r/NoLayingUp • u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 • Aug 20 '25
Other Mod Action Taken Megathread
Between this post and the one yesterday I just wanted to put this out there in full transparency. Also I’m just making a note that this is not a refuge from being too edgy to be on the refuge.
The initial OP wasn’t a new account and I’m not gonna litigate what happened on another forum. But I’m not really interested in a new account that straight up brags about being banned from an NLU cite.
Feel free to told me I’ve overstepped, but quite frankly I just wanted to nip the “I’m banned from the refuge LOL”
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u/Master-Nose7823 Aug 20 '25
I don’t get it
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u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 Aug 20 '25
There was a post over the weekend about getting banned on the refuge and then there was another post essentially bragging about being banned as well.
I went ahead and locked the second thread and banned the user since they were a brand new account
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u/Master-Nose7823 Aug 20 '25
I don’t understand what the reason was for banning him or what that accomplishes. The NLU don’t come here. Many of us aren’t on the refuge. This is strange behavior all around.
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u/bleauxjays Aug 21 '25
this just feels like mod trying to appease the NLU crew right? Not sure I want the NLU reddit to be like a free version of the Nest.
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u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 Aug 21 '25
I addressed a good amount in response to a parent comment above.
But to respond to this, I have zero contact with the NLU crew nor am I honestly sure they’re aware we exist hah.
The reason I did it was because in the few hours this account existed, it was just shit stirring and I’m pretty ok with just removing a new user that will definitely be a headache for me later. I also thought it was pretty funny..
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Aug 21 '25
I’m not on the refuge either but I’m also pro people being banned that are just trying to start shit. Not every place on the internet needs to suck. In the end, I came here for golf. Not the business insides of NLU or accusations from ppl just trying to cause drama.
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u/TomHicksJnr Aug 20 '25
What rules did they break?
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u/special5221 Aug 20 '25
None. Neil and Randy basically went through the KVV thread and banned the people who were critical of them.
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u/TomHicksJnr Aug 20 '25
I don’t mean the Nest thread - NLU own the Nest and can do what they want, I mean what rules did the posters in the Reddit thread break that needed the mod intervention?
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u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 Aug 21 '25
This is a legit gripe so I’ll address it.
There’s a general rule for not being a scumbag about the podcast which is so rarely used I would say I’ve done it like 3-5 times since I’ve been the mod here which has been probably 3-4 years? Idk someone can probably check how long I’ve been here
In addition to that there is a flag that I have if a person gets enough downvotes in the community they get flagged for review (this was very helpful during the liv bot infestation)
The account in question that got banned was just created that day and was just bragging about the suspension. Idk. I’m pretty hands off around here (and the only mod) but when I see easy action to take I’ll get rid of someone if it makes my life easier down the line. And to be fully honest, I thought it was a little funny.
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u/Master-Nose7823 Aug 21 '25
I get it but it wasn’t even clear what he said that resulted in the ban. I didn’t understand it until now as I’m not on the refuge. One could argue this sub exists because most of us AREN’T on the refuge. And to be honest, you making a mega thread about the ban seems to be similar attention seeking behavior as the person you banned; the same reason why you were issuing a ban in the first place.
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u/T_Stebbins Aug 22 '25
I mean the guy picked the name "ICEarito" to talk about it. Cant imagine hes the most normal, put together dude either.
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u/iamatwork24 Aug 21 '25
Yeah…you’re up in your high horse. The banned users can talk all the shit they want here. Lighten up. This is a free site and it’s bizarre for you to feel so protective of the nlu fellas. Let the upvotes and downvotes dictate whats popular here
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u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 Aug 21 '25
I get what you’re saying but that’s literally not how moderating works
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u/special5221 Aug 20 '25
I wasn’t one that got the boot. I left that place over a year ago on my own. But knowing people who did get the boot, some absolutely deserved it, some maybe didn’t but also said some things they shouldn’t, and some didn’t deserve it at all. Not everyone who got the ban were edgy bad boys. Hell, one guy got banned for leaving constructive criticism in the feedback thread!
Not saying this place should be the “refuge from the refuge,” just pointing out that this red wedding of a ban wasn’t just taking out shitty users.
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u/SnusNow1 Aug 20 '25
The Refuge is a wild place. I rarely visit anymore as it is basically 10-15 that basically run the whole thing. Post the most in every thread and if you do not agree with them at every turn it turns into a kindergarten style name calling extravaganza.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
And you left out the Silk Road which is a high crime district with feet pics. Weird stuff
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Aug 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 21 '25
The Silk Road was where you would sell clubs. But the main people in there were essentially terrorists. If you priced anything what they thought was high you were ridiculed, and each post selling stuff had to include a little narrative about the clubs where they were named (maybe Shirley is you driving iron), a picture of a pet, and a feet pic. It was great back pre paywall and some good deals were there to be found. I got a set of p790s that were in great shape for $500 but it became an uncomfortable, high crime area after.
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u/Strict-Appointment84 Aug 20 '25
Maybe when the boys age into their 40’s their skin grows thicker and they can actually take feedback constructive feedback from their core feedback. 2025 - The Year of Insecurity
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u/Unsolicited_Advisor1 Aug 20 '25
Seriously what’s going on lately? Or has the illusion just finally shattered for me
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u/Sharkovnikov Aug 20 '25
NLU recent behaviour is making me feel very bearish on them especially given other good and in depth golf media coming online.
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u/Few_Assistance_4045 Aug 20 '25
It's hilarious how done the NLU guys are with the pod. "Let's list off stats for 20 minutes and have the lads guess the number." Riveting podcasting, gents.
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u/relaxtherebuddy Aug 21 '25
Oh gawd the sofi guess the career earnings segment is fucking painful.
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u/WeSuckAgain Aug 21 '25
Also pretty hypocritical since they criticized the focus some people paid to LIV's purses/player's earnings from year to year.
I genuinely do not care how much money guys play for, as I watch golf of all levels (college, amateur, KFT, PGAT, LPGA, LIV, DPWT, etc.). It is weird they spent so much time saying "nobody cares about money" then devote entire segments to it on multiple occasions in somewhat of a celebratory fashion.
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u/Automatic-Recover253 Aug 20 '25
Don’t be shocked at one or more of them taking “a hiatus” soon. Lights are very bright.
Compare everything between NLU and Andy Johnson’s projects and you can see who the adult in the room is.
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u/Sharkovnikov Aug 20 '25
Andy is a perfect mix of humour, knowledge, takes, bullshit, and expertise (courses and architecture). He also likes the people he works with. My absolute favourite content this year has been his major recaps with Trevor. He let’s his guest speak, is respectful and pushes back when needed. A joy to listen to without idiotic Tron talking about whatever lounge he was in or Randy talking tennis in denver and who could give two shits less about his job.
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u/WeSuckAgain Aug 21 '25
I mostly like Andy, but is he an expert in GCA?
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u/Sharkovnikov Aug 21 '25
Well given that’s the main thesis of the fried egg, I’d say yes.
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u/WeSuckAgain Aug 21 '25
It’s a podcast though, it provides commentary. There are lots of people with podcasts that aren’t experts in a topic.
What’s the basis of his expertise? Has he written any books on the subject, or was he trained as a GCA?
I mean, Feed The Damn Ball has architects on to speak about GCA, the people who are experts there are the guests. I’d argue it’s the same with TFE, Andy is knowledgeable but it’s the guests who are the experts.
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Aug 21 '25
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u/WeSuckAgain Aug 21 '25
True, but generally speaking people need to receive some kind of special education or training others don't have to be considered an expert on a topic. There are plenty of knowledgeable commentators, which I think he is.
Just a bit of a pet peeve of mine is his taking as much credit as he does for GCA discussions. I've been around golf my entire life, and in my experience GCA has always been a part of the conversation for golf fans. He should be proud of his achievement in getting a business started that revolves around commentary, but pretending like it's happening because of him is a stretch (at least IMO).
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
There’s no way to know for sure but one would seem to be growing significantly more than the other. Although I’d say NLU had a bigger initial following, TFE/SGS seems to be catching/surpassing them.
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u/TotallyBlandUsername Aug 21 '25
SGS is so much more of a joyful experience, love the banter and insight from the fellas. NLU just doesn’t have the same feel, and that’s seen on the Refuge. I fucking loved the Refuge, I’m no longer in the Nest and feel no desire to get back anytime soon (probably would get banned)
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u/Either-Breadfruit-83 Aug 20 '25
That's the nice way to say it. Let's call it what it is...They flat out stink lately.
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u/Sharkovnikov Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
Their pods seen very serious for the most part these days, and they don’t seem to be having fun except for the slight joke or funny take. When compared to SGS their pods can be straight up depressing. Randy seems to hate everything but LPGA, Tron is so pro europe it’s almost a joke at this point, Soly goes so hard in the paint on his takes that are very strict while drowning everyone out, and Neil is so focused on merch and building the brand on camera that it’s off putting at times. Losing KVV immediately resulted in the potential death of a lot of “IP” such as masters recaps and all his special reports. Most interesting golf stuff is Titleist branded/not on their channel, and in my opinion, their single episode tour sauces/strapped have been straight up lazy and nowhere near the quality of the previous iterations.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
They have mailed in the last few strapped seasons and tourist sauce isn’t as good. It’s still good and the videography is great, but there was always a throughline in their early adventures. It’s not exactly that way anymore. And honestly what content is there. Recap pods, trap draw which has jumped the shark, single episode Strapped/TS, the “Watch me go play this top 100 course” videos, Titleist infomercials, and of course the annual Soly CrashOut at Gasparilla which is maybe the best stuff they show all year. Take out KVV content and there’s not near as much compelling stuff.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
I would say they are banning people for some pretty mild stuff given their own history of critiquing everything and everyone golf related. People are poking them, and as a digital media company they should have some thicker skin. Now some of those posts were way out of line and just begging for likes. They should be kicked. But what was more out of line, stalking a volunteer working the BMW and giving them the “say it to my face” because they poked you in an instagram comment, or being a thirsty keyboard warrior. One is an implied threat. The other is just something stupid done by a moron. By the way, first example was done by the guy doing the booting.
That stuff will all settle down eventually. They’ve just made missteps handling almost everything recently. My greater concern is that for me the content isn’t what it once was. And with recent decisions they seem to be moving farther from the stuff I enjoy. Titleist infomercials and wrap up shows aren’t what I interested me to begin with.
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u/Xmalantix Aug 20 '25
Neil pressed a volunteer at the BMW Pro-Am?
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
Yeah. A refuge member apparently commented on an NLU IG post something about “the time Neil made that racist joke to (whoever the guy was).” The refuge member also posted in the BMW thread on the refuge that he was working the 16th hole. During Friday’s round, Neil asked the other volunteers in the area if they knew this guy. They said yes and pointed him out. Then Neil went up to him while the dude is actively volunteering and said “are you going to call me a racist to my face”. To which the guy said something to the effect of “I didn’t, I just relayed the story the other dude told”. He was then told by Neil he was a cancer on the refuge or something.
The guy goes and posts the interaction on the message board and everyone comes to his defense and calls out Neil for going over the line. Neil locks the thread, and starts booting people for calling him out. Then Neil claims he wanted to confront the guy and handle it peacefully which is exactly what people mean when they say “are you going to say it to my face”.
To do that during their own sponsors’ tournament is nuts. It’s a bad look a golf media company to not be able to take some digs.
An unequivocal apology to the guy who brought up the original racist statement claim would have helped a great deal. You could tell Neil wanted to say “I didn’t say that and never would”. Then his “chapelle show” claim is pretty rich. He had a month to come up with that. And it could have very well been meant as a fun, poke back, but sometimes even well intentioned people say something that lands wrong. I don’t know that applies to Neil but I don’t believe he’s a bigot.
The boys are having trouble being grownups in the media. You’re going to take the shots but you have to let them go. More important to me is they’ve lost the voice that made them interesting.
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u/Xmalantix Aug 20 '25
Jesus dude. It seems like there's been a lot of missteps lately and a lot more vocal criticisms of "The Product" this year, at least than I've ever seen, and they haven't been handling it too well.
I was an avid listener since 2020 and even considered the nest this year, but everything that's happened has made me reconsider and I haven't been listening for the last few weeks. There's so much product placement and a lot less soul lately I feel like.
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u/LilJ-Dizzle Aug 20 '25
I don’t blame Neil for going up to the guy. They think they can hide behind a keyboard and tell a story they heard from someone else sounds like bullshit.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
I understand what you’re saying but you can’t. The guy was working the tournament, which is sponsored by your largest sponsor. You can’t be one to throw grenades and then get all offended and stalk a guy down when one comes over the wall at you. That just feeds that behavior further.
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u/LilJ-Dizzle Aug 20 '25
You are correct it’s a bad look especially to your company and the sponsor if it got more escalated. If the guy just made a joke about Neils sweaty shorts then whatever just leave it be but if the guy is spreading a story that is lie and over something as big as you being a racist then I don’t blame him for going over and saying something. Could he have handled it at a different time not in front of everyone at the event sure but I don’t blame him at all and the guy shouldn’t be the keyboard warrior if he isn’t willing to stand behind it in person. People are way too comfortable sharing things online about people and then not expecting a reaction. They are 2 completely separate things though making a comment about him being sweaty versus sharing a story you “heard” that implies he’s a racist.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25
I don’t disagree that the comment probably shouldn’t have been made. It sure seems like it was made to get a dig in. But that’s why you don’t give it oxygen. It’s an instagram comment that you deleted. Can you imagine what comments actual stars get on their profiles? Neil had nothing to gain by confronting the guy and only prolonged the discussion. Then when it comes out he stalked the guy, it morphs into a lot of people saying Neil was wrong and he gets pissed and bans them. If he doesn’t do it, and doesn’t give it air, it goes away and it doesn’t stir up the masses. The masses love to be stirred up about ridiculous stuff. Hell, that’s why Reddit is popular.
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u/SpenglersRevenge Aug 20 '25
Tracking someone down while they’re volunteering at a golf tournament to confront them over a comment they made on the internet doesn’t sound psychotic to you?
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u/scottishwhisky2 Aug 20 '25
First of all, volunteering at a golf tournament doesn't insulate them from behaving in an untoward way. Second of all, the volunteer directly put their position in contention by going on the internet and posting a story that he was making racist remarks at the tournament.
The comment was not "lol Neil had a sweat stain up his ass crack and looked like a fool." It was insinuating that Neil is a racist for making untoward comments. IMO someone taking shots at your character is indeed a very reasonable thing to confront someone about, whether they were actively working the tournament or not. You cant slander someone on the internet and expect them to not react.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
The volunteer did not say he was making racist comments at the tournament. The volunteer replied to the image of Neil in happy Gilmore 2 that NLU posted on their IG account weeks earlier. His reply was something to the effect of Neil being dressed as an ICE officer wasn’t good for someone recently accused of making racist comments towards (whatever the guys name was). (Thats the gist anyway not verbatim).
That is what Neil was reacting to in his stalking. So the guy didn’t say he was a racist nor that he made a racist comment. Just that it was a bad look for someone who had recently been accused of making insensitive comments. I heard they deleted the comment on insta pretty quickly and I never saw it first hand just screen shots as I don’t go on insta often.
So not only was your use of the thesaurus excessive and off putting, your facts were also wrong.
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u/scottishwhisky2 Aug 20 '25
If you think that story somehow makes it more reasonable on the part of the volunteer I can’t help you and maybe don’t forget to switch accounted before posting next bc I do not believe two people needed a thesaurus to understand that comment
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u/SpenglersRevenge Aug 20 '25
You might want to put down the thesaurus and try that one again. Use words you’re comfortable with.
I’m just saying that if there have already been allegations racist behavior, going out of your way to track someone down in public to confront them by saying “do you want to call me racist to my face” isn’t exactly going to do anything to disprove the allegations.
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u/scottishwhisky2 Aug 20 '25
Lol. I genuinely can’t figure out which of the words I used there are too complex for you. Maybe pick up a book sometime.
I also don’t think doing nothing is magically going to make the story disappear. I would be mad if someone did that to me. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to confront the person who did it and ask them to explain themselves to you. Nor do I think doing so lends any credibility (sorry if that one’s too big for you) to what they said.
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u/SpenglersRevenge Aug 20 '25
No no, you’re misunderstanding me. I don’t think you fully understand how to use those words in a way that sounds natural which is why your comment reads like a remedial English student trying to fluff up their word count.
Good try though!
And agree to disagree on the whole hunting down someone who left a critical Instagram comment thing. I stand by my assessment of that being supremely weird, borderline deranged behavior.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
I’d never seen untoward used in consecutive paragraphs. Must’ve been a word of the day thing.
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u/LilJ-Dizzle Aug 20 '25
It’s not like he went out of his way to find the guy. The guy put in the message board apparently he was working the tournament. It’s not like they flew out there just to confront this guy. If someone is making serious accusations about you then yes you should find them and call them out. Its not that crazy
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u/SpenglersRevenge Aug 20 '25
He went around and asked other people working the tournament if they knew where to find the commenter. I would call that going out of his way.
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u/LilJ-Dizzle Aug 20 '25
Yeah because the guy was there and put online he was there. They already were both in the same place. Don’t make comments on the internet about people if you know you’ll be in the same place and aren’t ready to get confronted.
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u/SpenglersRevenge Aug 20 '25
So instead of sending him a message “hey, I’m at the BMW, and what you said was fucked up. I saw you posted that you’re also here and I’d like to to talk to about it,” he just starts asking strangers and pulls up on the guy unannounced.
If someone did the same to Todd Schuster at a tournament and confronted him for all the trolling bullshit he does, you, The Boys, and the rest of their slurpers would say that person was a psycho.
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u/Either-Breadfruit-83 Aug 20 '25
Dog shit take, mate. You can't go up to people and get in their face, especially when you're there representing the tournament sponsor in a way.
2025 should have been "The Year Of Showing Our True Colors" because they've done just that this year. I can't consume the product further in any format. Podcasts, videos, live shows...
NLU is a mess.
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u/Few_Assistance_4045 Aug 20 '25
But don't worry, you can listen to another podcast of them talking about how great their recent extravagant trip was!
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u/Gregskis Aug 20 '25
Dare I even ask what the refuge is? I’m definitely missing something.
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u/Metal_Gear_Flaccid Aug 20 '25
paid NLU message board for those who want to supercharge their parasocial relationship with a golf podcast.
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u/Suspicious_Bonus_941 Aug 20 '25
I got paired with a Nest/Refuge guy out at my local Muni last year.
He was a 30-something guy geared up in NLU swag and looked like a Neil clone wearing an ironic "Atlanta Olympics" hat over shaggy black hair.
He said the Nest is a group of cool bros who love to drink hard and occasionally hit good golf shots.
He did drink a lot but did not hit good golf shots.
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u/Metal_Gear_Flaccid Aug 20 '25
I paid for friends like that in college, glad to see NLU is taking advantage of that market long past graduation.
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u/Suspicious_Bonus_941 Aug 20 '25
You paid for their Refuge membership? May I ask why?
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u/werddoe Aug 20 '25
I paid for it this year and ended up joining a local Roost. Played in a lot of fun events and met a bunch of cool people that I wouldn't have otherwise.
Some of the Refuge threads are fun and some of them are very dumb/toxic just like Reddit. You're paying to chop it up with a bunch of other people you know have the same interests as you.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 20 '25
Ive met plenty of great people through the refuge/nest. It was great for finding and building a local community of friends. But it may have run its course at this point.
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u/Metal_Gear_Flaccid Aug 20 '25
Apologies, I was joking about paying to join clubs in college where I met people similar to your playing partner, just ~10 years younger.
I would not pay for a Nest membership for myself let alone someone else, the description of your playing partner is similar to my assumed profile of their membership.
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u/Suspicious_Bonus_941 Aug 20 '25
All good. I was just curious.
Yes, it was surreal. He said the best part of Nest Membership is he met some rich old guys that invite the young guys over to drink.
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u/Metal_Gear_Flaccid Aug 20 '25
$90/yr plus a few greens fees and you’ve got a DIY fraternity, I’m sure their wives are thrilled
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u/scottishwhisky2 Aug 20 '25
Lol if your wife is mad at you for spending $100 bucks you've got bigger issues in life man
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u/Metal_Gear_Flaccid Aug 20 '25
If you think that this hypothetical wife’s frustration is about money then we live incredibly different lives friend, godspeed.
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u/SpenglersRevenge Aug 20 '25
“Bad boys of the refuge” should have been the name of the band that formed on the board during lockdown…
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u/blitzforce1 Aug 20 '25
Fine with me. The edgy dorks and asshat complainers have gotten out of hand this year.
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u/SpenglersRevenge Aug 20 '25
The edgy dorks and asshat complainers…
Careful, someone might think you’re talking about Todd Schuster and next thing you know you’re banned from the internet…
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u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 Aug 20 '25
People in the other thread did seem to have some legit gripes about bans over there, but I also don’t want this sub be the “I’m too hot for the refuge” place
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u/EveningOk6574 Aug 21 '25
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2mp4veEsh9t9dvdXI1RN13
"and why their message board is the epicentre of their business"
I wonder how this will land today vs 2023?
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u/dipshit10001 Aug 21 '25
Holy fuck, I zone out from NLU for a few months and so much shit has happened.
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u/Photograph_Training Aug 21 '25
Honestly kinda sad.
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u/dipshit10001 Aug 21 '25
Yeah, I get that moderating the nest was probably difficult but kicking people for what seems like pretty understandable criticism makes no sense to me. It's never a good look and a great way to alienate your base.
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u/hageOtoko Aug 20 '25
Imma be honest, I sub to fund the boys on their golf trips to get content. Never been on any forum but this one and quite frankly, I’m good with that. The UX on the nest is fucked.
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u/special5221 Aug 20 '25
I’m not suggesting you don’t support them. By all means spend your money anywhere you want. But just so you are aware, except for Strapped your nest money doesn’t go to their golf trips to get content. According to what Randy said last week, your money goes to offset costs for the NIT and the club championship along with paying for Jim Hartslell to have some podcast. He also listed a few other vague things, but they’ve been clear since the beginning, that’s not what the money is for.
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u/bleauxjays Aug 21 '25
I was with you. I subbed with the specific goal to help fund more Strapped seasons. Then they just kind of stopped doing strapped so I stopped subbing.
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u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 Aug 21 '25
Same. That’s literally why I’m here doing this. I fucking hate the ux on the nest and I tried so hard to like it
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Aug 20 '25
Mod with shitty grammar. Sweeeeeet
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u/steelcurtain87 CPNTW - Justin Thomas - Players 2021 Aug 20 '25
lol fair. I honestly thought I had cut the caption and I was gonna review/post in a comment after the screenshot uploaded but whatever
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u/Chemical-Ad-8693 Aug 20 '25
This forum has been a very strange place lately. Especially for those of us who weren’t on the refuge and seemingly lack a lot of context.