Bubba Watson on Linksoul and Making Pro Golf More Fun
Two-time Masters Winner Bubba Watson doesn’t healthy the buttoned-up image of the common professional golfer. As a person of golfing’s greatest and most common personalities, Watson understands how to hold the sport attention-grabbing. He can thrill admirers with a very long birdie putt on eighteen and entertain a non-golf audience with wild and wacky films on his TikTok account. But no matter the indicates, his objective is simple: Aid grow the video game of golf.
We not too long ago caught up with Watson pursuing the Waste Administration Phoenix Open—one of the initially professional golf tournaments to see the return of (limited) admirers in attendance—to focus on enjoying without the need of the crowds, his clothing partnership with Linksoul, and more.
Men’s Journal: The admirers returned in Phoenix, but what has it been like enjoying without the need of them?
Bubba Watson: It’s unusual for professional golfers for the reason that no admirers indicates no power. It’s wonderful how a great deal different a golf event feels with admirers.
It’s intellect-blowing that it is that significant of variance, but we all feel it. We’ve all talked about it and see it and feel it. You wake up early, hit balls, and then it is time to play late in the afternoon––that minimal bit of power from the group is like a shot in the arm.
And not only for me undertaking very good, but when you hear other people today acquiring cheers, it excites you. It’s like, ‘Oh there’s something heading on, there’s birdies or chip-ins taking place, that indicates I can do that as well.’
It did improve something that I did not consider, but it is certainly there. So it was brilliant to have admirers back out there [in Phoenix].
You have a excellent social media existence, and you’ve even jumped into the globe of TikTok films. What manufactured you want to do TikTok? Have you gotten any other professional golfers to collab with you?
Forget about the other execs, I’m attempting to get popular people today to collab so I can get more followers [laughing].
But it is been exciting for me, and it just entertains me and can make me energetic. It’s also about, how are you heading to grow the video game? There’s possibly a ton more non-golfers on TikTok than golfers, so with any luck , it is encouraging to grow the video game a minimal bit.
Golf can be incredibly severe. Do you believe it is critical to try out to convey some exciting and lightheartedness into the sport?
The pandemic aided out golf tremendously, suitable? Far more people today are out enjoying golf for the reason that they can get out of their household and get on the golf training course. But when you believe about professional golf and acquiring people today interested in developing the video game for several years to appear, we want a ton more youthful people today involved.
And how do you do that? I really do not know the respond to for how to grow the video game the suitable way. But I know that earning exciting of the sport or earning goofy films is certainly a person point to get people today observing who normally really do not enjoy. So which is my get on it. If I assist a number of more people today leap into the video game, then definitely I did a minimal bit to assist.
Youth golf is also incredibly critical to you. How are you functioning to get more little ones into golf?
When I played junior golf, I received this a person event in Florida referred to as the Divot Derby from age eight to age seventeen. 10 several years I received it––every age team, each individual calendar year. So now I’m the head sponsor of it and encouraging that alongside.
It’s just about acquiring little ones to play the video game of golf. Maybe there’ll be fellas and ladies far better than Bubba Watson. They’ll be four-time Masters Champions. But it is beyond enjoying professional golf: Just believe about all of the charity golf tournaments out there. Each and every type of business has a charity golf event. So just acquiring them involved with the video game of golf is heading to improve and impression their lives for several years and several years to appear.
You not too long ago partnered up with golf fashion icon John Ashworth and invested in his clothing firm, Linksoul. What about that model manufactured it these a very good healthy for you?
Normally corporations would spend me to have on their stuff, but looking at John’s eyesight and the place Linksoul is heading, I really sought them out and wanted to be a aspect of the model.
I really like what they stand for, equally from the business facet and from the charity dollars heading in the direction of encouraging grow the video game. And then I believed about my junior golf packages in Pensacola, Florida. It’s type of like, we’re on different sides of the state, but we’re undertaking the identical matters. We’re developing the video game our way. His passion, his heart––he lets that guide. And the identical point with me, I let the passion of specific matters in my coronary heart guide.
So as this partnership grows and deepens, we will collab not only from the clothing model standpoint, but also to do some excellent matters for junior golf––that’s what we’re equally searching at. So which is why this is a very long-term partnership. I’m an investor, I’m a husband or wife.
The Linksoul model is a bit different from other golf brands in that it represents a broader life-style beyond golf. How does this match up with your very own passions?
This is a life-style that can healthy in each individual experience in your life. And which is what I wanted—to feel at ease everywhere you go I go and not feel like I’m overdressed or underdressed. I bought into what they are attempting to build, not just golf, but life-style in common.
My full household enjoys wake surfing and we have a fishing boat as effectively, so we really like heading out and becoming on the drinking water. I’m also a basketball nut and now I very own an AA baseball workforce. I’m not just a golfer, not just a businessman—I do it all. I’m all around the map in sports.
How does Linksoul align with your goals for building curiosity in golf?
With Linksoul, we’re attempting to build an atmosphere. In common, Linksoul is golf but it also includes different things to do like surfing and yoga. It’s heading to convey other people today into the outdoor.
I’ve been undertaking this for several years and now I’ve ultimately gotten to husband or wife with Ash and do some exciting matters. Hopefully the model retains developing, for the reason that that indicates the charity facet of it and the advancement of the video game from the junior facet continues as effectively.
This job interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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