Gimme Golf has something special planned for all you trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Don't be scared it's a treat not a trick. On the 3rd of Nov. we will be releasing our newest course, I know it's not on Halloween, but it's close enough. I have slaved long and hard on this one so you guys better enjoy it.

It's called The Lakes of Sogndal. The fairways and greens of this snowy patch of golf heaven meander through a cluster of frozen lakes. Only the greens and fairways have been cleared, so watch out for the snow, it may be hard to find your ball in a drift. Try using the ice to your advantage. It's slick and has some great bounce to it; however, it's thin in some places so mind your step. I hope you enjoy the snow flakes and new scenery, I made them just for you.

On another note the Programing team has been working around the clock to implement new features that will hopefully make your game experience more smooth. So if you're running into problems getting into a game, sit tight there may be some changes being implemented. If you have any questions head over to the forum. I hang out there all day long: www.forums.gimmegolf.com.


Peace Out
Doc

Close out your stock accounts--they probably aren't doing that well right now anyway--and instead use the cash to bolster your Gimme Golf Account. As of right now everyone with a Gimme Golf account has been entered into the closed cash beta. If you're one of those lucky people, you are now authorized to play for CASH.

You will notice when you log in next that there is a new cash tournament button. There you can set up 2 to 4 man tournaments where you can play for as little as a $1 dollar entry fee, or up to a $25 entry fee and win some real money. All you need to do to deposit cash is login and click the green "$10" in the bottom left corner. Then use PayPal to deposit some money into your account, and you're all set to join or create your own cash game.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! For being one of the first to sign up for Gimme Golf and taking place in our Cash Beta, you get a free $10 on the house. And if you call in the next 15 minutes well pay the shipping and handling.

Peace Out
Doc

We are one week into this shindig and I hope all you kiddies are having fun, I know I am. The release went off without any major hiccups and then Jeff (president of the company) danced around the office in his underwear, no joke, they had Christmas trees on them. I promptly made him put his pants back on before we all became sick, and then we got down to the business of the release party. We had a great turn out with quite a few members of the press showing up and promising Zack(marketing director) his 15 minutes of fame in one of their various publications. He was very excited but kept his pants on, thankfully. If you're in Chicago look for us soon in the Red Eye, and on Comcast SportsNet. We were already in the Chicago Sun-Times last Thursday.

Release parties are one thing we do well around here, well, at least our first one was good. The bells were rung, the whistles were blown, and a man from Wisconsin won a grill. It was a very successful evening. Skill Technology, being the gracious company that we are, decided that during the evenings festivities we would also try and raise some money for charity. First Tee is an organization that "provides young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values such as confidence, perseverance and judgment through golf and character education". I'm happy to report that we raised over $1,300 with our raffles, all of which will go directly to First Tee of Chicago.

The evening came to a close, and the next day was upon us with a new world of turmoil. Thanks to the cool heads of our programming team, server glitches, game bugs, and total mayhem were quickly fixed, and the world was set right. Everything has been running smoothly since.

It's great to log on and find new people to add to my friends list every day. Even with the influx of gamers I know game lobbies are still scarce. So if you find that there are no lobbies open when you log in, start one. Then check the community tab to see if anyone else is online and invite them to your game. A few other notes about how you can help build our community:

• A forum devoted to Gimme Golf will be up soon, and in it we'll have a section for setting tee times. Check it, and add your own.
• Keep inviting your friends. The more people playing the more people there are to play with. Duh.
• Most of all, have fun. Remember, there are some people that have been playing in the beta for a few months now who are rather good (e.g. Jakem952. I can't even beat him and I designed the courses.)

Don't get discouraged if someones scoring better than you, this is a game of skill. I promise you will get better the more you play.

Peace Out
Doc

Welcome to our first Gimme Golf Blog. Listen closely you can hear the elated cheers. I'm Jon but the guys around here call me Doc. I'll be your events and activities coordinator for the duration of your stay with us here at Gimme Golf, or until I'm fired for inappropriate behavior. Let me begin by telling you some stuff that you probably don't care about but you're going to read anyway. Gimme Golf has been a labor of love and joy, and at times slaps to the face and frequent bouts of rage. The seven of us have set out to create something new and exciting in the world of online gaming and we hope you enjoy what we have worked so long and hard to complete!

We are all excited to get this community underway but we can't do it without you. So call your friends', get them signed up and get ready to win their money. That's right you can take your friends' hard-earned money by playing Gimme Golf.

There are a few ways you can go about this. First (and the only option at this time) is by creating a two to four man tournament where the winner gets to keep his friends' cash. In coming patches you will be able to enter our larger community tournaments where the pot can get so large you may just need a change of underwear after you miss that eagle putt on the last hole.

Don't have five bucks but aren't quite at the jobless bum stage? Play one of our glory games where the prize is stats and trophies that can be shone off on your personal profile page. "But what if I AM a jobless bum with no money? Or just feel like honing my skills?" You can always play for free, where the only prize is the personal satisfaction of wasting away a half hour. Right now the only two methods of play are the "small tournaments" and the "play for free" games. But soon we hope to get the other game modes up and running. Until then be content in knowing our programmers are pulling their hair out trying to make this game awesome, just for you.

So get out there and play 18 holes. Or come join me in the forums and make some friends, or enemies. I'm the Admin over there so don't be shy I'll hold your hand. If you have any questions, comments or just need someone to talk to about your feelings, call someone who cares, or send me an e-mail at Doc@skilltechnology.com. Who knows I may even write you back.

Peace Out
Doc

P.S. This article was in no way meant to be offensive to bums or your personal feelings. So get over it you over sensitive bum.