Social Media Connections Facilitate Global Golf Tourism

Spain has so many beautiful coastal courses

The fact that social media has us all "so connected" can sometimes lead to...  awkwardness.  For example, the confidential DM that mistakenly goes out to everyone is actually fairly common, and the consequences can be... unpleasant, to say the least.  Or what about the "old flame" who suddenly finds you on Facebook and wants to become a "new flame".  That's another distressing possibility.

That being said, most would probably agree that such occasional vexations are a small price to pay for the benefits of an interconnected global network; a network that includes people from around the world who share your interests and enjoy exchanging ideas and information.   These days I find out what's new in golf - courses, resorts, equipment brands and apparel styles - almost exclusively through my golf contacts on social networks.  They share news of promotions and contests,  recommend (or warn against) golf products and offer golf tips. You've probably had similar experiences.

Back in dark ages... before the Facebooks and Twitters and such... this kind of info-exchange just didn't happen much, there was just no easy way for like-minded people to connect.  Particularly if you lived in a distant city or on a far-away continent.

...and so many fantastic golfers.

This came to mind recently when a friend told me she was thinking of taking an early summer trip to Spain... and hoped to play some golf while there... but didn't really know where to begin.  Not being a particularly adventurous type, she was vacillating, and asked me if I could recommend anything.  Now, I've never played golf in Spain and don't know much about the country's courses, but thanks to social media I know about a dozen people who have played in Spain... and who know first hand about Spanish courses.  I'd have no trouble deciding where to spend my time in Spain... and, in fact, I hope to make that trip some day myself.  As for my friend, at this point she "doesn't do social media", but I think I may have convinced her to give it a try.

Of course there are some great websites for planning golf holidays in Spain, but if you can get extra input from someone you know... all the better, right? You may even find a Spanish playing partner, and that's the amazing power of Social Media.

Of Davos, Golf and the Imperative Shift to Sustainable Growth

I've been in the snowy Swiss village of Davos for the past several days... feeling like a bit of an interloper... as the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum takes place around me.  It's been every bit as impressive... and just as quixotic... as I imagined it would be.

I'm not here as a delegate... obviously... nor am I  here with a media outlet, though I am writing.

For almost a year now I've been assisting a quietly brilliant Master of the Universe, Davos Man "world business leader" with a variety of writing projects.  I've taken to calling this my "day job" and that's what I've been doing this week... from the Swiss Alps. 

My access has been somewhat limited by the minion-ish badge I've been wearing, but the experience has been extraordinary.  I've gone to a numerous panels and met a lot of remarkable people and spent quite a bit of time doing last minute research and polishing for the"day job", but even though I'm not "reporting for anyone" or "covering anything",  I'll be taking a lot home with me,  much of it very pertinent to golf and the current focus on growing the game.

The theme of this year's WEF meeting is "The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models" and the conversations I've had here... in the conference hall, and on the frosty streets of town... all seemed to touch on the idea of an imperative shift towards sustainable growth.  What I find striking though, is that almost 5000 miles away, in balmy Orlando FL, the leaders of the golf industry seem to have been focusing on a similar agenda of transformation, and seriously looking at new models at their annual gathering this week during the PGA Merchandise Show. 

Regrettably,  Murphy's law once again intervened, dropping both of these two events (and the Sundance Film Festival and the Year of the Water Dragon celebrations) on the same block of late January days.

I missed the once yearly get-together with my golf writer and golf manufacturer friends and look forward to reading their reports and catching up with their news during the next couple of weeks.  The Farmers Insurance Open and the Abu Dhabi Championship are also taking place now and I've caught only fleeting snippets of each though I've heard latest rumblings (go Ryo / go Tiger).

I'll be back to my normal life... and regular-ish publishing schedule within a couple of days.  However,  the long journey home begins early tomorrow and it's time to pack up my yeti boots and attempt to sleep.

Ahmad Al Musharrakh - An Emirati Golf Star On The Rise

Ahmad Al Musharrakh                      Image Credit: Grace Paras/ANM

He was recently referred to as "the Emirati answer to Tiger Woods", however, when we wrote about Ahmad Al Musharrakh in 2010,  he was getting ready for his first Abu Dhabi Championship appearance, and as he tells it, "still very inexperienced".

Now, two years later, as the 2012 Abu Dhabi Championship gets underway, the 21 year-old is the UAE's top ranked national players, and determined to make history.

Al Musharrekh, who secured an invitation to the tournament from Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, is confident he can become the first Emirati to make the cut at this event... and from there he aims to "move up the leaderboard and really compete" ...with what may well be the strongest field ever assembled for a Middle East tournament; a field that includes Abu Dhabi debutante, Tiger Woods, who Al Musharrekh lists as his favorite player.

With its many spectacular courses, the UAE is considered to be at the forefront of golf development in the Middle East and tourists from all over the world flock to the area's stellar courses, but the question of whether the local population is embracing the sport continues to be asked.  This puts additional pressure on Al Musharrekh.  A good showing at a high profile event like the Abu Dhabi Championship would undoubtedly inspire people from all over the Middle East and North Africa to try their hands at the game.  Those who currently play would be motivated to take their games to the next level.

Drama at La Manga - A 6 Way Playoff Decides LET Q-School

Ladies European Tour Class of 2012

When the grueling "Q-School grind" (as it's known across tours and around the world) finally came to an end today on the pastoral fairways of La Manga Golf Club, thirty golfers from 15 countries had won full playing rights on the Ladies European Tour for the 2012 season.

England’s Jodi Ewart, who earned her LPGA card in December, claimed a two stroke victory, with Swiss amateur Anais Maggetti and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda taking second and third, but the real nail-biter... with so much is at stake... was the six-player playoff for the last two cards.

As it turns out, final card was won... with a six-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole... by Sharmila Nicolette, the talented Bangalore beauty we wrote about earlier this week.  The LET website has all the dramatic details.

Golf, The Guy's Girl & The Enduring Issue of the Grass Ceiling

For what's basically a recreational activity, the game of golf has an odd knack for inciting controversy and contentiousness.

Do a search for the phrase "golf has a reputation", and you'll see this kind of thing:

"...for being anachronistic in its social attitudes and etiquette."

"...for being a very white sport..."

 "...for being elitist and traditionalist and ladies, in particular, can find it difficult getting involved in the sport."

"...of causing problems in marriages rather than assisting in reconciliation."

"...as a rather snooty sport enjoyed primarily by the upper-class."

"...for being slow, boring, uptight, and for senior citizens or tightly-wound people trying to do deals."

And those are some of the nicer ones.  Golf is a wonderful sport that celebrates nature and unites all kinds of people, but the fact is, the game gets a lot of guff, some of it... admittedly... deserved. 

The controversial, lightning rod side of golf was featured in an Forbes.com post by Meghan Casserly yesterday that suggests women are feeling increased pressure to learn and play golf in order to be more like "one of the guys" ...and have a chance of acceding to upper echelons of the corporate world.  It's an interesting read and one that had lots of people talking tweeting this morning.

Sharmila Nicollet Shines in Spain at LET Qualifying School

Sharmila Nicollet...... walking    -    photo: Golf Digest Online

We first wrote about Sharmila Nicollet in December of 2007 when she won a challenge match, paired with Laura Davies, at the EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters, India's first ever LET event.

Just 16 at the time, the talented Bangalore beauty impressed Davies who told reporters, "I played with this 16-year-old girl and I can say from my experience she has the potential to become a really good player".

Four years later Nicollet is 20,  and she'll have "the whole of India" behind her as she enters the third round of the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School tomorrow in a three-way tie for second...  just one shot behind leader, Jodi Ewart (England).  

The 90-hole Q-School Final is being played on the two world-class courses at La Manga Club, in Murcia, Spain.

Golf is now the fastest growing sport in India... a country where cricket is revered... and to have this charismatic young golfer playing in global competitions at the highest level will surely be an  inspiration for other Indian women who aspire to play the game... either recreationally or professionally.

Oh, and FYI, if you're into following professional golfers on Twitter, @MissNicollet 's tweets are often remarkably drôle perceptive awesome.

Golf for Global Understanding & The Axis of Eagle Golf Circuit

A few weeks ago I told you about adventure travel entrepreneur, Dylan Harris, and the Inaugural Iranian Amateur Open.

The tournament is set to take place from the 20th through 22nd of April, when golfers from around the globe will meet at Teheran's Enghelab Golf Course for three days of competition.

Golf's rapidly growing global reach makes this possible, and the fact that The Iranian Amateur Open will allow a diverse group of international players to rise above the current cacophony of geopolitical saber rattling and get together on a golf course, makes the event exceptionally pertinent, laudable and uplifting.  Over the past year I've met many golfers who feel that the game has the power to unify and inspire, and many who share my belief that it can help overcome cultural barriers. 

As for Dylan Harris, the intrepid organizer of the Iranian Amateur Open recently announced that the Teheran tournament would be part of a circuit that will also include the 2012 North Korean Open.

Putting a positive turn on divisive term, he's calling it the Axis of Eagle Golf Circuit ...and rumor has it additional tournaments will be launched later this year, possibly in Cuba and Northern Iraq.

Harris' company Lupine

 Travel focuses on unusual destinations and Full packages, including tours of each country and entry to the tournaments can be arranged through Lupine Travel at www.lupinetravel.co.uk. or +44(0)1942 704525

Ryo Ishikawa Officially Comes of Age, Remains Ultra-Intense

© Golf Digest Online

Early this week Ryo Ishikawa officially "came of age".  In Japan the second Monday of January is "Coming of Age Day", a special holiday day where those who've reached 20, the age of majority, are celebrated with festivities, ceremonies and parties. 

Soon after the celebration the intrepid young golfer was heading to Hawaii for the Sony Open which begins tomorrow.  In the meantime, an intense ten hour practice round at Waialea Golf Club golf course seemed to demonstrate that the hardworking Japanese superstar had paid little heed to the words of Lee Westwood who a couple of weeks ago suggested that Ishikawa was "far too intense" and "needed to get away from golf more".

The young phenom will be paired with Webb Simpson and K.J. Choi at Sony, and it's a pretty sure bet they'll be one of the most followed groups. 

The Golf Channel's Randall Mell suggested that the "Bashful Prince" was in golf's "hot seat" as he hasn't yet proved himself on US soil.  While some readers agreed with that assessment, many disagree, citing his myriad wins in Japan... and his youth.  In any case, lots of us are expecting (and looking forward to) a Ryo Ishikawa PGA Tour win in 2012.

As one commenter perceptively wrote,  I think a win by a Ryo Ishikawa will do the world of golf a lot of good. 

Note: Many thanks to Noriko, a friend and an avid Ryo Ishikawa fan in Japan. 

Golf Pinning Takes Off - Golf Image Curation With Pinterest

My boards on Pinterest

Much as I try to avoid cliches, I'm going to use a really overused one here: A picture is worth a thousand words. There, that wasn't so bad, was it?  ~ The fact is many (most?) of us are "visual" by nature. We comprehend and retain information much more effectively when it's presented visually.  Visuals enhance our emotional connections as well. 

That's what's behind the massive popularity of photosharing sites like Flickr and Instagram.  Our multimedia lives are now inundated with imagery, much of benign or categorically unaesthetic, some of it incredibly gorgeous, powerful, moving... or downright magical.

Enter Pinterest.  A self-described "online pinboard" that allows you to organize and share the mountain of imagery you run into on the web.  It's been around for over a year, used for the most part, by designers, decorators and DYIers.  Recently however it seems to be opening up to a wider swath of the online population, and growth has been... impressive.  In fact, Pinterest is now one of the top 10 social networking sites.

I originally discovered Pinterest because, as the owner of a quixotic Victorian mansion. I'm continually seeking home decor inspiration. The decor blogs I love led me there, and I was soon spending much too much time purusing victorian design pinboards.

Up till very recently there wasn't much of a golf presence on Pinterest, but that's quickly changing.  A few days ago digital-sports-media-guru, Kathleen Hessert, tweeted about Pinterest and encouraged golfers to start "pinning" their passion for the game. It seems quite a number have heeded her call because golf pins are now beginning to proliferate.

So check out golf on Pinterest, if you're visually inclined and you love the game, you'll certainly find images that delight and you may even be inspired to create your own pinboards.  But proceed with caution, like lot's of good things, Pinterest can be addictive.

Oh by the way, my pinboards are here.

French Golfer Joanna Klatten's Memorable Maiden Win

Joanna Klatten Women's Victoria Open          photo: via iseekgolf.com

A first professional win is probably always going to be memorable, but there were a couple of things about Joanna Klatten's maiden victory that really set it apart.

It was the French player's first trip down-under.  She was in Australia for the Women's Victoria Open, and after a rather amazing bogey-free final round that included three birdies and an eagle, the one-time Georgia State Panther headed to the clubhouse with a two shot lead... and little doubt that the win was hers.  After all, the only threat was Haeji Kang of South Korea, and she was trailing by two halfway up the par-four 18th. 

But in golf... as in life... one must always expect the unexpected, and the unexpected certainly did happened yesterday at Spring Valley Golf Club. It came in the form of a last minute eagle by Kang,  which interrupted the slightly premature celebration going on in the club house.  A tense playoff ensued before the slightly tipsy French golfer did, in fact, lift the Victoria Open trophy. 

I'd say that definitely qualifies as memorable.

Offer of Unlimited Sex Proves an Effective Golf Promotion

It was intended to be a prank, but the victim (in this case Gold Coast Country Club general manager Craig Baldwin) got the last laugh. 

In early December at the course outside of Brisbane, Australia, a creative prankster switched up some letters, turning a roadside billboard that announced Unlimited Golf Fees and a Golf Expo, into one offering Unlimited Sex.

Before long phone calls were coming  expressing shock, curiosity interest in the audacious offer. In the end, Mr. Baldwin seemed rather delighted with the results.

Ryo Ishikawa - Words Worth Remembering for 2012

    Ryo Ishikawa         Photo: Khalid Redza /Asian Tour via Getty Images

If you read this blog... even occasionally... you probably know that Japanese golfer Ryo Ishikawa is a favorite of ours.  We love the quiet reserve that earned him the nickname "Bashful Prince" ...and the exhuberantly colorful sartorial style that had one writer calling him "The Pink Pantster"

2011 was a challenging year for the young champion both on and off the course. He finished the season winless, and at 51 in the world, one spot shy of earning automatic qualification for the Masters.

He'll now need to make the top 50 a week before the Masters, or win on the U.S. PGA Tour, to qualify for a spot in the field at Augusta. To that end the player who was recently called "too intense"  by W#2 Lee Westwood, will be playing very... intensively between now and April.

When epic natural disaster struck his native Japan almost a year ago, the then-19-year-old announced that he would donate all of his golf earnings for 2011 to the Japan relief fund.  I don't know exactly how much that ended up being but by mid-October it was approaching $1.5 million.  It was what he said about his donation however, that earned Ryo Ishikawa a place on business writer Jena McGregor's list of the past year's most inspiring leadership quotes: 

“As my social status in Japan is getting higher, I believe that is one of the responsibilities, to provide for those people who are in need."– golfer Ryo Ishikawa, on his decision to donate all of his 2011 earnings to earthquake relief in Japan.


The list appeared yesterday at On Leadership the blog McGregor writes for TheWashingtonPost.com. She explains that she finds Ishikawa’s quote memorable for a couple of reasons, "...one is his use of the word “responsibility” to describe what he believes he owes the Japanese people because his status in the golf world has risen.  The second is his remarkable willingness to donate all of his earnings of last year to earthquake relief. So many people in power are paid far more handsomely than Ishikawa, and yet we don’t know of many who have made such generous gestures."

If you're a Ryo Ishikawa fan you can do what we did and send the inspiring golf star New Year message here.

2012 A Year of Hope ...and Golf for Global Understanding

Golf in Iran                                 (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2012!

If you put any credence in the Mayan calendar your New Years celebration was probably somewhat subdued last night.  After all, according to many interpretations of that document, this marks the year catastrophe and cataclysmic natural disaster will bring about end of the world... on December 21, 2012 to be exact ... Not exactly uplifting news.

Personally, I'm rather sceptical of the whole doomsday thing and... worst case scenario... we've got almost a full year left... to work on swings/putting, to help grow golf by introducing non-golfers the joys of the game, and to connect with golfers around the world.   There's a lot to look forward to.