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The 2012 Trending Awards (aka, the Trendies)

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:50:00 GMT

Some trends are fleeting, like parachute pants and fanny packs, while others go on to become cultural institutions -- like anchored putting (OK, bad example). And with each one, we ride the highs and lows that accompany the graduation of fads, from passing to fixtures. 2012 was no exception. With that in mind, here are the top trends from the world of golf I hope to see stick around for at least one more year.

#5. Crying at majors

While still too early to tell if this will become a regular occurrence, Bubba Watson set the bar high with his post-Masters breakdown. Of course, not every major winner has Tim Tebow's shoulder to cry on, but it's nice to see that someone had the guts to let the waterworks flow outside of a Steve Stricker presser.

#4. Twitter fighting

We expect reality TV stars and celebrity break-ups to be the thing Twitter dreams are made of, but golfers creating controversy? You bet, and there was no shortage of it in 2012. While most of it skewed from the right side of the aisle, there was plenty of blame to go around. Luke Donald and Gil Hanse in a cock fight? Done. Does blasting the President make you a better Ryder Cup captain? Not sure, but threatening people to fights over the social-networking platform definitely won't win you many supporters. And it wasn't just the men. Brittany Lincicome and Christina Kim started a feud that drew in boyfriends and three other LPGA colleagues. Whether for entertainment or debate fodder at the water cooler, we're all a little bit better when the golf world opens up on Twitter.

#3. Tell-all books about Tiger Woods

With three victories, including his first in over two years, 2012 will be remembered as the year Tiger came back. Unfortunately for Hank Haney, it will not be remembered as the year of the Big Miss (there's an overused golf joke in there somewhere). For all the controversy it created at the start of the season -- eventually hitting No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list -- it didn't deliver much in the way of dirt slinging, which is why I want to see more unauthorized biographies on the bookshelves in 2013. Do we really need to wait for the movie version to get the juicy story we all crave? Oh wait, that already happened.

#2. Tour wives/significant others tweeting/Instagramming photos of their husbands/boyfriends

They seem untouchable on the course, so it's refreshing to see tour pros in some awkward moments off of it thanks to the prying camera lenses of their significant others. Whether it's as innocuous as Hunter Mahan strolling through Penn Station with his clubs as caught by wife Kandi, or as scandalous as a topless, sleeping Rory courtesy of Caroline Wozniacki, this is a trend we hope continues well into the two-thousand-and-teens.

#1. Unconventional putting strokes

The days of the long putter being a fad are well behind us, but with the new anchor ban going into effect in a mere half-decade, we can expect to see all sorts of new putting styles come into use in 2013. You thought KJ Choi's half-Sneed or AdamScott's anchor claw was unique, wait til you see the forearm grip. And the new year hasn't even started! Just another reason to hope the Mayans were wrong.

Happy new year!

Follow @DerekEvers

Golf World's 2012 Newsmakers of The Year

GolfDigest.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Taking stock of 2012 by counting down the year's 25 biggest headliners.

For better or worse, Castle Stuart offers a sneak preview of what's to come

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:00:00 GMT

INVERNESS, Scotland -- It was -- like the weather -- a classic mix of good, bad and ugly. While India's Jeev Milkha Singh, winner of the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links, will surely not be complaining after claiming his fourth European Tour title, these four days in the endlessly picturesque Highlands did much to highlight what is both right and wrong with golf at the highest level.

Both the weather and course setup at Castle Stuart helped players prepare for this week's Open. Photo by Getty Images

Take the venue. Created by American Gil Hanse, Castle Stuart has been hailed (OK, by me) as one of the best new courses built anywhere on the planet since the World War II. With a strategic design philosophy modeled on the ultimate links that is the Old Course at St. Andrews -- wide fairways, big greens, minimal rough -- it represented a welcome respite from the penal, one-dimensional and long grass-covered tracks so often found in professional golf on both sides of the Atlantic.

Q&A: Herb Kohler on trying to buy near Bandon, Hamilton Grand and his latest victory.

Matt Ginella — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 22:09:00 GMT

The last time I did a formal Q&A with Herb Kohler, the prince of porcelain and owner of 90 holes of golf, was in 2008. He told me about saving dogs, landing planes and taking...

Catching up with Mike Keiser, owner of Bandon Dunes

Matt Ginella — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:07:00 GMT

Last week I spoke to a very wealthy and avid golfer. He took time away from swinging deals for potentially prosperous property to discuss the opening of his new courses, working with architect Gil Hanse,...

Podcast: Geoff Shackelford talks Olympic golf course design

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:30:00 GMT

In the wake of the announcement that Gil Hanse (and Amy Alcott) have been chosen to design the Rio Olympic golf course, Geoff Shackelford, a frequent Hanse collaborator, discusses why this is such a big deal, why Hanse was the right man for the job, and why certain marquee designers never had much of a chance in the competition to begin with.

Listen to the podcast

Trending: Celebrating golf's Olympic return

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:55:00 GMT

The news that Gil Hanse was selected to design the golf course for the 2016 Olympic games was met with excitement from most in the golf world--the notable exceptions being the seven other designers who lost out on the opportunity to lead the project. But aside from raising the prospects of a great new course for the Rio Games, it is another boost of excitement for the return of competitive golf in the Olympics after a 112-year hiatus. (Canadian George Lyon, above, was the last Olympic gold medal winner in golf at the 1904 St. Louis games. AP Photo.)

"I give the Olympic Committee a lot of credit," Phil Mickelson said at the Cadillac Championship in Florida. "Because it would have been easier to go with a big name and instead, they went with the best. I thought that was pretty cool."

I couldn't agree more with Phil. Despite the relatively obscure sports we get to witness every four years (race walking? rhythmic gymnastics?), the Olympics bring out a special sense of competition, sportsmanship, and national pride unlike any other event--even if you'll never remember who won the gold medal for synchronized swimming. With that in mind, here are a few teasers to pump you up even further. First, let's allow the PGA and tour professionals to tell us why it's a special occasion, then we'll sink into nostalgia with some Olympic highlights as we prep for the London Games later this year. Only four more years 'til Rio.

Trump National Doral

Matt Ginella — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:28:00 GMT

Ron Whitten on working, and not working, with The Donald...The word on the wire is that Donald Trump is purchasing the famed Doral Resort in Miami and has tabbed Gil Hanse with the task of...

Exclusive offer: "Finding Castle Stuart"

Matt Ginella — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:40:00 GMT

After a practice round during the week of the Barclays Scottish Open, Phil Mickelson said Castle Stuart is "one of the best golf courses anywhere in the world." Colleague Ron Whitten reports on how you can...

Dream Trip to Scotland, Day 10: Crail Golfing Society

Matt Ginella — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:17:00 GMT

Kevin Daly is a good friend who's on a dream golf trip to Scotland with his brother Mike. After he sent me his itinerary -- 21 rounds in 14 days -- I asked him to file a series of...