Bunkershots.com

Bunkershots.com is a portal that is totally related to golf.  I haven’t found out exactly what their niche is as they have many different golf features on their site.  They have a community built on kickapps.com platform that allows for a social network for providing things like photos, videos, blogs, forums, etc.  The home page is very busy with many different sections that have scrolling bars everywhere.

Some of the other features include integration with eBay for golf auctions, Google Custom search and Google checkout, kickapps.com social network, and many other features.  I could not find an “About Us” section, so can’t really tell what they are about and what their direction is, other than total golf.  Seems to be many links and many click throughs, another annoying feature is every time a user clicks, it seems to open a new browser.  By the time I was done surfing their site, I had about 48 browser sessions opened in my tray.

They do seem to have a solid user base by getting over 5200 users a day visiting their site.  Better content management and a better user interface will make this site a true powerhouse.

Golflink.com

Since its creation in 1995, GolfLink has been the most complete online golf resource available on the web. With a host of useful information valuable to golfers of all abilities, GolfLink is the ultimate one-stop shop for every golfer, from duffer to pro. With our award-winning travel section (awarded a Forbes Magazine “Best of the Web” for golf travel in 2005), our professional golf tips and instruction articles, our comprehensive coverage of golf courses and golf resorts, reviews of new golfing products and equipment, and much more, GolfLink provides it all.  

GolfLink is the best web resource for golf information and golf instruction, including golf courses, golf tips & videos, golf scorecards and statistics, and more. We have everything you need to analyze and improve your game.

The GolfLink Golf Tips and Videos section provides great golf instructional content to help you improve your golf game. Our golf tips articles are provided by Golf Tips Magazine and our golf videos were created by some of the top golf professionals teaching today.

Our Golf Course section has golf courses in every state, with more than 20,000 course descriptions in our golf course directory. We also provide an extensive library of “where to golf” articles reviewing a host of golf courses and resorts throughout North America and golf travel information telling you how to get there. Browse our lists of top golf courses and golf course awards for great ideas about the best places to play.

Everything you need to statistically analyze and improve your game can be found in the My Game section, including our convenient and printable scorecards. My Rounds lists all of the recent rounds and courses you have played, and is the perfect place to track and record your golf score. Check My Handicap for a calculation of your golf handicap, and My Stats and the Dashboard each give a good overview of all the statistical aspects of your game.

Visit our online user forums in the Golf Community section for discussing a wide range of golf-related topics with other golfers. View schedules and information about local golf tournaments, with a form for submitting additional ones.

World Golf Tour

Company Name: World Golf Tour^TM Web Address:  www.worldgolftour.com CEO Name:  YuChiang Cheng        CEO Biography:  YuChiang Cheng co-founded World Golf Tour^TM in 2006, and serves as chief executive officer for the company. An avid golfer, soccer and hockey player, YuChiang’s interest in games and sports started in early childhood and lead to competing in the US Junior Olympics in Gymnastics, and indulging in Zork, Civilization, and Rainbow Six.  Prior to joining World Golf Tour^TM, YuChiang served on the executive team at IGT/WagerWorks as the vice president of business development and product marketing. As the tenth employee of the company, YuChiang spearheaded the company’s business development and product initiatives.  Directly responsible for product marketing, business development and customer management, YuChiang lead the strategic direction for the WagerWorks gaming platform and was instrumental in securing business clients such as Virgin Games, MGM-MIRAGE, World Poker Tour, and BskyB. During his tenure, WagerWorks was acquired by IGT for $90 million, in 2005.  Prior to IGT/WagerWorks, YuChiang served as a product manager and Internet strategist for youbet.com, the leading provider of streaming video technology and pari-mutuel horse racing content for consumers through Internet and telephone platforms. YuChiang graduated from Colorado College with a bachelor’s of science degree in biology and a bachelor’s of art degree in philosophy.  Executive Team Members:  Chad Nelson, JF Prata (bios attached) Primary Source Of Funding:  First round funding provided through Battery Ventures; additional rounds are expected.  Secondary funding through sponsors and partners. About Your Company/ Site: World Golf Tour is the world’s most photo-realistic online golf experience ever created. The game enables collaborative play and tournament competition to players of all ages, abilities and locations through the Internet and allows families and friends to maintain connections as part of the online social community. Whether it is learning about famous courses, testing the latest equipment, or just having fun with friends, WorldGolfTour.com is the one-stop shop for all things golf. Fellow enthusiasts of the game can meet, play, explore, improve their skills and compete. The goal of World Golf Tour goal is to “democratize” golf by bringing it to the masses via the Internet, and create an inviting, non-intimidating environment for new players to learn, while continuously challenging even the most seasoned golfers with regularly scheduled tournaments and competitions.  Site Features:  World Golf Tour features the most realistic graphics of the country’s top courses available on the web today.  The full product will enable real-time multi-player players may customize their avatars with the latest clothing and accessories. What sets your company apart from your competition:  No download required or additional software needed to play World Golf Tour. Players can access the game directly from their computer.  The only thing they need is an Internet connection.  Real life prizes include products from TaylorMade and adidas Golf as well as tournament purses. Any other info you would like to communicate about your company:World Golf Tour is a social networking platform for golf enthusiasts to stay in touch and play golf in real time with family and friends.  It offers in-game advertising options for sponsors and partners, including the courses and reports it features.   Golf has always been tied to philanthropy.  In keeping with this tradition, World Golf Tour will partner with three non-profit organizations, including Teach for America, After School All-Stars and Shelter for Arms.

LastMinuteGolfer.com

LastMinuteGolfer was founded Atlanta, GA in 1998(www.lmtt.com) by Mike Last.  They concentrated on providing Atlanta visitors and locals with the most accurate and current information on Atlanta’s best golf courses, and booked “last minute” tee times for visitors to the Atlanta area. They contacted all the local courses each night and helped them fill up their tee-sheets.

December ’99- Present: In late 1999,  they introduced their online interface to allow golfers to book tee times online… providing access to tee times in Atlanta 24/7/365. Since ’99, they have continued to improve their online reservation/ call center system, promoting the game of golf nationwide and providing golfers with the most user-friendly (and rewarding) way to find a tee time.  They now serve hundreds of thousands of golfers in dozens of cities.  Several hundred participating golf courses post tee times to our site; they control the inventory and the pricing of tee times that are posted.  Some courses offer “last minute” greens fee specials. Golfers that are “flexible” and willing to prepay “last minute” golf continue to find their service increasingly valuable.  Golfers now earn frequent golfer “yards” each time they book a tee times; these yards are redeemable towards free golf at hundreds of courses nationwide.  In July of 2005, they introduced our “stay and play” golf getaways which gives our members a great way to take advantage of last minute vacations offered by some of the top resorts in North America.

According to compete.com, they look to have a strong viewing rate of about 65,000 page views a month.  Their site is easy to navigate, include minimal but effective advertising, and several cool programs including ‘Dollar per hole’.  LastMinuteGolfer Membership is FREE.  Join now and you’ll:

• Get an immediate 250 yard bonus ($7.50 in free golf!)
• Enjoy promotions like Dollar/Hole and TOUR Tuesdays
• Gain access to last minute tee times/ specials
• Tell friends for a chance to go to The Masters
• Receive invitations to LMG member events
• Gain access to special golf package offers
• Begin earning frequent golfer yards
• Receive a free myLMG page
• Track your scores and stats

Golfshake.com

golfshake.com is a place for golfers to get together online and discuss the latest hot topics in golf, chat, ask for advice, write blogs and air their views. It provides a wealth of knowledge on everything golf including reviews and tips on courses, travel destinations, technique and equipment. Above all it is a place where golfers can enjoy themselves and their game.

golfshake.com is an active online community of regular golfers and group organisers. It provides golfers with a free handicap and score tracking service, and society organisers with a comprehensive system for managing every aspect of their groups, including tracking their scores, organising events and posting results, news and chat. Furthermore they can invite other members of the community to join them on their trips and events. On golfshake.com you can…

• Get a handicap for free.
• Track your scores and do in-depth analysis of your game .
• Manage every aspect of your golf society or group including tracking scores and handicaps and posting results, news and chat.
• Organise events and competitions for your group and other community members.
• Meet and arrange games with other golfers in your area.
• Write reviews and get tips and advice on courses, travel destinations, technique and equipment.
• Join the debate, chat in the forum, post your own blog and air your views!

golfshake.com started life as Golfscoretraker.co.uk in 1998. It was created by Darren Ramowski as a way for him to track his scores and analyse his game with the hope of improving his golf! His friends and family quickly took interest in tracking their own scores so Darren put the system up on the web for everyone to use. Word soon got out and golfers all around the UK and world started to use the system for themselves, resulting in a growing membership and a thriving community of golfers. Spurred on by his passion for the game and at the request of his users, Darren continued to add more and more functionality and features so that the site, in addition to score tracking and game analysis, now features a comprehensive golf society and event management service.

In April 2007 Golfscoretracker.co.uk was renamed golfshake.com to greater reflect the growing community aspect of the site, and that the original score tracking service is now just one of many services that we offer to our members.With Darren still very much at the helm, the website and community continue to go from strength to strength with loads of new and exciting features scheduled in for the next 18 months. Sadly however, due to his dedication to golfshake.com, Darren’s golf game has not developed at the same rate as his website, so he would be very happy to receive any tips that you can provide him with!

The piece that sets them apart from their competition is the ability to detail your golf online and join an active golf community.  Not only can you track your scores and handicap online but you can compare with your golf buddies and even find new golf buddies to play golf with.  The system is also set-up to allow golf scores, competitions and groups/leagues to fully interact throughout the site.  Yes there are other competitors but no one is offering online golf communities centered around a user golf and games and allowing not only rounds but competitions and groups to be run online.

The site is primarily geared toward the UK community.  They do seem to be expanding more into the rest of the world.  Their premier service does require a member to pay for an upgrade.  If they would really like to compete with other web 2.0 golf portals, they should reconsider their strategic direction.  Plenty of sites out there currently offer many of the same services at no cost. 

Golf-Finder.net the interactive Golf Search Engine

The new interactive golf search engine that provides a interactive map with the locations of golf clubs and golf courses. Golf Finder’s interactive golf map is the perfect way to find the golf course for your next round. The search facilities provide a simple way to search for a golf courses, golf buddies and hotels, by town or surrounding area. Many of the golf courses listed on Golf-Finder.net have high resolution imagery available which can give you a great preview of courses you plan to play or help you review your golf game.

Whatever your search criteria for a golf course, whether you are looking for details of a golf club that you have passed in your car, or looking to find a golf course to play whilst away on holiday or with work. Golf-Finder.net allows you to visually locate the golf course for you on an interactive map. If you are planning a golf holiday then our map provides information on hotels near to the golf course as well. To find golf courses or golf clubs in other areas on the interactive golf map you can simply drag the map to those areas using the mouse or arrow keys.

In addition to details on the course itself you can see weather forecasts for the course helping you to avoid the showers or even catch them if that is your fancy. The weathermen may not always get it right so you can always blame them if the wind is playing havoc with your golf balls.

The golf buddies section allows you to converse with like minded golfers and arrange not only the golf course for your next round but maybe your playing partner as well. Once registered the map with show you the location of buddies in your area with the simple interactive blue and pink icons to denote male or female and allow you to start arranging your next round of golf. For registered golf buddies we have forums to discuss the latest golf equipment, golf headlines or your latest hole in one!

For participating courses there’s an opportunity to book your tee off time through the site by following the simple on screen instructions. Booking your next round of golf at a previously undiscovered course could be just a couple of clicks away.

Through partnerships with our site we are looking to provide a one stop shop for all your golfing needs. This includes golf insurance, golf handicaps, golfing holidays, golf equipment and accessories. So if you need a handicap to play whilst away on holiday or to simply order some more golf balls Golf-Finder.net can help.

The site also contains a course review section for registered users, that provides handy hints and teachings and you can catch up with the latest golf headlines and stories in our daily updated golf news section.

Golf Finder is a great tool to search for courses around the world.  Today, they seem geared toward the UK.  It is easy to sign up for and rich in features.  Golfers can load the Golf Finder toolbar to their browser, sign up for newsletters, find golfing partners, participate in blogs and forums, RSS, and many more.

I’d like to see them take on more of a global flavor in order to compete with some of the other golf sites.  It’s a great site that utilizes a Google mashup map for course location.  Would like to see them add videos to the site to make it a unique golf site.  They claim they have over 26,000 courses in their database, not a bad number.

GolfPartners.com

GolfPartners is a golf social netowrking site run by Scott Merlo.  GolfPartners members enjoy benefits that no other golf site offers. It is their belief to make available a golf website to meet all the needs of every type of golfer, from the sometime golfer, weekend recreational golfer to the golf fanatic. For those who travel and play, just hooking up with 1 local golf partner can save you hunders of dollars in green fees.

I recently was on the site and created my own profile.  The site certainly seems like they have their act together.  It was very easy to create my profile and I did get a kick out of the question: Do you play for money?  Some of the cool features of the site include:

Find Golf Partners
Search and meet golfers all over the country who are also looking for golf partners. Save hundreds of dollars by paying guest rates from members you meet rather than just showing up at a course and paying tourist green fees.

Play Private Courses
Meet new golfpartners that are members of exclusive private golf clubs and get the chance you wouldn’t normally have to play these great courses….and pay their guest rate to even save money.

Golf Handicap
Use our free golf handicap software to record all your games and establish your handicap. It’s fast, easy and a great recordkeeper of your improvements.

Golf Member Networking
GolfPartners provides online networking opportunities to meet other golf enthusiast across across the country. When traveling for business or pleasure get in touch with other members. Save hundreds by paying local rates! Choose players based on age, handicap, likes to play for money and so much more.

Golf Weblog
GolfPartners have fun meeting other members and discussing topics on tournaments, courses, golf tips, equipment, events and much more.  Read, post or reply to the great blogs at GolfPartners.com. Keep up to date with the latest news and advice. Have fun, but remember to always be courteous.

Golf Course Reviews
Get the latest conditions and reviews of golf courses around the country. Hear what the other are saying and add your own review on courses you’ve played.

Golf Tips
Get great golf tips from the countries top golf professionals.

Group Discounts
With over 12 years experience in catering to Golf Outings and corporate golf events, we can professionally organize any golf event that you desire at a great discount, anywhere in USA. It can be from 8 players to 1200 players, catered, awards presentation and anything else you may need to make your function exactly what you desire.

Golf Real Estate
If you are looking to buy or rent a house or condo on or near a golf community, go no further. We only deal with reputable agents that specialize in golf course communities.

Golf Rentals
Looking for a golf course rental? Look no further, all our rentals our geared directly for golfers and their families.

It seems these guys create a professional site that has many great features.    I was able to enter my golf criteria and was matched up with several potential playing partners.  Another feature I really like about the network is the minimal advertising.  They don’t overwhelm users with blinking ads all over the place.  But on the downside of this, it makes you wonder how they will be able to survive, especially offering this free service for member…somthing to keep an eye on in the future.  The site is still very young and still being built out as of this post on 8/15 (golf tips section has a coming soon).  Also, all courses from each state were listed, including contact information and other general information.

I think this network is one of the best out there, I’ll continue to watch this grow and keep an eye on their memberships.  Take a few minutes to check them out at: www.golfpartners.com

Sportsvite Social Network

Sportsvite is currently a new social network for sports enthusiasts that is still in beta.  The concept of the community seems to cool and well organized.  If your looking for golf partners, this site will be a huge help for you.  You can look for available golfers, golfers close to your handicap, and organize an outing. 

Sportsvite was started for everyone who loves sports, but finds it frustrating to actually organize games or find people who want to play them. To help, we’ve built the premier Web service for organizing active sports and connecting with other players for league teams, pick-up games, and sports/activity groups.

Sportsvite combines sports-specific targeted search and member profiles with user-friendly invitation and game management tools. Members can also keep track of stats and future games, send out email invitations, and maintain their schedule for their teams in leagues or casual pick-up games. Sportsvite is and always will be a free service for our members.

Hello world!

Plezr, founded on August 1, 2007, is a weblog dedicated to profiling and reviewing new Golf products and companies. In addition to new companies, we will profile existing companies that are making an impact (commercial and/or cultural) on the Golf world.