My Posts

B1: First blog post

The purpose of my blog is to expose and indulge my generation in the many layers of the sport of golf. Golf operator magazine digs into the various reasons why golf is losing popularity in today’s world of sports. The age group interested in golf is typically a much older crowd, the expense to play are high, the pace of the game is slow (especially compared to the other options in today’s sports world), and the era of Tiger Woods is slowly coming to an end (Eidukot, 2018). Tiger Woods is a well-known professional golfer who is known for being the youngest man and the first African American to win the U.S. Masters (Woods, 2019). He revolutionized golf to the modern world and brought a sense of excitement to the sport that no other golfer has been able to imitate. Highlighting these public figures and athletes whom bring interest to the sport are the areas I will be exploring in this blog. I plan to give readers the outlet to appreciate the history of the sport, yet understand the modernized aspect and what makes it interesting in a pop-culture

            Haggin Oaks golf blog wrote an article about a music video that exemplified professional golfers through a different lens. State Farm did an exceptional job appealing to the younger market with lighthearted music video featuring all PGA Tour golfers. Haggin Oaks blog noted thatthe “boy band” made up of PGA Tour players were part of a charitable act taken by the State Farm while sponsoring the Farmers Insurance Open (Golf’s Ultimate Boy Band, 2011). This was a great example of the PGA Tour attempting to market towards the younger crowds and doing something that would improve their PR as well.

            To engage with this blog, I encourage you all to keep an open mind. There are many aspects of the sport that I will be prompting throughout to allow you all to see the various parts of the sport in which are overlooked. For example, another blogger who focuses on a specific part of the game would be Aussie Golfer, a blog about day to day golf stories and news. An example of this would be a video with a short description titled “One armed golfer makes a hole-in-one” (Admin, 2020). It gives a description of Laurent Hurtubise whom played during the American Express Tournament. A video, of course, was attached to show this noble feat. He was born with one arm yet overcame obstacles and shot a hole-in-one.  These are extraordinary events in golf that are broadcasted through this blog and are events the public are interested in. Using my blog, I hope to broadcast these events as well, using short and sweet descriptions that are affirmative and fast paced.

            I plan to highlight public figures that take interest in the sport and professional athletes that can prove golf is much more interesting than the stereotype society places on it. Public figures such as Chris Harrison, a nationwide known bachelor host have found golf to be a relaxing sport that they became obsessed with (Host Biography). These connections with figures we all know and love allows us to bring familiarity to the sport, as we have built with many football and basketball teams being featured in various forms of media (TV shows, social media, movies).

            Building familiarity with the public regarding the sport is a major objective in my blog. Many of today’s youth dislike golf strictly because of their lack of knowledge of it. But creating an atmosphere within this blog is what I plan to achieve. Interesting golf stories and current event updates that would appeal to the public can be found here on this page… Stay tuned!

Eidukot, J. (2018, July 18). The Decline of Golf in 2018 – The Perfect Storm Continues For Most Admin. (2020, January 23). One armed golfer makes a hole-in-one: video.

Retrieved from http://aussiegolfer.com.au/one-armed-golfer-makes-a-hole-in-one-video/

Golf Clubs.

Retrieved from https://golfoperatormagazine.com/decline-of-golf/

Golf’s Ultimate Boy Band – Golf Boys Sing “Oh Oh Oh”. (2011, June 17).

Retrieved from https://www.hagginoaks.com/blog/golfs-ultimate-boy-band-golf-boys-sing-oh-oh-oh/

Host Biography. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://abc.com/shows/the-bachelor/cast/chris-harrison

Tiger Woods. (2019, October 28).

Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/athlete/tiger-woods

A3 Feature Story: Rough Draft

Rickie Fowler, a motocross racer and golf competitor. Best of both worlds? Rickie Fowler has a background in both golf and motocross starting at a young age. Although he was an exceptional motocross athlete and BMX racer, he was involved in a dirt bike accident at age 14 that left him with many broken bones in his foot (PGATOUR.com). This is when he began solely focusing on golf. He began playing golf as a 3-years-old and had experienced his first tournament at age four (PGATOUR.com). Although motocross is one of his great passions, he swapped his dirt bike for golf clubs and has continued to be a great role model to a more youthful audience.

Rickie Fowler was originally noticed for his bright outrageous Puma outfits, specifically his bright orange color. He wears this color every Sunday, in honor of his alma mater Oklahoma State University, “where he became the first and only freshman in NCAA history to be named NCAA Player of the Year” (PGATOUR.com). His bright color wasn’t the only thing that sparked fan interest, his youthful attractiveness brought a whole new atmosphere that the game of golf had not seen before. He has had many styles throughout the years, including with his hair. He originally was recognized for his long brown hair that would poof out of his flashy flat bill cap. However, he has sported short hair, a long hair featuring a mustache, and even a mullet on the golf course. As Fowler always wants to be the best role model he can be, the mullet hairstyle was specifically to create awareness for his respective foundations and Leukemia research (PGA Championship 2019). Fowler believes his history in being a motocross athlete has helped shape his game on the golf course. As he stated in an interview with golf digest, “Motocross made me a bit fearless on the course. I’ve taken the more conservative route on the bike now, but I’m still taking risks and having fun on the golf course,” he said. Fowler’s father won the 1986 Baja 1000 dirt bike race while racing for the Yamaha team, which can explain how this sport comes so naturally (PGATOUR.com).

Fowler is a great inspiration to keep golf relevant to the younger crowd of athletes. With the opportunity to become a professional motocross racer at his feet, he still chose to peruse golf instead. Why? Because as I have stated before, golf is a timeless sport that has been taken for granted. There are different types of thrills and excitement that you simply cannot get from other sports. Fowler has brought new, youthful aspects to the game of golf with his hair, his bright fashionable attire, and his thrilling energy. This is precisely what golf needs in order to improve its popularity within the younger age demographic. Fowler has sparked something within young golfers to has allowed them to channel their individuality into the sport of golf and make it their own. In the video attached, you will see a perfect demonstration of Fowler’s crossed love of both sports, motocross and golf, curtesy of Puma.com and sportsvibe.com. While many pro golfers are often stereotyped as being older, middle-aged men, Fowler is a youthful, charming man that attracts a whole new female crowd to the sport.

While Fowler still has an affair with his passion of motocross, golf will always be his safe place. Motocross and golf may be polar opposite sports, but Fowler has used both to improve his game and become a better athlete. He continues to intrigue younger audiences to the sport of golf through his fashion statements and energetic attitude. He may be a motocross racer at heart, but he has changed the game of golf forever.

Citations:

B3: Feature Story

Rickie Fowler Good at Motorcross, Great at Golf – Sportsvibe TV. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vyOAhP2QqM

Rickie Fowler, a motocross racer and golf competitor. Best of both worlds?

Rickie Fowler has a background in both golf and motocross starting at a young age. Although he was an exceptional motocross athlete and BMX racer, he was involved in a dirt bike accident at age 14 that left him with many broken bones in his foot (PGATOUR.com). This is when he began solely focusing on golf. He began playing golf as a 3-years-old and had experienced his first tournament at age four (PGATOUR.com). Although motocross is one of his great passions, he swapped his dirt bike for golf clubs and has continued to be a great role model to a more youthful audience.

Rickie Fowler was originally noticed for his bright outrageous Puma outfits, specifically his bright orange color. He wears this color every Sunday, in honor of his alma mater Oklahoma State University, “where he became the first and only freshman in NCAA history to be named NCAA Player of the Year” (PGATOUR.com). His bright color wasn’t the only thing that sparked fan interest, his youthful attractiveness brought a whole new atmosphere that the game of golf had not seen before.

He has shown many styles throughout the years, typically with an emphasis on his hair. He originally was recognized for his long brown hair that would poof out of his flashy flat bill cap. However, he has sported short hair, a long hair featuring a mustache, and even a mullet on the golf course. As Fowler always wants to be the best role model he can be, the mullet hairstyle was specifically to create awareness for his respective foundations and Leukemia research (PGA Championship 2019). Fowler believes his history in being a motocross athlete has helped shape his game on the golf course.

Rickie Fowler in 2012. Melina Vastola/USA TODAY Sports
Schwartz, N., & Like. (2014, February 16). Rickie Fowler got a haircut and he looks like a different person. Retrieved from https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/rickie-fowler-haircut
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Schwartz, N., & Like. (2014, February 16). Rickie Fowler got a haircut and he looks like a different person. Retrieved from https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/rickie-fowler-haircut

As he stated in an interview with golf digest, “Motocross made me a bit fearless on the course. I’ve taken the more conservative route on the bike now, but I’m still taking risks and having fun on the golf course,” he said. Fowler’s father won the 1986 Baja 1000 dirt bike race while racing for the Yamaha team, which can explain how this sport comes so naturally (PGATOUR.com).

Fowler is a great inspiration to keep golf relevant to the younger crowd of athletes. With the opportunity to become a professional motocross racer at his feet, he still chose to peruse golf instead. Why? Because as I have stated before, golf is a timeless sport that has been taken for granted. There are different types of thrills and excitement that you simply cannot get from other sports. Fowler has brought new, youthful aspects to the game of golf with his hair, his bright fashionable attire, and his thrilling energy. This is precisely what golf needs in order to improve its popularity within the younger age demographic. Fowler has sparked something within young golfers to has allowed them to channel their individuality into the sport of golf and make it their own.

In the video attached, you will see a perfect demonstration of Fowler’s crossed love of both sports, motocross and golf, curtesy of Puma.com and sportsvibe.com. While many pro golfers are often stereotyped as being older, middle-aged men, Fowler is a youthful, charming man that attracts a whole new female crowd to the sport.

“Rickie Fowler was the first golfer that originally showed me that golf doesn’t have to be something for an older crowd, it can be bright and youthful,” said golf blogger, Piper Even.

While Fowler still has an affair with his passion of motocross, golf will always be his safe place. Motocross and golf may be polar opposite sports, but Fowler has used both to improve his game and become a better athlete. He continues to intrigue younger audiences to the sport of golf through his fashion statements and energetic attitude. He may be a motocross racer at heart, but he has changed the game of golf forever.

Citations:

Best Ad Campaign: Nike Golf Advertisements

Nike Advertisement 1
Nike Advertisement 2

Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy Nike Golf advertisements

Nike has created various golf advertisements featuring professional golfers Tiger Woods, 44, and Rory McIlroy, 30. Tiger Woods is a golf icon who has been in the spotlight of professional golf for roughly the last 30 years. He has been a professional golfer since the age of 16, placing 34th place in the Los Angeles open (TOGETHER). He has 82 PGA Tour wins and was the youngest Masters champion ever at 21 years old (TOGETHER).

Rory McIlroy is a Northern Irish golfer. McIlroy on the other hand, has also been in the golf spotlight since approximately the same age, participating in the 2007 British Open at 18-years-old (Murray, 2017). McIlroy had already won the 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA Tour by age 23, making him the number one ranked golfer in the world (Doyle, 2019). Similarly to Woods, McIlroy was a child golf prodigy that had great success early in his career as well, both introduced to the sport by their fathers.

Nike golf has done an exceptional job with their golf campaign advertisements. They are typically entertaining and can bring lighthearted humor to the sport that sports fans (not just golf fans) can relate to. I have chosen two different advertisements to portray Nike’s best golf advertisements, both featuring golf legends Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Advertisement 1 showed both golfers playfully hitting some balls trying to get closer to the hole than the other. As things begin to escalate, they quickly begin “smack talking” each other. With each ball hit, they are hitting their golf balls perfectly into different “holes” such as wine glasses, soup bowls, etc., in impossible places (which is a piece of the humor). Woods’ ball ends up in McIlroy’s drink and McIlroy is puzzled on how he got that in there. Woods ends the commercial as the “wiser” golfer telling McIlroy that “he’ll learn.” The commercial showed a golf legend and a golf prodigy (upcoming legend) competing one on one with playful intent. The music itself is very important to the vibe of the commercial.

After taking the lightheartedness of Advertisment1 into account, I came across Advertisement 2. This advertisement brought tears to my eyes with how authentic and wholesome both golfers were portrayed. Woods is about 15 years older than McIlroy and began his career at age 16. As a young golfer, McIlroy grew up watching Woods as his hero figure with Tiger Woods posters on his walls. This advertisement showed many instances of McIlroy as a boy watching Woods on TV, in person, and striving to similar to him in his own game. It proceeds to present day with Woods and McIlroy playing together on the tour, Woods acknowledging McIlroy as a good golfer. According to McIlroy, at 9-years-old he even wrote Woods a letter, warning him that his was on his way to becoming his rival (Schwartz 2019). 13 years later, McIlroy won his first major championship against Woods at the 2011 US Open (Schwartz, 2019). This shows the authenticity of the advertisement and how McIlroy made something of a childhood dream, connecting wit Nike’s motto “Just do it.”

Nike golf has brought Woods and McIlroy together in even more campaign advertisements than just the two I have attached. Both golfers have very similar qualities and achievements that tie them together yet their age contrast is something that Nike emphasizes on that has proven to be successful. They often are competing against each other but Nike Golf bringing them together through these campaign advertisements in an emotional context is great for fan engagement considering they are both golf icons.

CITATIONS:

Top five golf courses in the United States

There are many different kinds of golf courses around the world, private course, public courses, tournament hosting courses, historical courses, etc. The course is such a key element in the game and can help or hurt a golfer’s game. There are so many factors that make each course different and “bucket list” courses for ammeter golfers. In today’s post, I will shine the light on five courses that I consider to be the best golf courses in the United States.

Piper’s top five courses

  • Pebble Beach Golf Links
  • Torrey Pines Golf Course
  • Pinehurst
  • Whistling Straits
  • Bandon Dunes Golf Resort- Pacific Dunes

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Photo by Pebble Beach Resort
Pebble Beach Golf Links. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pebblebeach.com/golf/pebble-beach-golf-links/

Pebble Beach Golf Links is located in Monterey, California and has been making history as an iconic championship venue since 1929 but officially opened in 1919 (Pebble Beach). It wraps around California’s Monterey Peninsula, creating a beautiful golfing experience. Pebble Beach is a six0time host of the U.S. Open Championship (which is more than any course in the last 50 years) and will host its first Women’s U.S. Open Championship in 2023 (Pebble Beach). With so much history of golf legends and tournaments that have played/been played on this course, the credibility is undeniable. The location is incredible, it looks as if you are walking right on the beach with the ocean just a 200 feet away. It is the No. 1 Public Course in the Country (Pebble Beach).

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Photo by Torrey Pines Golf Course
TORREY PINES. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com/

The Torrey Pines Golf Course was built on the top of cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California (TORREY PINES). Similar to Pebble Beach, it is located coastline of California and has a breathtaking atmosphere overlooking the ocean. It is also a proud tournament host. It is a yearly host of the PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open event and is a household name within the professional golf world and also offers one of the largest on-course golf shops in the United States (TORREY PINES). Being in San Diego (La Jolla more specifically), the air is warm and you can almost always count on the sun shining.

Pinehurst Golf Club

Photo by Pinehurst Golf overview
Pinehurst Golf: World Class Golf Vacation Packages. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pinehurst.com/golf/

Pinehurst Golf Course is located in Pinehurst, North Carolina and is a historical golf course. Since 1898, it has hosted more championships than any other golf club in the country and will be the host of the 2024 U.S. Open Championship (Pinehurst Golf). There are nine courses within the Pinehurst Golf Club, all of which were added on since the golf club opened. The first three courses were designed by Donald Ross within the years 1901-1910 (Pinehurst Golf). The course appears to be timeless and very legendary. The nine courses give the golfer plenty of options to explore and try out different parts of the golf club. The layout of the course provides plenty of forestry with the longleaf pine trees and gives you a taste of the south. The older courses within Pinehurst are well restored after the years of history that has been made on them.

Whistling Straits

Photo by Whistling Straits Gallery
TheAmericanClub. (n.d.). Whistling Straits Golf Course: Destination Kohler. Retrieved from https://www.americanclubresort.com/golf/whistling-straits

Switching gears, Whistling Straits is located in Sheboygan, Wisconson. The Whistling Straits is a proud tournament host similar to Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach. The Straits hosted the 2004, 2010, and 2015 PGA Championship, the 2007 U.S. Senior Open, and is the future course of the 2020 Ryder Cup (as long as it doesn’t get cancelled or delayed due to COVID-19) (TheAmericanClub). It was built in 1918 by Walter J. Kohler (TheAmericanClub). While the course is sculpted around the Lake Michigan shoreline, the atmosphere feels somewhat desert-like. Destination Kohler owns Whistling Straits among the other course, Blackwolf Run, and various other shops, spas, lodging, and event venues. Whistling Straits is undeniably a gorgeous course and is positioned with many other options besides golf and is also very respected among the golf network.

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort- Pacific Dunes

Photo by Pacific Dunes photo gallery
– Pacific Dunes -. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bandondunesgolf.com/golf/golf-courses/pacific-dunes

Pacific Dunes is located in the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon. It was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2001 (Pacific Dunes). Being on the Oregon Coast with natural bunkers lining the course gives Pacific Dunes a much different atmosphere than its polished competitors. I may have a slight bias considering I am an Oregon native and I know how beautiful Oregon is in the summertime, especially on the coast. While costal courses in places such as Hawaii and California are typically the more desirable courses, Oregon’s greenery surrounding the ocean is unmatchable. It has built its way up to become a golf course of great renown. It is fresh, isolated, and feels as if you are playing on a naturally made golf course.

Work Cited

A Bittersweet Goodbye

(And Thank You For Reading)

Winfree, C. (2018, October 27). Tiger Woods Role Models ‘Never Give Up’ On Finding Pain Relief. Retrieved from https://auniqueapproach.com/tiger-woods-never-give-up/

As I wrap up my blog with this final post, I want to first say ‘Thank you’ for following me on this journey. I’d like to give a special shout-out to Professor Cara Hawkins-Jedlicka, my COMSTRAT 383 professor. I could not have learned any of this without your weekly tutorials and advice along the way.

When I began this blog, I thought I knew little things here and there about blogging such as forming a well written post and attaching photos. I have now learned new formatting skills and possess different ways to insert photos along with my message. I was somewhat familiar with WordPress from using it in another class, yet I never thought I could design such a detailed blog with it. I was pleasantly surprised with my first experience as a blogger.

I sought to find what type of content a viewer was looking for in a golf blog, which became easier as I established my target market. After establishing my target market, I proceeded to do all types of research on what would appeal to their age demographic. I sought to keep my blog modern and appealing to a younger audience while keeping in mind that the average age of today’s golfer is a 54-year-old man (Lake, 2015). This was a bit of a challenge, but I enjoyed showing the sport of golf in a different light to a younger crowd.

Throughout my blogging experience, I really understood the importance of secondary sources and using research to support my claims and theories. When I was in the process of completing any assignment or blog post for this class, I would have countless tabs open just searching for the best sources to support my work. I learned so much about my topic through my secondary source research alone, even through the articles I didn’t use in my posts. I pushed myself to spend hours on each post and dive into every entry regardless of how much time it took.

Before taking COMSTRAT 383 at Washington State University, I had no idea where to even begin on a blog. I was unaware if I was even qualified to make a blog, and had no idea what the first step was. I learned how to format my posts in a more professional format, using different fonts and sizes for quotes, embedding links, and “wrap text” with photos. I learned how to repurpose my blog content into a promotional email, using website resources to create a mockup. This seemed to be a beneficial skill to be familiar with for my future projects in public relations. Just learning how to have fun and personalize my writing was a huge tool for me.

Now that I have blogging experience, I want to know more about the different blogging sites available. It was interesting to see my peer’s blogs that used different sites than I did. I have ideas for a possible future blog and it would be fun to experiment with different sites. I also would like to know more about incorporating more colors and themes throughout my site, making it more personalized. After taking this class, I am much more confident about my abilities as a blogger. I was nervous at the beginning that class due to the fact that I did not have much experience working with websites or any different types of website resources used to create graphic designs or social media mockups for a campaign. But I now feel very confident working on an online campaign or online blog. This class pushed me out of my comfort zone, and for that I am very grateful.

Ciatations:

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