NSWVGA Website Re-Design

Recommendation for the re-design and updating of this website was approved at the last Executive Council meeting at Bankstown Golf Club. I made the re-design request essentially for several reasons;

• the success of the website;
•  potential to attract meaningful sponsorship; and
•  overall presentation and consistency.

Unfortunately the quotes obtained from independent web developers were too expensive and were rejected, the fourth option of using the existing site, the Webmasters skillset and a third party developer to reduce costs were accepted.

I believe we can attract sponsorship if the website is presented more in line with existing sporting websites, we as veteran golfers are no less attractive. We needed to move away from the robust, gaudy and sometimes downright outrageous presentations that I present here from time to time and more importantly, what does NSWVGA do if I fall off the perch? This would all stop, take considerable time to get back up again and would cost even more money.

I have worked pretty hard on this website for over five years now and my concern was to take those possibilities out of the equation entirely. Looking after 'this website' now, despite the wonderful support I have received from BuilderSpot and their techos, is a time consuming problem, we need to control what happens on our website, so that is what we are doing! At this time I work some where between 25 and 35 hours each week just keeping new, photos and the website running, with the new website several others will be authorised to participate in website management and the editorial.

To give you some idea I get programs and entry forms from just about all Weeks of Golf, for placement on the website and while many organisers don't expect that, it happens because that is what we do on the website, we inform our veteran golfer community. The level of computer knowledge, the internet, etc, is increasing and we need to make generally available the information (data) I receive. Incoming data is in many forms from hard to read faxes, photostat copies of entry forms, original forms, professionally prepared forms on glossy paper with excellent photographs that have been folded three times and cramped in an envelope, etc. All this data must be converted to a pre-determined format, edited and prepared for inclusion on the website, which takes some very ordinary and also some very high tech equipment. I think you all get the picture!

As the website evolves tournament organisers can see what an important part the website plays in getting the information out there to our 'travelling veteran golfer community' and we want that momentum to keep going. One only has to Google 'veteran golf' and now there is a vast array of individual golf clubs out there promoting our events also, why, because it's money in their pocket also. This is an opportunity to attract sponsors from all areas that will go a long way towards covering the cost of running the website in addition to providing benefits for all concerned at many of our tournaments.

You would be surprised to know just how much a few dollars from a few business houses at a tournament can do to affect the success of an event. Many of us attend a few of the smaller tournaments and are amazed at the hospitality, the organisation and people involved. We selectively choose to attend those tournaments we have supported for years without bothering to have a crack at the Trangie Sand Greens, going west to Broken Hill (fabulous event) or north to Coolangatta where the events are completely booked out in a matter of days.

If anyone has any questions feel free to drop me an email and I am around 24/7, except when I have that occasional game of golf.

The Webmaster