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.

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. 

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.