As the Devilish Rake enters its first full calendar year, and as the first golf event of the year--the Sentry in Maui--gets the PGA Tour season underway for the first time since 2013, I thought I should let you know what's in store for the next year. Think of this as a state of the blog address, if you like.
When I opened the Devilish Rake six months ago, I was uncertain that my writing on various golf topics, supplemented with FA Cup coverage and a feed of NFL Draft Day Party Hangover, would draw 100 hits, let alone a mean of almost one per day. After all, my blogging experience had crashed and burnt with every attempt, forcing me to fall back upon Twitter, whose future is uncertain. Instead, I am on 171 hits as of this writing, which isn't bad for someone who has eschewed social media for the most part. Moreover, an emphasis on Upper Midwest connections (Umcees) involved in tour golf, I thought, would inhibit my reach around the world, even if some international golfers had come to the Upper Midwest to play collegiately or in high school as exchange student-athletes. I am pleased to announce that my writing has been seen in eight countries!
But a fledgling blog needs to grow, and I have some plans to fuel that growth in 2024. To that end, I've identified three ways to prosper the endeavour. Firstly, I will add supplementary, permanent reference pages to the Devilish Rake, which explain my story and why I decided to create it, as well as a glossary that you will be able to draw upon in case you need to look up the meaning of jargon I use or that is used in golf. I touched upon some introductory material in my first two posts here, but the backstory page will expand upon that greatly. My bio of the Devilish Rake will drop sometime in January, as will the first glossary entries.
The second addition to the blog will be a wiki of Umcees on the various golf tours and minitours, past and present. I plan to draw upon various sources, including (but not limited to) media guides from the PGA Tour pyramid, almost all of which published since 1970 are readily available on the Internet. Look for an announcement as to how you can contribute in due course.
Speaking of audience contributions, the third and final "coming soon" feature that I haven't touched on before is a Patreon to help fund this operation. Once all the sawdust has been cleared and I have gained enough of an audience to justify it, I will start a Patreon to provide some bonus goodies to supporters of the Devilish Rake. Possibilities include the privilege of extra posts, such as perhaps retroactive Upper Midwest Connection of the Week features, the ability to suggest topics relating to golf (preferably with an Upper Midwest-connected focus) or the FA Cup or perhaps even access to an exclusive contest for all "patrons" to pick the 123 ties in the FA Cup each year, among other contests.
Among topics that I've touched upon previously, the Draft Day Party Hangover live blog will mark its 12th year of online operations, with this being its first in...an actual blog! Look for more details as 25 April (Round 1) approaches.
Hope that gives you an overview of what to expect from the Devilish Rake in 2024!!!
Edward the Scop
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