Adapting to a new generation of golfers

Francis Ouimet was cut from a different cloth than the typical aristocratic gentleman teeing it up in the early 1900's. While golf has become more of a common man's game over the past century, when Francis was breaking onto the scene, golf was truly a rich man's game.

NCCGA club golf teams have traditionally used twitter to spread their word and interact with other teams in their regions. With the start of the new season comes the use of a new social platform, Instagram, that teams such as Iowa State, Baylor, and Clemson are now using to share their #ClubGolf experience.

 The world's finest golfers will battle it out Labor Day weekend at the Deutsche Bank Championship, home of the second leg of the PGA TOUR's FedExCup Playoffs. The #DBChampionship plays host to the 100 top players in the FedEx rankings at a fan-friendly venue providing a must-attend golf experience. Below are four or our "must do's" at this year's Deutsche Bank Championship:

Recently I had the good fortune of attending the US Open at Pinehurst. A friend of mine from Boston flew down and we purchased gallery tickets for Saturday and Sunday. I was hoping for another epic 2^nd place finish from Phil Mickelson and my buddy was just happy to get out of the city. The event was spectacular – the USGA really knows how to put on an event. The logistics of parking and getting bussed to the course and then through the gates was seamless and the volunteers and staff were friendly and efficient. That being said, I feel the USGA dropped the ball with the all-out ban on cellphones at Pinehurst.

NCCGA is one of the fastest growing organizations in all of golf, and who would have thought that a free tool–twitter–would play such a larger part in fueling it? For many of us in NCCGA, setting up a team twitter is second nature if you’ve been using twitter already to follow the news and stay in touch with friends. However, for those still wondering who still don’t know what a # is, I’ve included some simple tips to help you set up a twitter account for your club golf team and use it to find other college golfers on campus for your team. Here are three tools to get you started today:

Twitter is a marketing tool used by millions worldwide. By joining twitter, your golf course will benefit in many ways. Not only will you be able to be discovered by prospective customers through social media, but you will also get the chance to promote unique aspects of your course to the world. In this guide, I will outline the basics of creating a Twitter account and provide data for why Twitter is important in the golf industry.

Silvis, IL – PGA Tour history was made Sunday afternoon in a small Illinois town just a stones throw from the mighty Mississippi when Jordan Spieth, 19, became the first teenager to win on tour in over 82 years. Although Jordan's win is one for the ages, my big takeaway having volunteered at the Classic is a greater appreciation for the incredible charitable efforts of the PGA Tour.

Since I will be bombarding y’all with blog posts and my sense of rationale on a weekly basis for the next several months, I figured I would provide you with a sense of who I am and what I am about. First things first: My name is Austin Dillard, but I am known by most in the Blacksburg community by “Goose.” Feel free to call me anything under the sun that you think I will respond without being offended.

 (Photo Credit - Merion Golf Club)

Each year, the US Open forces players to grind unlike any other tournament on the PGA Tour. Thick rough, firm fairways, and fast greens force each player to give every shot the attention it deserves. Thus, the US Open leads to an abundance of high scores each year. After spending the last three days at Merion, I observed that three holes will be most influential in determining the winner of this year’s open.

As final exams are ending and the summer is imminently upon us, NextGenGolf members will be going home to rural towns or taking internships in major cities across the country. Now, the preparation for an upcoming college golf season gets underway. While some may think that the benefits of NextGenGolf are limited to our currently New-England centric course partner network, we are excited to announce that we are aggressively expanding our partner network around the country. So whether you are going home to North Dakota, Miami, Alaska, or Idaho, we want to know where you want to play! We want to help you prepare for your upcoming college golf season.

While everyone is crying out "It's Tiger's time!" or "Let's go Phil!", I am singing a different tune as the Masters approaches. Everyone loves a great underdog story (if you don't agree then go watch The Greatest Game Ever Played... it'll change your world). College golf players that make their way into the Masters and play alongside legendary professionals, especially those still in college, are the epitome of underdogs.

There has been a lot of talk about Rory McIlroy’s recent decision to withdrawal from the Honda Classic last Friday. Everyone that has struggled during a round knows the feeling of wanting to quit and just giving up; however, what separates the good players from the great is the perseverance and mental toughness to grind through adversity. Making matters worse for the young star, his excuse--a severe toothache--has turned a mental lapse into a media frenzy.