I just finished up an interview with Gail Olson, a reporter for the North News, a monthly community newspaper devoted to Minneapolis northside news.  We talked about everything under the sun from my background, how I started Hacker's Guide to golf course ratings, Team Hacker and what our future plans are.

She was very friendly and enjoyable to talk with.  The feature (hopefully with picture) should appear in the May issue.  If you live on the northside in Minneapolis, it should be on your doorstep by early May.

That's right.  We're going to be a business spotlight guest on Next Stage Business Radio on AM 1570.  Bruce Stasch will be talking with host Pamela Muldoon about the Hacker's Guide, why we started it, its unique selling proposition (USP for sales & marketing types) and what its like to be a small business.

Pamela is a huge supporter of small business and launched Next Stage Business Radio to provide education and advice to small businesses and to highlight companies that have interesting stories.

We will be appearing live on May 1st (Saturday).  We'll keep you posted when we get more information.

We've just announced the 2010 Hacker's Favorite Award winners for Minnesota.  There are 85 courses across the state of Minnesota that won an award, some more than once. Some courses you know like The Jewel, Giant's Ridge, Cragun's, Breezy Point and Deer Run, and others you don't like Coffee Mill, Eagle's Landing, Little Crow, Village Green and Blackberry Ridge.

All these courses excelled in provide a "hacker-friendly" course to area golfers. Each will be receiving a certificate "suitable for framing" in the next few weeks.

If you want to read more about the award, click on the press release.

Last week, because the Twins were rained out, we got some time with Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune columnist extrordinare, and the big voice on KSTP-AM 1500, now Sport Talk 1500. He got a copy of the book, gave it away, and we chatted about what we do and what the book is all about. Listen here.

Just in time for the golf show, the Hacker's Guide to Minnesota & Western Wisconsin Golf Courses is HERE!!  In stock, ready to go.  And its pretty too! And hefty at 336 pages.  And a great deal at only $19.95. That's only 7-CENTS per course review.  Can't beat that.

It will soon be available online at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon (says its out of stock at the moment) and our sales team is getting it into area golf courses, pro shops and gift stores. Soon, Hacker's Guide will be everywhere.

We're VERY excited about this new book and want everyone to know about it.

Tell us what you think because it is VERY COOL!

It's golf show time and the Hacker's Guide is getting serious this year about getting out our message to as many golfers as we can.  Oddly, both the Minneapolis Golf Show and the La Crosse Golf Show and the Madison Golf Show are ALL ON THE SAME WEEKEND!!  Okay, who planned that?  Sounds like the government if I didn't know better.

Anyway both shows are March 12-14 and we'll have a booth at both shows selling Hacker's Guide books and online subscriptions at a special show discount. Tell your friends, and stop by to say hello. If anyone from Team Hacker wants to help staff either booth, just send us an e-mail.

A fan of the Hacker's Guide, Andrew Smith, set up a Facebook page for the Hacker's Guide.  If you get a chance, we'd like you to join the ranks of golfers that are clamoring to become our friends (okay, not clamoring, but the din is getting louder).

Just click on the Facebook logo and be part of our growing "family."

Its been a long time coming, but the second book, Hacker's Guide to Minnesota & Western Wisconsin Golf Courses in now in pre-order through my distributor Adventure Publications. It can also be found online at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon. 

This year we have a jump on things because its is already in distribution.  You can also pre-order the book through our new website www.hackerscentralonline.com.

With the new book going to the printer shortly, our distributor has already sent the word out that Hacker's Guide to Minnesota & Western Wisconsin Golf Courses will be available by March 1st.  Not to waste any time, Hennepin Country Libraries has already pre-ordered the new book.

Our plan this year was to not get into the situation where we had to scramble to finish golf course ratings in late October.  Team Hacker members were primed and were very willing to visited all the remaining courses in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, even in some farflung places like International Falls, Willmar and Adams in SE Minnesota.

I thought that maybe it was just me and some folks were procrastinators.  Why did it seem so hard to get golf courses rated in October? This is why:

From a e-newsletter that I received the other day from the National Golf Assocation (NGF):

October 2009 was the wettest (and third coolest) October since 1895, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), making weather (not decline in demand) the primary reason behind the large drop in rounds volume this month.

It's a wonder that we were able to get all the course reviews done this year.I attribute it to the Team Hacker members and their love for golf.