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 Southland Golf has a Twitter page with links to articles and thoughts on golf in Southern California. When I play golf, my Blackberry — with its golf scoring and stats application — is hanging off my bag. I also have a handheld GPS and a Callaway sunglasses case that doubles as a portable iPod speaker. Now, I’m a Tweeter. And I’m not alone on the cyber links. The number of touring golf professionals with Twitter accounts is growing. Recently crowned British Open champion Stewart Cink has about 600,000 followers. You’ll find Tweeters that are up-and-coming stars — such as Michelle Wie and Rory McIlroy — and greats like Annika Sorenstam and Davis Love III. Southland Golf even has a Twitter page that keeps followers up to date with regional news and commentary. Before you pooh-pooh this Internet microblog as nonsense, you need to understand that many golf-related businesses are using Twitter to spread the word about their products and services. Local golf courses are starting to get in on the action, too. “We’ve got nearly 200 golfers following us,” said Scott Heyn, PGA general manager at Yorba Linda’s Black Gold Golf Club. “Twitter gives us the chance to send out an instant message blast when we want to offer a deal to fill gaps in our tee sheet.” Although Black Gold has an e-mail list that’s 100 times bigger, Heyn thinks Twitter is an even better marketing tool. “A Twitter message can go out instantly when we decide to create a special offer,” he said. Tustin Ranch Golf Club and the Crossings at Carlsbad also have Twitter accounts, and Valencia Country Club also has started communicating with its members via the technology. Never too late? Almost every golf fanatic has fantasized about playing professionally. Forty-year-old filmmaker Jon Fitzgerald of Venice decided to take the professional plunge and chronicle his progress in a documentary he shot called “The Back Nine (visit the June 2009 archive of southlandgolfmagazine.com for the full story). The first time I saw Fitzgerald swing a club I thought he was fooling himself. But he shaved seven shots off his 15 handicap in a year and now plays to a 4. So who am I to question his dream of playing on the Champions Tour? But Fitzgerald faces many challenges. He has to juggle pursuing his dream while running his business. His second child was born during the filming. He also must balance the experience and guidance of his two father figures — polar opposites as people and influences in his life. “The Back Nine” isn’t for everybody, but, like the game, it will grab you if you give it time. Find it at thebacknine.com. Happy Hunting Keith Kreft has created a virtual software program that’s great for Southland golfers who travel. Never-Search features profiles on more than 18,000 golf courses, 1,500 driving ranges and 8,000 PGA instructors in the United States. The Never-Search Personal Edition ($39.95) provides course names, addresses, phone numbers, ratings and Internet links. Just pick an area of the country and the type of course you’re looking for, and follow along. Check it out at never-search.com. Eric Tracy is also known as The Mulligan Man. Reach him at eric@themulliganman.com. |
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