Golfing Legend John Daly Twitters Up a Storm

It was getting late in my neck of the woods. I checked my email one last time to see if there were any alligators lurking there, needing attention before I hit the hay.
Nothing too urgent, so time to put my laptop to bed.

Little did I realize that I was about to get the lesson of my life from golfing legend and 1991 US PGA and 1995 Open Champion, John Daly. Not a golf lesson - but a lesson in the masterful use of social media. Twitter in particular.

I glanced over to TwitRGolfers and there he was - holding court.

For the uninitiated, John Daly has become something of a Twitter phenomenon. He was not the first PGA Pro to get on board with Twitter but now he is playing it like it is another Golfing Major.

What amazed me was the way he was working the room. He must have been holding conversations with at least another half dozen tweeters before I decided to throw in my own comment. I recommended he "grab some fish and chips" from a place I knew around the corner from Wentworth, where he was practicing tomorrow. Yep, pretty silly suggestion - but small talk has never been one of my strengths.

I felt, if this was the best I could contribute to the banter, then my chances of cranking up a conversation with the golfing legend were pretty close to zero.

Not so, the subject of food seemed to grasp his attention.

Whilst this was going on, fellow tweeter and prominent blogger, Andy Brown from St Andrews in Scotland was lining up an encounter with John Daly at the London Club

Not only that, but a few other Tweeters were helping him upload photos to the Net. The tweets were flying back and forth in every direction. He was driving the conversations.

John Daly was having fun last night - we all were.

He was laughing out loud (LOL). At one stage he said "Send some more twitters my way I'm liking the new meets on here"

The Hog jumped in for a fashion discussion with the big man. More silliness.

Others were wishing him well on the European Tour. He is currently in exile from the US Tour after a a slight indiscretion which caused the powers that be to slap a 6 - month ban on him.

So, what was the big lesson in all of this?

For me it reinforced the assertion of wine entrepreneur, Gary Vaynerchuk, who said that Twitter is "word of mouth on steroids". He was dead right.

How many of us are today telling our friends about the one-on-one conversation(s) we had with John Daly? We all had a story to tell. We all touched the hem. We all felt that we had his personal attention - and we had, if only for a few fleeting tweets.

There is no doubt that John Daly used Twitter to grow his fan base last night. In fact he repeats the performance almost on a daily basis. The man is reinventing himself on so many levels. And twitter is one of the most potent, viral marketing weapons in his arsenal. More fans, more eyeballs, more value for the sponsors - everyone wins.

And then the hunger pangs kicked in. At last my inane fish and chip comment was given some context.

John Daly gave up on the camera and went off to grab some dinner.

Hope you enjoyed the steak John. He would no doubt have tweeted about the experience later but it was all too late for me.

Congratulations, John Daly. Your talent extends well beyond the golf course.

You can tweet with John Daly and other leading Tour Players at PGA Tour Player Tweets.

And for golfers who Twitter (and for those who don't :-) come join our dysfunctional little community at TwitRGolfers - Because We are Crazy About Golf.

Tags: aidan, daly, golf, hog, john, montague, the, twitrgolfers, twitter

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Comment by M. Rita Metts on July 28, 2009 at 6:43am: I just started Twittering. It's an interesting experience, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of it. I keep waiting for something interesting to post.

Comment by MARY MCKINNEY on July 6, 2009 at 2:10am: It just goes to show you that people can walk and chew gum at the same time... be talented in more ways than one!

Comment by Suzi Pomerantz on June 29, 2009 at 9:27am: What a great demonstration of the fabulousness of Twitter! Thanks, Aidan! I use Twitter in so many ways...to connect with people all over the world that I otherwise wouldn't meet, as well as to be able to meet potential new business partners while at home in my pajamas! :) For the uninitiated who are sick of hearing about Twitter all the time but don't know how to get in the game, I offer a Get Going on Twitter Tutorial (one hour mp3 download and e-book) to get you up and running fast. Find it at http://www.innovativeleader.com/twitterwithsuzi.htm

One tip: I recommend that before you act on Twitter, you clarify for yourself a strategy or purpose...otherwise, it can be a big, wide, overwhelming world out there! :)

Comment by Mark Griffith on June 28, 2009 at 2:29pm: Yes, Twitter is personal. Too many people there treat it as a one-way channel for their message.

http://twitter.com/worldcrisisbook

Comment by Rick Hendershot on June 28, 2009 at 9:52am: @ Dennis G. Herbert. Dennis, I think you DO have a handle on it.

Comment by Rick Hendershot on June 28, 2009 at 9:49am: Lots of talk about using Twitter for this and that. Not much talk about how effective it is or is not for the average entrepreneur or business. Personally I have found it a waste of time. Wasting time is not necessarily bad, but it seems like a poor use of marketing resources. John Daly and other celebrities are an exception. You follow JD because he is entertaining and famous. Who's going to seriously follow (i.e., read and respond to) the rest of us non-celebrities?

Comment by Shawnasie Shear on June 27, 2009 at 5:30pm: I twitter to inspire and encourage those who follow me by posting motivational updates and links to my blog. I want people to like me for me and, if they are looking for a home business, join me in mine because of the person I am.

Comment by James Bryant on June 25, 2009 at 12:11pm: With persistence twitter can be a useful tool to promote your business or sevices provided. Of course persistence applies to everything you do when looking for positive results.

Comment by M. Rita Metts on June 24, 2009 at 7:48pm: I have recently started using Tweeter and I do like it.

Comment by Cassandra Clifford on June 24, 2009 at 3:08pm: I've started to use my personal one to promote my writing and my new non-profit, however not sure how to make the most of it yet, so I love the tips. We are looking to set up an organizational one soon and have all of our staff add to it, does anyone know if this is a good idea to have so many people onthe same tweet? http://twitter.com/CassieClifford