Restarting the Sand Trap Podcast?

[iacas]

A long while ago, we had a Podcast here at The Sand Trap.

Heck, we did 129 episodes… http://thesandtrap.com/b/podcasts .

I'm considering starting it up again (in January), but I don't have a set format in mind. This site, it's no secret, is primarily about playing golf. We don't get into equipment quite as much as other sites, mostly because @mvmac and I aren't the biggest golf gear heads around.

So the poll asks two questions, but I'd like to ask everyone to elaborate on their answers here in a post/comment.

Other questions I'd like you to answer (if you vote "Yes"):

• Should we have a "member of the week" on the podcast to join in the discussions?
• How often should we publish a podcast? How long should the podcast be? Quick-hitting nine-minute segments? Longer but less frequent 45-minute jobs?
• What should we call the podcast?

[mchepp]

I said yes, because I listen to many different podcasts (NPR stuff, Chelsea stuff, Local News) and there aren't very many good ones on golf. 

• Should we have a "member of the week" on the podcast to join in the discussions?

Yes. I would like to hear different members opinions on subjects.

• How often should we publish a podcast? How long should the podcast be? Quick-hitting nine-minute segments? Longer but less frequent 45-minute jobs?

I vote for less frequent but 20-30 minutes. Enough time for people to get to work.

• What should we call the podcast?

A view from The SandTrap. (It's dumb, I know, but I like it. Plus people don't really care about the name. Serial really had nothing to do with its name)

[garush34]

Yes I'd listen in. Anything about golf would be good to hear for me anyway. I'd say about a 20 minute podcast would be good, not too long but long enough. 

[Shindig]

I don't know much about creating podcasts, but I'd subscribe and listen.

[Sante TwoGloves]

make it an hour once a week and take calls from the members. each week have someone to interview for twenty minutes. Out of the sand trap golf hour. have you looked into periscope?

[isukgolf]

I have not voted yet ... can you share why it was stopped before and what has changed since them?

 

I like the idea, but I would suggest 30 minutes or less segments ... not much can hold my attention for very long.

[Club Rat]

Name - From the Trap, or Live from the Trap.

Once a month, half hour. Maybe longer, pending on topic.

I voted hot topics. Any variety would be interesting.

Maybe member of week on occasions.

 

[LagShaft]

I have no experience with this sort of thing but it sounds very interesting.  

I like the member of the week idea as it would get people involved and a lot of people on here have a lot to offer.

I voted for hot topics because I think one topic could get stale pretty quick and I think it opens up the member of the week angle. 

Frequency should depend upon you guys and your schedules.

Name should be: Shut Up and Listen because I think it fits Eric's personality  Can I call you Eric is that ok

[jbishop15]

I'd definitely listen. 

I think the member of the week idea is pretty cool, too. I think the length of the podcast'll probably take some experimentation. An hour doesn't sound like much until you have to talk for that long, I've found.

The first name that popped into my head for the podcast was Bunker Play with Mike and Erik, haha.

[SavvySwede]

I have not voted yet ... can you share why it was stopped before and what has changed since them?

 

I like the idea, but I would suggest 30 minutes or less segments ... not much can hold my attention for very long.

This was my thought. I tried to get some of the older podcasts to play but I guess they were left out during the site switchover.

[Club Rat]

 

 Can I call you Eric is that ok

It would be ok when you spelled "Erik" with a "k"

I only know that because I used the "c" forever before he finally mentioned I was spelling his name incorrectly...

[billchao]

I voted yes. I don't listen to any podcasts currently, but one from here would interest me. I'm on the road all the time and radio gets stale pretty quickly. I voted down the line as far as the topics go, I think covering different topics helps to keep things interesting.

• Should we have a "member of the week" on the podcast to join in the discussions?

I love this idea. It's a good way to get the community involved and get different perspectives on different topics.

• How often should we publish a podcast? How long should the podcast be? Quick-hitting nine-minute segments? Longer but less frequent 45-minute jobs?

I think 20-30 minute ones would be perfect.

• What should we call the podcast?

From the Hazard, Fried Eggs, Engage the Bounce. I also liked @jbishop15's Bunker Play.

[iacas]

This was my thought. I tried to get some of the older podcasts to play but I guess they were left out during the site switchover.

Nope. They're there. Just add /b/ to the URL.

http://thesandtrap.com/b/pcasts/sand_trap_129.m4a

[Pretzel]

I would be interested in hearing the podcast, and member guests would be a nice feature (it could build a more inclusive community). 

As for podcast format (length and frequency), that would partially depend on the content. A news oriented podcast might be better suited for shorter episodes more frequently, whereas an instruction oriented podcast would probably be better served with longer episodes.

[boogielicious]

I've actually never listened to a podcast before. However, it may be fun. I think I would be most interested in what this site's owners are best at, golf instruction. I would be very interested in hearing about approaches to improvement, strategy, what to spend my limited time on practicing, etc. There are a great number of topics off of these as well like, how to handle wind, rain, deep rough, and what your though process is when approaching different lies. 

Interviews may be nice too.

[iacas]

The podcast was stopped before because it focused on current PGA Tour news, and took about five hours out of my weekly life to schedule, record, edit, and publish.

I'm thinking of something much lower tech this time around: something semi-live (recorded, not aired) and then something quicker, say 10 minutes a week for a little quick fix.

I honestly don't know that discussing hot topics in the forum makes much sense because they'll also be outdated quickly, and if @mvmac and I have something to say about them, we probably already posted in the thread.

Just some quick thoughts from me this morning.

[RandallT]

I've listened to podcasts over the years, but they haven't really entered my life as a staple where I would get alerts to new content or constantly look forward to hearing the latest podcast on something. So I wouldn't consider my comments as meaning that I'd be an avid follower of this podcast. Perhaps this would be an entry point for me, and it would be something I would do more of. Hard to tell.

If it were to be successful, I'd think it might be at a level "higher" than the discourse here. It would be things like

• what's coming up on the horizon with SandTrap? Upgrades?
• what are the various ventures going on (5SK/Evolvr/TST/etc) and how do they all tie together?
• what is the trend in topics/new members on the forum, maybe pick a popular poster and include them in a discussion on the overall vibe from the forum- not a specific thread.
• various outings could be discussed (Newport Cup, for example, would've been great to hear about via this method, as the excitement can show better sometimes when it's heard in a voice).
• just an overall, upbeat 15-min segment that hopefully is no huge production, but gives us a different view of the various goings-on with TST.

Not sure it would be "worth" all the inevitable effort that it would require, but I'd definitely be interested. 

[TN94z]

make it an hour once a week and take calls from the members. each week have someone to interview for twenty minutes. Out of the sand trap golf hour. have you looked into periscope?

The thing about periscope is it's live and only stays up for 24 hours. I have one guy I follow that gives really good info but once that info has gone, it's gone. I am trying to talk him into doing a youtube channel or something so the videos will last.

I vote to bring it back. I think the member of the week is a good idea. I believe that would actually make the members feel like part of the community more. It would be great to hear multiple opinions on subjects or swing issues. I think once a week would be good. If you get more frequent than that, I would be afraid content and redundancy might become an issue. The length will depend on the format you choose. 20 minutes or so would be good unless you are interviewing or decide to have question and answer type stuff. As far as a name..how about something simple like TST Golf Talk

 

I voted for equipment and tour talk in the poll, but the more I think about it, the more I could see that really eating up some time on a podcast. Plus you have the sports channels for that. I might would limit it to instruction, swing talk, and member questions or interviews. Personally, I would enjoy that.