What I’ve Learned

When my grandmother approached me with the idea of redesigning the Fairview Golf Club’s website, I knew it was more than just a project—it was an opportunity to help modernize an organization that has been a cornerstone of the Palm Beach community for decades. Founded in 1965, Fairview Golf Club began as a dedicated group of African American golfers advocating for equal access to the game of golf. Since 202X, my grandmother, Martha Clark, has served as the president of this prestigious club, carrying forward its legacy of inclusivity and community. The existing website, however, was outdated, difficult to navigate, and lacked the key functionalities needed to keep the club thriving in today’s digital age.

During our initial conversation in December, we focused on understanding the club’s most pressing needs. My grandmother emphasized three main areas: an updateable event calendar to keep members informed about tournaments and activities, a streamlined scholarship application process for high school seniors, and a secure members-only section where current members could access important documents and resources. With these goals in mind, I decided to use WordPress and Elementor for the redesign, as they offered the flexibility, scalability, and ease of use required to bring her vision to life.

From January to February, I worked to build the website from the ground up. One of the primary features I implemented was a dynamic, updateable event calendar using The Event Calendar plugin. This allowed the club to easily add, edit, or remove events, ensuring members and visitors always had access to the latest information about tournaments, activities, and other club happenings. Another critical component was the scholarship page and application form. I designed the form to be user-friendly while collecting all the necessary information, and submissions were automatically stored for easy access, simplifying the process for both applicants and the club.

The new website’s design was clean, modern, and fully responsive, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices. I paid special attention to the user interface, making it intuitive and easy to navigate for visitors of all ages. To empower my grandmother and her team to manage the site independently, I created detailed video tutorials covering everything from updating the calendar to managing scholarship applications and adding new content to the website.

The new Fairview Golf Club website has been a game-changer for the organization. Most importantly, my grandmother and her team now have the tools they need to keep the site up-to-date and running smoothly. This project was incredibly rewarding, not just because of the technical challenges it presented, but because it allowed me to contribute to an organization that means so much to my family and our community. It was a privilege to help preserve and enhance the legacy of Fairview Golf Club for future generations.