Behind the Scenes: BOA

There will come a time when no one laces up a pair of golf shoes – at least not the way it's done now. It may seem difficult to fathom, but we've spent our entire lives surrounded by any number of emerging technological advances, which eventually render existing technology obsolete – lightbulbs, washing machines and HDTV are three I find particularly useful in my household. First-world comforts, I know.

Video killed the radio star and BOA very well might be the end of traditionally laced golf shoes. Some of you just asked, What's BOA? - And therein lies both the problem and motivation for BOA's unofficial, but still kind of official, relaunch.

The crux of the challenge facing BOA is one of identity and understanding. Despite its best efforts, market research performed by BOA recently revealed people could neither pronounce nor reliably identify the company based on its now former logo. BOA makes a product which millions of people use (and pay for) every day, yet consumers couldn't connect the product with the producer.

For BOA, that's a problem the size of Johnny Miller's ego.

The issue is compounded by the fact that BOA is an ingredient company. Its final product is a component of the consumer end-product. As such, any recognition or consumer response is typically associated with the product (i.e.  Apple iPhone) rather than any of the composite pieces (e.g. A9 processor produced by Samsung). Exceptions occur only when one of the ingredient pieces is remarkable in a way which fundamentally changes the nature of the final product. If you’re searching for examples, GORE-TEX comes to mind. BOA has substantial ground to gain before if it’s to find itself in the vicinity of product/category synonyms like GORE-TEX, Kleenex, Xerox and Jet Ski.

At best, there's a general understanding that some golf shoes have fastening options other than time-honored laces. But those who can correctly identify BOA as the company who produces the patented closure system in select FootJoy, Adidas, Ecco, Under Armour, and Nike golf shoes – are in short supply. BOA's entire renaissance is dedicated to changing that.

Remember the 3M tagline “We don’t make the things you buy…we make the things you buy better?” Swap things for shoes and you have the message BOA is working to deliver to the entire golf footwear industry.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

The primary motivation behind BOA's rebranding efforts is largely self-serving. File that nugget of wisdom wherever you deem appropriate. It wants consumers to know what it does, why you should purchase shoes with a BOA lacing system and ultimately, create an identity as the premier closure system available.

So, while the immediate benefit of raised awareness favors BOA, there are two fundamental reasons it should matters to consumers as well. First, the technology is readily available, and evidence suggests proper footwear increases performance.

A shoe which provides the player the proper fit, desired amount of traction, and optimal stability is the first step towards better performance. Maintaining this fit throughout an entire round is where BOA shines. Consider the analogy of a knot. As it loosens, effectiveness is lost. BOA both keeps the knot tight while allowing for micro adjustments (1mm) to dial in desired tension.

The benefits may not be as obvious or quantifiable as fresh grooves on a wedge, but it very well may give you more distance off the tee than a new driver.

The second reason is more esoteric. There exists a percentage of golfers who demand the best of everything.

But without a baseline or some competition, it's impossible to establish what best looks like. To date, BOA is the only such footwear technology utilized across multiple brands. Puma's Disc system, while similar in approach, is proprietary and has been adapted from its experience with high-performance running/track shoes.

It's possible that BOA remains unchallenged and creates a virtual monopoly in its space, but in speaking with several industry insiders, I won't be surprised if others try to mirror Puma's approach. Should companies do so, consumers will have more choices, but not necessarily better ones.

BOA Background

BOA employs approximately 200 people worldwide, 140 of which work the company HQ in Denver’s burgeoning River North Art District. It’s a quasi-urban industrial area, about 20 minutes north of downtown Denver with a clear view of the Rocky Mountains. The location and scenery fit well with the vibe and origin of the brand. Like so many other entrepreneurial successes, BOA’s launch point was the solution to a common problem. Founder, Gary Hammerslag wanted a quicker and easier way to lace up his kid’s snowboard boots. In 2001, the first BOA System launched with brand partners Vans and K2.

The next 16 years saw rapid acceptance largely in outdoor adventure markets (snowboarding, hiking, biking) and while the growth has been welcome, managing and sustaining this growth isn’t without some challenge – chiefly, ensuring consumers understand BOA is a separate and autonomous company focused on making the highest quality and longest lasting closure system in the world.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

There’s genius in simplification and that’s what BOA accomplishes with its patented closure system. Instead of traditional laces, BOA uses a dial and flexible metal wire (7 sets of 7 strands are twisted together and wrapped in a nylon sheath) to tie the shoe. Because individual pieces of the system can’t be tightened independently, BOA engineers have to optimize how each part of the system works, with areas tightening at different rates to maximize stability without sacrificing comfort. From a user standpoint, it’s easier than turning on the microwave. To tighten, depress the dial and turn to the right (dial works the same on both left and right shoes). To loosen, release the dial by popping it up. That’s it.

The complexity of BOA’s closure system is in the design – where each shoe goes through an exhaustive creation process, merging BOA’s technology with the existing shoe design. This is true in all cases except the adidas Powerband, which is the first BOA-only golf shoe.

On average, a BOA closure system adds $20-$30 to the cost of the shoe. If you’re expecting consumers to pay a premium, the product needs to offer something more – and preferably something better. With BOA, convenience is a feature, not the defining benefit. The BOA closure system comfortably locks the foot in place and provides a secure and consistent fit. This allows the rest of the shoe technology (particularly traction technology) to function optimally. BOA guarantees the dial and laces for the life of the shoe, which means the shoe will likely fall apart long before closure system does.

INSIDE INFO

I took a trip to BOA’s HQ to get a first-hand look at BOA’s operation while spending some time with BOA’s Marketing Coordinator, Jason Peters, to discus the company’s plans for becoming the first and last name consumers think of in alternative shoe lacing systems.

The multi-level building is unassuming and is largely what one would expect of such an operation. Beyond the reception area (where you’re greeted by the company dog) is the quick visual tour of BOA’s history and a board displaying the gamut of brand partners. The rest of the space is organized largely according to product category (golf, hiking, running, etc.) or task (prototype creation, durability testing, marketing) The exposed brick, concrete floors and industrial ambiance give the entire set up a factory meets Generation X type feel.

To date, BOA works with 330 category leading brands across the world where nearly 83 million of its dials provide the closure system for footwear, medical devices and other utilitarian pursuits (e.g. gloves, workboots, and helmets).

During my visit, BOA was still in the process of replacing the old logo with the new one. The existing logo relied heavily upon two yellow arrows, which I can only think was meant to depict the movement of a twisting dial. The text "boa" was symmetrical and artsy, but clearly secondary to the brand name. The revamped logo focuses almost entirely on the brand name but is dynamic enough to suggest some element of movement or wrapping.

Designing a new logo which avoided the pitfalls of the previous one wasn’t nearly as clean and simple as the new logo might suggest. After narrowing it down from hundreds of versions to a select few, BOA had to be sure that its message remained consistent regardless of language or target market. The logo had to be universal, simple, powerful and immediately recognizable across multiple continents and cultures.

If pressed to offer an analogy; it’s a bit like cutting down a sequoia and whittling away until you have the perfect toothpick.

BRAND PARTNERS

When BOA takes on a new brand partner most of the initial collaboration happens on-site where all the requisite materials, production machinery and space exist to create prototypes on the spot. This facilitates a more efficient design process and, all things being equal, means less time to bring a final product to market. It’s also a confined space where the creative juices flow. As with any organic process, it can get a bit messy.

Each brand partner is a unique relationship with its own set of dynamics and idiosyncrasies.

FootJoy is BOA’s heritage partner (going on 11 years) and currently offers the most BOA models of any vendor. The proprietary heel-mounted system wraps the heel “low and back” for a comfortably tight and secure fit.

As the elder statesmen of the BOA/Golf shoe collaboration, don’t expect Footjoy to drastically alter how it utilizes BOA, but that in no way suggests the current platform is anything less than stellar. Footjoy’s latest shoe – D.N.A. Helix - is billed as a collection of Footjoy’s best technology seamlessly integrated into to a single design - and it wouldn’t be complete without a BOA option. It also marks the first shoe in Foojoy’s lineup to feature the updated BOA dial which allows for precise micro adjustments in both directions (right to tighten and left to loosen).  Given the popularity of Footjoy in both the retail space and on all major professional tours, there’s not much incentive to mess with the solid recipe that the two companies have dialed in (excuse the lame pun) over the last decade plus.

Ecco, Nike, and Under Armour are all recent partners and share a similar space in the BOA portfolio. Each offers a single model (for now) with BOA technology (Nike Lunar Command 2, Ecco Cage Pro, Under Armour Speith One), and based on the selection, it’s reasonable to surmise the intention was to match BOA with the model most likely to appeal to the majority of consumers. Or, in the case of Under Armour, to make sure it’s flagship model came with every feature someone looking to drop $200+ could conceivably desire.

I’d confidently wager a steak dinner that you’ll see BOA on a minimum of two models from each brand partner at next year’s PGA Merchandise Show. It might be a reach, but with Nike leaving the equipment space to focus intently and exclusively on soft goods, Nike (and its global presence) might be the brand which ultimately gets people asking, “What kind of BOA do you have on your shoe?”

adidas is, according to Peters, “as collaborative as any of the brand partners we have.” The read-between-the-lines take away is that adidas is perhaps more willing to go some places and take more risks than some of BOA’s other partners. There’s no better example of this than the current adidas Powerband BOA Boost, which is the only model in BOA’s golf catalog designed from the ground up exclusively with a BOA lacing system. With multiple BOA models already available for men, women and juniors, adidas seems poised to leverage the full capability of BOA’s platform. adidas also provides BOA with a bold partner willing to try just about anything in pursuit of a better golf shoe.

TOUGH TO MEASURE

Given the way the golf industry obsesses over tour usage and market share, it borders on amazing nobody is exactly sure how many pairs of BOA-enable shoes are used by touring pros and/or sold in retail outlets. Neither the Darrell Survey nor traditional methods of accounting (metrics basic on SKU numbers and units sold) can accurately measure the precise number of BOA models either sold or in play. This doesn’t apply to the Adidas Powerband as it doesn’t have a non-BOA counterpart.

Tour usage metrics account for brand and type of shoe, but not closure system. So, for the time being, BOA can only rely on aggregate numbers (e.g., total sales) and attempt to distill information from available data, however incomplete it may be.

To provide some perspective, 75% of cyclists in the Tour de France use BOA closure system footwear. BOA is to professional cycling what Golf Pride is to the PGA Tour.

The loudest criticism comes from the “I’m not so lazy I won’t tie my own shoe” contingent. While I find the curmudgeonly luddites somewhat entertaining, my guess is those people don’t manually open the garage door, sew their clothes or cook dinner over an open fire. As such, it’s simply a thinly veiled justification to remain anti-technology, because for some reason it appeals to them.

 

SUMMARY

Personally, I don’t see myself ever going back to a traditionally laced golf shoe. It’s akin to switch to HD television. Watching live sports was always enjoyable, but clearly (again, terrible pun) the newer technology is universally better. For me, what BOA offers is worth a few extra bucks, and I believe we’ll soon see more BOA exclusive models and without a lower-price “traditional” option, the additional cost becomes a non-issue.

Let’s be clear – BOA is neither a new company nor is the technology fundamentally different. The micro-adjustment feature available on the FootJoy Helix is a new twist and makes the system even more accurate.

This is about identity and clarity. BOA can’t achieve the lofty goal of product/category synonym without a well-articulated branding and marketing approach.

The intention is to alter how consumers respond to the brand and with that, create an understanding of exactly what BOA is and, frankly, why you’re better off buying golf shoes with its technology.  To fully get BOA, consumers should understand BOA is much more than a golf shoe technology. Anything which needs to be tightened, closed, opened, released, or held in place can likely be made better with BOA technology. That everything from shoes to medical devices.

BOA is an established company with a strong track record and a solid reputation as the premium closure system in a variety of product categories, but for BOA that’s not enough. It wants to become the product which defines and entire category – to become the standard by which all closure systems are measured.

I’m not much of a gambler, but I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.

What are your thoughts? If you’re on BOArd, what shoe should be next? If not, tell us why.

For more information, visit the BOA website.

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Book Editing: How to Survive the Second Draft of Your Book

The next few months I’ve dedicated to finishing the book I’ve been working on for nearly two years. Inspired by Joe’s latest post, I’ve made the commitment to revise the second draft of my book. Book editing is hard—but if I don’t sit down and do it, I’ll never finish my book. (If you have a project you’ve been neglecting for too long, you have to read this.)

I’ve had the first draft of this book done for a year. We all know the first draft is for writing everything and anything, spewing every thought and word onto the page just to create something, anything. And something is exactly what I have.

I believe, though, the second draft is the hardest. Actually, it’s the worst. All the content of your book is sitting right in front of you like a huge slab of marble mined from your imagination, and you’re expected to take the formless hunk and turn it into Michelangelo’s David.

Your book is written. It’s just waiting for you to turn it into a masterpiece.

5 Tips for Surviving Your Second Draft

In the last year, I’ve written three books and the second draft has gotten me to cry every time. It’s honestly just really hard.

In finishing the second draft of three books and as I’m embarking on finishing this next one this fall, I’ve compiled these tips for the both of us. Here’s all I know about book editing and surviving the second draft:

1. Embrace the Mess

Working on the second draft of a book is one of the messiest things I’ve ever done. My desk is normally filled with stacks of paper with sticky notes coming out of everywhere. I often seclude myself in the “white board” room at the office and draw charts and lists with arrows intertwining everything together.

“

The second draft of your book will be messy. Embrace the mess.

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You might decide to re-structure your entire book or add an entirely new chapter. This is the time to figure these things out, and carving away at your manuscript is never simple.

2. Use Scrivener

There are a hundred different reasons you should be using Scrivener on your second draft. I’m not trying to sell you on it; I’m just saying it works. It can give you a way to set and track goals, a place to brainstorm, a place to put research, a system to organize your characters and backstories, and so many other essential things.

To organize, edit, re-arrange, double-check, maintain flow, and not lose your mind, you need one place for everything. Scrivener does that. Enough said. (Check out details here and the book we wrote on Scrivener here.)

3. Create Goals

This tip I stole straight from Joe’s productivity hacks article. You need an end date to keep you on track and smaller deadlines to make sure you make it to your end goal. For example, I want my book to be done by September 3rd, and therefore have a deadline of one completed chapter a week until then.

Goals are great, but are often not accomplished if there are no consequences. So I’ve come up with consequences for myself if I don’t hit those deadlines. (Including deleting my Netflix account and forcing myself to eat salad for a week. [FYI: I hate salad.])

Creating goals will keep you accountable when you just can’t get yourself to get through the second draft.

4. Ignore the Grammar

The second draft IS NOT the final proofread. There is a time for grammar, but it is not in this draft. The second draft is to look at the content and create something better. Book editing is hard enough, and if you waste your time in the second draft focusing on where that comma goes, you will cry even more.

But please, when the time comes, put the comma in the correct place. Our editor thanks you.

5. Find Friends

I cannot stress this point enough. You cannot do this alone. I recommend two things: find writer friends and find non-writer friends.

You need writer friends who can empathize in your book-editing misery. You also need non-writer friends to remind you that there is life to be enjoyed outside of your book.

But mostly, you need to find friends because you need people to hold you accountable.

“

We are more likely to succeed when we work together and unite to make something great.

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You Will Survive

A few months ago I was working on the second draft of a book I was ghostwriting. It was 6:30 pm and everyone had already left the office. I sat on a table in the “white board” room and stared at the lists and arrows I had drawn. Then I stared back at my computer and back to the white board.

It wasn’t long before I put my head down in my hands and cried out of frustration. I knew the chapter needed to be fixed, but I just couldn’t figure it out. There was something really off about the sections, the story, the research, and the transitions between them. I wanted to give up on the book entirely. (Dramatic, I know.)

But I took a deep breath, stepped back, and kept trying. (And somehow eventually moved past the chapter.)

Recently, I found out that the book was picked up by a publisher. I couldn’t believe it. I remember feeling like I would never even finish the project. But here I am on the other side. I survived, and it was so worth it.

You will survive too.

What do you struggle with most when it comes to the second draft? Do you have any tips for how to survive book editing? Let me know in the comments.

PRACTICE

Are you working on a second draft? More importantly, are you not working on that second draft and maybe you should be? The only way out is through, so take the next fifteen minutes to sit down with your work in progress and tackle that second draft.

Read through your manuscript and make notes as you go about the things that are working, the things that aren’t, and anything you want to change. When your time is up, share your notes in the comments, and remember to respond to your fellow writers’ notes as well. Together, we’ll help each other through the mire of editing the second draft.

Keep these tips in mind and think about investing in a lot of sticky notes for that second draft.

The post Book Editing: How to Survive the Second Draft of Your Book appeared first on The Write Practice.

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Natural Foods will make You Healthier or is it a lot of Hype?

“Natural food” is a label that’s been increasingly making its rounds in supermarkets since the 1990s.

Although it has no official definition, it has been defined as a food that is minimally processed and does not contain additives like sweeteners, hormones, antibiotics, and/or flavorings.

Many people believe that eating natural food means eating healthy, hence causing sales of so-called natural products to skyrocket over the last 10 years.

In fact, surveys show that 63% of consumers prefer products labeled “natural” over unmarked products, with 86% of them believing that the term “natural” means that the food doesn’t contain artificial ingredients.

Despite the term being widely used on labeling and marketing, there is actually a lack of understanding over which foods are qualified enough to be called “natural.”

The Codex Alimentarius composed by the International Food and Agriculture Organization has an official standard for organic foods, but not for natural foods.

What's a GMO? — you'll be surprised what these people answered! 

Natural vs. Organic: What’s The Difference?

It’s time to establish the difference between natural and organic foods. You’ve already found out the first (and most telling) one — that organic has an official standard, while natural does not.

Let’s go into detail with this standard. Certifying bodies, like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), have specified that organic food items must be produced, manufactured, and handled using no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and fewer artificial means. Certified organic food should also not be contaminated by sewage or contain any genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

These are defined in the USDA’s National Organic Program and Organic Food Products Act, and in many other similar regulating laws around the world.

Because of this strictness surrounding organic foods, manufacturers can’t just slap organic food seals wherever they want, since they have to follow the specified rules and regulations that the certifying bodies have established.

Natural foods, on the other hand, do not have any standards or certifying bodies that regulate the use of its label.

The executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, even says that “natural food is one of those buzz terms you put on a product — more people will grab it and be willing to pay a bit more for it.”

Because of the unofficial status of natural foods, it’s important to note that a natural food item is not necessarily organic. This may also contribute to the fact that the demand for organic food is higher than the demand for natural food.

So, Are The Benefits Worth The Cost?

Now that we’ve established that organic is the more official term of the two, let’s now talk about how food products stamped with this word does not necessarily mean it’s healthier.

It is, after all, just a term that refers to how food is grown and processed.

This fact of reality aside, an organic label seems to have become a badge of honor for foods that bear it. In the span of a decade, domestic organic food production has increased exponentially by 240%, with both natural and organic sales reaching $81.3 billion in 2012.

The hype that organic food supporters have built around their beloved healthy, organic lifestyle may have been responsible for this exponential growth. However, cynics have long doubted the benefits of organic food products and deem the whole healthy lifestyle package as a mere marketing gimmick.

Meanwhile, everyone else is simply wondering whether the food is worth the cost — and justly so, since organic foods have always retailed at prices way higher than conventionally prepared food.

Although supporters have argued that the more mainstream organic becomes, the lower the prices will be, that idealistic future doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.

For now, we can only do our research. Surely, these higher-priced foods do have the promised nutritional value, right?

Unfortunately, no. A recent study by the Mayo Clinic examined the last 50 years of food data and found that conventional and organic food had no significant difference in nutrient content.

Although research has shown that organic food products have higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it appears that the differences are tiny and may actually have no impact on overall nutrition.

So, Is There Really No Upside To Organic Produce?

The bubble has burst: It turns out organic foods are not all that they’ve been chalked up to be.

But wait — there’s an upside, according to Edward Groth III, a Senior Scientist at the Consumers Union and one of the co-authors of a redeeming study performed by the union.

He points out, “When it comes to pesticides, the evidence is conclusive. With organic foods, there is less chance of consuming pesticide residues, which have a higher presence in conventionally grown food. In fact, organic foods are only exposed to one-third of the synthetic pesticide residues found in conventional foods.”

It looks like going organic has a benefit, after all. That is, if you want to ignore the fact that scientists don’t agree on the negative effects of pesticide use in foods.

Yup, that’s right. Many scientists have found that there’s no evidence whatsoever of health hazards brought about by a regular consumption of tiny residues from pesticides.

Also consider the fact that organic foods still contain added pesticides, except they’ve been made using so-called “natural” ingredients. In addition, it has been previously established that “natural” may not mean anything official anyway, so this does not mean those ingredients are any healthier or safer.

For many consumers, however, conventional food containing more synthetic pesticides than organic food is enough to convince them to go organic.

That’s their choice, as they choose to ignore that all foods, organic or not, already have high levels of naturally-occurring pesticides.

So, that leaves us with the dull and underwhelming truth — organic produce has no significant benefits compared to conventionally grown food.

Good Intentions, But Sadly, No Difference

Let’s get this straight, though. The whole movement toward organic food has never been a bad idea. It’s actually fabulous that people prioritize purchasing produce that’s better for their health and the environment.

Unfortunately, all this hype around a single lifestyle that could turn people’s health around may just be a bad case of consumers not getting the standard which the industry has promised.

The best thing we can hope for is the improvement of the organic food industry in the coming years. Let’s not forget that the entire market is still young — it’s only been around since the turn of the century!

Given its staggering levels of popularity at such an early point in its existence, there is no doubt that the industry will continue to grow and hopefully improve, thanks to the rapid development of science.

After all, health is wealth, right?

It is difficult to get organic food at most restaurants, so when possible, eat at home. When not, do your best. – Suzanne Somers

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Author’s bio

Claire works in marketing team at Brillopak, a premium quality, small footprint robotic packing and Palletisation machine manufactures in United Kingdom. In a former life, Claire worked as a content specialist and she loves writing, reading & cooking.

from Dai Manuel: Your Lifestyle Mentor http://ift.tt/2wmBnUb

Giveaway: Win Freewrite, the World’s First Smart Typewriter!

How often do you find yourself writing . . . when suddenly, a rogue distraction interrupts you? You get a text. Or an email pops up in your inbox. You need to do some quick research to get this scene just right. Or you just have to check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, just for a moment.

And forty-five minutes later, you come back to your story to realize you’ve barely written a paragraph.

Beat distractions with Freewrite, the world’s first smart typewriter! Enter the giveaway »

Freewrite: The Solution for Distraction

We all have days when the distractions win and our writing suffers. (Sometimes it seems like that’s every day.) We know we need to focus on our writing. But let’s face it: focus is hard.

A couple years ago, a pair of writers decided we don’t just need more willpower. What we really need is a better writing tool.

They created the Freewrite, the world’s first smart typewriter.

The Magic of Freewrite

There’s never been a typewriter quite like Freewrite. Here’s what we love about it:

The e-ink type. It’s high-contrast, easy to read, and won’t tire your eyes.

The e-paper screen. There’s no backlight, unlike an LED screen, so it looks like you’re writing on real paper. Plus, you can write in direct sunlight with no hard-to-read glare!

The keyboard. The Freewrite keyboard is designed like a desktop keyboard, with real key-switches that make typing feel incredible on your fingers.

The digital sync. Freewrite syncs to Dropbox, Evernote, and Google Drive, so it’s easy to keep your writing safe and edit it later.

With Freewrite, you can take your writing wherever you go—without distractions. Learn more about what makes Freewrite such a powerful tool here.

Win Freewrite

The best part is, we’re giving away Freewrite to one lucky winner! This is your chance to win distraction-free writing with one of the best writing tools around.

Want to enter the giveaway? Here’s how to maximize your chances of winning:

1. Click here to go to the giveaway page.
2. At the bottom of the page, answer the (easy!) question, which is really just there to make sure you’re a human. (You are a human, right?)
3. Then, enter your email address to enter.
4. Check your email and click the link in the confirmation email to confirm your entry.
5. After you enter, share the contest page with your friends. For each friend who enters, you get 3 more chances to win.

You have a week to get as many entries as you can. The giveaway will officially close on Tuesday, September 5, at midnight Pacific time.

Then, we’ll choose the winners on Wednesday, September 6, and notify them by email. If you’re ready to enter, click here.

What are you waiting for? Enter to win Freewrite now!

Have you ever used Freewrite? How did it help you focus on your writing? Let us know in the comments.

PRACTICE

Today’s practice comes to you in two steps:

Step 1: Enter the giveaway here and share it with your friends to get more entries.

Step 2: Free write for fifteen minutes.

When you’re done, share your writing practice in the comments. Don’t forget to leave feedback for your fellow writers!

The post Giveaway: Win Freewrite, the World’s First Smart Typewriter! appeared first on The Write Practice.

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Visit Ottawa and discover Canada’s capital city of colourful charm

Ottawa capital of Canada

Haunting sounds evocative of another continent drifted around the busy streets, bringing a touch of the Orient to Canada’s capital city.  Strumming a curious-looking stringed instrument, the woman in the Japanese kimono seemed oblivious to the people scurrying past. She sums up Ottawa; a colourful mash-up of diverse sights and sounds in a historic setting.

I was here for a week, part of a group of 14 UK Travel Bloggers spread out across the country, to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Staying at the uber-cool Andaz Ottawa Byward Market put me slap bang in the heart of the city’s bodacious beating heart. On the evening of my arrival, I’d seen dozens of cool ‘hipsters’ ascending to the hotel roof bar to enjoy a Saturday night of cocktails and chat with one of the best views of the city spread out in front of them. Fortunately I had a very similar view from my bedroom. Dominating the skyline, the Parliament Building is the democratic symbol of this relatively young and very exciting country.

Ottawa at sunset from Andaz Hotel

On my first day out, Jantine Van Kregten, Director of Communication for Ottawa Tourism, took me out to Ottawa’s Farmer’s Market at Lansdowne Park. We stopped on the way to see the locks on the bridge  over the famous Rideau Canal, reminders of love and the bane of city officials as they weigh down the bridges around the world.

Locks on bridge over the Rideau Canal

Lansdowne Farmers’ Market is a part of the Savour Ottawa initiative that bring together local farmers and producers with chefs and consumers. ‘Savour Ottawa works to develop and promote Ottawa and area as a premier, year-round culinary destination, with robust offerings of local culinary products and experiences for both locals and visitors.’ It’s everything you’d hope from a Canadian market, showcasing delicious produce, including fresh asparagus huge tomatoes, crispy apples, luscious rhubarb, early strawberries, artisan bread and cheeses, meat, pies, honey, spicy mixes and, of course, maple syrup in various guises.

Maple syrup stall

The Aberdeen Pavilion, built in 1898, is now a huge exhibition space. There was a Latin American festival going on in another hall, with salsa dancing lessons and lots of laughter.

Watch video – Lansdowne Farmers’ Market (spot the Huskies)

The following day I went on a boat trip on the Rideau Canal. In spite of torrential rain, I thoroughly enjoyed drifting along the canal, learning about its history from our guide, who injected plenty of humour into his informative spiel.

Rideau Canal boat trip

The Rideau Canal freezes over in winter; people skate to work as well as enjoy it for recreation. In the summer pleasure boats cruise its tranquil waters. We motored alongside the University of Ottawa and luxurious mansions waved to people out jogging and dog-walking, passed by Lansdowne Park and turned round in the large basin of Dow’s Lake. I sat next to an American couple who had come to Ottawa specifically to ride on the Rideau Canal; it’s a well-known World Heritage site. They were staying at the Chateau Laurier, overlooking the canal and were clearly very impressed with the city. “A friend recommended we visit and we’re so glad we did. There’s so much more to see and do than we’d expected.”

The Rideau Canal, Bytown Museum and Chateau Laurier

Being the capital of Canada, Ottawa has a world-class collection of museums and art galleries. You can read about the Canadian Museum of History and the National Gallery of Canada here. One of my favourites was the Bytown Museum. It’s housed in The Commissariat, the oldest stone building in the city, beside the lower locks of the Canal. An eclectic mix of exhibits tells the history of Ottawa and how it became the capital of Canada. There’s a copy of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation for uniting the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, into one Dominion under the name of Canada. It’s dated the 22nd of May, 1867 . Bytown, the original name for Ottawa, was clearly a bit of a ‘wild-west town’ in its early days, notorious for the riotous behaviour of the European settlers who came for the lumber trade.

Lieutenant Colonel John By

An imposing bust of Lieutenant Colonel John By lords it over the gallery. In the British Royal Engineers, he was,  ‘instrumental in the construction of the canal. The name “Bytown” came about, somewhat as a “jocular reference” during a small dinner party of some officers, and it appears on official correspondence dated 1828.’ [Wikipedia]

Byward Market and Andaz Hotel

I spent a lot of time exploring Byward Market neighbourhood, a popular hub for bars and restaurants, excellent foodie shops and cafes, performance artists and people watchers. I met up with Canadian travel blogger Cindy Baker (check out her blog My Travel Bliss which has a lot more on Ottawa), who showed me round. I especially loved the indoor market, originally built to provide supplies for the lumber trade. Suspended over the stalls is very quirky sculpture, McClintock’s Dream by Hungarian artist Victor Tolgesy. A lumberjack in a plaid shirt lies below a giant cloud, dreaming of all the thing he will buy from the market when he gets back home to Ottawa. Hanging over the cloud, vendors tempt him with strings of sausages, poultry, garlic cloves, apples and much more.

McClintock’s Dream

During my week in Ottawa I did so many more things, including a C’est Bon foodie tour of hipster Hintonberg and a bus tour of the city, ate out in some of the best restaurants in town including Play, Food and Wine, listened in on politicians exchanging gossip and mingled with the beautiful people at the opening of a new bar. I admired street art in lively neighbourhoods, watched the Changing of the Guard at the War Memorial, had a guided tour of the Parliament Building and watched the sun go down over the Rideau River. Keep an eye out for my article on the food and drink scene.

If you’re going to Canada, make a date with Ottawa; you’ll be seduced by its friendly charm, low-key sophistication, impressive architecture and exuberant joie de vivre.

Uplifting Ottawa

Visit Ottawa

Visit Canada Keep Exploring to discover more about where to go and what to do in Ottawa. Return flights from Gatwick to Toronto from £346 (October 2017) and £349 (May 2018) per person with Air Transat. Canadian Affair offers an 8-day package tour Ontario Taster Holiday which includes 2 nights in Ottawa.

Many thanks to Air Transat, Destination Canada and Ottawa Tourism for sponsoring my visit to Canada. It was a pleasure to explore more of Canada, a country of unforgettable experiences.

Find out more about Canada in these articles

Top 10 Memorable Moments in Canada

Vancouver in 24 hours

A Digital Detox with the Grizzly Bears of British Columbia

Top tips for a motorhome trip across Canada

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Golf, Data & The Analytical Mind of Sal Syed

Three years ago, Sal Syed was a 7 handicap. Not bad for a guy who had never taken a lesson.

Today Sal is a scratch golfer.

Usually one has to take a chainsaw to their game to lop seven strokes off their handicap – we’re talking swing change, lessons and lots and lots of practice.

While we can’t speak for the practice part, we can tell you Sal didn’t change his swing, and he still hasn’t taken a lesson. Instead, Sal analyzed his game with surgical accuracy and let the data tell him what to do.

Sal, you see, is CEO of Arccos, and his journey to scratch shows just how valuable advanced analytics can be.

“My Putting Sucks!”

Sal is a pretty smart dude, with a BA's in Computer Science and Math from Ohio Wesleyan and an MBA from Yale.

“As we started Arccos, I was golfing a lot at Yale,” explains Sal. “We started tracking traditional stats – fairways hit, greens in regulation and number of putts.”

That set of stats told Sal a very ugly, but very incomplete, story.

“I was hitting 14 out of 18 greens in regulation, but I’d have like 40 putts. So I was like ‘Oh my God, my putting sucks!’ So I practiced and practiced, but nothing was improving.”

It wasn’t until Arccos added a modified strokes gained analytic that Sal learned the truth behind the old Ben Hogan axiom - if you want to sink more putts, hit the ball closer to the hole.

“Arccos showed me my approach handicap was high – I was hitting my approaches like a 12 handicap,” he says. “But my putting was like a scratch, so I was working hard to improve something that was already pretty good.”

“My approach game was leaving stuff short and missing to the right, so I started working on stuff before a round. I’d hit more approach shots while warming up than I ordinarily would, where I used to be taking more putts, because I thought putting was my problem.” – Sal Syed, Arccos CEO

That, in a nutshell, is the difference between raw data and advanced analytics. Raw data tells you the what - that you're a 7 handicap averaging 40 putts per round, but a deeper dive can often tell you the why.

“It’s really about smarter decision making, knowing what my strengths and weaknesses are, and playing to my strengths,” says Sal. “I’ve had three holes-in-one in the past three years, and the only reason is that I know for sure how far my irons go. On a Par 3, I’ll pace back two yards at the teebox if I have 137 to the flag, to optimize my odds of a hole-in-one because I know my 9-iron goes 139.”

MoneyGolf

Advanced analytics isn’t just knowing the numbers; it’s about knowing why the numbers are what they are and how to use that information to improve performance. Michael Lewis, Billy Beane, and Brad Pitt made advanced analytics famous with Moneyball, and it’s been just over the past 3 or 4 years that we’re seeing that same level of golf analytics becoming available for the likes of you and me.

“If you think about it, golf gives you an Excel spreadsheet for a score card. No other sport does that,” says Sal. “It’s just numbers and a grid, and then you’re putting more numbers in. Golf is all math, and whoever makes the better mathematical decisions is going to have a huge advantage.”

Syed says golf is even more suited to advanced analytics than baseball.

“I was speaking on a panel at MIT’s Sports Analytic Conference, and we were discussing the applicability of advanced analytics in terms of helping improve performance and analyzing strengths and weaknesses. On a scale of 1-to-10, baseball is a 10, basketball is a 7 and every other sport is from 1 to 5. Golf is like an 11, because every event is isolated and discreet. It’s not like you’re reacting to a pitch – you can get even more granular, advanced and accurate than you can with baseball.” – Sal Syed

A Caddie In Your Pocket

Yeah, Jordan Spieth won the Open Championship this year, but don’t for one-second discount the role caddie Michael Greller played in keeping Spieth’s head right in that final round.

“100 years ago, C.B. MacDonald – one of the founders of the USGA – wrote that the caddie is an institution and a mentor well versed in the game and the course,” says Syed. “And if you go against what the caddie recommends, you’ll invariably make a bad shot.”

Most sports tend to be fluid and dynamic, requiring subconscious, instinctual decisions by individual players. Golf is different in that you have to make a deliberate and conscious decision before every shot. Bad decisions – and bad results tend to snowball.

“That allows you to get into your own head,” says Sal. “You get frustrated, and you continue making bad decisions and, as a result, not perform to the best of your ability.”

Arccos Caddie was introduced this past May, with the goal of bringing a Michael Greller or a Steve Williams to your right front pocket.

“Only 3% of golfers actually have access to a real caddie. That means 97% don’t – that whole experience has gone missing,” says Sal. “The ability to step back and objectively think about the situation goes missing. We’re trying to bring back something that’s gone missing in the sport.”

Arccos partnered up with Microsoft in what is undoubtedly the deepest, broadest and widest real world application of analytical data in golf. It not only takes into account your past performance and your history on a specific hole, but it also looks at your history on similar holes on other courses.

“Golf holes have only so many distinct varieties. So when the dogleg happens here, what’s your tendency? It knows what clubs you’re better with - you might be better with your 9-iron than your wedge. It knows your unique strengths and weaknesses and it knows people who are similar to you and how they’ve faired on this hole. It knows the trouble spots and it knows where scoring comes from.” – Sal Syed

Arccos Caddie also checks in with the local weather bureau and knows what the wind is doing, how you perform in the wind and the impact of the wind. It then recommends an optimal strategy for that hole. And it’s all USGA conforming.

Plays Like

In the software/app world, if you don’t have something new every few months you can quickly become yesterday’s news. With that in mind, Arccos Caddie this month is adding a new feature, called Plays Like Distance.

“On TV, you can hear the type of conversations caddies have with their players,” says Sal. “The caddie will pace off the flag and say ‘It’s 148, but it plays like 132 because it’s downhill and downwind.’”

Plays Like Distance takes into account elevation, wind and other environmental variables and gives you, as the name would suggest, what a shot will actually play like. Your typical GPS app or watch, of course, doesn’t know uphill from downhill, it doesn’t know what the wind is doing or in which direction it's blowing, and it doesn’t know whether it rained yesterday and how it would affect roll or how soft a green might be playing. Plays Like Distance does all that in real-time.

“We’re pulling in weather from multiple data sources, and running algorithms based on historical facts that are pretty darned good. It’s pretty accurate – basically better than any human can do under similar circumstances.” – Sal Syed

While Arccos Caddie is USGA conforming, The Plays Like Distance feature – at this time – is not. Syed says the application is in the works.

Too Much Tech?

How much info is too much? When does all this data become overwhelming? And at what point is the amount of work needed to collect the data (i.e., tagging or other in-round fussing) simply become more hassle than it's worth?

“The key is to collect and present information in a simple way,” says Sal. “Here’s an additional data point, then it’s up to you. You’re the CEO of your golf game; you make the call.”

“We’re always talking with users, and we want to simplify the golf experience to make it more enjoyable. I think it’s more complicated now because you, as a golfer, are completely alone and don’t have the input of a caddie. I feel golf is more complicated without a caddie than it is with a caddie, or with Arcoss Caddie.” – Sal Syed

Syed says Arccos is very much focused on the traditional golfing culture, and everyone in the company plays at least once a week. The goal is to make the system as seamless as possible, and Syed admits there’s still a little bit of work to do.

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“For example, when you have a penalty shot you have to go into the app and do an add,” he says. “When you pick up a putt, we’re going to give you those one-tap gimmes, so you want even have to tell the system. It will know when that happens.

"It’s important to us to make a system that’s not getting in your way all the time. But the information has to be the right information at the right time. That’s why Plays Like is key because it’s born out of observation and conversations with real golfers. ‘What do you think it plays like?’ You hear that conversation 20 or 30 times a round. If you don’t have a caddie, you’re having that conversation in your own head.”

And although short on specifics, Syed does admit Arccos knows some golfers don’t like the whole phone in the front pocket thing. “As you’ve heard it, we’ve heard it too,” he says. “For this year you’ll have to keep the phone in the pocket, but hopefully we’ll have some cool announcements in the future.”

If you’re in to shot analytics technology, there’s certainly no shortage of options out there for you. Whether it’s Arccos, Shot Scope, Game Golf, Sky Caddie or any one of the others, the technology is evolving quickly and the challenge, of course, is how to make collecting and using that data simpler than just filling in your scorecard/spread sheet with Fairways Hit, GIR’s, Up ‘n Downs and Putts.

“When you’re out golfing, you’re out golfing,” says Syed. “You should not be collecting data. That should happen by itself.”

Price and Availability

Arccos Caddie is a premium purchase within the Arccos 360 app, and it accesses a database of over 75 million shots and 368 million geotagged data points on more than 40,000 courses. You get a 5-round free trial and then get to choose from a tiered subscription program: either $7.99 per month, $39.99 for six months or $49.99 for 12 months (plus a 30-day free trial). The Arccos 360 unit itself sells for $249.99.

For more information about the entire suite of Arccos products, visit ArccosGolf.com.

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