cough** Shiels Robinson Finch **cough** are sell out shills.  Thank god you didn’t mention crossfield. I may have been triggered. ? 
 

I love TXG and Newton no matter what country they’re in

Edited September 21, 2020 by jpbova

[MtlJeff]

I dont trust anyone who doesn't have an accent.  Anyone who sounds like me is surely an idiot 

[jimb]

45 minutes ago, Duffner's Waggle said:

Why does it seem like all the really well established, "famous" Youtube pros who review clubs are from overseas? I have nothing against any of them, but I am honestly just curious. Guys like Shiels, Finch, Taylor, Robinson, Alex Etches, Michael Newton, Average Golfer, etc. are all from the other side of the pond. Even TXG is from Canada, not the USA. 

 

Love watching these guys and I'm not complaining, but it has always struck me as off that there aren't any mainstream golf club reviewers, or if there are, I'm just unaware of them. 

Where have all the great American men's tennis champions gone . . . long time passing.

[jbrunk]

Check out 2ndswing, they’re  putting out solid club reviews/comps.  Video production is not overdone; they don’t seem compelled to put out new content (clickbait) everyday.

[bunta]

i like Crossfield for his honesty. He gives it to you straight without trying to steer you.

Edited September 21, 2020 by bunta

[Duffner's Waggle]

1 minute ago, jimb said:

Where have all the great American men's tennis champions gone . . . long time passing.

I can honestly say I've never wondered such a thing. 

[Hougz79]

I also miss good ole fashioned “text” reviews.  So much easier to read during a bathroom break at work.  I tend to follow the guys at plugged in golf and event through they publish less, driving range heroes.  I’ve read them enough over the years to identify their likes and dislikes, and I like how Matt at PIG tells it straight, even when I don’t agree with him.

[GBBM]

45 minutes ago, Hougz79 said:

I also miss good ole fashioned “text” reviews.  So much easier to read during a bathroom break at work.  I tend to follow the guys at plugged in golf and event through they publish less, driving range heroes.  I’ve read them enough over the years to identify their likes and dislikes, and I like how Matt at PIG tells it straight, even when I don’t agree with him.

Agree with this wholeheartedly. I prefer to read than watch a video. When watching a video it’s pretty much always a Brit though. Which is fine.
 

I’ve given some idle thought to why there aren’t any transcendent American golf YouTubers. It’s probably complex but in many fittings in many states with different US companies and studios. And while they have mostly been adequate at their jobs, I haven’t come across a single personality I’d watch on YouTube. I feel like I usually know more than they do. 

I also wonder if took off more in the UK because a couple of them caught lightning in a bottle and their local club fitting and instruction competition had to to keep pace to get foot traffic. I’m sure most if not all of these guys knew each other before all this even started in earnest.
 

England is not a very big place. It’s about the size of Alabama. Imagine having a slug of nice golf studios in Alabama all competing for the golf business of a much much higher golfing population within said area. The US doesn’t have near the density of top quality golf fitting and instruction facilities so people will be much more likely to just seek out something (relatively) local. 

[Duffner's Waggle]

8 minutes ago, GBBM said:

Agree with this wholeheartedly. I prefer to read than watch a video. When watching a video it’s pretty much always a Brit though. Which is fine.
 

I’ve given some idle thought to why there aren’t any transcendent American golf YouTubers. It’s probably complex but in many fittings in many states with different US companies and studios. And while they have mostly been adequate at their jobs, I haven’t come across a single personality I’d watch on YouTube. I feel like I usually know more than they do. 

I also wonder if took off more in the UK because a couple of them caught lightning in a bottle and their local club fitting and instruction competition had to to keep pace to get foot traffic. I’m sure most if not all of these guys knew each other before all this even started in earnest.
 

England is not a very big place. It’s about the size of Alabama. Imagine having a slug of nice golf studios in Alabama all competing for the golf business of a much much higher golfing population within said area. The US doesn’t have near the density of top quality golf fitting and instruction facilities so people will be much more likely to just seek out something (relatively) local. 

Absolutely on the text reviews. Who hasn't scrolled through a review on the toilet for a club that just hit the BST?? LOL 

 

As for video...I have 3 monitors at work, I tend to work off the left and middle screen and keep some sort of media running on the 3rd one, even if under other apps so I can only hear it. I like being able to peek at it occasionally and listen primarily. 

 

Anyways, I think your point about the golfing population density makes a lot of sense, I just think a company like a Club Champion, a cool, personable young pro or someone is missing a big marketing opportunity. 

 

PS - Say what you will about Peter Finch...he introduced me to Inci Mehmet on his channel and I'm in love, so he gets a pass from me. 

[ThinkingPlus]

2 hours ago, jimb said:

Where have all the great American men's tennis champions gone . . . long time passing.

Where have all the great American men's tennis champions gone. . . long time ago.

[avguy]

As long as the player/reviewer plays the game off real grass and compares the no's and flights/feels in that same bubble - I don't care where they reside!  

 

The specs on the clubs are the same everywhere?  They aren't taking PGA Tour players gear out for the tests I hope.  You know - with custom builds that many of us don't want to schill out those kinda $ to match up.

[braincramp52]

I wonder if Alex Etches even plays golf? All I've ever seen is him smashing balls and coming back to the camera to tell us how far the ball went. He's always very impressed with himself but offers no real insight to the clubs he's hitting.

[cn34]

Had this thought last week as I was scrolling through looking for club reviews on YouTube. Mr Short Game is just flat out bad where as I think TXG is the best. Not only from a production standpoint but from the content they try to deliver. They will test almost anything and be completely objective about it. They push themselves to really bring useful information to all types of golfers, not just a high level of player. 

 

Mr Short Game is just bad because he doesn't bring any content of substance and I think his delivery of material is awkward and hard to watch. 

 

Would agree with the comment above about 2nd Swing, feel they do a decent job but not great. Many of the other guys are entertaining, like Shiels, but feel he's gotten more into companies sending him things and he does a light hearted review. Miss his mid-handicap testing series because I felt that content was relevant to most golfers.

 

We do have some really entertaining US based golf YouTubers like GM Golf and Andrew Jensen but they're not doing reviews.

 

Also, who reads anything anymore? I kid. I kid. 

[MattM97]

Like everything else they outsourced it. 

 

But in the USA I found more vloggers than anything else, you have some written reviews but I don't know of any quality reviewers on video. 

[Kentendo]

The problem is the lack of GC Quads in America.  I think every English golfer is given a Quad as a prize for breaking 80...
 

 

 

[cn34]

53 minutes ago, Kentendo said:

The problem is the lack of GC Quads in America.  I think every English golfer is given a Quad as a prize for breaking 80...
 

 

 

My goodness, this. It's become the 15th club in the bag

[Duffner's Waggle]

26 minutes ago, cn34 said:

My goodness, this. It's become the 15th club in the bag

Can I change my citizenship? Id grind hard to shoot 79 for a quad. 

[third-times-a-charm]

American pros are too busy teaching and filling the OWGR. Guess the overseas guys have more time on their hands.

Edited September 21, 2020 by third-times-a-charm

[forrester_fire]

16 hours ago, jimb said:

Where have all the great American men's tennis champions gone . . . long time passing.

 

They're playing basketball, baseball, and football instead.

[TheBear95]

Duff, I've following the golf YouTube space for years. While the personalities are for the most part not my cup of tea, it has been fascinating watching how an old subject (golf) is covered in a new medium. I too always thought it was a bit weird to have all these English YouTubers, but as someone mentioned above, stronger competition among PGA pros in England for clients and the copycat nature of YouTube is a smart theory. 

 

Honestly, the chance for an American PGA pro (a guy in a teaching bay with a launch monitor) to be a popular club reviewer was like 6 or 7 years ago. Way too late to the game now. Not if the idea is to make any money. The rapid market segmentation of golf YouTube has made the barrier of entry very high in certain areas. For example, if you want to do golf club reviews, you're competing with TXG. Whatever you think of those guys, their video production quality, knowledge and access to product is first-rate. To get views, you need to compete with that. Very, very difficult for a new channel. Plus, as Rick Shiels and Pete Finch are showing, there's more cash (views) to be made reviewing outlandish golf stuff than any new product from the various OEMs.

 

[miamistomp]

 You could watch the smug guys at my golf spy-

   Know everything but resident pro needs a go fund me to mini tour ??

     The other guy shills cbd oil ?

        Better off with the overseas content if that is what is the alternative

          And yes I , too, prefer to read a club review rather than watch a pro hit 300 yards with everything

[Albatross85]

59 minutes ago, miamistomp said:

 You could watch the smug guys at my golf spy-

   Know everything but resident pro needs a go fund me to mini tour ??

     The other guy shills cbd oil ?

        Better off with the overseas content if that is what is the alternative

          And yes I , too, prefer to read a club review rather than watch a pro hit 300 yards with everything

THIS. The Tony Covey guy can't break 100 playing real golf and he writes all their club reviews and articles. Can't take anything they say seriously after the whole Snell debacle. 

[jpbova]

2 minutes ago, Albatross85 said:

THIS. The Tony Covey guy can't break 100 playing real golf and he writes all their club reviews and articles. Can't take anything they say seriously after the whole Snell debacle. 

What happened with MGS and Snell?

[bladehunter]

18 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

I dont trust anyone who doesn't have an accent.  Anyone who sounds like me is surely an idiot 

Oh .....I have an accent. But not many people speak Appalachian american.  You lose them at phrases like “ heap druther” and “ purty “. 

[Albatross85]

Just now, jpbova said:

What happened with MGS and Snell?

Allegedly they took advertising dollars to pump Snell in their articles and tests back when they said it was better than Pro-V1. Their entire "schtick" is that they are unbiased and dont take dollars from OEMs. They played it off that it didnt count b/c Snell was a little guy and not a major OEM. 

 

Bunch of lying hypocrites. 

[jpbova]

14 minutes ago, Albatross85 said:

Allegedly they took advertising dollars to pump Snell in their articles and tests back when they said it was better than Pro-V1. Their entire "schtick" is that they are unbiased and dont take dollars from OEMs. They played it off that it didnt count b/c Snell was a little guy and not a major OEM. 

 

Bunch of lying hypocrites. 

 

I just read a reddit thread about this.  They are getting an unsubscribe.  I never knew that.  I feel like an idiot now for believing the independent and unbiased slogan. 

 

I agree with a lot of the people on here saying 2nd swing is the best in the US.

Edited September 21, 2020 by jpbova

[MattM97]

7 minutes ago, Albatross85 said:

THIS. The Tony Covey guy can't break 100 playing real golf and he writes all their club reviews and articles. Can't take anything they say seriously after the whole Snell debacle. 

 

I hope that is true, you'd think someone who tests and works in the golf industry would be somewhat decent at golf. 

[pinestreetgolf]

1 hour ago, MattM97 said:

 

I hope that is true, you'd think someone who tests and works in the golf industry would be somewhat decent at golf. 

 

See, the mistake you are making here is that the ability to write well and / or be entertaining and informative on video doesn't require the same skills as the ability to maintain a spine angle while swinging a stick at 105+ mph.

[GBBM]

I don’t care if Covey shoots 120. He isn’t recording all his own data he’s simply presenting data from robots and machines and other testers. I don’t know if the snell thing is true or not. I do however like their purported mission.