GCA published

[Jordan Wall]

What if GCA.com made our own magazine.

With our own ratings, course pictures, and articles?

Would people read it?
How seriously would our lists be compared to GD?
Because, obviously, the GD cause a stir, at least here.

[Jordan Wall]

Just thinking , wouldnt GCA have enough members that have played enough courses to set up a panel or rating?

Im sure as a GCA group we have played about all courses imaginable..

[Rick Shefchik]

I nominate Barney to administer the ratings panel.

[Mike_Sweeney]

I nominate Barney to administer the ratings panel.

I nominate Jordan to put up the money to fund it.

[cary lichtenstein]

Great idea, but probably a thin architecture junkie market out there and a pretty crowded field of competitors.

It could be done...look at the success of the new publications like Golf Connoisseur.

Besides architecture, what would be your primary focus to capture the advertisers?

[Jeff_Mingay]

Mike Sweeney beat me to it! Who would pay for publication?

In some ways, GolfClubAtlas.com is basically an online magazine... the In My Opinion, Course review, and Feature Interview sections anyway.

Jordan: See Neil Crafter's and Paul Mogford's Golf Architecture journal from Australia; and the relatively new Golf Course Architecture magazine edited by Adam Lawrence published in the UK.

They beat you to it, and probably have the tiny, tiny advertising market available for such publications cornered!  

[Rick Shefchik]

Jeff is right -- this is an on-line magazine, and as a recent refugee from the print media, I can say fairly confidently that the migration from paper to cyberspace is just beginning. We're cutting edge here...

That said -- and I hesitate to even bring this up -- a Golf Club Atlas list of best/favorite/most-coveted-access golf courses could certainly be created among the cognoscenti here.

I'm pretty sure this idea has been kicked around here before, and kicked out to the curb -- probably because Ran wouldn't want anything to do with it. But it could be done.

[Dan Kelly]

It could be done...look at the success of the new publications like Golf Connoisseur.

I took my first look just the other day -- the issue with Cape Kidnappers (I think) on the cover.

About 10% golf, 90% connoisseur, it seemed to me.

[cary lichtenstein]

Dan:

Count the full page ads

Cary

[Jim Nugent]

How much traffic does GCA.com get each day/week/month?  

[Dan Kelly]

Dan:

Count the full page ads

Cary

I don't believe the magazine is still in my possession.

Shall do, if I can find it.

What do you expect me to learn therefrom?

[Nyk Pike]

What about a D.I.Y. 'zine? (ah the college years)

[SB]

The ranking's credibility may be suspect with TD and C&C each getting 10 of the top 20.

[Rick Shefchik]

Not sure that would happen, but even if it did, I don't know that it would damage the credibility of a GCA ranking list. Rather, I think the results -- whatever they were -- would simply reflect this site's consensus tastes.

After all, Sand Hills, Pacific Dunes and Friar's Head are pretty good courses, no?

[Todd Rohrer]

You know, I've never posted before, but I've been following the site since the illustrious Peter Pittock pointed me to it years ago.  Thanks to Ran (I hope!) for adding me to the, um, distinguished list of current members...
I've managed clubs, and am still in the golf industry, and I've always looked at the whole ranking thing with a jaundiced eye.  Fun to read, maybe, but I wish I was capable of explaining to someone exactly why Cypress Point is a little "better" or "worse" than Pine Valley...
So without endorsing the idea of publishing a GCA list, I'd suggest that if it happens, we group the courses in 9's, and then list them in alphabetical order...
Love the site, and thanks to so many people who write so seriously about things that are really important to our game; everyday, it seems, I talk with someone on the phone who ends up admitting to "GCA lurking" as a guilty pleasure.

[Dan Kelly]

Dan:

Count the full page ads

Cary

I don't believe the magazine is still in my possession.

Shall do, if I can find it.

What do you expect me to learn therefrom?

Found the magazine, buried on my desk.

Counted the ads.

116-page magazine.

Approximately 35 pages of normal display advertising.

5-page "special advertising section."

1 page of advertising for the magazine.

2 pages I couldn't figure out: editorial or advertising? (Editorial, I think.)

Now, what was I supposed to learn from that?

[cary lichtenstein]

That they are making alot of money

[Dan Kelly]

That they are making alot of money

I was the editor of a magazine, once upon a time, that looked as prosperous as Golf Connoisseur -- and was losing money hand over fist.

I'm not saying that Golf Connoisseur is losing money hand over fist, because I have no idea how it's doing. Perhaps you do -- but the appearance of prosperity can be, as I'm sure you already know, quite deceiving.