If you thought golf was the stuffy reserve of mild-mannered gentlemen in polo shirts , think again . From Santa Claus outfits to leaping into jacuzzis and even smashing lettuce heads to smithereens , there 's no antic too crazy for new Masters champion Bubba Watson . The 33-year-old born-again Christian 's bizarre internet home videos have attracted a cult following that could change the face of golf forever . `` Wacky Watson , '' as he 's come to be known , has harnessed social media in a way no golf pro has done before . The American 's slapstick-style YouTube clips see him using wooden clubs to pound pumpkins and eggplants , drawing more than a million hits as of Tuesday . Similarly , Bubba 's Facebook page has more than 65,000 likes , while his Twitter followers number almost half a million -- ballooning by more than 150,000 since Sunday 's miraculous win at Augusta . He still has some way to go to catch Tiger Woods , who has more than two million followers on both networking websites , but it could herald a brave new social media era for golf stars -- one which experts say may open the sport 's doors to a previously ignored younger generation . `` Golf has always been seen as a safe game . It 's not overly flamboyant and I think it 's still largely viewed as an elitist sport , '' Christian d'Ippolito , group head of international sales at UK-based social video advertising company Unruly Media , told CNN . `` The fact that there is this guy who is quite an eccentric individual -- everything from his name , his dress sense , his pink driver -- certainly sets him apart from the crowd . `` It 's great because much like snooker , golf desperately needs that attention from a younger audience . And social media is an effective way of getting it . Every sport should have its personality , and football has been very good at that . I think Bubba is golf 's answer to that personality . '' There 's no denying Bubba 's intriguing character . The devout Christian tweeted `` To God be the Glory ! '' in response to his Masters win and bawled on his mother 's shoulder after hitting an astonishing shot from the woods onto the green to take the title . Watson , who with wife Angie adopted a son , Caleb , two weeks ago , also boasts of never having a golf lesson . Last year he left more people scratching their heads when he and fellow PGA Tour players Ben Crane , Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan launched boy band Golf Boys . Kitted out in nothing but a pair of overalls , Watson recorded the song `` Oh Oh Oh '' to help raise money for charity . But it 's Bubba 's dedication to social media which has given fans a special insight into his unconventional life . Incredibly , he replies to every single tweet , which no doubt helped to swell his legion of followers from 306,000 after his win on Sunday to more than 460,000 less than a day later . His Facebook page features albums of family vacations and home videos from fans ' children practicing their best Bubba-style shots . Watson is quick to comment on every post from the public . `` He 's very engaged with social media . His music video had four million views and all these things help make Bubba a likeable character , '' d'Ippolito said . `` They give him mass appeal , not like the seriousness you have with a traditional golfer . '' It also helps raise his profile among sponsors . Though as d'Ippolito admitted : `` On the flipside , it does potentially make things difficult if things go wrong , as we saw with Tiger 's romantic profile recently . Five years ago it was inconceivable that a sporting personality would have an entire global audience at his fingertips . It opens up a whole new debate on how much sponsors can control their stars . `` It could work both ways -- some sponsors might be put off by his level of eccentricity . ''
Masters champ in the world and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Social media expert says Bubba 's online antics will open golf to young generation . Watson attracts more than 480,000 Twitter followers , replying to every single post .