Another Week Done — And Somehow There’s Still More To Do

Another week is nearly done.

Which means, naturally, I have absolutely no idea where the last seven days went.

There’s been more coding, more background work on the app, more ideas appearing at stupid o’clock in the morning, more Dog Shot Golf T-shirts getting printed and more caps being packed up and posted.

And somewhere amongst all of that, the Golf Trips & Stag Dos mode has started to feel properly close.

Which is both exciting and slightly terrifying.

Because eventually you have to stop saying “this is going to be brilliant” and actually let people use the bloody thing.

Will anyone actually use it?

This is the question.

I genuinely don't know.

And that's probably the most interesting part of building something from scratch.

The idea behind the trips and stag dos mode is pretty simple: take a group of golfers away for a weekend, give them another reason to care about what's happening on the course, and turn all those ridiculous little moments that normally get forgotten into part of the story.

Because let's face it, the winner isn't always the person who shoots the lowest score.

Sometimes the bloke who hits three trees, loses two balls, duffs a chip and somehow finishes the round with a smile deserves a bit of recognition too.

That's basically the Dog Shot Golf philosophy.

Golf is better when everyone's involved.

And group golf trips are perfect for that.

Golf trips are already built around competition, banter and trying to create stories you'll still be talking about six months later. The trick is finding games and formats that keep everyone involved, particularly when you've got a group with wildly different handicaps. That's one of the recurring challenges when people plan golf weekends.

So that's what I'm trying to build.

Not another serious golf scoring app.

Something a bit more ridiculous.

Something for the “we're not winning The Open, mate” end of golf.

What actually makes a good golf trip?

It's probably not just the golf.

A good golf trip needs competition, but it also needs something for the bloke who's having an absolute mare.

It needs games.

It needs banter.

It needs stories.

And, ideally, it needs at least one moment where someone says:

“There's no fucking way you just did that.”

That's where I'm hoping Dog Shot Golf fits in.

Whether it's a golf stag do, a weekend away with the lads, a mates' golf trip or just four people trying to make 18 holes slightly more interesting, I want the app to give you something extra to play with.

There are already loads of different golf formats that work well for groups — scramble, best ball, shamble, match play and plenty more.

But I don't necessarily want to replace those.

I want to sit alongside them.

Play whatever golf format you like.

Then let the Dog Shot stuff happen alongside it.

Because the best golf trips aren't necessarily remembered for the final score.

They're remembered for what happened.

And yes… I've been coding again

A ridiculous amount of the work happens where nobody can see it.

That's the slightly strange thing about building an app.

You can spend hours changing something that the user will never consciously notice.

Move something three pixels.

Change a calculation.

Fix something that only happens when someone presses a particular button after doing something else that nobody would normally do.

Then spend an evening staring at a screen wondering why something has decided to turn itself upside down.

But it's getting there.

The trips and stag dos mode is getting close enough now that I'm starting to think about the important question:

Will it actually be fun?

Because that's the test.

Not whether the code works.

Not whether it looks clever.

Not whether I can explain the idea for 20 minutes.

Will four mates on a golf trip actually want to use it?

That's what I need to find out.

And then there's the merchandise...

While all of that has been happening, there's also been more T-shirts printed and more caps going out.

Which is another slightly surreal part of Dog Shot Golf.

One minute I'm sat staring at code.

The next I'm printing T-shirts.

Then I'm packing caps.

Then I'm thinking about an app feature.

Then I'm writing something down at midnight because I've had another idea.

Then I'm wondering why I ever thought starting a golf business was going to be relaxing.

It isn't.

But I'm enjoying it.

Even when my brain refuses to switch off.

Especially when it comes up with something that might actually be worth building.

Tomorrow I have to actually play golf

Which could be interesting.

I've spent plenty of time recently talking about golf.

Thinking about golf.

Building things around golf.

Writing about golf.

Designing things for golfers.

And tomorrow I'm actually going to have to hit a golf ball.

I'm expecting to be stiff.

I'm expecting to be rusty.

I'm expecting at least one shot that makes me question every decision I've ever made.

Basically, I'm expecting a normal round.

And that's probably exactly what I need.

Because it's very easy when you're building something for golfers to forget the most important bit:

you actually have to go and play the game.

So tomorrow I'll get back out there, see how the swing is feeling, probably lose something important, hit at least one truly horrible shot and hopefully hit one good enough to convince me I should carry on.

Then it's back to the app.

Because we're getting close.

Golf Trips & Stag Dos mode is nearly ready.

Will people use it?

Will it be fun?

Will anyone care?

Who knows.

That's the exciting bit.

But if you've got a golf trip, stag do or weekend with the lads coming up, I'd genuinely love to know what you would want from it.

What would make a golf trip more fun?

What games do you already play?

What would you actually use on the course?

And, most importantly…

What ridiculous golf achievement deserves to be recognised on a stag do?

Let me know.

Because there's still time to build the madness in.

Bad shots. Good mates. Great days.

That's the plan.