Club websites
- Thread starter Holty
- Start date
louise_a
Money List Winner
I can check the visitor's section on our website to see if the course is open or closed, its usually updated reasonably early in the morning
I was asking in general, I play saturday mornings, rather than get out of bed and go check, I can phone the proshop from the warm scratcher.
As for the date, never saw that bit, so silence you!
As for the date, never saw that bit, so silence you!
What happened to reading threads before posting?
Holty
Assistant Pro
In fairness, the date wasn't in my original post!
DCB
Well-known member
I fully agree with you Dodger, keeping up to date info on the site is paramount, not just on this issue. Getting that info live on the website is the crux of the whole thing. It needs to be one of the first tasks of the day, just like putting the kettle on for that first cuppa.
At work, we use our website and facebook to keep the customers aware of the state of each of our courses. As you say it's a crucial part of communicating with the members and customers.
Yer Maw
Head Pro
I think it's a bit harsh expecting a golf club to have a fluid and bang up to date website, especially for conditions cause you can always phone the proshop, where I imagine they'll be bored out their nut and gladly take calls or have an automated message saying we're shut go shopping instead!
Some of the suggestions for improving are fine but who knows how to, and do you know how to do it? Club Pros and secretaries may be good at many things but expecting them to be a whizz with websites is a bit of a push I think.
It comes down to having time and training and staffing I suppose, but a good website is a strong addition to any club. Personally I think also having some kind of forum or Facebook page that could offer playing slots eg. a three ball up to a fourball or anybody wanting to join our 2 ball, gear for sale etc. But I don't know how to do all that and wouldn't grumble if the club said they didn't have the time to manage such things.
Some of the suggestions for improving are fine but who knows how to, and do you know how to do it? Club Pros and secretaries may be good at many things but expecting them to be a whizz with websites is a bit of a push I think.
It comes down to having time and training and staffing I suppose, but a good website is a strong addition to any club. Personally I think also having some kind of forum or Facebook page that could offer playing slots eg. a three ball up to a fourball or anybody wanting to join our 2 ball, gear for sale etc. But I don't know how to do all that and wouldn't grumble if the club said they didn't have the time to manage such things.
DCB
Well-known member
The thing is, the vast majority of Club websites are using a template based system that really only needs someone to use a mouse to click on a radio button, maybe change a line of text and save. It's simple stuff nowadays You can even get a phone app to do it (update conditions) for you on the club2000 hosted websites.
FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
Well, confession time, I'm the person who maintains my club website and it's admittedly pretty poor really. You need to be aware of what your club's arrangement is. I'm a member doing the job voluntarily and although I work in IT I'm a database designer not web developer so basically muddling through. It really needs a complete redesign but I'm not he right person to do that so I just update it as per the current structure.
It's a bit of a thankless task really. Yesterday I spent all day at work sitting at a computer, came home and then spent about 4 hours working on the website. Meanwhile I've got a list of things as long as my arm that vary from urgent updates to complete pie in the sky that members have raised so that's going to be a big chunk of my weekend.
I'd love to have a daily updated conditions report but don't think it viable that someone who's there every day could make the updates as currently required so I'd need to add some sort of applet that they could send a message to but id need to research how to do that. Or add a facility for an admin to log in and update the text but thats a whole new can of worms. Meanwhile we've got a Facebook page but adoption is pretty low.... Maybe more members would use it if we could get a reliable daily update of course conditions but seems to be a bit of chicken and egg scenario at the moment.
What we really need is an entirely new website with requirements properly analysed, new artwork and photos and professionally designed and put together using appropriate web standards. We can readily produce the functional requirements but don't appear to have a member to adequately handle the techy side so that'd cost money we probably don't have. So we bash on with the amateurish site we've got. It's not good but maybe, under the circumstances, it's good enough.
It's a bit of a thankless task really. Yesterday I spent all day at work sitting at a computer, came home and then spent about 4 hours working on the website. Meanwhile I've got a list of things as long as my arm that vary from urgent updates to complete pie in the sky that members have raised so that's going to be a big chunk of my weekend.
I'd love to have a daily updated conditions report but don't think it viable that someone who's there every day could make the updates as currently required so I'd need to add some sort of applet that they could send a message to but id need to research how to do that. Or add a facility for an admin to log in and update the text but thats a whole new can of worms. Meanwhile we've got a Facebook page but adoption is pretty low.... Maybe more members would use it if we could get a reliable daily update of course conditions but seems to be a bit of chicken and egg scenario at the moment.
What we really need is an entirely new website with requirements properly analysed, new artwork and photos and professionally designed and put together using appropriate web standards. We can readily produce the functional requirements but don't appear to have a member to adequately handle the techy side so that'd cost money we probably don't have. So we bash on with the amateurish site we've got. It's not good but maybe, under the circumstances, it's good enough.
DCB
Well-known member
Understand where you are coming from FairwayDodger, We are just changing to a new host and going into a new season with a new look site. Oh Joy. We have a retired member who has spent a lot of time over the past few months making sure everything is ready to go. If he wasn't retired it'd be a brutal task. I only have to look after our Junior pages and that takes time and effort to keep things current and up to date. Still to sit down and get info updated for the coming season. A good website is great for a club. A poor one is a millstone round their neck IMO.
