Golf Digest Search Results

Find your ideal business foursome

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:40:00 GMT

Sportswriter Grantland Rice once wrote, "Eighteen holes of match or medal play will teach you more about your foe than will 18 years of dealing with him across a desk." Few people doubt him. That's why Callaway has joined with LinkedIn to help you discover your ideal business foursome.

After visiting CallawayHitTheLinks.com and logging in via LinkedIn Connect, the social network's API (application programming interface) recommends people who are both highly connected and passionate about golf. But if you'd rather not rely on LinkedIn's algorithms, you can opt for a "mulligan" and create your own dream foursome. The first 1,000 participants will receive a dozen Callaway HEX Chrome+ balls, and one lucky group will win a golf "business" trip that includes a custom club fitting at Callaway's California headquarters and a round of golf.

"Masters Photo of the Day"

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:53:00 GMT

By Ashley Mayo

The Masters is always special, but we're about to make it even better. From Wednesday through Monday (April 10-15), we're going to reward you for celebrating the spirit of the tournament via Instagram. Whether you're at the Masters or not, when you Instagram a Masters-related image and tag it with our #GDMasters hashtag, our Director of Photography could choose your snapshot as the "Masters Photo of the Day" and showcase it in our Instagram feed and on GolfDigest.com.

Here's the deal:

1. If you're in Augusta, take photos of your favorite spots (around town, Magnolia Lane, etc.). If you're not at Augusta, get creative. Let us know how you're watching the tournament, or snap images of a Masters cap perched on your golf bag, your homemade pimento cheese sandwiches, etc.

2. Share those images via Instagram and tag it with #GDmasters.

3. The first 20 people who do so each day will automatically receive a Golf Digest Masters lapel pin.

4. Each day, our Director of Photography, Christian Iooss, will look through all #GDmasters photos and select not only his five favorites, but also the one "Masters Photo of the Day," which will be showcased in our Instagram feed and on GolfDigest.com. He'll also explain why he loves the image.

5. On Tuesday, April 16th, Iooss will announce the ultimate "Photo of the Masters," and you'll have legitimate bragging rights for a very long time.

Here a three examples of what we're looking for:

What are you waiting for?

Advice from Bubba's social media guru

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:33:00 GMT

By Ashley Mayo

Winning the Masters propelled Bubba Watson into the spotlight. Fans all over the world fell in love with his shot-making ability and, of course, with his pink Ping driver. But Watson has managed to maintain that level of celebrity, in large part due to the way he uses Twitter. On the night he won the Masters, he replied to everyone who congratulated him, most with a simple "thanks" or "thank u."

"Bubba tries to respond to as many people as possible, even if it's with a 'yes' or 'no,'" says Amy Jo Martin (shown, left), who helped Watson hone his Twitter skills back in 2009. "I introduced him to his first social media endorsement deal. Twitter was still new at the time and Bubba only had 10,000 followers, but Discount Tires saw value in him because of his ability to engage and his willingness to try new things. His personal commitment to social is still very obvious, and he continues to build a day-after-day connections with fans."

Amy Jo Martin knows sports, and she knows social media. In 2008, as the director of digital media and research for the Phoenix Suns, Martin began to realize the power of social platforms. That's when she helped Shaquille O'Neal step up his Twitter game, and eventually guided him as he announced his retirement via the network, the first star athlete to do so. More recently, Martin wrote the New York Times Best-Seller, "Renegades Write The Rules: How The Digital Royalty Use Social Media To Innovate."

Martin knows that even people who actively use social platforms can do so more effectively. Here, her tips for consuming social media:

If value isn't noticed right away, you're following the wrong people. "Don't be afraid to unfollow," says Martin. "If you have feeds of people talking about things you're not interested in, none of these social platforms will become valuable." A great way to find interesting people: Identify those you value the most, then see who they follow.
"A lot of people don't know they can organize content and make it more consumable," says Martin. "In the real world you wouldn't have a conversation in five minutes about 10 different aspects of your life, and you don't want to hear from everybody in your life at the same time." Martin's advice? On Twitter, create lists to organize this sea of sameness into specific discussion. Lists like "professional golfers" and "golf media" and "colleagues" will compartmentalize conversations and make them more digestible. (Here, for example, is our Twitter list of Golf Digest editors.) You can do the same within Facebook, making it easier to see updates from "close friends," "college cronies," etc.
"Golf brands and golf companies are giving tips all the time," says Martin. "Everybody's goal is to deliver value, if they're doing it for the right reasons, so you have to identify those entities." If you don't, you'll miss that information about the golf course you always wanted to go to, or a good deal for those polos you've wanted for a while.
"There are lots of golfers who are able to provide a mix of value and not just make it about golf," says Martin. "John Daly is entertaining, for example, and Paula Creamer is a great example of someone who offers insight into her life off the course. By following these kinds of golfers on various platforms, you'll see through this window into their lives that was never there before."
Beyond Facebook and Twitter, Martin also loves Vine, Instagram and Pinterest. "Vine lets you create six-second video clips, and is very compliant with twitter, which makes all the difference in the world for the user," says Martin. "Instagram has become one of my favorite platforms because of its simplicity. Imagery that comes from the pros, golf resorts or even golf fans can become a valuable second screen. And Pinterest, as much as it's gotten a rap as being female focused, is starting to change. More men are relying on it. Being able to do things from your phone and being able to avoid complexity is key, and these three platforms get that."

Related: Golfers on Instagram

Martin has more than one million Twitter followers and more than 11,000 Instagram followers. In 2011 she founded The Digital Royalty, which provides classes for those who want to sharpen their social media skills.

(Photo by Jill Richards)

Follow @AshleyKMayo

Tweets We'd Like To Read In 2012

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

2011 was full of surprises, but we'd welcome these developments in 2012.

The Year in Twitter

John Strege — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Capturing the year in golf in 140-character nuggets

Celebrating 100,000 Facebook Fans

GolfDigest.com — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

As of this week, Golf Digest has 100,000+ Facebook fans. We want to thank you for stopping by and contributing to our social watering hole of all things golf. As a token of our appreciation for being our influencers, we're giving 10 fans a pair of tickets to a PGA Tour event of their choice.

Video: Cheering WHILE golfers tee off

Ashley Mayo — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 14:54:00 GMT

By Ashley MayoA new trend is about to take off. When Bubba Watson encouraged fans to cheer WHILE he teed off on the first hole at Medinah on Friday, he initiated a behavior that had...

Is it appropriate to use your cell phone on the golf course?

Ashley Mayo — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:46:00 GMT

By Ashley MayoWant to start an argument during your next dinner party? Ask your friends if it’s okay to use a cell phone during a round of golf. When Golf Digest posed the question, via Facebook...

Reaction to Augusta's big news

Ashley Mayo — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:40:00 GMT

[View the story "Augusta admits two female members" on Storify]...

He Said, She Said: Can you take money from a woman?

Ashley Mayo — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:21:00 GMT

In a series called "He Said, She Said," Golf Digest Associate Editor Ashley Mayo will address your views on gender-related issues in golf. The former collegiate golfer is 27. She somehow maintains a 5 handicap...