19th Hole
18Birdies’ new commercial tries to broaden the traditional notion of a “golfer.” What do you think?
As you may know, social golf app, 18Birdies, allows users to track rounds, utilize GPS, and connect with friends.
Such was the messaging in 18Birdies Masters week commercial last year, as the challenger golf brand sought to establish footing–which it has done, with more than 800,000 users and as the No. 1-rated golf app.
This year, with company golf spikes gaining traction in the fairway, product and features take a back seat to another message in 18Birdies’ ad: Golf is game for everyone, regardless of age, race, gender, skill, or experience.
You can check out the spot, which features trick shot artist Tania Tare, Paige Spiranac, Carlos Brown (award-winning amputee golfer), and Chase Holzhauer (whom the movie Hurt Locker was based on), below.
So, GolfWRX members, are you keen to see advertisers expand the definition of what constitutes golf or what a “golfer” looks like? Or should OEMs and golf technology companies continue to focus on the avid 18-hole golfer, as s/he sits at the financial heart of the $70 billion industry?
Let us know what you think!
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19th Hole
Bryson DeChambeau’s coach, Mike Schy, explains why his student was spraying water on golf balls
Plenty of folks freaked out about Bryson DeChambeau misting golf balls with a spray bottle to simulate morning dew ahead of the Tour Championship.
“Peak Bryson!” was the widespread refrain regarding the driving cap aficionado’s on-range antics. The strangest on-range occurrence since Padraig Harrington’s pre-shot maneuvers! For DeChambeau’s coach since his junior days, however, the behavior was emblematic of the young maestro’s mindset.
Mike Schy, appearing on our Two Guys Talkin’ Golf podcast, said,
“Everyone was making fun of him spraying his golf ball, trying to figure out how the water would hydroplane on the ball…blah, blah, blah. The reality is, that’s how his mind functions. “Wait a minute: So if my ball has water on it from dew in the morning…” For him, if he doesn’t know or he’s not sure, he will go insane and possibly implode…for him, understanding barometric pressure, understanding a five mile per hour wind coming from 11 o’clock with my 7-iron is going to affect it three yards…all it is is to help him understand that it’s a 175 or 174 shot. That’s all it is. But if he has any doubt…doubt now creates problems in execution, so that’s all it is.”
Schy then went on to poke a bit of fun at his pupil, saying that once DeChambeau realizes dew could be of a different consistency than water from a spray bottle, or that dew at different locations may have different consistencies, he’ll be keen to test those variables as well.
And here’s a bonus morsel: Schy talking about DeChambeau’s original interest in single length clubs and the initial set composition.
“He said, ‘Why do I have to have variable length clubs?’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s an easy question to ask and a difficult one to answer.”…we did some research, and we discovered Bobby Jones played one length when he won his Grand Slam…So basically what I did is I took a set of Nike forged cavity backs and I destroyed them. We made them all 284-gram heads heads. We put Dynamic Gold 6-iron shafts in all of them. We had to take 40 grams of weight out of the sand wedge. We had to add 50 grams of lead tape to the 4-iron.”
For more with the Madera, Calif. based coach, be sure to give a listen to the full TG2 podcast.
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19th Hole
Kyle Thompson films man taking his dumped Staff bags, then finds them listed on Craigslist
Earlier in the week, PGA Tour professional Kyle Thompson put three old Srixon golf bags (that he has since stressed “were in bad shape”) out with the garbage.
What the 39-year-old wasn’t expecting, however, was for someone to come by and snag the items from his trash. That’s precisely what happened however, and Thompson managed to capture the incident, which he then uploaded to his Instagram account (second slide):
The bag burglar displayed some smooth moves as he tiptoed his way across Thompson’s driveway before snagging the items and hopping back into his truck and driving off for a clean getaway.
Thompson then turned investigator, found the items listed on Craigslist, which the seller, who he christened “Cowboy,” had priced at $175.
If that wasn’t enough, the clubs were also spotted on eBay where the items were unashamedly listed as a “Kyle Thompson model,” and the seller, who was clearly struggling to move the bags, had dropped his asking price down to $100.
As for Thompson, he appeared to find the entire episode amusing, even praising his man “Cowboy” for his ingenuity.
Unreal. My man “Cowboy” is a real Entreprenuer! ???????? #ripLarry https://t.co/clJDv5k0N1
— Kyle Thompson (@KyleThompsonPGA) September 19, 2018
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If you’re on Instagram, you’re hopefully aware that we are ‘gramming it up as well (@golfwrx). And if you’re not following us, well, that hurts our feelings more than a three-putt bogey.
Even if you do follow WRX on Instagram, however, you may not be aware that an abundance of equipment enthusiasts are hashtagging their photos #GolfWRX. We feel it’s only right to feature the best of the WRX-tagged imagery here.
And if you’re not on Instagram, well there’s no way you could see these photos, so think of this series as a handy filter for the best #GolfWRX photos from the past 24 hours.
Aiken Golf Club, looks like y’all are good to go. All bag room and cart barn photos are 100% WRX approved.
Some puttorial handiwork from Bradley Putters, here. Acrylic + wood = nastiness.
A post that will only resonate with golfers of a certain age…
Do lambs travel in a herd? (Technically correct, according to Google)
Lovely Lincoln ball makers, indeed. Nice work here from CNC Creations.
The expected singular ferrule work from Boyd Blade & Ferrule. Very nice.
Lovely Red Bird & Avian wand.
If you’re on Instagram, remember to hashtag your photos #GolfWRX. And if you’re not on Instagram, well, don’t.
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Travis
Apr 13, 2018 at 8:35 am
I don’t see how this commercial redefines what a typical golfer looks like…
Were kids having fun on the course, people playing with their children, or those with prosthetic limbs not golfers before this ad? lol
millennial82
Apr 12, 2018 at 10:50 am
The commercial’s great. From magazines to Ipad’s, from baggy over sized clothes to slim fit, from dad bodies to fit bodies, from 300 yards to 430 yards… why not make golf fit the millennial’s image to bring more ppl in to the game?
The baby boomers who are shooting 25 and under will never stop playing, I see them using 7 irons to chip..
if you practice enough to use an iron to chip, your in for life.
ogo
Apr 12, 2018 at 1:09 pm
Yes, it’s nice to see young men and women cavorting, romping, flitting and flirting about on a golf course. It makes the game of golf sooo attractive, appealing, alluring to the younger generations. Golf will flourish, thrive, prosper, bloom and blossom in the future. Golf is good for humanity.
millennial82
Apr 12, 2018 at 8:16 pm
LOL
James
Apr 12, 2018 at 3:09 am
Well, isn’t ogo just a ray of sunshine in the comment section
ogo
Apr 12, 2018 at 12:57 pm
The Truth shall liberate you from your emotional ignorance. 🙁
steve
Apr 11, 2018 at 11:10 pm
The PGA have defined a “golfer” as anybody who owns a set of golf clubs and plays once a year… or more.
It’s estimated there are currently 50 million (down from 60 million) worldwide… and 90% cannot break 100.. honestly and within the rules.
ogo
Apr 12, 2018 at 1:53 am
… and they never will break 100… but will buy new super game improvement clubs in their pathetic desperation.
Patricknorm
Apr 11, 2018 at 6:30 pm
I’m big supporter of golf marketing because the “baby boomer “ gravy train is shrinking the game. The millennial age group is the next wave ( cohort) that golf needs if the game intends to at least not lose participation. My three kids, all millenials, we’re introduced to golf during their early teens, and today none play because of time and cost. My older boy was scratch at thirteen but chose hockey where he has been a pro for 14 years. He plays very occasionally, maybe five times during the summer. The other two just might go to the driving range. I’m all for making golf attractive to young people.
ogo
Apr 12, 2018 at 1:55 am
Golf is collapsing and the OEMs are squeezing the last $$$$$$$ out of the duffers with horrendously expensive clubs.
Gary McCormick
Apr 11, 2018 at 5:58 pm
I like what 18Birdies is doing here. There is room in the game of golf for everyone who wants to play.
ogo
Apr 12, 2018 at 1:50 am
Everybody wants to ‘play’… but few are willing to ‘learn’.
Harry
Apr 14, 2018 at 4:17 am
And your point is?
Philip
Apr 11, 2018 at 5:57 pm
This video does not expand on the definition of golf or who a golfers is … maybe you have a very narrow mind, but there is nothing new here. Golf is about people, the course, and the challenge within … nothing has changed.
ogo
Apr 12, 2018 at 1:52 am
Golf is now defined by the OEMs flogging new and improved golf clubs annually/semiannually. The whole thing has degenerated into a gearheadfest.