Site Announced Last Week Changes Name Following Surprise Announcement
CHARLESTON, S.C. – You’ve just hit a career 4-iron approach to within a few feet of the pin when a fox appears from the nearby trees, runs onto the green and steals your ball. What do you do?
“You don’t quit and go home,” said Mike Purkey, founder of a social networking website for golfers that was announced last week – one day before a major media conglomerate announced a similar concept with a strikingly similar name. “You put a new ball in play and continue your round.”
That’s what Purkey will do when LetsPlay36.net launches May 15 as the Internet’s only social networking website specifically designed for and dedicated to golfers.
LetsPlay36.net will feature the same member services and content outlined when Purkey announced what was to be Golf-Nation.net on April 22. All LetsPlay36.net features and services are completely free to anyone who registers for the site.
“I wanted to rename the site ‘We-decided-not-to-mess-with-Sports-Illustrated.com.’ But that won’t fit on a golf ball,” said Purkey, himself a veteran golf journalist with more than 25 years in the business. “Besides, I learned a long time ago to never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. That’s true, even in today’s Internet era.”
With golfers, golf professionals and investors eager to buy stock in the private venture, Purkey said renaming the site is actually a stroke of good fortune.
“LetsPlay36.net is a better name than the original. It is short, easy to remember and, best of all, it promotes the game. What’s more, LetsPlay36 is more than simply a page on an already existing social website. It is an entire website dedicated to golfers and their passion for the game.”
Purkey said the site’s slogan, “One Game. One World,” reflects the belief he has held since learning to play golf as a boy on a public course in a small textile town in North Carolina – that golfers the world over are the most loyal fans of any sport. The goal of LetsPlay36.net is to connect those golfers.
“At LetsPlay36.net, we’re enthusiastic about golf and believe that everyone who loves the game should play more,” Purkey said. “We want golf to flourish and grow and we’ve designed the site to help golfers meet and, hopefully, play more rounds.
“We also know how much golfers like to talk about the courses they’ve played, the clubs that make their game better, even the shot that broke their hearts. LetsPlay36.net has a comprehensive menu of benefits and opportunities that will appeal to golfers all over the world.”
At LetsPlay36.net, members complete a player profile that identifies them by hometown, home club, handicap and age. Members will also list the day or days of the week they regularly prefer to play. Members can then search the site for possible playing partners, based on any combination of profile criteria, whether traveling, relocating or simply looking for a game in their own hometown. No other site offers such a service.
“How many times have you been traveling and, because a meeting is canceled or your plans change, you suddenly find you have some free time,” Purkey explained. “With LetsPlay36.net, you can go to the site, type in a town and a date and see who might be available and arrange a game. You can even customize your search by age, handicap range, even a specific course you may want to play – or any combination of criteria. Once you’ve searched the database, you can contact other members through the website and arrange a game.”
Purkey pointed out that LetsPlay36.net is careful to protect the privacy of its members. For that reason, no member will be asked for a home address during registration. And because members will contact other members through the site, their personal e-mail addresses will not be available to others online.
Further, golfers seeking information about new clubs will be able to find golfers all over the world who already have the same clubs in their bags. They can ask for and receive feedback and automatically have a retail partner from which to purchase new equipment.
Another service of LetsPlay36.net provides free travel planning and booking for members. Members simply complete a brief form and their golf getaway anywhere in the world, including lodging and starting times, will be arranged without the member having to even pick up the phone. Again, the service is completely free to members.
Members also have the opportunity to blog and respond to blogs about every golf topic imaginable. The ability to share opinions with others in a golfers-only forum is designed to open lines of communication unique to site members.
Plus, with regularly updated editorial content, members will be kept abreast of the latest golf equipment and will read reviews of great golf destinations – from the most popular resorts to hidden gems. And in content unique to LetsPlay36.net, members can read regular columns devoted to both rules and etiquette of the game.
Finally, opinion pieces from award-winning writers will be certain conversation starters whether it’s in grillrooms or at LetsPlay36.net’s own blogspot.
A veteran of more than 25 years as a golf journalist, Purkey is a former senior editor of one of golf’s largest national magazines and a past president of the Golf Writers Association of America. He has co-authored two books, including Playing A Round With The Little Pro with renowned teaching pro Eddie Merrins. He has won two national writing awards presented by the GWAA and three from the International Network of Golf. He also has collaborated with a number of touring pros and golf experts on countless magazine features and columns.
“We all know that regardless of where we play, golfers are all members of one big club,” Purkey said in the original April 22 announcement. “Why not have an online clubhouse where we can all meet and do the same things we do every time we sit down in the 19th hole with our buddies – arrange our next games, talk equipment and put together golf outings with our friends.”
To become a LetsPlay36.net member, simply go to the website on May 15 and complete your player profile. You will immediately be eligible to use all the services available at the site and connect with golfers everywhere.
Contact:
Reid Nelson
Reid Nelson Promotions
Phone: 843-795-1778