Wozzilroy Twitter Account Showdown, the Infographic

For the full size infographic, click HERE

They've been an item since last summer. Young, rich, and at the top of their respective games, Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki are clearly a power couple... "a match made in sports marketing heaven", some have said.

Previous golf/tennis pairings - Martina Hingis and Sergio Garcia, Ana Ivanovic and Adam Scott, Chris Evert and Greg Norman, to name a few - have made a modicum of news, providing good back stories during major events like Wimbledon or the Masters, but... truth-be-told... these love affairs didn't much register beyond the rarefied radar of their respective niche sports.

The Wozniackilroy romance however, has the potential to transcend both golf and tennis thanks to the second nature social media skills of the two appealing protagonists. Their numerous celebrity hybrid names and recent appearances together at parties with the likes of Ronaldo and the Beckhams testify to the couple's growing social media sports star status.

Rumor has it their initial flirtation was conducted on Twitter, and there can be little doubt that both @McIlroyRory and @CaroWozniacki appreciate the value of a timely tweet, but how do they stack up against each other?  Well world rankings-wise, Rory is currently golf's world No.1, while Caroline... who held the No.1 spot in tennis as recently as January... has recently tumbled to No.4.  But who reigns supreme in terms of Twitter temerity? Well, I can tell you that... and I can present it with a colorful, graphically sophisticated visualization thanks to new infographic creation tools from visual.ly... and it looks like Rory's dominating in the Twitterverse too. For the moment. I have a distinct feeling that the fiercely competitive Caroline will be back to  No.1 in the Tennisphere before long, and... who knows... after seeing this perhaps she'll decide to challenge her boyfriend for supremacy in the Twittersphere. In any case, I'm guessing the #Wozzilroy hashtag will be a popular this year.

Follow @CaroWozniacki and @RoryMcIlroy on Twitter.

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.

Mobile, Social, Global: It's Divotr, A New App for Golf Fans

The idea actually germinated a while back... a couple of years ago, to be exact.

I was chatting with Doug Farrick... a fellow New Englander and golf blogger of note at GolfDash... about some remarkable experiences I'd had, via social media, with golf fans around the world.

As an early adopter on Twitter I'd encountered a highly engaged... and very engaging... group of global golf fans and had spent numerous summer weekends in front of my laptop sharing the excitement of pro golf tournaments... that I otherwise would've watched alone, in the climate controlled solitude of my cloistered man woman cave.  The 2008 Players Championship was where it really hit home for me; watching Sergio Garcia win in a playoff with Paul Goydos was infinitely more exciting in the (virtual) company of several hyper-excited golf fans in Spain  than watching all alone... with only my Corona Lite as company.

Doug had had some similar experiences, and we both agreed that golf fans... like fans of any sport... tend to have much more fun in real time and collectively, than they do alone.  Seeing as how we're both fans of myriad players and a number of different international tours, we decided we needed to find a way to refine and enhance the global fan experience that we were beginning to develop a taste for on the rapidly growing platform called Twitter.

Fast forward a couple of years; Twitter has experienced explosive growth (the tweets-per-day count has risen from 2 million tweets to over 2 hundred million) as have other social networks... some of them only months into their existence.  The mobile space is also evolving at an astonishing rate, and that's where Divotr comes in.

Divotr is the fruit of that long-ago chat I had with Doug.  It's a new mobile/golf/social app that'll take global fans of all stripes to an awesome new level of real-time interaction.  We're almost ready to launch, and while we put the final pieces into place you can get early access and the latest updates via email and Twitter.  Just sign up at our launch page.  Encourage your golf-fan followers to check us out as well.

I look forward to seeing you soon on Divotr... and I have a feeling 2012 is going to be a great year for golf fans.

Is Bubba Watson Justin Bieber's New Swagger Coach?

Newsflash: The "coolest job in the world" is officially available.

You see, word is out that tween-dream singing sensation Justin Bieber, has lost his "Swagger Coach".  One can only assume a replacement is being sought and it appears big-hitting PGA golfer Bubba Watson might be on the singer's short list.

What's a "swagger coach"? you may be asking as I did this earlier this morning.

Well, for those of you not in-the-know, a swagger coach is an integral part any self-respecting pop culture idol's team these days. They shape a star's style in subtle ways and... just... sort of... keep said star on a swagtastic trajectory to ever-increasing awesomeness.  OK, I think we used to call them stylists, but clearly the job discription has evolved... and along with it, the title.

Justin Bieber's swagger coach, Ryan Good, was responsible for the singer's headline-making haircut earlier this year... and "The Biebs" himself explained the job to journalists thusly: "I have a swagger coach that helps me and teaches me different swaggerific things to do."  Now however, Mr. Good has left to "pursue his own dreams" ...and suddenly Bubba Watson's tweeting about hanging with "The Biebs"?   That's where the  "swagger coach" speculation comes in.

I know, it may seem like a stretch, but don't forget Bubba once had his own apparel line, he also appears to have a well-honed sense for when an all-important hairstyle change-up is called for.  Then there's the "Golf Boys" video that came out earlier this summer... and showed the world that Bubba Watson can "Swing it like a boomerang-a-tang tang" with the best of them.

So who knows?  I can only suggest you follow @BubbaWatson on Twitter for updates.

If you liked this post you may also enjoy these Bieberific stories:
Golf Games: Sex + Justin Bieber = A Birdie on Twirdie
Rickie Fowler is Hot, Justin Bieber is Cool
Justin Bieber Golf Video: He Putts... and Goes Nuts.

#Winning Golf Tweet of the Week - June 26, 2011

Rickie Fowler, Ben Crane, and Ryan Moore are coming to the Canadian Open in Vancouver. We are one Quiros away from my dream team #getexcitedless than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet ReplyKaylee Price
kayleeprice

Tweeted by: @Kaylee Price

Why it's #winning: 1) Promotes the Canadian Open 2) Demonstrates fan engagement, 3) Displays enthusiasm for professional golfers 4) Effectively uses the hashtag #getexcited.

Look for the Winning Tweet of the Week here every Sunday!

Twittour 2011: Golfers in Spain Launch a Twitter Tour

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Todos Juntos.  It means All Together and it's the tag line for Spain's bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup ... but it could also be the tag line for Spain's Twittour 2011.

Twittour was dreamed up by a group of Spanish golfers on Twitter who call themselves #jugones which means... gamers?  Close enough.  Anyway, these golfistas twiteros from all over Spain got to know each other over time via the celebrated social network.  They soon found they shared a passion for golf, and not long ago decided to do what most of us never get around to: they organized a real life golf tour and devirtualized their love for the game... and Twittour 2011 was born.

Twittour 2011 will be a series of tournaments on different courses in Spain.  The first event, Twittour 2011-Lerma, took place this past Friday at Golf Lerma, a pastoral parkland course in the Castillian countryside three hours north of Madrid.  Lerma was created on a site that was once a hunting estate, and when the Twittour group arrived at the course on Friday morning they found the wide fairways and undulating greens covered in a dusting of snow.  The hearty jugones were not intimidated however, and once the snow stopped falling they got right down to business despite the cold north wind whipping across the Lerma's many lakes. After their wintry round the players had a sublime Spanish dinner... with lots of wine. Prizes and awards were then presented.

Twittour 2011

The Twittour 2011 website is great.  There's a blog where members write posts about the tournaments and discuss current events and issues in golf (the awesome @martasegura writes about women in the game). There's also a media gallery with photos and videos and a schedule of events among other things.  And what's so inspiring is the way these golfers got together and made their Twittour a reality.   It looks like the next event is scheduled for May 20 in Madrid.

If your interested in global golf... and who isn't these days... if you're interested in the joy and conviviality of the game, and also if you're intrigued by the way social networks can bring people together, check out the Twittour 2011 website, (if you don't speak Spanish you can put it thorough Google translate and you'll get the gist).

The #jugones have a good thing going on, and their enthusiasm for golf is quite contagious.

Angry Birds: At The Super Bowl & On Your Golf Clubs

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A perfect social media storm... and the winning birdie.  That's what  Etsy commerçant, Kimberly Glendora is dealing with right now, metaphorically speaking.

With "a big imagination and lots of yarn" Kimberly creates wonderfully, whimsical knitted items: dolls, decor, hats and scarves... and the most awesome golf club covers.  She does vintage pom pom and tassel covers made to order in the colors of your choice and they're great.

However, it's the birds that are causing the buzz... the multi-chromatic flock of ill-tempered avians, who star in the addictive, puzzle game "Angry Birds". 

Not long ago "Madame Wonder Thread"... as Kimberly is sometimes known... has created a set of 6 headcovers based on the endearing Angry Birds.
     

Oh... and for your driver she did  a green pig.  Yes of course, a green pig.  You see, in the game, evil green pigs try to steal the bird's eggs and the whole point is to kill as many of the pernicious porkers as possible, thereby retrieving the eggs.  Got that?  OK.

The thing is, the game... and its captivating characters... have become enormously popular.  And their popularity is bound to grow with the upcoming release of the Angry Birds' movie, "Rio". 

The 20th Century Fox film was promoted a couple of hours ago in a Super Bowl ad that featured hidden level clues... an embedded code for an unlockable level in the game! And judging from the thousands of #angrybirds tweets that spilled forth from all over the world, at that moment... quite a few tweeps suddenly forgot all about Super Bowl XLV.