NEWSFLASH

SignupSolutions' multiple pricing options

You can now create an online event registration with credit card processing for multiple payment options. Heretofore, you could create a registration form with one flat fee for the event. Now, in addition to the event fee, you can include other pricing options. Let's say you create an online golf tournament registration form with credit card payment. You can now add options including participation in side competitions such as skins, closest to the hole, and other offerings such as t-shirts, banquet, etc. Our Birdie and Eagle Packages include SignupSolutions.

Getting a busy signal when calling GolfSoftware.com technical support line?

You may have tried calling our technical support line at 919-460-1628 and received a busy signal. April and May are the busiest two months for technical support at GolfSoftware.com. If your issue is one that is easily described in an email, please send it to tech@GolfSoftware.com. We answer all technical support emails. It is also possible that you might find your answers - as your mother was prone to tell you - right under your nose. We have answers to an extensive list of the most common questions under the Help menu of your software and in our knowledge base. Please see how best to find product answers for your questions.

BACKUP & RESTORE

Dear Debbie

Our league secretary's wife doesn't make backups regularly. Our league has been playing together for years. She keeps track of all our scores and handicaps. How can I help her understand how important it is to make backups?

Scared in St. Louis

Dear 'Scared',

I trust y'all appreciate this lady. (Chocolate and flowers always make me feel appreciated!) Maybe she doesn't realize what a pain it would be to lose all that golf data. Surely, she would not want to re-enter all those scores and golfer information if/when her computer dies.

For more info, check out our knowledge base Backup Data article.

Making backups only takes a minute. Especially if you make one to the internet! All of GolfSoftware.com's program versions 2007 and later have this capability. If you've upgraded/purchased one of these later versions, we set aside room on our web server for you to make an internet backup for one year. If you'd like to make internet backups for another year, it's only $79.95 which also extends your email and website functions plus another 6 months of tech support.

Better safe than sorry,

Debbie

LEAGUE MANAGER

What player handicaps to use for event #1 of your new season?

What options do you have, as far as starting handicaps for your league play? Here are some we've heard:

everyone starts the first event as a scratch golfer (0 handicap)
type in the final handicap from last season
import scores from last season so that a handicap can be calculated to start this season
give everyone an "instantaneous" handicap to start the season using their first-round score
play the first three rounds for handicapping purposes and retroactively apply the handicap to the first three events
use a current handicap based on a program such as GolfSoftware.com's Handicap System
play practice rounds and enter those scores as practice scores to calculate a handicap

There are, to be sure, any number of options good and bad. What does your league do? Probably the simplest and most objective options from above are 3 and 6. The easiest of these two for League Manager users is option 3 as it requires no other software. Option 1 is not really what we would recommend as it is not necessarily fair, if a wide skill level exists among the players of your league. If you're going to type in the final handicap from last season, you might as well import last season's scores and let League Manager calculate a handicap for the first event. The fourth option is OK, but anyone can have a good or bad night that is far from what their true handicap would indicate.

LEAGUE MANAGER

Your league has odd number of teams

No matter how hard you try, sometimes you wind up with an odd number of teams signed up for your league or a team drops out and you're in the same predicament for scheduling. There are a number of options for dealing with odd number of teams. Read our knowledge base article titled, "Odd Number of Teams."

LEAGUE MANAGER

Does your league have exclusive cliques that don't play with each other!?

Some leagues have subgroups - could be flights by handicap, age, hair color, etc. - that only play within their subgroups; no inter-group play. You can do this in one of three ways: 1) create separate leagues, 2) create separate divisions within one league, or 3) create groups within one league. If you have substitutes which you share between the various groups, you want to use either the divisions or groups (options 2 or 3). If your schedule is complex, you will want to opt for different leagues or divisions. A complex schedule might include different start times for each group, different nines being played on the same day by different groups, etc. If you use the group method, please see "Pairing Teams in Groups" ("Team" can be a one person team).

WEB DESIGN TIPS

Web design tip #1 - Visitors to your website...want to count them?

For those of you who use Website Builder, do you want to know how many visits your website receives? With Website Builder in our Eagle Package, you can add a visible or invisible counter to most any page of your website. You might want to start with the Home page since that is where most people arrive at your website. You don't have to stop there, though. You can add it to all of your pages created within Website Builder, if you want. Find full instructions in our knowledge base.

Web design tip #2 - Why Word documents look different in Website Designer

While Microsoft provides the capability of saving a Word document in html format, it is often difficult for browsers (Internet Explorer, FireFox, etc.) to render the resulting page correctly. We recommend using either the Document or Spreadsheet page type in Website Designer to avoid these layout lapses. The Document page type works most like Word. Depending on your desired layout, you can try inserting a table and put all text within the cells of the table. This sample website is done mostly with the Document page type using tables. For more information on the Document page type and how to layout a page using tables, see Document Page Type. With Website Builder we offer a way to translate a Word document into a .pdf file and display it on your website. This does not work in Website Designer.

Web design tip #3 - Saving an Excel spreadsheet as a web page

This one's going to fool you a lot. It would seem a simple matter to save an Excel spreadsheet as a web page (html) to upload to Website save as web page Builder or Website Designer. When you save a spreadsheet, you have to make three decisions: 1] where to save it ("Save in:"), 2] what to name it ("File name:"), and 3] what format to save it in ("Save as type:"). Where the confusions comes is when you select "Web page" as the file type, most will miss the next step (it's very easy to miss). When you select "Web page" as the file type, you then have to tell Excel whether you are saving the "Entire Workbook" or the "Selection: Sheet." You must save only the Sheet; not the Workbook.

GOLFBYTE'S CUSTOMER WEBSITE RECOGNITION

Plantation Golf Association

Nice use of their own logo and a collection of eye-catching photos on the home page. The association has also taken advantage of the integrated event signup features of Website Builder in their "New Member signup" and "2009 Tournament Schedule and Signup" links. They organize their tournament results well on their results page. Easy for viewers to find information. Check them out.

gOLFBYTE'S BEST CUSTOMER WEBSITE PICTURE

Drive for show?

Go to Plantation Golf Association website and click on the "Cash and Prize Games" link. Funny! If you have a photo to share in this slot, please email your photo's website link.

GOLF QUOTATIONS

Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness.

- WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

Golf is a game in which you yell "fore," shoot six, and write down five.

- PAUL HARVEY

It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place the world is when one is playing golf.

- ROBERT LYND

GOLFBYTES NEWSLETTER

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