When I started this blog back in 2004 it was entirely for my love of the game. HOG was intended to be and still is a great outlet for commentary on everything from golf course architecture to equipment to solving the shanks.
As the blog grew the overhead grew with it. Overhead would be hosting expenses, travel expenses (PGA Merchandise Show etc), and so on. I was actually kicked off many shared servers because the site sucked up all the bandwidth. As a result, I had to get my own dedicated server which is considerably more expensive. Because of operational costs like the dedicated server, I started taking on ads to offset the costs.
Despite the site’s visitors and readers increasing every year since it began, ad revenue has dropped, big. I’m talking 80-90%. Why? Part of the reason is the decline in the golf industry, but a large reason is Google. Google changes their search algorithms and/or policies and that has a big effect on ad revenue. One type of ad may become taboo, like text links. Text links used to be a nice revenue source for a few years. Recently however, I’ve actually had golf companies who paid for months or years in advance email and ask to have their links removed because changes in Google’s algo means those links hurt them more then helping them.
The net result is that I’ve cancelled all text link ads. Google ads are still producing, but at 1/10 of what they did two years ago. As a single, independent blogger without the budget or SEO team large golf sites have, I can’t spend all my time trying to figure out the latest change in advertising and search algorithms.
I’ve thought of cancelling all ads entirely but that would mean I’d be operating in a hole. Well, I should say more of a hole.
Over the years I’ve declined hundreds of requests for online casino or gambling ads. I’ve also declined paid post types of ads. I still receive many requests for these types of ads and can’t help thinking that my Google revenue is nearly worthless as it is so why not try them for a time and see what happens?
So I pose these questions:
Would an online casino, sports betting, or gambling type of ad turn you away or diminish your opinion of the website?
Would an occasional and clearly marked “advertorial” post turn you away or diminish your opinion of the website?
I have every intention of keeping HOG up and running for many years to come. An activity which takes up so much of my time which could be spent with my family or actually playing golf should cover its own costs and hopefully produce some fruit. The golf gods know I’ve been sewing seeds for years.
While staying at the fabulous Sandals Emerald Bay all-inclusive resort last week, I spent a couple of days on the Greg Norman designed Emerald Reef Golf Course. I’ve just uploaded a batch of photos of the course to the new HOG Emerald Reef photo gallery for you to check out.
Par-4 14th Green – click for more
I even captured a couple of photos with my small aerial photo/video multirotor quadcopter (also known as a drone) as you can see in the photo below. The lighting wasn’t great due to stormy weather, so the drone pictures aren’t as good as they could be.
Most of the back nine at Emerald Reef, Exuma, Bahamas – click to zoom
Enjoy the photos for now, and tune in later for my full Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Course review.
The Hooked On Golf Blog World Tour spent most of the week last week at the fabulous Sandals Resorts Emerald Bay property on the island of Exuma in the Bahamas. I’ve now added a large batch of photos of the resort and its many offerings, even some photos from my drone (see picture below).
Sandals Emerald Bay From Above – click for more
There is no way I could capture photographically everything Sandals Emerald Bay offers, but the gallery should give you a good idea if you are planning a caribbean trip, or a Bahamas trip. There are even photos of the awesome caribbean drinks!
Sandals Emerald Bay Mail Pool at Night – click for more
Enjoy the Sandals Emerald Bay photos for now, and stay tuned for my full review soon.
Greetings from the beautiful Sandals Emerald Bay on the island of Exuma in the Bahamas. I’m here to review the resort, the on-site Greg Norman designed golf course, and to play in a two day tournament. Internet connectivity here is as consistent as my short game, meaning it works only about 25% of the time and even then it is sketchy.
Cue the cue the Pink Floyd
Yesterday marked an activity I’ve never done before and will never forget, swimming with the pigs. There’s an island here where pigs roam, and when traveling boats come by the pigs jump into the water hoping to get fed. Very fun, and entertaining experience. I’m uploading a video to YouTube now, but with the bad internet here, it could take 247 years to finish. So enjoy the photo above and tune back into this post for the video later.
I’ve been happy with the performance of my Golf Pride CP2 Wrap grips, but due to my tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow I have to switch to a softer grip. Thanks to the kind folks at UST Mamiya I’m going to test out their Soft Touch line of golf grips. These grips limit vibration through the use of advanced technology and polyurethane materials. Polyurethane is the same material found on the cover of high performance golf balls which makes them softer and produces more spin.
UST Mamiya Soft Touch Golf Grips
It will take a month or so of on-course playing and testing before I’m ready for a full review of these grips. I’ve gone with a mid-size on these, as it seems to be a consensus that the bigger size helps with the tendonitis as well. I hope to report that they keep the tennis and golfer’s elbow at bay, and perform well. I have confidence that they will. Stay tuned.
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