Rounds are Down, Tweets (and Social Media) are Up

Players, journalists, businesses and fans of golf are increasingly connected to the game via Twitter and other social media outlets. Breaking news, such as Rory McIlroy and Lee Westweed not playing the Players this year is coming from Twitter instead of traditional media outlets. I follow professional journalists and bloggers on my couch while watching tournaments to get extra insight from those that are behind the ropes. I'm not alone in this activity.

That said, sports marketers are constantly coming up with new and creative ways to engage fans both at home and at live events.The next step for most sports is creating an in-game experience for its fans that goes beyond the blogs and tweets of living rooms. For example, Brian Grey at Bleacher Report recently wrote an article discussing the idea of a digital sports bar. He envisions an ultimate online experience that brings all the exciting content about his sport team into the palm of his hand. Mingling with fans on Facebook isn't enough anymore. Fans check into sections, talk trash with rivals, and bond with fellow supporters all with the click of their mobile phone. This all sounds great, but what about the golf fans? One of the most frustrating things about attending a golf tournament is that a fan can't bring his/her cell phone into a tournament. Because of this, fans are only partially engaged. How will the Tour, it's tournaments and sponsors, deal with this development/opportunity, if at all?

There's clearly a huge opportunity here given the extent to which sports/golf fans have embraced social media. While visiting a tournament, fans could check into holes and corporate tents while tagging players as they walk the course. A live, online social community for fans could draw more spectators, speak to a new demographic and bring more eyeballs to the sport we love. However, we can't do this without a device. I understand we can't trust fans to turn their ringers off, but what about renting a smart device that takes pictures (silently), is loaded with social media applications and contains course maps and GPS tracking of groups? A number of companies would sponsor the hell outta something like this. I would.

Technology is changing the way we consume sports. Golf is no exception. Obviously. But I seriously hope the Tour and its governing bodies have the flexibility to keep up with the steep slope of technology demanded by the general public. With the demand for courses and rounds being down due to the recession, technology represents a clear answer for the sustainable growth and development of the game.