Chapter 4 - Hidden in Plain Sight

In the final chapter of our story, Adam details the conversation he had with the Secret Tour Pro over Twitter direct message following listener outreach and backlash. Adam confronts the STP, and the conversation goes in a direction he did not expect. Finally, Adam shares his parting thoughts on what this experience means for social media as a whole, and how we should respond as a society. Golf Stories is hosted and co-written by Adam Fonseca of Golf Unfiltered. It is co-written and produced by Kris McEwen of McEwen Media.

Two podcast listeners who had direct, in-person contact with the man behind the Secret Tour Pro reach out to Adam to share their experiences. Both share accounts of playing golf with who they believed to be the STP's "cousin," who also happens to claim he is an airline pilot. One of the listeners in particular shares the friendship he establishes with the STP, including the favors and personal information shared between the two... including the STP's name. Golf Stories, Volume 1 is co-written and hosted by Adam Fonseca of GolfUnfiltered.com. It is co-written and produced by Kris McEwen of McEwen Media.

Immediately following my interview with the Secret Tour Pro's "Assistant," listener feedback began pouring in. Five specific individuals who had different interactions with the STP were of particular significance, including a former writer who was recruited to help launch a website for STP. In addition, it turns out the main user of the Secret Tour Pro Twitter account was also an aviation geek who liked to call in favors from his followers. We meet one of those followers, who also happens to be an international pilot. Golf Stories is written and hosted by Adam Fonseca of GolfUnfiltered.com. It is co-written and produced by Kris McEwen of McEwen Media.

In the second chapter of Golf Stories, Vol. 1 - The Secret Tour Pro, we are introduced to the "STP Assistant" in an interview conducted on the Golf Unfiltered Podcast nearly 7 years ago. Highlights from that interview are discussed, along with some of the predictions this mysterious character made... and that came true. However, not all is what it seems as immediate feedback from listeners to that podcast slowly come forward. Golf Stories is hosted by Adam Fonseca of GolfUnfiltered.com. It is co-written and produced by Kris McEwen of McEwen Media. 

In 2015 the social media landscape looked much different than it does in present day, even in the world of professional golf. The first chapter of our story focuses on setting the stage of the anonymous Twitter account @SecretTourPro, the account's early days, and host Adam's initial interactions with "STP." Golf Stories, Volume 1 - Secret Tour Pro is hosted by Adam Fonseca of GolfUnfiltered.com and produced by Kris McEwen of McEwen Media. Both are part of SecondCityGolf.com. If you'd like to share your experience interacting with the Secret Tour Pro, email [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.

Do you remember what social media was like in 2015? Facebook and Twitter were nearing their 10-year anniversaries. Live video broadcasting – also known as livestreams – were becoming more popular. Brands doubled-down on entire marketing strategies around catchy ad formats that seemed to change daily. Heck, even political parties began to realize the power of spreading information – true or not – to their legions of followers. In the golf space, the concept of “Golf Twitter” was gaining in popularity. Hundreds of thousands of golf fans would live-tweet their reactions to golf tournaments on TV, building a feeling of community on a scale not seen before. Suddenly, you could be sitting alone in your house watching a golf tournament while simultaneously connecting with a legion of Twitter users watching the same thing. Golf Twitter expanded beyond tournaments, however. Rumors about your favorite players – Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, and others – would run rampant. Golf journalists struggled to keep up pace as seemingly ANYONE could report news faster than the larger publications. Anonymous Twitter accounts with no identifiable information of the person behind the keyboard popped up everywhere, some of whom reported news that only a pro golfer’s inner circle would know. But above all others, one such Twitter account became the most popular by sharing news from the PGA and European Tours – and earning over 50,000 followers in the process. This account seemed to have unparalleled access to golf’s biggest names, sharing information no journalist could possibly know. The account’s owner would schedule meet-ups with willing followers, promising once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to play golf with some of the biggest names in the game. People were spending thousands of dollars while traveling thousands of miles to meet this person… only to ultimately be let down or ghosted entirely. Before I knew any of that, however, I would become friends with the person behind the account out of pure coincidence. The account user would soon appear on my podcast, The Golf Unfiltered Podcast. Soon thereafter, multiple listeners would contact me with their own experiences dealing with this person, ultimately changing the way I viewed social media – and misinformation – forever. My name is Adam Fonseca, and welcome to Golf Stories, Volume 1 – My experience meeting Twitter’s Secret Tour Pro.