User Profile Section Updates

Your account settings page now has a few more items that you
can control.

Account Management is where you can control specific items associated with your GolfStakes membership. You can change your password, your email address and your security question from here. If you feel that GolfStakes.com just isn't for you, you also have the option to close your account with us.

Profile management does exactly what it says it does. From here
you can update your personal information like your name, your display name, your GHIN index and write some open text about yourself. You can also add or change a mailing address and a phone number.

These new options can be found under the settings link next to your profiles avatar.

Speaking of profiles, you now have several ways of reaching your profile while on the GolfStakes.com web site. First, there is a global link found in the upper right corner of the site. Click your name will always take you to your profile. Second, when you click on 'My Game' you will see that a profile link displays on the left hand side near a gray and white golfer avatar. Third, when you're inside of the 'My Game' section of the site, you will notice that there is a prominent glossy white button or green button
in the middle of the page. This link will also take you to your profile.

In the future, we're looking to adding a number of other features and additions to you profile section. This will enable you to find your friends faster and to make new friends easier.

Hope this helps, and enjoy using GolfStakes.com.

User Interface Updates

From some feedback we had at the Chicago Golf show we've made some changes.

Gone are the drop down menus. People were having a hard time keeping the menu open or the menu got in the way of doing something on the page. We've replaced the drop down menus with a nice second level of menus. These menu items appear in the green bar directly under the main menu items.

Second, we've moved the profile and dashboard areas into a new section of the site. To get to your dashboard items, click on the 'My Game' link and you should now be able to access you score and handicap history, your friends and favorite course lists, along with a direct link to your profile page.

We have also changed the way you can update your personal information. Next to the golfer avatar picture, you will see a link called 'Settings'.

Clicking on this link will give you access to your GolfStakes.com account and allow you to update your personal information, change you password and manage your friends. In the future you will see a lot more options added to this section.

 

That's it for now, let us know how we're doing. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in our forums or send it directly to us using the contact us page found under the information tab.

Speed and uptime

We've been having a few issues lately of our hosting company not being able to keep our site up 100% of the time. To fix this problem we've taken the site to a new hosting company. We our new company we now have the ability to scale both our databases and our web servers with little problem.

For you the user, you really shouldn't notice any changes in the way GolfStakes.com works. Everything should appear normal and work as advertised. We have had to make one change to the way you access the mobile site. Instead of typing "m.golfstakes.com" into your phones web browser we now as that you use "mob.golfstakes.com"

Other than that, have fun using GolfStakes.com!

GolfStakes.com facelift

After a month of hard work and testing I'm proud to announce that GolfStakes.com has launched a new version of the web site. A lot of thought as gone into how we built this new version of the site and I think we've made a great improvement in both appeal and usability.

The Home Page

When you first come to Golfstakes.com you will now notice that we have changed the way that a user logs into the site, navigates the site and is informed of the benefits of using the site.

 

On the left hand side we have given the user a quick login area. You simply need your user name and password to enter into the member areas of the site. If you do not have a username and password, registering for one is quick and painless. You are given two ways of getting to that area through the 'sign up is free' link on the left next the sign in block, or the 'register' link at the top right.

Logged in Home Page

Once you are logged in you are presented with your user dashboard.

Your user dashboard will have tabs where you can check our your scoring stats for your prior golf rounds, check to see which golf rounds you have coming up, check on your friends activity, and see a real time calculation of your handicap.

On the left where the login area was, you will now see a placeholder for you user avatar, and links to your user profile and to log out of the site.

Browse a course

To make it easier to just browse through our 18,000 plus golf courses we have made a link called 'Golf Courses' which will take you to a listing of all 50 states.

Simply clicking on one of these links will take you to the course results page preloaded with all golf courses from the selected state. You also have the ability to refine your search from the results page if you do not feel like digging through hundreds of search results.

User Profile

Your user profile is your personal presence on GolfStakes.com. This is where other players can see more information about you, see how you score and what your favorite courses are.

From this page, you also have the ability to update your profile or changes your login password.

Playing a round of golf

The main reason a user comes here is because they want to score a round of golf. We've now made it easier to start setting up a round, your groups, and your side games.

Three green buttons give you quick access to enter scores for the round all at once, see the current results of the round, and to add/edit/delete side games from your round. Two tabs divide up the round into the course information section and the players sections. Red buttons give you quick access to tutorial videos on how to complete any of the tasks necessary to make a golf round. Two more green buttons are on the page, one for search for a golf course and a second one for making this round into a tournament round. Remember the tournament number as this can be given to your friends and they too can join your round via the 'enter tournament' link accessible through the main menu.

Last  you see a save button. Clicking this button will create the round, save all associated specifics and enable you to start scoring.

Wrap up

We hope that you'll like the new look and feel of the site. There are more changes on the way. We're looking at bringing the home page and the user profile page together to make it quicker and easier for the user. We've got handicapping built in now for those that would like to have real time calculations. We're adding in a bucketful of statistics for those who like to see how they're doing on the greens. And we're looking to bring more features such as league play and group memberships to the site.

A List of our side games

In just the last few weeks we have added a great many side games to GolfStakes.com and I feel that we really have given much description to the users about them. So here we go.

All these side games can be played with or without handicapping.

 

Side Game Description

7 Point – There are 7 points per hole.  Point for lowest putts, 2 points for low Individual Score, 2 points for not having the highest score, point for closest to pin, point for birdie.

Abilene – 4 or 5 point game played 2 vs 2.  Point for closest to pin, point for low single score, point for low team total, point for low team putts.  On the 5 point there is an extra point for Long drive.  Some people also play with buckets.  Which means if you get all the points, you can add a point to your total, or double the points.

More Abilene Information

Best Ball – Simply the lowest score, you can assign the # of balls to use in best ball.  In 2 man teams you can set the best ball to 1 or 2.   If one, then it uses the lowest score on the team, if its 2 then it uses both scores together to determine the score.

Bingo-Bango-Bongo – Rather like Abilene, except it only uses 3 points.  Bingo – first person on the green.  Bango - the person closest to the pin.  Bongo – the first player to hole out.  This game also can also use buckets.  So if someone gets all 3 points, they can add a point to the score, or double the points.

More Bingo-Bango-Bongo Information

Birdies – Pretty straightforward.  You get a point for each birdie you make.  If you get 5 birdies and your buddy gets 2 birdies, then he owes you 3 points.

Chip Game – A little unusual.  You get a chip for certain feats, either good or bad.  You can decide what the values of those feats are worth, and the person holding the chip on the last hole get the points.  For instance, there is a chip for Birdies, and you set the point value for the Birdie.  If I get a birdie on hole 3, then I am holding the chip, if you get one 4, then you take the chip from me.  Whoever holds the chip on the last hole is the only one who gets points.  Chip games are ( 1 putt, 3 putt, Birdie, Chip In, Double Bogey, Eagle, Flagstick Putt, Lost Ball, Other, Out of Bounds, Par Par Par, Proximity, Sand, Sand Save, Trees, Triple Bogey, Unplayable Lie, Up and Down and Water Hazard.

More Chip Game Information

Custom Game – This game allows you to do whatever game you want.  You simply set points for each golfer while you are entering the scores for that user.  So whatever game you are playing, if we don’t have it, you can still keep track of it.

More Custom Game Information

Daytona – Daytona is played quite a few ways.  The way it’s implemented now is a winner take all.  You play on 2 man teams.  You scores are combined to form a 2 digit number, using the lowest score first.  If you and I are on a team and you shoot a 3 and I shoot a 4, then our score is 34.  If the other team shot a 5 and a 5, then there score is 55.  These scores are added through the whole round and the team with the lowest score is the winner.

Eagles – Just like birdies, except you get a point every time you make an eagle.

Hammer – One team has the hammer, they can hammer the other team whenever they want, which increments the value of the wager for that hole.  So if a hole is worth 5 points, and the hammer gets passed back and forth 3 times then the hole is worth 15 points.  Low score wins the hole.

Match Play – Pretty standard match play.  You get a point for winning the front nine and a point for back nine.  You aren’t playing for score, only playing for winning holes.  You can set the software up to autopress for you.  So when someone is 2 down it will automatically make a press, which is another side game starting at that hole.

Match Play 18 – Same as match play, except instead of having a point for the front nine and a point for the back, you play for all 18.

Nassau – Similar to match play, except you get a point for front, point for back and a point for overall.

Nine-Point – This is a good game to play with a threesome.    There are nine points on each hole.  If player1 beats player2 and player2 beats player3, then player1 gets 5 points, player2 gets 3 points, and player3 gets 1 point.  If two players tie for high score, then low player gets 5 points, and the other 2 get 2 points each.  If 2 players tie for low score, then they each get 4 points and the high score player gets 1 point.  Finally, if all 3 players tie, then they each get 3 points.  The score always adds up to 9 points.

Point Play – If players shoots a 2, they get 100 points, if the player shoots a 3 they get 5 points, if the player shoots a 4 they get 10 points and a 5 will get you 1 point.  This is played this way regardless of the par of the hole.

Skins – Standard skins game.  The player or team with the lowest score gets a point and win the hole.  Ties are moved to the next hole.  If we tied on hole 1, then hole 2 would be worth 2 points.

Skins No CarryOver – Same as skins except points do not carry over.  So if we tie on hole 1, then that point will never been assigned and hole 2 will be worth only 1 point.

Sows – This is a putting game.  A putt that is made longer than the flag stick is worth 2 points, if you 3 putt, then you give all the other players 1 point. ( Or you go negative 1. ).   Any birdie putt is a point.

Stableford – Bogies is worth 1 point, Par is worth 2 points, birdie is worth 3,  Eagle is worth 4, 3 under is worth 5.

Stroke – Standard stroke play.  Lowest score wins.

Stroke Match Play – It’s just like match play, except that each hole is worth the difference of our scores.  If I beat you by 2 strokes on 1, then hole 2 is valued as 2.  You still get 1 point for front and one point for back, but you get hurt more for blowing up on a hole since your difference is what is being recorded.  For instance, I win hole 1 and 2 by one stroke, you win hole 3 by 4 strokes.  In normal match play, I’d be one up on you.  In stroke match play, I’d actually be down 2 at that point.  You can press just like regular match plays with this game.

Train Wreck – This is a great roller coaster of a game.  1 point for bogie, 2 points for par, 3 for birdie, 4 for eagle, 5 for an albatross and 10 points for a hole in one.  However, if you shoot a double bogey, or get 2 bogeys in a row, then all your points are wiped out.  You could be winning handsomely going down 18, but if you double bogey 18, then you lose all your points.  It makes it really interesting when you have a lot of points and you bogey a hole.  Because you know that if you bogey the next hole you’ll lose your points.

More Train Wreck Information

Vegas – Very much like Daytona, except it’s not a winner takes all.  2 Person teams, your scores are combined to make your score,  I shoot a 3 and you shoot a 4, our team score would be 34.  When you total those all up then the difference is how many points you get.  For instance, if team one added scores were 350, and team 2 was 375, then team 2 is down 25 points to team 1.  You can also choose a few options, For instance, when you get a birdie, you can choose to double the points.  On an Eagle, you can choose to double, or triple the points.  You can also switch the opponents score when you get a birdie or an eagle.  So if your opponents got a 47, and you had the option on to switch their score when you got an eagle, then the score would flip to 74 if you got an eagle or better.

 

Wrap up

I know it can seem kind of daunting, but after playing just a few rounds with side games you will see what fun playing a round of golf can be.

An influx of new users

At the end of 2008 we have started to have an large number of new users join GolfStakes. Just to help the new community members along, I'm going to point out a few neat community features that we have.

Course Favorites

When you're on a course home page you should notice that there is a hyperlink up in the upper right hand corner that says "Add to My Favorites List". What this link does is take the course that you're currently viewing and adds it a quick pick list which shows up on a users profile.

When you view your own profile you have will see a list of Courses as hyperlinks and also the option to remove the course from your list. Click on the course name will take you to that courses home page. Clicking on the remove link will delete this course from your course list.

If you are viewing another person's profile, you will see a similar list of course name, but with just a hyperlink to that courses home page.

 

Leaving comments

Another community feature that we're offering to our members right now is the ability to add comments to courses.

At the bottom of course home page you will find a section for comments. You simply type in your comment and click the "Add Comment" link under the text box and the comment will be displayed on that course page. As an added feature, the user who made the comment is displayed with a hyperlink back to their user profile.

Creating Friends on GolfStakes.com

If you are on a users profile, and you find that you have similar tastes in golf courses, we have a feature that you will like.

On a users profile you should be able to find a link called "Add as a Friend". What this link will link you with the other user. You will then be able to see this user in your Friends List,

and on your User Dashboard.

Your friends list is where you can add and remove friends at will, while on the dashboard you can only add a friend. The friends name is a hyperlink that friends profile. On Your Dashboard, you can also see when your friends have last logged into GolfStakes.

Wrap up

That's it for now, hope you enjoy the community features of GolfStakes, and remember you can always make suggestions for new features in the GolfStakes.com forums.

User Statistics

Say that you've played a dozen or so golf rounds over the past month. You've used GolfStakes.com to score and record the rounds, but now you're wondering what you hole you made par on or how many rounds you've birdied on. Well now at GolfStakes.com you can see those statistics and more.

Introducing your stats page

As of today on GolfStakes.com you now have the ability to search over the past year for all instances of your golf scoring. You can see the type of scores, how many holes you've played, where you've made those scores at, which round you've scored on the exact date of the score, the exact hole along with the handicap, the par and distance of that hole.

As you can see we also offer and advanced view.

With the advanced view you have the ability to enter a custom date range (start date and end date) and then click on the type of score that you would like to see.

As you can see, that's a lot of information for you to see, but we hope that you can see the benefits of using GolfStakes.com to score your golf rounds.