Best Golf Course Website - free golf!

[Ehmcee]

I'm doing a little (unofficial) market research and would like to hear from the Ottawa Golf membership.

I will be redesigning the website for an Ottawa area golf course and would like to hear from local golfers on which golf course sites and features they like the most.

I can not disclose the course so please don't ask and refrain from guessing.

As a thank you for your participation I will take one random commenter out for a free round of golf (at the course I am doing the work for).

Here is what I am looking for:

1. Please limit your choices to Ottawa area courses (within 2 hours seems a reasonable distance)
2. You must post a link to the course's site (duplicate sites from different people are valid entries but please add some original thought)
3. You must state what you like about the course's site (just sending links is not a valid entry)
4. You can submit more than one 'entry' if you have something valid to contribute about each site
5. I will be the sole judge of what constitutes a valid comment/entry
6. Deadlines for entry will be March 23rd
7. I'll choose a random winner sometime before April 1st
8. Free round will be set up at a time that works for myself and the winner (there are no course restrictions)

Thanks for your help!

[Big Johnny69]

Sweet idea, and free golf is always good incentive with this bunch.

[jvincent]

Would you like "don't like" examples as well?

[Big Johnny69]

Would you like "don't like" examples as well?

If he wants those examples as well, let's keep it civilized and within the rules please.

[Ehmcee]

Would you like "don't like" examples as well?

If there are things you don't like let me know but please keep it civil.

[jvincent]

My biggest dislike is large flash animations. They generally add little value and just make the page slow to load. There are a many websites which break this rule.

I'll give you some "likes" shortly.

[John]

Personally i'm a fan of Stonebridge gc's website. http://www.stonebridgegc.com/

It's obviously very simple but everything is laid out on the front page and is very easy to find. I can find pricing easily, location, directions, the scorecard and so on and so forth.

A nice bonus on websites which they don't have is the hole by hole break down with either pictures or a video fly by, which is a nice way to prep yourself to play a track you've never played before.

Just a few thoughts!

[jvincent]

Rivermead Golf Club: http://www.rivermeadgolf.com/public/index.html

Specifics:

1. Easy navigation right at the top of the main page so no scrolling required.
2. All the links I can think of when I want to visit a club
3. On the course tour page they provide: A complete scorecard, slope and ratings, clickable hole descriptions.
4. A direct link to the weather on every page.

[Ehmcee]

My biggest dislike is large flash animations. They generally add little value and just make the page slow to load. There are a many websites which break this rule.

Thanks for this but I had to laugh when you then sent me a 'favorite' site that has a large flash animation on the home page.

Rivermead Golf Club: http://www.rivermeadgolf.com/public/index.html

Keep the comments coming!!!

[jvincent]

Thanks for this but I had to laugh when you then sent me a 'favorite' site that has a large flash animation on the home page.

Yes, I thought that too, but they are only animating the golf ball, so I never noticed it loading. I've been to others where it takes a couple of minutes to load.

Once you get past that though, the site is well laid out.

[Kilroy]

but they are only animating the golf ball, so I never noticed it loading.

The mark of using it properly.

[foxman]

I like Smugglers Glen website. http://www.smugglersglen.com/

Well laid out.You do not have to go looking all over the place.Find everything on the opening page.You look at the side menu and click on there for what you are looking for.It has ton of info. Explains everything about the course even how there rain check works.Great directions on how to get there .Link to the weather network (most do that now)It has alot of info.on almost everything you want to know about the course.
One thing i wish more of the golf sites would do is put the green fee prices with the tax included.
One other thing i like is they have all there green fee rates 9,18 holes with or without a cart.They have their twilight rates and times.

[Kilroy]

One thing i wish more of the golf sites would do is put the green fee prices with the tax included.

People would assume taxes extra, and therefore it looks more expensive. "Taxes in" is overlooked and not a recommended marketing strategy.

[kerisb]

Although I am not a big fan of the course here. I like the way everything is assesible from the first page. And I love the sound of the wacking ball. Also the fact that they have pictures of the holes!! http://www.igolf.on.ca/links.shtml

[Section Thirty One]

http://www.rideauview.com

I've always found the Rideau View website to be very attractive. A fairly simple design, yet elegant with a good choice of fonts and colour palette. Information is broken down in to broad, logical categories, with an overview of the category presented once you have clicked. Along with the overview, you have the option of diving down in to more specific information within the category.

They also have lots of pics, with selections from everything from the course to the clubhouse.

Well done!

[jonf]

I'll reply later with some specific 'likes,' but I can tell you my biggest pet peave right away: sites that are not updated frequently. It is incredibly annoying too look up green fee prices or membership details, only to find out when you reach the course that you're paying more than you thought. It is particularly annoying when courses change their definition of a junior or student without updating the website, as the jump between a junior/student green fee and a regular green fee can be very big.

One thing that I would like to see on more websites is a schedule of tournaments. Maybe courses feel it will drive away green-feers if they advertise tournaments, but personally it's the type of information that I would like to know.

[4jag]

Curious why you are restricting this to area courses? If you are looking for good design ideas what does geography have to do with it?

Anyways I like the Malone Golf Club site ... http://www.malonegolfclub.com/

The banner is useful for a quick status of the course. Has pulbic and member areas on the site.

And Camelot ...
www.camelotgolf.ca

I like the site design, graphics and layout

I also like the Bond Head site ...
http://www.theclubatbondhead.com/

But it is outside your 2 hour area.

Jamie.

[Ehmcee]

Curious why you are restricting this to area courses? If you are looking for good design ideas what does geography have to do with it?

I have already looked at 100s of sites for design ideas. What I am looking for now is feedback on likes and dislikes.

Since the course I am working for is in competition locally for green fee and member dollars it makes sense to compare locally. My goal in the project is to deliver a site that is the best in the local market.

[priorlad]

I stumbled upon the Deep River website last year prior to attending a tournament there. I found it to be complete and simple to use. It's not fancy, but I can't think of anything that it's missing. I am particularly fond of the records of tournament results.

http://www.deeprivergolf.ca/

PriorLad

[Sakuraba]

I stumbled upon the Deep River website last year prior to attending a tournament there. I found it to be complete and simple to use. It's not fancy, but I can't think of anything that it's missing. I am particularly fond of the records of tournament results.

http://www.deeprivergolf.ca/

PriorLad

Posting the complete tournament results is great: your triumph or shame becomes a matter of public record.

I even used their site this fall just a couple days prior to the tournament to get the tee times.

I sent my dislikes of another course's site via pm.

[B Nation]

The Royal Ottawa Golf Club just redid their website and it's fantastic.

It can be found at www.rogc.com.

It is a very attractive website that is loaded with content. The course feature has an interactive google maps function that allows you to zoom in to get a true feel for the course layout. Clicking on each individual hole will bring up a picture of the hole, distances and a short summary of the hole itself. There is detailed information on what is available to each member and how to go about becoming a member. There are also over 50 high quality pictures of the club in the gallery section. The wedding an events function allows you to request a booking online, while perusing the different rooms and menus available for your event.

Very well done and very user-friendly!

[Kilroy]

Very nice.

[makeitrain]

1. I am also going to say Royal Ottawa Golf Club after checking out their site.
2. www.rogc.com
3. I like the hole by hole "clickability".
4. I also have to say that ottawagolf.com does a great job with their "course tour" links. The most important thing for me is to see a gallery (more than 10) of quality random pictures of the holes (not the parking lot or clubhouse) from a variety of angles so I can see the quality of the course. The other thing I need is an overhead view of each hole(this can be a real picture or a graphic), and a view from the tee-off area of the hole (a real picture), along with a description of the hole and the best strategy for playing the hole, although after I triple bogey #1 those strategies usually escape my brain.haha.

A detailed up to date price list is also neccessary. Stonebridge (
stonebridgegc.com) does a good job of this showing what the price is at all different times of different days. I also like having the prices of carts, rental clubs, etc. cleary posted on the site. These links should be easily seen from the home page(prices, course gallery, and hole by hole tour), I actually had a little bit of difficutly finding the hole by hole descriptions on royal ottawa's website...the link is not accessed directly from the home page which I would strongly suggest.

Hope this helps you,

[Strangebrew]

Probably too nerdy a golfer... but I like it when scorecard is layed out nicely and easy to copy into Excel so that I can analyze it (and pump it into my database, to really play with the data, lol). In fact I love a website that has any tools for me... map of the course so I can figure out how the wind will effect it, distances to hazards, hole by hole tour, etc.... I enjoy planning a round (I really should be a much better player than I am given the preparation). Definitely have to agree with complete and up-to-date info for pricing. A good photo gallery is a plus, helps out during the winter when I'm jonesing in the deep cold.

[Wilster]

A very cool feature , if it was possible, would be a "fly by" per hole whether it be computer generated or filmed . Can you borrow a helicopter?

[BogeyGolf]

I would have to say that my choice is Stonebridge.... http://www.stonebridgegc.com/

My reasons are as follows:

1) The layout is simple and easy to use and navigate.
2) The display of times for Prime, Non-Prime, Twilight with prices.
3) The online booking system is pretty straight forward as well.

BogeyGolf

[Nat Williams]

I will put a vote in for The Royal Ottawa. www.rogc.com , although I feel they've won by default, as none of the local sites have impressed me.

I really was expecting more from the marshes after visiting big brother's site, but I guess they have different budgets

(http://www.brookstreet.ca/golf/ VS. http://www.celtic-manor.com/)


I am in the field of web design, and although i specialize in the programming side of things (dynamic content generation / content management systems etc), we do put together front end sites (either public or for intranet use), and in every case, our group of designers design every last detail. It is their jobs to make it look good, not mine...afterall, they are the designers...and that brings me to my main criticism. The one common theme in all of the websites mentioned to date is that their interfaces are lacking the polished touch of a good designer. It appears that most of these sites, because of their size, would have been made in house, or by a friend, or contracted out for a small enough amount of $$ that you just hired a programmer and they did the graphics and layout themselves (and if it was a company, it seems to have been the lowest bidder).


Each fails in at least one of the following categories:

inconsistent styles (i.e. css styles for font, links etc)
poor graphics ('cheap' looking buttons and backgrounds)
poor photos (low res course pics, bad lighting, not touched up etc)
poor navigation (both user control, and visual appeal)
non-standard/compliant practices (popup windows for images, distracting scrolling text)


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Given the simplistic nature of a golf website (generally all static, limited content, infrequent updates), it would be better to hire a graphics designer with limited html knowledge to build a beautiful site, and mark it up for you then to hire a skilled programmer with limited artistic talents.

Then, if you decide to upgrade, invest in a programmer to convert your existing well styled site into an asp/php/aspx site w/ a database backing it to handle a members area, and produce a small content management system so that the course can modify their own content without touching code.

Most good websites go through a series of phases of development, and if you start w/ the design, it will be easier than attempting to go back and modify the design at a later stage. Also it means that you can confidently launch your product after the first phase, adding new features as they are ready.

(most people will not make a habit of revisiting a site they found difficult to navigate or hard on the eyes, but if they are attracted to the site they will be back and will look forward to your new additions as time goes on).

That's the end of my rant

[Ehmcee]

Nice post Nat but I would have to disagree with the programming vs design priority. A poor design can be stripped away and replaced rather effortlessly. The only solution to poor programming is to start from scratch.

I too am a programmer. I hire designers to do the graphical layout work from my projects and then I make the sites work.

I must agree on your assesment of the local course sites. Most are way below and acceptable standards but the new ROGC site is nice.

[makeitrain]

I'll also add that online booking is a key factor.

And

The Falcon http://www.thefalcongolfclub.com/ has a professional looking website with a great gallery of pictures.

[geronamo]

I can't believe I am actually endorsing this website in any way, but I'd like to make some comments on the Renfrew Golf Club website.

http://www.renfrewgolf.com/

While the design of the site is extremely amateurish at times (repulsive color palette, poor loading of certain images etc...), I believe that it has included a lot of valuable content. Here is a summary of the content on the site that I like:

- easy to access contact information
- interactive course map and scorecard (each hole overview easily accessible)
- hole by hole overview, tips of what to do and not to do
- detailed membership and green fee rates
- banquet facilities (menu, special occasion rental information etc.) if applicable
- course news, this gives readers confidence that the site is updated often
- members only section (great if you could link it to the course handicap system, information regarding upcoming tournaments, tournament results)