 Right, I'm gonna make a very brief introduction before we get and start chatting to Alex Which hopefully is on the other end of this line very very shortly Welcome to the very first episode of this thing. I don't know what it is yet It was the idea was perhaps to do some kind of podcast thing. Maybe that's what it'll end up being I don't know. I'm also gonna record this with a bit of luck Very first guest to the channel will not only appear with a bit of audio, but you should see him to my left So first of all Alex, are you there? I'm there. How are you? Good mate. I'm not too bad. We can't pretend that we haven't just had a little chat off there because we've got a few A few issues getting this one going. Yes, we did but we're here now. That's all that matters Well, the audio is okay. There's a loud squeak coming from somewhere And I believe we've got a budgie making an appearance Yeah, it's the only beard I'm gonna get Yeah, make that the last mate. Make that the last Yeah, we've just been kind of trying to get this whole thing set up and this Squeak started appearing and it's next door's budgie's made an appearance on Alex's end, but there you go Yeah, well out the audio is okay. We're doing our very best the first one. I must admit I'm a little bit nervous It's all a bit weird. It's not like it's been someone on the phone It's not like it's been someone next to you on the sofa. So it's a bit odd, but We'll get stuck in Gotta say first of all Alex. Thank you for being the first guest. It's also it's Friday Friday early evening in australia. Alex for those of you don't know Alex etches. What's your what's the channel name? Alex in terms of youtube? It's golf box reviews on youtube. Yeah Okay, and Alex is based out in australia, but you can tell that's not on australian accent. So Where'd you originate from Alex? What's uh, I'm from Nottingham originally I'm not who originally you've been out there in Oz And I think it's been nearly four four or five years now. It's gone really quick. Yeah enjoying it I love it. It's very different. Um, yeah, it's very different to the uk. I mean, I'm sure we've got different climates right now I don't What is happening? So it's 20 past six or something. I've passed six Friday night in australia You've got a barbecue on the beach. I expect have you? I wish I was thinking of doing something like that and I thought that would be a bit too much for the first Yeah, so we'll leave that to all that so too. Um, so what is the weather like? 26 degrees Yeah, it's not humid. It's just a nice temperature. I mean the uk as you know gets to 26 degrees everyone starts melting I mean one thing I forgot was we are actually recording this as well So the look at disappointments on my face there when you said 26 degrees is for everybody to see Yeah, it's it's not quite that here at the moment. Let's just say that. Um, so um So yeah, so you've you you do again very similar. Um The reason I asked alex onto the the first episode was I've first of all I've never chatted with alex until This is the first time I was just thinking that this is actually except for social media Well, that's what I was going to say. We have a a little bit of banter I think perhaps Share same sense of humor at least what I see from what you put out in your videos and what you put out on twitter and things like that so, um I've got to say, uh, I want At the moment alex is my favorite, um Product tester on youtube right now. Wow. Thank you, Andy. Thank you But I've got to admit that it depends on the next week's guest is alex. I might end up on very All you're one of those it's like it's like the green day green day concerts every time you go to a different city It's the best city in the world. Yeah, I'm just like that, mate. I'm a sell out sell out But yeah, no say on the stage. No, I really enjoy your channel and I'm going to talk about the channel. Um That's what I want the core topics to be about. It's about club reviews because obviously we share that kind of Yes, so I don't content Um, but some first of all and I know um, I just want to get clear for as well Are you comfortable? Is alex? Is it all or would you prefer some kind of james bond reference after some of the recent Judging performances. Yeah, just calling. Just call me double double a b. I think that's probably my uh, My double a seven name, but um Other people who don't know what that refers to and don't know alex's channel And that's why you've got to go and check it out because he throws in a lot of Good fun. And is that not the best place to start now? He throws in a lot of humor into videos Yeah, it's just you know, I think it can be taken very seriously at the end of the day Um, and it's just it's just to have a bit of fun. It is exactly just to have fun I like I like trying to be creative doing something different. Yeah, this is my this is my chance to really Give it a go. I suppose Yeah No, no that and I think that's what stands that you you know yourself It's a very competitive industry at the minute. You've got to have something that stands out And I think bringing a humor element. I think it's not forgetting that You know, you do bring all the serious stuff is there, you know, it's all backed up with All the kind of spec and then the data, you know, you know, your onions kind of thing But you're having a laugh along the way. I think if you can mix the two It's a fantastic end product and like I said all jokes aside I enjoy watching your stuff as I have done for uh for a good few years now you um I mean you like having fun with them Is that the plan going forward with the channel as such just before I get on to the main topic? Is that where you're heading? Is it just keep on being creative? I think so. I mean, I enjoy it too much not to do that. Um, and as you know, the good thing about youtube is it's powerful tool Different reviewers are doing completely different things which I spend a lot of my time watching your stuff Watching the other guy's stuff and I enjoy honestly enjoy yours. I enjoy Rick's stuff and um, you know, I think it's fantastic. Um, because it's all it's all different at the end of the day And we've all got different approaches. Um, you'll want to do a lot of different things to what I want to do so Yeah, it's it's my chance to be creative and at the end of the day It just it's just a little bit different and that's that's the approach i'm going for info with a bit of entertainment Nothing too heavy Yeah, and is that the is that the plan for 2019 anything in particular that might change? Or is it just a case of carrying on in that um in that vein really? I think I can be sometimes if i'm being like critical it would be um, I don't include enough of the specs So maybe I include more more spec information but without going you know to yeah, it's hard because I think Yeah, you kind of I did a video last week where there's kind of You feel a duty to relay that information Uh to an audience But then you don't you you don't want to bore them with data. Um, so it's I mean and the marketing thing I'll ask about in a bit, but everybody is You know questions that element, but I do feel you've got to make sure that you there's a duty Like I said to get that information across but it's doing it in a way like I said There isn't too long winded and boring I suppose Yeah, so I suppose the question back to you is how where do you feel you sit in those Living near the spec entertainment side It I think for for me as a channel you're you're sort of changing You're constantly evolving I'd like to be I I did I probably took things a little less serious maybe a year ago and tried to be Try to bring more humour in um a year or so ago Maybe got a little bit too serious along the way. So I'd like to um, maybe chill out a bit and do things a little bit Add the humour back in But it's it's again, it's finding that balance. I think for me it's always been about And I said it in this video that I did last week was Something that you're comfortable with putting out that you're any any review that I give I feel a responsibility to make sure that I'm Comfortable with it And I just for me it's always about improving the quality of the content overall whether that be from a film And I know again this is something I've noticed in your video So you're obviously working on it the quality of the content that you're filming is increasing Isn't it as in the production values? Yeah, and this is again a part of part where you cross where do you cross the line in terms of because obviously something to that I don't it's definitely an improvement to the stuff I used to do it takes a lot longer Yeah, um So you've just you've got to be you know at what point And do do you do subscribers do the people that follow me expect that every single time if that's a case There's gonna be a less less frequent upload rate um Or it's I think at the moment it's going to be a bit of a mixture but for the you know The the headline products I suppose of the year then that's probably something you can expect more of And no, it's really not it's really noticeable. I mean I and again you're you've obviously We almost have the same sort of thoughts going through our ads I never know whether to do sort of one video a week really well or three videos a week you know with sort of mediocre in terms of the level of quality I do but I can I think for me I can only speak for me as a viewer of watching your channel I love the the quality stuff Do you know what I mean and and that you can see the effort or how you gauge that as to whether or not that's what the masses want Is like I said the question that we don't really know do we No, I put a poll out on the channel because I was like you said you you're unsure you're not exactly sure This this new community section on youtube is fantastic for me And I suppose it's the same for you you can you can ask your subscribers The only other point you would have had any contact with is with a video So this community tab for me allows to ask polls. What do you want to see in the next video? Okay So I asked the poll of just would you rather have more frequent content and it actually Favoured the more frequent content over the quality Right, which is interesting. Yeah. Yeah, it is interesting That's the opposite of what mean you would probably think So it's an interesting one I don't use that community stuff greatly as yes either. So maybe that's what we need to have a look at And I think yeah, I think with you you've got quite a good social presence where I'm not the most active on social So, yeah, I think I think it's definitely something to have a look at. I think so. I think yeah, I think definitely How do you um Why I suppose let's start at the beginning and why did you start doing these? Is it because of the job that you were in is it Is that right? Yeah. Um, so started in this golf story in in nottingham. Um, yeah, and at that time and Crossfield had just started his reviews rick And if we go back to where what reviews of rick was doing at the time I'm sure he would be hiding his head because I've done the exact same thing with mine Um, but it was there was hardly any content to it. It was recorded on a mobile phone Terrible quality no microphone and I think it was the zl on core cobra driver Right, okay, and I hit one shot with it. He got a thousand views over I think it was a few weeks and What's going on? Yeah at the time especially that was like you at the time. Yeah. Yeah. This is huge. So Yeah, there's more there's more to this. Um, and then Straight away, I just got into more of the entertainment and entertaining side and to be honest, you've always done that, have you? Yeah, I I don't know why Yeah No, no, I mean that's always been your you never sort of came into that that's always been your line as it's come from the Yeah, or entertainment side. Yeah. Yeah, and um, I tried different things. Some was obviously well received some not so much I probably took it too far sometimes And and that's when I thought look I need to pursue this. So I ended up getting I think one or two thousand subscribers then Um, and I've from then I've had this is the third channel. I'm with and I'm gonna stay But it's the third time I've started. So I've been around a long time and but It's always yeah the entertainment side's always been the approach I'm sure I can find you some crazy footage of when I first started, but it's so bad Yeah, no, I didn't realize So you're I think in around um, 10 000 subscribers you get good views on your videos. How do you gauge your success then? What do you call success alex with? um, youtube um to be fair, it's more I probably gave I probably shouldn't Taking what people say too much in terms of the negative stuff gets to me a lot Yeah It is you work so hard on video and someone for five seconds doesn't think about what they're going to say and it can it can ruin your day You know the feeling Yeah, no, yeah For the funny thing is you'll have 50 comments Uh 49 will be good and for whatever reason the one bad one would be the one Exactly right Yeah, so for so for 2019 my my Goal, I suppose my resolution was just to switch off from that one comment. Yeah It's you know at the end of the day. It is the minority looking me enough All right, you'll fail miserably. I know you will because it's Failed already, I think Running a weekend We we all um, I suppose like you say it's that It's a time and effort you're putting I think for me It's it's not I I love a lot of the good videos that I've done that I enjoy Are the videos where uh, it's more of a debate maybe not even a I do quite a bit of that Where there's not a product reviewers, but a debate about a topic and um, they're hard to find um a balanced sort of You want opinion without it being sort of over the top rude negativity and that's the you know crossing a line I suppose so I love that kind of but the odd one like you said unfortunately, that will always be the case. I think isn't it? it is yeah, yeah, I mean It's you just I don't know just I see you cross the line. You learn if it's not well received then You end up being a better better version of yourself. I suppose but yeah, if it's just if it's just a one if it's just a one then But at the same time, I think in terms of your content you've got to really Believe in what you do, haven't you you've got to commit to it And you've got a you've got a you can't change and adapt. I don't think to an audience from what they want I think in the sense that you know if it's against your beliefs that would be wrong. You've still got to stick to the kind of you know What you believe is the right content to be pouring out and I think it's right to have an opinion as well Because otherwise that would be a little bit lame if you didn't but like I said, it's just getting a bit It's getting it all balanced. I suppose could and one of the things for me with that is um You know I say you listen to certain people and if you took everything on board You'd end up with this you wouldn't be anything would you you'd be a piece of everything and you'd lose Yeah, yeah, yeah, so that's quite one of I mean one of the big things and um Somehow you kind of like your part of it is that there's been a big um I think a bit of a backlash towards manufacturers. It's fair to say over the last Maybe maybe the last year or so. I don't know maybe a bit more and it seems ever growing popular to uh, criticize the brands for Mainly the release how how often they've been released and I think somehow That maybe you the likes of myself and all that we get sort of Grouped into that really somehow as being on the side of the manufacturer And I think it's important for me when I do the things I always review a product in kind of like Just for on its own merits I don't get try not to get involved in that but there is there is a backlash at the moment from from manufacturers Do you think that impacts on the way people view your channel? um Like I say, I suppose it's going luckily enough to the minority But there are people like everyone's got an opinion which is fantastic Everyone has an opinion on a product and I love that fact, but you can channel that so it's not I mean some of the comments you get are like really nasty Like if it's ruined that it's ruined their day that the manufacturer has brought out and on the product That's the job for this. Yeah For me, it's a mentality of all It isn't it is getting worse. Um, you're right. Um, it was probably two or three It's probably started two or three years ago. Um The chat is increased Yeah, you've got everyone's got a voice on social media But it's sad because these these manufacturers are you know, they sponsor the best players in the world who play golf because you know They've got a decent sponsorship. It's making the golf In bigger and trying to make it bigger and better and if we're shutting these major manufacturers down for me that's the interesting thing for me We look at uh manufacturers are getting the backlash But on the larger brands in the in the sort of three or four major brands from what I can see all less sales figures are up So they're not affected They're certainly not affected in terms of sales. So people, uh, there's a large majority of people who are still buying a product Um, but it just seems to be a bit of a perhaps a little bit of a bandwagon at the moment What have you thought of sort of 2019 products so far? I've seen your videos So I kind of know this but overall Alex, what would you kind of what would be your appraisal of it all so far? So for me, it's been exciting for me because I'm a sucker for innovation So anything that you know, if it is art of the artificial intelligence if it is injecting resin behind a face If it is an era package that's you know, I love that sort of stuff that story for me is excited Yeah, and I'm in that boat We're both a sucker for that I just think it's been what I'm just looking over to be honest with you. It's I've just had the delivery this morning I don't know whether you've seen the have you seen the ping product yet? I haven't I haven't had it actually in my hands. Um, I've seen right So I've just seen it this morning and again, it's just the the thing I was going to say was that that from our perspective As a reviewer, I think it's very difficult at the moment to be critical because what I've seen Um of product probably in the last year really but certainly this 2019 range that's come out so far from tm from Calloway, we've got a dog making appearance with the budgies Okay We're just off off top of it. We've got two husky babies. Oh, all right. Wow Yeah Keep you busy quite lightly. I think is the word Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I just heard one make an appearance but all the product has been And when I say all the product, I mean right throughout the ranges, um, for whether it be irons Right the way through to driver. It's so impressive the stuff at the moment, isn't it? it's Like yeah, like we've said We get criticized for saying everything's incredible and I don't think I've ever used that word in a review But yeah, it wouldn't if it was bad. It wouldn't be at market That's yeah, yeah, it wouldn't be out there. So Yeah, different different manufacturers different brands are going to work for different people, which is Fantastic. I think it's great. You know, I think it's awesome I think that's key is the bit where you know, there's a ever argument that there's no difference between one driver and another And we the quote Things such as the control over c o r limits and things like that But what what I certainly find is the comment that you made there Maybe there are limitations on there, but there's certainly driver head shaft setups different kinds of manufacturers the dogs back that work for One person that might not work for the next and there are definitely Gains improvements to be made from one club one manufacturer one setup to another and I think that's what's often forgotten and in the same way when you do a review Often the focus is on the first thing people want to know is You know, is it better than last year? That seems to be the real focus right now, doesn't it? It does and it's straight away. It's is it better than last year? Straight onto the negative straight away where it's I think you you put something out there to say that You know, how can you write something off by seeing a teaser trailer? It's I was going to do a video I was going to do a video on it and I saw I saw you know, I've seen it over the internet It's true. How can you? Write something off by seeing a corner of a driver. It's like hit it if you don't like it there Always your opinion, but until that point You know, it's like it's it. Yeah. Yeah, but that's the way it isn't supposed Bit of a bit of a lighter don't moving on from the product testing But I can clearly work with I mean, I think the first to finish on the product test I think the point to remember I think even from chatting with you now and I've not done before like I said is that You've got a clear sort of belief in what you do. You love what you do in terms of that I think you put a genuine effort into it And I think that's the same for me and that's all you can do in terms of the product test and on a lighter note the YouTube cup of 2019 that rick shields announced there in the last week or so. What do you think of that? I'm not excited at all, Andy Are you on the plane? As soon as we get a date Yeah, I'm gonna do my very best. It's not obviously not easy. It's gonna. It's gonna be a quick turn It's gonna be a quick turn around in a few days, but I will definitely make my View it That'd be amazing. I think you just put a bit more of a message out this morning So it seems to be gathering a bit of pace as well Yeah, I wasn't sure whether it was just a, you know, let's see who's interested Yeah, yeah, but yeah, it seems to be the bulls rolling with the sounds of it. So If it is a man, yeah, if there's a man that's gonna lead it rick's got the power Followers to make it happen. Yeah. So I think, you know, I think we're in good hands See what happens see what happens and you're you're you're going to um, you're going to florida on your next week, is it? Yes, it's fly on sunday. Yes. So pg show 2019 And how long you're there for? It's just it's a week. Yeah, it's a week Have you been to one before? No, I've not been no It's uh, it's different. I think is the is the word so the show itself is Obviously it's for golfer. It's the biggest event really to see everything that's new and things that won't even make it to To to to market things that are just right prototypes. It's just an exciting place to be. It's very intense It is and a lot of walking. I mean the convention center is Huge, yeah It's very good for video in there I'm gonna try my best. Yes. I'm gonna do a lot a lot of content planned And different things, but yeah, um fingers crossed get some get some content out there Good week. Yeah. Hi. Yeah, excellent Well, I think I mean we've put um I was trying to keep an eye on making sure we keep into a sort of half hour slot And I I think we maybe have just overrun that a little bit But I think I never know how to end these things But we've probably we might more people if we carry on for too much longer so I think maybe we'll try and call it a day there. I think listen I really enjoyed the chat um I hope people Watching viewers that is enjoy the chat. Um, I wish you all the best mate in 2019 Thank you. You too mate. You too I don't know whether we maybe we can do this again some time I think maybe the the time is for me now to look at the camera and say Comments down below. Please make sure you make an effort. I'm sure you know about Alex's channel But if you don't then please I'll put the link below Make sure you get over and check out his stuff some really seriously some good quality and great humor as well. Um Keep an eye on what's going on Comments down below is what I was going to say. Tell me what you think of this thing Which I've called it because like I said I don't know this is gonna Pan out in the future, but open up the opportunities to speak to people like Alex Other side of the world. Yeah, no, I mean it's been it's been good We had a bit of a technical issues first of all, but in theory it's uh, it's maybe work You'll see in the edit, but thanks as ever for watching once again. Thank you to you Alex and um, thank you. Yeah Have a good year and I'll see you soon you too. Cheers, mate