I’ve made a new buddy over the last few weeks. My buddy Paul from MyGolfBuddy.com is a cool cat. He started up a web site for hooking up golfers with each other. There are “prettier” sites out there yes, but from a raw functionality standpoint MyGolfBuddy works as well or better than any other out there.
A short interview with Paul from MyGolfBuddy.com:
What is mygolfbuddy.com and what are the key features?
MyGolfBuddy.com is a public access local golf partner search engine. You can use it for free to find golfers nearby that are looking for a game. The search capability allows you to preselect the type of golfer you want to connect with. Limit searches by age, gender, handicap, playing habits (ride or walk, weekends or weekday ) and a whole lot more! Search results or sorted by proximity, with the golfers closest to you appearing at the top of the list. We currently have over 6850 searchable golfer profiles, and many new golfers join daily!
There is a local course guide and local golf playing conditions forecast brought to you in conjunction with weather.com. Mygolfbuddy also provides you with free USGA handicapping and has local USGA golf clubs that host local golf outings for members and confers an official USGA handicap index(tm).
Why did you decide to start MGB and was it hard to get it rolling?
MyGolfbuddy was started in response to a need by one of the founders. He had just begun to play golf, and didn’t know many other golfers. In the area that he lived, there was a large non-English speaking population. When he walked on as a single he kept getting paired with people that spoke little or no English. When he did get paired with English speaking golfers, the experience was much more enjoyable. He knew that he wasn’t alone with this situation. This led him to think about other characteristics that influence the golf partner experience, like walking or riding, male or female, handicap, weekends vs. weekdays, etc… The website developed from there.
It has never been hard to get people to sign up, as the service we provide is needed by many people, especially new golfers. The main issue is getting the public exposure.
How long has MGB been online?
We’ve been online since February of 2005.
What is unique about your search features vs other sites?
Our search engine is specifically designed to make it easy to connect with golfers in your area to get local knowledge and arrange for a game of golf. From what I have seen, our site is the only one that sorts the partner search results by location, which makes it easy to find local golf action. This is a key feature that our members value highly, as they can’t easily find that functionality elsewhere online. Also, our site has powerful advanced search capabilities that allows you to limit your search results by desired golfer attribute.
What about the USGA handicap?
We offer free USGA handicapping services for our members. We have an in-house USGA compliant handicap that members can use for free to track their game and improve. All MyGolfBuddy members can use our system to post scores and track their scoring differentials. Members can also get an official USGA handicap card and index by joining a local MyGolfBuddy USGA golf club. We currently have licensed clubs in New York and L.A., with new clubs now forming in Seattle, Savannah and San Francisco. It only takes 10 golfers to form a local club,and we work directly with the USGA and our membership in that area to streamline the process.
This feature has become wildly popular since we introduced it in June. Hundreds of courses and thousands of rounds have been posted by our members, and the usage is steadily increasing.
What are your plans for the future of MGB or any new ventures?
Right now we are focusing on building our network of local USGA golf clubs, and also on developing new strategic alliances with other golf related websites and with traditional golf businesses. We will be implementing some major changes to the site homepage in the next couple of weeks, that we think will stimulate many new signups. Also, a little further down the line we will be implementing member to member text messaging services.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
Nice site I like it. The search found a dozen or so golfers in my area – well done!