Is the "other site" done for good? (Merged)

[kal32473]

[quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045446' date='Nov 4 2009, 01:16 PM'][quote name='kal32473' post='2045415' date='Nov 4 2009, 01:00 PM'][quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045264' date='Nov 4 2009, 11:46 AM'][b]I know alot of people have been ripped off, bad interaction etc.. but honestly is it that important??
[/b]
i found BSG first, before WRX, and when i signed up here i was simply a lurker. but as time passed, spy pics got better here, tour even coverage was better here, for the most part the membership seems more friendly here (although I did come across several great posters over there, a couple form my area too Scotty D and cardoustie come to mind). So one has survived, and one is offering excuses through some people (while still a member of that site i did not get an e-mail explaining why its been down for now over a week) as to why it has failed.

So lets not cry over why a diminishing site is now gone, sound good?[/quote]

I can see a career in retail isn't in your future.
[/quote]

let me clarify. i am in no way defending his actions, when i say is it that important i mean us going on for 12 pages about someone who really should not matter that much.
[/quote]


I'm sure it matters to those who were ripped off, misled etc. We constantly see multi-paged threads where people are sympathetic to someone who is complaining about a custom order where their 5 iron is 1/2 a swing weight point higher than what they requested. I'm not sure why this would be any different. In fact, when you consider the amount of money involved, I would think this would be worse.

[whatshannenin]

Although I've voiced my opinion, I do give them credit for at least getting the word out on Matrix and TM Prototypes, however biased they may be. I mean would anyone really know what a 282, LCG Tour Burner, Matrix Black Tie, LTD, etc.? In no way am I defending them, because I haven't liked their price gouging and every attempt they get to push "well I can't give you an answer it's propietary info, let's get you fit" when honestly what's the point of an online golf forum? TO LEARN ABOUT COOL KIT! Don't claim to be experts if you can't even give someone advice without a $50 online fitting fee. Kwok and lot's of other reputable fitters give tons of information for free and they see to be doing alright. I just don't like the "we are above it all" "lambo vs. honda" "breitling vs. seiko" analogies and blabllahah they use to defend their business practices. As far as a blog goes, they have a lot of useful information if you can read through the BS.

[frankis843]

[quote name='stage1350' post='2036115' date='Oct 30 2009, 05:53 PM']Look for the new and improved Todd, age 28, with a new last name... [/quote]

Did Todd really change his name? I've lurked over there since 04 or so and guess I missed this nugget. Can you shed a bit of light?

[faith+1]

[quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045446' date='Nov 4 2009, 10:16 AM'][quote name='kal32473' post='2045415' date='Nov 4 2009, 01:00 PM'][quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045264' date='Nov 4 2009, 11:46 AM'][b]I know alot of people have been ripped off, bad interaction etc.. but honestly is it that important??
[/b]
i found BSG first, before WRX, and when i signed up here i was simply a lurker. but as time passed, spy pics got better here, tour even coverage was better here, for the most part the membership seems more friendly here (although I did come across several great posters over there, a couple form my area too Scotty D and cardoustie come to mind). So one has survived, and one is offering excuses through some people (while still a member of that site i did not get an e-mail explaining why its been down for now over a week) as to why it has failed.

So lets not cry over why a diminishing site is now gone, sound good?[/quote]

I can see a career in retail isn't in your future.
[/quote]

let me clarify. i am in no way defending his actions, when i say is it that important i mean us going on for 12 pages about someone who really should not matter that much.
[/quote]

I think the reason why this topic has taken a life of its own is because in our society, what people hate more than anything are charlatans.

People get extra offended when an individual props himself on a pedestal, portraying himself as a messiah with all the answers and no faults. Such a thing preys on people's genuine desire for direction, for a hero, for a leader; but when the individual is exposed as a false prophet, the ensuing fallout is always disproportional to the face value of the crime itself.

We've seen it throughout history. It's why we hate Roger Clemens. It's why John Edwards' political career is over. It's why we have particular scorn for pedophile churchmen (while R. Kelly is still making hits).

I'm afraid Todd has been outed as a charlatan, and ridicule he's getting here and other places is just what comes with the territory.

[elrey23]

[quote name='pfgplm' post='2045634' date='Nov 4 2009, 01:55 PM'][quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045446' date='Nov 4 2009, 10:16 AM'][quote name='kal32473' post='2045415' date='Nov 4 2009, 01:00 PM'][quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045264' date='Nov 4 2009, 11:46 AM'][b]I know alot of people have been ripped off, bad interaction etc.. but honestly is it that important??
[/b]
i found BSG first, before WRX, and when i signed up here i was simply a lurker. but as time passed, spy pics got better here, tour even coverage was better here, for the most part the membership seems more friendly here (although I did come across several great posters over there, a couple form my area too Scotty D and cardoustie come to mind). So one has survived, and one is offering excuses through some people (while still a member of that site i did not get an e-mail explaining why its been down for now over a week) as to why it has failed.

So lets not cry over why a diminishing site is now gone, sound good?[/quote]

I can see a career in retail isn't in your future.
[/quote]

let me clarify. i am in no way defending his actions, when i say is it that important i mean us going on for 12 pages about someone who really should not matter that much.
[/quote]

I think the reason why this topic has taken a life of its own is because in our society, what people hate more than anything are charlatans.

People get extra offended when an individual props himself on a pedestal, portraying himself as a messiah with all the answers and no faults. Such a thing preys on people's genuine desire for direction, for a hero, for a leader; but when the individual is exposed as a false prophet, the ensuing fallout is always disproportional to the face value of the crime itself.

We've seen it throughout history. It's why we hate Roger Clemens. It's why John Edwards' political career is over. It's why we have particular scorn for pedophile churchmen (while R. Kelly is still making hits).

I'm afraid Todd has been outed as a charlatan, and ridicule he's getting here and other places is just what comes with the territory.
[/quote]

I think this is absolutely true. People cannot stand feeling like they've been taken advantage of. I also call BS on the comments in this thread where people have seemed to say, well, it's a business and if people are dumb enough to pay those prices then it's their own fault. I don't buy that at all.

[mussgolf]

This is going to be my first post ever and maybe last. I was a frequent BSG'er throughout the last 3 years. I occasionally came to this site to take a peek at all the new gear because bsg has been lacking in that department lately. All the original poster asked was if bsg was gone or if they are coming back. I'm sure many of you have reasons for leaving, flaming, and are upset but the actual questions has only been answered a couple times. People please open your eyes and see that this site is becoming negative. Its not fun to read negative post after negative post. Just answer the question and everyone will leave happy! I will continue to look and browse this site and bsg (if it ever comes back) but I have lost a lot of respect for you guys.

Edited for my enability to edit before I post.

[danimal]

New Name?

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w3zdkmw2E4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w3zdkmw2E4[/url]

[Socrates' 2 iron]

[quote name='frankis843' post='2045619' date='Nov 4 2009, 02:49 PM']Did Todd really change his name? I've lurked over there since 04 or so and guess I missed this nugget. Can you shed a bit of light?[/quote]

Yep, he changed his name to Teflon Todd - nothing sticks to him.

[jeffc]

[quote name='kgk' post='2045372' date='Nov 4 2009, 01:37 PM'][quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045264' date='Nov 4 2009, 10:46 AM']I know alot of people have been ripped off, bad interaction etc.. but honestly is it that important??

i found BSG first, before WRX, and when i signed up here i was simply a lurker. but as time passed, spy pics got better here, tour even coverage was better here, for the most part the membership seems more friendly here (although I did come across several great posters over there, a couple form my area too Scotty D and cardoustie come to mind). So one has survived, and one is offering excuses through some people (while still a member of that site i did not get an e-mail explaining why its been down for now over a week) as to why it has failed.

So lets not cry over why a diminishing site is now gone, sound good?[/quote]

That sort of kills the thread then. So no, that doesn't sound like a good idea to me. We should not make light of the people Todd conned, fleeced, burned, hosed, screwed, bled, cheated, defrauded, gouged, hustled, jerked around, milked, overcharged, ripped off, shafted, robbed, and swindled. Maybe this will save someone an unpleasant experience in the future; however, in any event, venting can be cathartic.
[/quote]

you forgot grifted...lol

[bma725]

[quote name='stage1350' post='2042100' date='Nov 2 2009, 09:29 PM']I think credit is not being given where credit is due. The first mass exodus was the group that formed WRX. I was disappointed when Chris, Richard, and Johnny left. Thankfully, I got word through the grapevine and migrated over here.[/quote]

Actually the first mass exodus from BSG was all the JDM fans. Out of the blue, Todd decided he could make more money from tour issue clubs than imports, so one day he just stopped pumping Tourstage, Fourteen, Zodia etc. A few weeks later, he started bashing them as inferior to Tour Issue and badmouthed anyone who disagreed. Soon after those guys all left for TSG.

WRX was really the third mass exodus after the TSG group and the Robby Porter followers going to what is now GolfDiscussions.

Odd that place has had so many people leave and everyone is still interested in what happens.

[ksavy17]

[quote name='mussgolf' post='2045698' date='Nov 4 2009, 02:34 PM']This is going to be my first post ever and maybe last. I was a frequent BSG'er throughout the last 3 years. I occasionally came to this site to take a peek at all the new gear because bsg has been lacking in that department lately. All the original poster asked was if bsg was gone or if they are coming back. I'm sure many of you have reasons for leaving, flaming, and are upset but the actual questions has only been answered a couple times. People please open your eyes and see that this site is becoming negative. Its not fun to read negative post after negative post. Just answer the question and everyone will leave happy! I will continue to look and browse this site and bsg (if it ever comes back) but I have lost a lot of respect for you guys.

Edited for my enability to edit before I post.[/quote]

actually it is quite fun. I for one thought about looking into getting some things from BSG but I would rather not after reading all the posts

[HeadonaStick]

[quote name='mussgolf' post='2045698' date='Nov 4 2009, 03:34 PM']This is going to be my first post ever and maybe last. I was a frequent BSG'er throughout the last 3 years. I occasionally came to this site to take a peek at all the new gear because bsg has been lacking in that department lately. All the original poster asked was if bsg was gone or if they are coming back. I'm sure many of you have reasons for leaving, flaming, and are upset but the actual questions has only been answered a couple times. People please open your eyes and see that this site is becoming negative. Its not fun to read negative post after negative post. Just answer the question and everyone will leave happy! I will continue to look and browse this site and bsg (if it ever comes back) but I have lost a lot of respect for you guys.

Edited for my enability to edit before I post.[/quote]
This site isn't becoming negative, only a thread about a negative subject. If it's not fun to read post after post, but that didn't stop you from reading them and even adding your own little bit of negativity, did it?

By the way, there is an ebb and flow to any conversation, including an online one. The original question has been answered, but the discussion has taken a turn.

[mussgolf]

Sorry, I did add fuel to the fire. My fault. I just think that this has gotten out of hand IMHO. I guess that wasn't my only post. I hope to only now contribute in a positive way from now on.

[Peter584]

It's vague, but I recall him saying, by name, that some professional football player ripped him off. I think he was going to collect personally

[markheardjr]

[quote name='BabyFAcedAssassin' post='2045264' date='Nov 4 2009, 08:46 AM'][b]I know alot of people have been ripped off, bad interaction etc.. but honestly is it that important??[/b]

i found BSG first, before WRX, and when i signed up here i was simply a lurker. but as time passed, spy pics got better here, tour even coverage was better here, for the most part the membership seems more friendly here (although I did come across several great posters over there, a couple form my area too Scotty D and cardoustie come to mind). So one has survived, and one is offering excuses through some people (while still a member of that site i did not get an e-mail explaining why its been down for now over a week) as to why it has failed.

[b]So lets not cry over why a diminishing site is now gone, sound good?[/b][/quote]

Just wondering your thoughts on Bernie Madoff? Are you as apathetic about that? Oh...people got ripped off....to bad??? Now, I doubt lives will be forever changed because of BSG. Except for a select few that were stuck financially or spent mass quantities of time devoted to the site as a career. But I am sure there are folks right now who are ashamed of their lime green ozik, who's confidence in there FT-5 LCG just dropped (along with it's value.) Those people are victims, so what does a stand up guy like yourself do? You ridicule them??? Were you one of the ones taken? What do you think your opinion would be if you were? It's easy to type here and say whatever you like. It's not easy to sit in your chair knowing you got taken for a fool by a total ******...then have some ***** try to tell you it doesn't really matter and you should stop crying.

[mat562]

[quote name='mussgolf' post='2045698' date='Nov 4 2009, 08:34 PM']It's not fun to read negative post after negative post.[/quote]

Which is presumably why BSG didn't allow such things, even in isolation. A lot of the negative posts in this thread at least flesh things out a bit with some reasons why the poster isn't 100% on-board with BSG. Many of the criticisms are pretty reasonable.

The fact that the forums on BSG essentially became utterly worthless and simply opportunities for people to applaud the new stuff that was being showcased was one of the reasons I stopped posting over there. Elements of the site were excellent; but when you can't post a reply to a question that doesn't toe the party line without being shouted down - or banned - it all becomes a bit of a waste of time and you question what you're doing there. Fair play that BSG is a business and that their principal interest is in selling clubs to people who want to buy them, but the forum, honestly, became a bit of a running joke.

You couldn't have a sensible discussion about golf-related matters for all the self-congratulating and backslapping cronyism that was going on in every single thread in between all the obsessional interest in certain clubs and shaft brands.

[elrey23]

[quote name='mat562' post='2045870' date='Nov 4 2009, 04:18 PM'][quote name='mussgolf' post='2045698' date='Nov 4 2009, 08:34 PM']It's not fun to read negative post after negative post.[/quote]

Which is presumably why BSG didn't allow such things, even in isolation. A lot of the negative posts in this thread at least flesh things out a bit with some reasons why the poster isn't 100% on-board with BSG. Many of the criticisms are pretty reasonable.

The fact that the forums on BSG essentially became utterly worthless and simply opportunities for people to applaud the new stuff that was being showcased was one of the reasons I stopped posting over there. Elements of the site were excellent; but when you can't post a reply to a question that doesn't toe the party line without being shouted down - or banned - it all becomes a bit of a waste of time and you question what you're doing there. Fair play that BSG is a business and that their principal interest is in selling clubs to people who want to buy them, but the forum, honestly, became a bit of a running joke.

You couldn't have a sensible discussion about golf-related matters for all the self-congratulating and backslapping cronyism that was going on in every single thread in between all the obsessional interest in certain clubs and shaft brands.
[/quote]

That's what I like about WRX. No one is made to feel like crap for not playing a Matrix in each wood and TM "B" head irons, etc. People play what they wanna play and what they feel comfortable with and that is gonna be different for each person.

[mozart]

A question: given what's been recounted here,is there any possibility of BSG (in any incarnation) being able to return and sell clubs and services?

Are there any people left who would trust them?

[dmboak]

[quote name='Peter584' post='2045834' date='Nov 4 2009, 04:02 PM']It's vague, but I recall him saying, by name, that some professional football player ripped him off. I think he was going to collect personally [/quote]


Yeah, he claims Lawrence Taylor owed him some money for a set of clubs. Blah blah blah...

[elrey23]

[quote name='dmboak' post='2045922' date='Nov 4 2009, 04:41 PM'][quote name='Peter584' post='2045834' date='Nov 4 2009, 04:02 PM']It's vague, but I recall him saying, by name, that some professional football player ripped him off. I think he was going to collect personally [/quote]


Yeah, he claims Lawrence Taylor owed him some money for a set of clubs. Blah blah blah...
[/quote]

I'd like to see a video of that confrontation

[HotWired]

I have a feeling LT would give him a tour a** kicking.

[TM golf guy]

[quote name='bma725' post='2045783' date='Nov 4 2009, 03:24 PM'][quote name='stage1350' post='2042100' date='Nov 2 2009, 09:29 PM']I think credit is not being given where credit is due. The first mass exodus was the group that formed WRX. I was disappointed when Chris, Richard, and Johnny left. Thankfully, I got word through the grapevine and migrated over here.[/quote]

Actually the first mass exodus from BSG was all the JDM fans. Out of the blue, Todd decided he could make more money from tour issue clubs than imports, so one day he just stopped pumping Tourstage, Fourteen, Zodia etc. A few weeks later, he started bashing them as inferior to Tour Issue and badmouthed anyone who disagreed. Soon after those guys all left for TSG.

WRX was really the third mass exodus after the TSG group and the Robby Porter followers going to what is now GolfDiscussions.

Odd that place has had so many people leave and everyone is still interested in what happens.
[/quote]


I remember the days when Zodia was the only wedge to buy on BSG.

[br61]

[quote name='dachtor' post='2045500' date='Nov 4 2009, 12:54 PM']Guys, I was on Golf Opinions way back in like 2002 when he started pushing TM 300 Tour drivers.....GO booted him because he wanted them to pay him for his presence on the site. No Joke. He kept using their unbiased forum as a way to push his product and thought that was worth them paying him. When they said no, he started his own and sent almost every GO member a PM telling them to come to his site.....

The best way I know to describe BSG (and it's issues) is to think of the Ads you see in a magazine that look like a newspaper article. The only difference is that those ads have some fine print that tell the viewer it's an advertisement. There wasn't a disclaimer on BSG that told the viewer that opinions might be slightly biased.

That's the nicest thing I can possibly say....[/quote]

I forgot all about that. When I played a round with Paul Radetsky in Orlando, he was telling me that Todd wanted GO guys to pay him for his "sponsorship". But shouldn't it be the other way around where a business or an entrepreneur are supposed to pay a site for the rights to peddle their wares or services?

[petter7]

[quote name='elrey23' post='2045894' date='Nov 4 2009, 05:26 PM']That's what I like about WRX. No one is made to feel like crap[/quote]

Yet, you will go out of your way to make a blatant and open display of support of someone
doubting another's sense of humor with a post showing nothing more than this...
despite not knowing anything about any of the people involved. Completely unnecessary.

I'm sure you will come up with a reason why your effort to make someone feel like crap is
more than justified.

[quote name='mozart' post='2045902' date='Nov 4 2009, 05:30 PM']A question: given what's been recounted here,is there any possibility of BSG (in any incarnation) being able to return and sell clubs and services?

Are there any people left who would trust them?[/quote]

It is very likely you are going to be able to find that out.

[elrey23]

[quote name='rebels68' post='2046089' date='Nov 4 2009, 06:07 PM'][quote name='elrey23' post='2045894' date='Nov 4 2009, 05:26 PM']That's what I like about WRX. No one is made to feel like crap[/quote]

Yet, you will go out of your way to make a blatant and open display of support of someone
doubting another's sense of humor with a post showing nothing more than this...
despite not knowing anything about any of the people involved. Completely unnecessary.

I'm sure you will come up with a reason why your effort to make someone feel like crap is
more than justified.

[quote name='mozart' post='2045902' date='Nov 4 2009, 05:30 PM']A question: given what's been recounted here,is there any possibility of BSG (in any incarnation) being able to return and sell clubs and services?

Are there any people left who would trust them?[/quote]

It is very likely you are going to be able to find that out.



[/quote]

Good ole' Petter. What would I do without you? I guess I'd be wandering around like a headless chicken. The little snippet was taken out of context and you know it. I was referring to the golf clubs that people play but of course if you had quoted the entire post instead of the snippet that you chose I guess it wouldn't have supported your snide comment. If wish you spent half as much time worrying about your own business as you do worrying about setting others straight. Good to have you back

[petter7]

[quote name='dachtor' post='2045500' date='Nov 4 2009, 01:54 PM']Guys, I was on Golf Opinions way back in like 2002 when he started pushing TM 300 Tour drivers.....GO booted him because he wanted them to pay him for his presence on the site. No Joke. He kept using their unbiased forum as a way to push his product and thought that was worth them paying him. When they said no, he started his own and sent almost every GO member a PM telling them to come to his site.....

The best way I know to describe BSG (and it's issues) is to think of the Ads you see in a magazine that look like a newspaper article. The only difference is that those ads have some fine print that tell the viewer it's an advertisement. There wasn't a disclaimer on BSG that told the viewer that opinions might be slightly biased.

That's the nicest thing I can possibly say....[/quote]

Sounds like Todd was testing the waters to see if starting up a website and selling tour issue clubs would fly.

If you guys think Todd has behaved badly with his business practices, even though some of them truly sound
awful, he pales in comparison to what others have done without batting an eyelash.

I met a man back in 1990 (who is now a very good friend of mine and I do business with him) and he started
up a full time Mini Tour down here in South Florida. First time anyone ever made an effort to have something
like that here in Miami Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. The first few years were brutal. It was tough
getting players to show up and pay $300 bucks to play in a one day golf tournament. Then one fine day, the
idea of having summer tour where the players would pay a fee ($9000.) up front, to play a series of 3 and 4
day events May thru August. What was needed was someone to put up enough money to guarantee that the
purse would pay out. Based on 120 players, that would be 1.08 million dollars. Well, this guy found someone
to do that. This guy was like a god or something to do this.

That first year there were only 52 guys that showed up and yet the money was guaranteed. The better players
that showed up really made out that first year, but, it still was unknown whether or not the next year could get
120 players to pay, despite the guaranteed purse. Well, guess what, the following year 154 guys showed up &
the tour was a viable success. Despite that, the owner still was in debt from the startup years losses. But, with
the future bright for year three, he stood to start making a nice profit, which he very much deserved.

Well, turns out this god like figure with the guaranteed money was a good friend of Jack Nicklaus. At the end of
the second season he suddenly pulls his support. No problem, the tour owner puts together other funding. But,
in January of that third year, big adds come out in all the golf magazines about the new Golden Bear Tour, with
the identical summer format and the backing of Jack Nicklaus' name and logo. Turns out this guy was using our
tour as a litmus test to see if it would fly or not. He cut the throat of this other guys tour and he had to cancel
his third year, because all the players jumped to the Golden Bear Tour. Ruthless to say the least, especially
after this guy put so much hard work into it and really was responsible for getting all the country clubs to
embrace the concept. Sad.

This kind of crap goes on all the time in business. None of it is good. There's no denying the level of power and
greed that is lusted for everyday and when you get in the way of it and get burned it always hurts. If you think
Todd's exploits somehow stand out from the crowd, think again. Get in line with your grievances, because it is
a very long line with people who have been burned a helluva lot worse than anyone has from BSG.

Just relating this for some perspective and maybe these BSG banned and burned exiles can understand that I
do know what it feels like to get burned, but on a much larger scale. I can say, that if you have proof of anything
that has be unlawfully conducted, then get a lawyer and discuss possible restitution. If that is not possible, then
let it go and move on, because the longer you engage in complaining about it, the longer it will keep burning you.

[elrey23]

[quote name='mozart' post='2045902' date='Nov 4 2009, 04:30 PM']A question: given what's been recounted here,is there any possibility of BSG (in any incarnation) being able to return and sell clubs and services?

Are there any people left who would trust them?[/quote]

"There's a sucker born every minute."

-P.T. Barnum

[Harry Longshanks]

Okay, like I said earlier, I'm not interested in the transgressions of the owners (everyone else, feel free to carry on however) - just the puzzle-aspect of whether a server failure is the real reason why the site is down.

I've NEVER seen a site stay down this long when the owners actually wanted it to be up. Now, I'm definitely not an IT guy, so someone is welcome to enlighten me. But unless BSG actually owned its own server and was hosting out of the owner's basement (i.e., mat's (?) Commadore 64/floppy disk comment) - the server space is actually hosted remotely. I mean, it's not like BSG was big enough to need colocation hosting is it? They would just contract with GoDaddy or whomever, right?

And ever if the site did crash, wouldn't someone put up a single page notice - like when a site is doing an overhaul and they want their customers to know the new site will launch in a few days (I know Burton Snowboards did/does that every August.)

And even so, why not just reload the forum software and keep the forum running while trying to recover the "corrupt" data?

It just makes no sense to me. Instead, it looks more like someone failed to pay to renew the name registration; or someone failed to fay for hosting services and they are just stalling until they can get the money to pay. On the more extreme side, they have been sued, or have filed for bankruptcy.

Anyway, I'm just curious to find out what the real story is because "corrupt data" on both the server and backup server doesn't sound right to me.

(But I think I may be the only one interested in this aspect of the whole thing.)

[HotWired]

I actually found it pretty easy to read. But, I'm good at reading.

[Dire Wolf]

Wow. Lots of shady stuff I never knew about. I noticed the decline in activity and loss of membership a few years ago, but didn't know things were this bad.

I guess this explains why I was suspended and had my posts "moderated" for a year after questioning the Ozik/Matrix hype, and debating some launch monitor numbers that were posted.

I think I noted that something like 7 of the top 10 threads in the Tour Issue section were always fawning posts about Ozik shafts. That probably got me on the radar. Then I looked at some launch monitor numbers that they posted, and remarked that the higher ball speed for the Ozik shaft could be explained by a more flexible middle section (essentially weak to flex) and there was no indication of dispersion (the "longer" shots could have ended up anywhere).

The hammer fell pretty quickly after that. Guess I hit a nerve.

Luckily, I never bought into any of the hype, and didn't lose any money on any deals. But I did not appreciate having my golf talk and opinions stifled or deleted, and my postings filtered without explanation.

If I'd known there were so many horror stories and (seemingly) GENIUNE fraud issues (seemingly) confirming my suspicions, I wouldn't have bothered tip-toeing around the site and holding my tongue for the last few years.