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Sony Open In Hawaii - Fantasy Golf League Results
This week's contest as an official event was terminated because the prize fund did not reach the minimum threshold. Entrants into the Sony Open in Hawaii contest will be credited with entry into the Bob Hope Classic. The results submitted were tabulated from this event and are as follows:
Winner Selections:
- Brendon de Jonge - $11,495
- Harrison Frazar - $0
- Zach Johnson - $111,375
- Matt Kucher - $0
- Mark Leishman - $61,820
The winner totaled $184,690 in player earnings out of a possible $2,422,750. Possible is calculated by totaling earnings from the actual top five tournament results and are as follows:
- Ryan Palmer - $990,000
- Robert Allenby - $594,000
- Steve Stricker - $374,000
- Retief Goosen - $264,000
- Charles Howell III - $200,750
These results are a closer representation of what I expected for an event. Last week's results from the SBS Open in Hawaii were skewed because the field was limited. This week we see more of the top PGA players returning to the field. Picking contenders familiar with top finishes will help with weekly selections.
Of interest is Charles Howell III finished in the top five last year and was not selected by anyone this week.
Our next event is the Bob Hope Classic.
For this event I'll be looking at the defending champ, Pat Perez, along with Chad Campbell. Chad finished respectfully last week and has done well here in the past. I also like Tim Clark and Brian Gay in my five this week. Although still undecided on my final selection, Ryan Palmer and Charles Howell III are both hot and one of them could finish out my picks. Although my picks don't count in final standings I enjoy getting in the mix.
Good Luck!
The Commissioner
Man O'Golf
Fantasy Golf Picks - Sony Open
With a full field of PGA Professionals teeing it up this week player selections become more difficult than last week's event.
Clearly less stategy is required for our fantasy golf format but it still requires some research on your part. Following past tournament results is a good start. I like to look at both recent event standings as well as lasts years results.
Following a hot player from week to week is never a bad idea. For this reason I like to look at the most recent tournament results. Viewing last years result from the same venue clues you in to which players have a comfort level with the course. Professionals are fond of familiar settings just like the rest of us. If they have placed well in past years there is a good chance of similar results.
Using this simple approach will likely yield favorable results for our format of picking 5.
For those users that like to read what others are thinking try a simple web search for "fantasy golf picks". One blog that steadily posts selections is http://blogs.golf.com/fantasy_golf/ and this week is no different. I recommend bookmarking their site and check in every week. That's what I do!
Good luck!
The Commissioner
Man O'Golf
Fantasy Golf League Results - SBS Championship
Congratulation to this seasons first winner; user - Warren
User Selections:
- Paul Casey - $160,000
- Sean O'Hair - $300,000
- Kenny Perry - $208,333
- Geoff Ogilvy - $1,120,000
- Steve Stricker - $160,000
Warren totaled $1,948,333 with his player selections narrowly topping the second place finisher. The difference was $100,000 between first and second place.
An interesting result is all entrants selected Sean O'Hair as one of their 5 players.
Now that our first event is concluded there are some decisions to make. Like where should the results be posted? For now they are listed on the 2010 PGA Tour Schedule Page. After thinking it over for a bit I'll come up with something that makes sense.
Our next event is the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Good Luck!
The Commissioner
Man O'Golf
Website Instruction Video Posted - Fantasy Golf Sign Up Procedure
The video which instructs new users through sign up and player selection process is finally done. But the monkey is not completely off my back.
There are a hundred different ways to host videos on a site since I last produced one, which was a long time ago. The method I used is so old school it may not be recognizeable by anyone. But like most things old school it still works just fine.
I spent the morning looking through a few popular options for video hosting and should have something fresh in place soon, or whenever I feel like it. I forgot how much effort goes into producing one of those things and to be honest, I'm feeling a little burt out right now.
The advertising on Yahoo Search seems to be going well. There is some interest in the fantasy golf league but only one new member since starting the campaign. Next move is hit the local golf courses with advertisement flyers. Called a few people I know for help as well.
With so many other fantasy golf leagues out there getting the message through is like waging battle. Ahh, but I know persistence wins the war. Never give up.
Once again the call goes out to members to let others know. The affiliate program will pay you for your efforts; $5 for each referral that becomes a member.
Good day and good luck!
The Commissioner
Man O'Golf
Our Site Went Down
My sincerest apologies. Our server went down for over fifteen hours beginning yesterday afternoon. This was an extraordinary occurrence and was totally my hosts fault. I love them as a host and have never experienced anything like this before. But like everything in life; things happen.
My obvious fear is everyone thinking "great there goes my money to another scam. The webmaster collected some money from unsuspecting members then ran off". I want to reassure you quite the opposite is true. I am fully committed to the success of this league and will continue to establish a strong foothold in the fantasy golf league community.
I read some surprising news yesterday. CBS Sports is ending their fantasy golf league along with their NASCAR league. A Fantasy NASCAR League is a future endeavor for me. The backbone of this site is constructed in such a way that will apply to a number of sports interests.
Just this week I've been thinking about starting a European tour fantasy golf league. There are plenty of fans supporting that tour and they deserve a league as well. Keep an eye out for a link to that league in the near future. I am still contemplating if I should develop a whole new site or keep it here. Building a new site would actually be easier but then I would have two marketing campaigns to stay on top of. Keeping it here would require a whole new structure that separates the two tours. What to do?
Please share your opinion on the start of a European league. I'm quite interested to learn if has viable support.
Again, I am sorry for the service disruption but all is well again.
The Commissioner
Man O'Golf
SBS Championship - First 2010 Fantasy Golf League Event
First I wish to thank the new members and contestants for signing up to this years first event. Good luck to all!
As expected the entry form countdown and expiration worked perfectly. If you were caught in the process and unable to complete registration and player selections you can't say I did not warn you ;)
Any registrations occurring after the form expiry will automatically roll into next week's event. Pretty cool feature eh?
For now we sit back and wait until Sunday afternoon to announce the winner.
Tomorrow, Friday Jan 8, 2010, next weeks entry form will be published for the next event, the Sony Open in Hawaii.
I see potential members out there doing last minute searches for Fantasy Golf Leagues and personally extend an invitation into our community. The start of the 2010 season took some by surprise. After this weekend fans will become aware PGA tournament golf has begun for 2010.
Check out the affiliate referral program. With only two referrals you pay for the annual membership and help grow the weekly prize fund. Everyone wins!
The Commissioner
Man O'Golf
Man O'Golf Affiliate Program
You can earn $5 for every referral that becomes an annual member. Instructions for the affiliate program and what is required to become an affiliate is posted on the affiliate program page.
Our goal is give away large cash prizes for the fantasy golf league each and every week of the PGA tournament season. If giving away cash for referrals helps build the membership I am all for it, whatever it takes.
For now the best method of referring a new member is with an email to your friends, family, collegues, and fellow golfers. Included a link to your affiliate account in the email and watch for confirmed sales posted in your affiliate area.
Additional creatives will soon be posted to the affilate center which are suitable for websites.
Good day and good luck!
The Commissioner
Man O'Golf
SBS Championship Starts Jan 7, 2010
Happy New Year!
The 2010 PGA Tournament Season is finally upon us. Play begins next week and first on the roster is the SBS Championship.
The Fantasy Golf League entry form is "live" and will close at precisely 06:00:00 on Thursday Jan 07, 2010. There is plenty of time to get signed up and enter our first official contest. I recommend signing up sooner than later. First time entrants are required to create a user profile, pay annual membership and entry fee (green fees).
The process takes about ten minutes, more or less. Waiting until the last moment is not recommended. The entry form will expire as stated and it would be a shame if you missed entering because the remaining time left was spent taking care of admin stuff instead of selecting your picks. Please be proactive and leave the procrastinating to chores.
Since the field for this event is small, 28 players, it may come down to a tie breaker. The tie breaker is determined by selecting the player you guess will win the tournament. However the odds of selecting the correct top five in a field of twenty eight are quite high so a tie is possible but improbable. Only time will tell how this tournament sizes up against your picks.
As I write this post there are only a handful of contestants. I truly regret not spending more time getting the word out. Hopefully last minute efforts will grow the user list and prize fund. There is no doubt the prize funds will grow every week as the season progresses but it would be nice if we could start the season with a respectable prize. Any help spreading the news about our Fantasy Golf League from current members is truly appreciated. Our goal is weekly prizes of $1000 but can only happen when enough users are entering every week. Get you friends, real life and virtual, on board and let's make this happen!
Next venue is the Sony Open in Hawaii. So you know a little more about how this works the PGA players must commit to a tournament by registering. For regular season events the players have until 5 p.m. ET on the Friday of the week preceding the tournament to officially commit to playing.
Our selection form does not go live until after that time. The selection form closes on Thursday 06:00:00 ET the week of the tournament leaving roughly five and a half days between publish and unpublishing the form to make your selections. Please remember you can edit your selections at any time before the form closes. Changing your mind is human nature and planning for change was always a part of the site infrastructure.
Until I post again, good day and good luck.
Man O'Golf
Site Development Update
Counting down to the new 2010 Fantasy Golf Season and I’m excited.
Preparing the website took far longer than anticipated but I think it turned out pretty fine. For the first time I undertook building an entire Drupal site from scratch, well almost. The brilliant work of Jeff Burnz and Adaptive Themes provided the backbone and really all that was left was a bit of polishing. This is as close as I have ever been to building my own platform. In all, a triumph with its own set of rewards.
If anyone was peering in during construction you would have noticed three different versions. After the second version I swore it was finished. Then I tore it down and decided against a pre-built template and took the plunge into the deep end of design. The beauty is now I have something to call my own and can quickly rework it into many other layouts and designs. This was desired for a very long time now and building this site provided that opportunity.
Great, so how is site traffic? Are enough visitors stopping by anticipating the upcoming season? Are prize funds going to be enough to keep interest alive?
The short answer is traffic is almost non-existent. Truth is if it were not for the bots from China the site access logs would look dismal. My fault for not following through with regular posts and updates from the world of golf. Stating I was busy building the site is a lame excuse. There was nothing stopping me from taking a break once in awhile to do a little marketing. I am an undisciplined writer and make no claim other than.
The next step is push hard on marketing. I choose to travel the easy route for now and will start paid advertising. Google sent a credit for pay per click adverting and that will help get the ball rolling. PPC is a good way to spread the word fast but can leave you penniless if approached incorrectly. Fortunately I know enough to keep it reasonable and squeeze the most out of every dollar. Actually it’s a game I enjoy playing and can do it well.
Other pursuits include banner adverting, asking help from other online marketers I know, and a little local work. I know enough golfers that already play in other fantasy golf leagues and one more will be good for them.
Well that is the update on the site from the developer side. Please let me know what you think of the site. A video which walks through the sign up and player selection process was promised and will be delivered soon. It should help new members quickly step along the path to their first entry.
Wishing everyone a happy holiday season and a very Merry Christmas.
Man O’Golf
Fantasy Golf League Results - Inaugural Address
Wow. I would like to thank all those that registered and participated in our first event - both of you :-) My neighbor was very excited to learn he won. As promised a sleeve of Titleist golf balls was ceremoniously delivered. We laughed it up over a cold brew.
All kidding aside I really didn't expect anyone outside of my immediate circle of friends to show up. It is very difficult anymore, nearly impossible, for a new website to gain recognition of any king in the search engines. It's a waiting game. I'll keep posting to the blog about the site and what we are about in hopes of receiving traffic. Getting a site recognized by search engines in not magical, difficult, or held in secrecy by a few. It takes disciplined work and the willingness to write and post, and write and post, and write....Something I loath but understand its importance (if you wish to become guest writer let me know, the welcome mat is out!)..
My goal of entertaining fellow golfers with a Fantasy Golf League that is so simple anyone can participate is complete. I believe the site is ready and functioning well within my vision. The email issues were a taller hurdle than anticipated but in the end does what is expected. Every user gets an email of their golfer selections and a link back to the page where it is possible to change selections as many times as desired until entry cutoff. The email format will likely change from a blah plain text message to something else before long but for now it works so changes can wait.
Crunching results data is thoroughly tried and tested. This is a major component of the backend behind the scene geeky stuff that makes the site run and was the biggest challenge. Conquering major milestones is very rewarding and this day was no different. Instead of celebrating on the links like I should have, I ate lunch and relaxed on the back patio for a while. Not much of a bash, but I was satisfied.
I'm undecided about running any more leagues this year. If interest is peaked there will be a few more, but instead I will probably turn my focus toward glamorizing the sites appearance. Apparently shades of black, and brown with white text is boring. Although black backgrounds consume less energy than white they are wildly unpopular. Time to find that design hat and put it on for a couple of weeks. I appreciate color as much as anyone but black and white is much easier for lazy folks like me.
On a final note, check out the new poll. The survey asks a favorable entry fee point. I assumed $10 was inexpensive but maybe not. Please respond with your opinion. If popular demand is $5, or maybe $20 is the number, I'll make the change. Also possible is different tiers of the league. For those that want to play for free I may do that as well. I would rather avoid free but if a sponsor wants to step in and award prizes for that level of play I'll do it!.
My unsolicited tip of the day:
A finely honed short game will drive your opponent nuts.
Man O'Golf
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