Twitter Trend Weekly: Golf Makes Some People Smile

Often, they're annoying and spammy, but at their best Twitter hashtags... and the trending topics they spawn... can offer us an enlightening view of the way things are perceived by the masses.

Over the years I've enjoyed observing the 140 character thoughts and opinions expressed about golf... and I've often been entertained by them.  Frequently funny and sometimes surprising, tweets, when looked at collectively, can certainly tell a story.

That's the idea behind Twitter Trend Weekly, a new feature I'll be presenting here each Wednesday.  I'm thinking it might be a fun way to liven up the middle of the week and a good chance to see what folks are saying about the the sport we love.


This week's topic is #howtomakemesmile

The course alone seems to make some girls happy...

#HowToMakeMeSmile take me to the golf course
— Sam Radke✌ (@RadkeSam) March 5, 2013

...while others want to make sure they get the full experience.

#HowToMakeMeSmile take me on the first date to a golf course, driving range, whatever. As long as we can use real golf clubs.
— That Golfer Girl (@GolferGirl_1) March 5, 2013

Guys, apparently, like to have an audience...

#howtomakemesmile come to my golf tournaments
— Larry Fisherman (@B_Sanner) March 5, 2013

...even if it's just an audience of one admiring female. 

#HowToMakeMeSmile go golfing with me even if you don't golf we can talk while I play
— Collin Pitzer (@TheRealCollinP) March 5, 2013

It's the golf swag that does it for some... 

#HowToMakeMeSmile buy me new golf clothes or shoes!!! #GolferPrincess
— The Preppy Golfer (@PreppyGolfer) March 5, 2013

...while others apparently just want to see their rivals under the wheels of a golf buggy. 

#HowToMakeMeSmile run katie over with a golf cart.
— Carli Cichra ♥ (@carliimarie_) March 5, 2013

Alrighty then.  "Twitter Trend Weekly" will be back again next Wednesday with more hashtag-inspired observations in 140 characters or less.  

Google Glass & Golf - The Many Awesome/Annoying Possibilities

A woman wearing Glass.            Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.

Golf has a rich and singular history, one that's often alluded to in contemporary
conversations about the sport.

That said, the sport has been quite receptive to technological advances.... like those that've taken the golf ball from the featherie to the guttie to the multi-layered urethane marvels we play with today.

In a continual quest for additional distance, golfers were quick to retire their hickory shafts and persimmon heads when steel shafts and metal woods made the scene.  Over the past decade, the pace of change in golf equipment, accessories and gadgets accelerated rapidly, as "innovation" became both a business buzzword and the holy grail for competitive advantage.

With that in mind, I'm guessing golfers... for the most part... will be quick to explore the myriad possibilities in Google Glass, one of the most anticipated and promisingly innovative-seeming  products in the news these days.  For those who don't know, we're talking about a rather diminutive device that's basically just a very, very, very smart smartphone... that you wear on your brow like a sleek pair of spectacles/shades.  The video below gives you a very basic idea of how it might work.






So yes:  Wrap your mind around that and imagine what you might be able to do with it on a golf course.  The fact is, quite a number of forward-thinking golfers have already weighed in on such matters via Google+ and Twitter.

Google's @ProjectGlass sent out a call for "Glass Explorers" using the hashtag #ifihadglass.  Contestants were asked how they'd use glass and why they felt they should be among the first group of testers.  Apparently the company got an avalanche of suggestions among which were many that involved golf.  Some were great.  Others provided a preview of the annoyingness that will undoubtedly ensue once Glass makes its way to the grass.

The Top 10 Luxury Travel Trends... as They Apply to Golf Trippers

Check-in with golf clubs                          © GolfGirlMedia

A couple of days ago, Business Insider published a list of Top 10 Luxury Travel Trends & Predictions for 2013.

Presented by luxury marketing veteran Christopher Parr, the list was put together by hotel booking team Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  I looked at the list from a golf traveler's point of view, and here I offer you my somewhat more golf-specific rendering of the suggested trends:

1. Local golf experiences through social media meandering
The first trend on the list is probably my favorite.  It's about playing golf in on lesser known courses in and around the more classic travel destinations...and doing it through contact with in-the-know locals you meet online, via Social Media.

In addition to well known social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ which bring golfers together through groups, hashtags and circles, there are now numerous social networks specifically targeted at golfers. These sites allow recreational golfers to exchange ideas on equipment, and interact over tournaments. At their best they actually allow golfers from opposite ends of the globe to get together for a round on a real golf course.  I participated in this trend first hand last September when I welcomed a long-time social media golf buddy from Spain to my home course, Richter Park in Danbury, CT.  It's is a beautiful course he'd certainly never have played otherwise. The fact is, without social media our global golf get-together would never have taken place... but it did, and I'm definitely hoping for more in 2013.

READ MORE >>>

Another Reason to Take Up Golf: Both Sexes Find Golfers Attractive

Attractive Golfers?                 photo credit: sezidesign via photopin cc

As any golf evangelist will tell you, there are myriad reasons to take up the sport: the social aspect, the outdoors-in-nature aspect and the fact that golf is a game one can play for a lifetime, are three that come up frequently. And there are tons of others - a google search brings up more lists of "reasons to play golf" than you can swing a seven iron at.

However, there's one incentive that didn't appear on any of the lists I looked at, and I'm guessing it's one that might be particularly attractive to that prized 18-25 year-old demographic: new evidence has emerged that indicates both males and females find golfers "attractive".

Okay, it's probably not something the scientific community would agree on... these findings are actually rather anecdotal in nature... in fact, they're based on a Twitter hashtag.

READ MORE >>>

A Social Media, Global Golf Get-Together... And A Gracious Golf Ghost

                              Photo: © MikeBelindo

David Amezqueta... aka @MikeBelindo... was instantly recognizable as he stepped off the train in the quaint village of Brewster, NY last week.

Descending the stairs of the cement overpass with his tousled hair, easy grin and casual clothing, there was no mistaking him among legions of tired, stressed-out commuters in their uniformly cheerless business attire.

Though it was our first real-life, in-the-flesh encounter, David and I go way back when it comes to shared experiences and spirited exchanges. Thanks to social media the distance between Danbury, CT and Pamplona, Spain (or any physical distance for that matter) is just... geography.

                              Photo: ©MikeBelindo

I discovered Twitter in March of 2007, and that's where I first encountered David.  With a common passion for golf and a shared interest in art, we found ourselves communicating quite regularly... in 140 characters or less... over the years. So much so in fact, that when I found out David was to be spending some time in New York (after his awesome Ryder Cup adventure) it seemed only natural that we finally meet... and possibly get together on a golf course.

So that's exactly what brought Señor Amezqueta to Brewster... and on to our house (aka Golf Girl Media World Headquarters) in Danbury.  Once there, we had a celebratory cocktail, followed by a dinner of Bourbon Barbecued Ribs... with an ample side of Mac'n'Cheese. What could be more American than that, right?  The rest of the evening we spent talking; about David's experience in Medinah, about the golf industry on both sides of the Atlantic and about the amazing opportunities, and vexing challenges, presented by "new media" and a global economy.  Then there was the subject of our gracious golf ghost.

READ MORE >>>