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.

Maki Uchida - Golf Photography That Transcends Golf

Photos: Maki Uchida / Uchida Times

The allure of golf is hard to explain, even for those with a passion for the game. 

Whether one plays obsessively several times a week, or simply makes a point to watch The Masters each year, it's often hard to answer the inevitable, "what do you like about golf " question.

If you're reading this blog, you know the question I'm talking about. It's the one posed with a look of abject incredulity... in a tone laden with scepticism.  And when you hear it, that's when you realize... you actually don't even know what it is you love about the game.

If you're an avid player, you probably say something about the challenge of the sport... or the the connection with nature. Maybe you tout the social side.   If you're simply a fan, you may mention the show of skill and the prospect of an exciting finish.  In either case however, you realize that there's something else to it.  Something intangible...  something that goes beyond the game ...and that elusive... something... is what's so perfectly captured in the work of Japanese photographer, Maki Uchida.  Whether his subject is a famous professional golfer, or anonymous members of the gallery, he captures the feeling that goes along with the game... and the result is so compelling.

On his blog, Uchida Times, the photographer presents his work with unique humor and creativity. My Japanese is a work in progress, so I used translation software which isn't perfect but the photos themselves speak volumes and in essence,  reflect so much of what we love about the game.