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I am going to kick off the recap thread with some thoughts from this last week. Im going to get long winded here, so bare with me as I get through this. I am going to ask that you please leave talk of the matches out of this thread and save it for coverage if at all possible. Thank you for understanding. Now bare with me, because apparently I typed this up in a dust storm and my eyes are not handling it well.
If you do not know what the Morgan Cup is and why its the Ultimate Amateur Golf Event, here are the details.
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/?p=17519
This week kicked off almost 4 years ago for me. Its an idea I had had for some time, but was told repeatedly that it could not be done. Nobody would be interested in watching amateur golfers hack it around the course. One person stood by me and molded my idea (if you only saw my hundreds of pages of outlines) into what you saw this last week. It is the reason her name is on the Cup despite her thinking its for other reasons. This is my shrine to the greatest person I know.
Fast forward a few years and about half way through this Morgan Cup journey, I was done. I had decided that it would be the last event of its kind for a number of reasons and decided it was the right time to pull the plug.
A wise man told me "Josh, you are an idiot!" and he was right. The name cannot go away, because it is a shrine to someone special, so I went to work fine tuning another idea I have had for a few months and decided the Morgan Cup will stay around, but will evolve into something incredibly cool and unique. This is what you heard about during the dinner Friday night (participants) and what both GolferGal and I repeated during the celebration (the world heard). Its something special and I am so excited to launch it when the time is right. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Morgan and I have been preparing for this for 11 months. We were exhausted, but still excited when we arrived at True Blue on Wednesday and got to see so many early on. Smiles every where and that is what its about. Those that had not been through it just did not know what they were in for and those that had been previously, had no idea how much the event had evolved. Thursday rolled around and I got to play with the human rain delay HashtagChad (I kid I kid) and we had a blast. He beat me on the 18th hole with birdie and just like every time I get to play and spend time with Chad, it was so much fun. We talked about the event, he called me an idiot and we just did what we do, have fun on the golf course.
Thursday night we all met at a local restaurant for dinner and drinks. Morgan and I wanted to buy everybody drinks before the weekend and had them set up on the tables and we got a chance to spend some time with company individuals from Callaway, Cleveland and Bridgestone (Cobra arrived later that night). We were off to bed early for that 5am wakeup call for media day.
This was a whirlwind. Interviews, promos, local news crews all part of the Friday morning festivities. The companies working with their players to go over their equipment and making sure they understand everything about them. Some highlights.
Cobra - Guys jumping off the golf cart doing the FAAS Friday was awesome to watch.
Callaway - Hashtag getting his guys dialed in and talking MD2 as the guys loved it.
Bridgestone - Ball interviews about fitting and learning buzz phrases was exceptional.
Cleveland - The ultimate in "talk about what you like" while getting the point across.
Four companies, doing what they do best and making sure that everybody had the right information to make proper segments while having a lot of fun.
Friday night it was time for the Morgan Cup dinner at True Blue and it was so much fun. Sitting and talking with everybody and Morgan and I made our way around like at a wedding to make sure that everybody was having a good time. I knew right then and there that it was going to be a tough weekend because as I stood to say a few words, I started to get emotional. At that point, it was the end of the Morgan Cup and not until the words came out of my mouth a few seconds later, was the name even continuing. The night capped off with getting a chance to spend some time with Cleveland and Cobra and talk about how much they enjoyed it earlier in the day. Friday was a lot about what the Morgan Cup is. A celebration of the last 6 months culminating with the media day and just before the rounds of golf.
Once again we were in bed fairly early because we knew Saturday was a long day. Watching the nerves on the 1st tee was tough because it was my first time calling it and behind the camera. I wont get into golf until after the coverage, but to say I am proud at all 32 of you on that 1st tee would be an understatement. Its a special feeling watching 50 or so people stand and clap as people get ready to tee off knowing the Ultimate Amateur Golf Event is kicking off.
Saturday was a whirlwind of golf. 9+ hours for some to be exact and myself and everybody else covering the event were outside for the whole thing. Looking back I would not change a thing about it. I loved that Saturday for what it was. Team golf being played by people from THP all the while trying to win points for this event. It was that freaking good. Saturday night about half of us went to a local restaurant to have some fun and unwind. Drinks, food and conversation were all incredible and you could tell that these guys were having a blast.
Sunday was another early start. It was time for singles and time for making sure coverage was tightened up to get every last ounce we could out of it. Sunday is also a day with us running around like crazy trying to find the scores out in each match so we know exactly where the entire Morgan Cup stands and where it could end. Again, I wont get into the golf here, but to say it was invigorating would be a huge understatement. Frantically calculating every match to find out who, what, where and when.
One of the most important things about Sunday for me is getting interviews when matches close out. Getting thoughts on the weekend that just happened. And putting the camera right there to capture raw emotion. I watched grown men back away from putts because of tears. I watched men hug opponents by running from across a green to celebrate. And most importantly, I watched 32 men play hard, play serious and then grab a person intensely and tell them they love them. That is what separates this event from anything else I have ever witnessed.
When the Cup was decided, everybody was down on the 18th green waiting for the captains to finish their match. What many do not realize is that I was upstairs on the patio that overlooks that 18th green sobbing like a baby. I dont know what happened, but having Buck, Howzat and a few others come up to me and grab me and say things like "Its that effin good" while their emotions took over hit me hard. I lean over the patio wall when I hear a huge roar. Its for Captain Ddec making his way to the green. Dean is not a real emotional guy like me (not that you would know that based on this week). He is a guy that gets it. A guy that has been in each one of these and captained two of them. He gave it his all out there and has made it known that this was his last one. Someone I call my brother, walking up to the green on the 18th and getting 30+ people giving him a standing ovation sent me over the top. I lost it and had to have someone go get me something cold to drink while I cuddled in the corner trying to regain composure knowing a speech of some sort was going to be needed.
Im sitting there on the patio above, with everybody below, drinking a diet soda trying to gain even a semblance of normalcy when I hear a call from down below. I figured someone had a question about where to go and I leaned over to tell them to come on up. My head still buried in my hands and all I saw was a sea of golfers and volunteers saluting and giving me a standing ovation. I lifted my hat off and muttered what was supposed to be "Its all for you", but came out more like someone stepping on a cats tail. I lost it again and did not know what had hit me. These gentlemen standing there tired, emotional and all because of something you created is something incredible to watch.
It was time to try and get myself together and prepare for the champagne celebration. I had a lot to say. What happened was more odd sounds coming out of me as I asked Morgan to come up. She was not prepared for this because I was not planning on that. I needed someone to hide my face in as I tried to talk. As always, she was my rock and got me through it. At that time, we mentioned that the Morgan Cup was not in fact over. It was being changed. As she put it, the new THP has evolved in a lot of ways, and this is just another example of that. I tried hard to get some words out, but every time I looked into that sea of incredible people, the emotions took over again. I was happy to call up the captains and let them do their thing, and then each one of them made me sink even further into emotional bliss. I knew then it was over and the ride was amazing.
Three years of hosting this event and on this year, this weekend in Myrtle Beach, it all came together for something so special, it was fitting to end it that way. I have few things I want to say and some people I want to thank.
True Blue and Caledonia - You guys have a special set up and treat our athletes like royalty. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this event what it is.
Cobra Golf - We told you. I kid of course. You were a Morgan Cup rookie and the folks at the office that we worked with all year and Jamie Lynn coming out to Myrtle were incredible. You guys "got it" and it was a pleasure to watch.
Callaway - Been to every one of them and Hashtag has taken the ball and run with it. Working with them for this event has been a highlight for me and I cannot thank everybody there enough for all the work they put into this event.
Bridgestone - A company that cherishes each golfer and was the first to take the ball and run with it. Their players know that they have something special and watching them work with each guy was fun to see.
Cleveland - It was a wonderful run and I am so glad that they did what they did this year. Between their social media presence leading up and during the event to the wonderful help from a special person while there, the company was amazing to work with.
The Captains
Puttin4Bird - You know we feel differently about a few things and the best part is we can always talk about them. Few people understand this event like you and watching you win it was something special.
War Eagle - My brother. War is one of the reasons this event happened. He does not know that, but its true. Watching him take the reigns was something I will never forget.
Ddec - I have said before what he means to THP events. What his wife and he mean to my family. And to quote the great Barney Stinson..."Challenge Accepted".
Chunkylover - Buddy. You had some stuff going on, and thanks for talking to me. I love his famous quote (which is real) "Im going to be a terrible captain". He is not and everybody around him knows that. He brought something wonderful to this event and I only wish he realized it.
Rather than go through everybody individually, I am going to have some shout outs. I believe I was able to get around to most and tell them my feelings during the event and if not, don't worry it's coming.
My group of high handicappers. I am so effin proud of you guys its crazy. I told many of you that during play and it was so incredible to follow your journey. Wade, you are one amazing person. And now I know how. Your wife is equally as amazing. Thank you for giving me a glimpse into that.
Veterans from years past. Thank you for continuing to evolve with the event. Thank you for welcoming with open arms each newcomer to the event. And most of all thank you for making the 3rd Morgan Cup, the crowning achievement we always expected this event to be.
Mrs Whozat & Nerfny. You two and the rest of the wives are incredible. We know the sacrifices and know them well, but you guys not only sacrifice so many things but do so with a smile. Thank you for personally helping my amazing wife pull this off.
Playdough, Smithfaced and mward. Are you kidding me? How lucky are we that we have you 3 as part of our family. You guys were simply awe inspiring. What you did out there was something that legends are made of and it will never be forgotten.
Every family member that gave up their time, energy and/or made sacrifices for the better of this event holds a special place in our hearts.
What can I say? It is the end of an era. It is something that I will never forget and in the 3 years since its inception, was always left wanting a bit more. Well this last week, I got that more and the dream of this event was fulfilled. You thank me? Sorry, that is not the way it worked. I owe you all for putting on that display over the last few days and it was a fairy tale ending.
F*ck it, lets do it again! The other event and changes we spoke of will be made into something else. That's right, the 2014 Morgan Cup is on and its no longer the Ultimate Amateur Golf Event. Its the Ultimate Golf Event PERIOD!
If you do not know what the Morgan Cup is and why its the Ultimate Amateur Golf Event, here are the details.
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/?p=17519
This week kicked off almost 4 years ago for me. Its an idea I had had for some time, but was told repeatedly that it could not be done. Nobody would be interested in watching amateur golfers hack it around the course. One person stood by me and molded my idea (if you only saw my hundreds of pages of outlines) into what you saw this last week. It is the reason her name is on the Cup despite her thinking its for other reasons. This is my shrine to the greatest person I know.
Fast forward a few years and about half way through this Morgan Cup journey, I was done. I had decided that it would be the last event of its kind for a number of reasons and decided it was the right time to pull the plug.
A wise man told me "Josh, you are an idiot!" and he was right. The name cannot go away, because it is a shrine to someone special, so I went to work fine tuning another idea I have had for a few months and decided the Morgan Cup will stay around, but will evolve into something incredibly cool and unique. This is what you heard about during the dinner Friday night (participants) and what both GolferGal and I repeated during the celebration (the world heard). Its something special and I am so excited to launch it when the time is right. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Morgan and I have been preparing for this for 11 months. We were exhausted, but still excited when we arrived at True Blue on Wednesday and got to see so many early on. Smiles every where and that is what its about. Those that had not been through it just did not know what they were in for and those that had been previously, had no idea how much the event had evolved. Thursday rolled around and I got to play with the human rain delay HashtagChad (I kid I kid) and we had a blast. He beat me on the 18th hole with birdie and just like every time I get to play and spend time with Chad, it was so much fun. We talked about the event, he called me an idiot and we just did what we do, have fun on the golf course.
Thursday night we all met at a local restaurant for dinner and drinks. Morgan and I wanted to buy everybody drinks before the weekend and had them set up on the tables and we got a chance to spend some time with company individuals from Callaway, Cleveland and Bridgestone (Cobra arrived later that night). We were off to bed early for that 5am wakeup call for media day.
This was a whirlwind. Interviews, promos, local news crews all part of the Friday morning festivities. The companies working with their players to go over their equipment and making sure they understand everything about them. Some highlights.
Cobra - Guys jumping off the golf cart doing the FAAS Friday was awesome to watch.
Callaway - Hashtag getting his guys dialed in and talking MD2 as the guys loved it.
Bridgestone - Ball interviews about fitting and learning buzz phrases was exceptional.
Cleveland - The ultimate in "talk about what you like" while getting the point across.
Four companies, doing what they do best and making sure that everybody had the right information to make proper segments while having a lot of fun.
Friday night it was time for the Morgan Cup dinner at True Blue and it was so much fun. Sitting and talking with everybody and Morgan and I made our way around like at a wedding to make sure that everybody was having a good time. I knew right then and there that it was going to be a tough weekend because as I stood to say a few words, I started to get emotional. At that point, it was the end of the Morgan Cup and not until the words came out of my mouth a few seconds later, was the name even continuing. The night capped off with getting a chance to spend some time with Cleveland and Cobra and talk about how much they enjoyed it earlier in the day. Friday was a lot about what the Morgan Cup is. A celebration of the last 6 months culminating with the media day and just before the rounds of golf.
Once again we were in bed fairly early because we knew Saturday was a long day. Watching the nerves on the 1st tee was tough because it was my first time calling it and behind the camera. I wont get into golf until after the coverage, but to say I am proud at all 32 of you on that 1st tee would be an understatement. Its a special feeling watching 50 or so people stand and clap as people get ready to tee off knowing the Ultimate Amateur Golf Event is kicking off.
Saturday was a whirlwind of golf. 9+ hours for some to be exact and myself and everybody else covering the event were outside for the whole thing. Looking back I would not change a thing about it. I loved that Saturday for what it was. Team golf being played by people from THP all the while trying to win points for this event. It was that freaking good. Saturday night about half of us went to a local restaurant to have some fun and unwind. Drinks, food and conversation were all incredible and you could tell that these guys were having a blast.
Sunday was another early start. It was time for singles and time for making sure coverage was tightened up to get every last ounce we could out of it. Sunday is also a day with us running around like crazy trying to find the scores out in each match so we know exactly where the entire Morgan Cup stands and where it could end. Again, I wont get into the golf here, but to say it was invigorating would be a huge understatement. Frantically calculating every match to find out who, what, where and when.
One of the most important things about Sunday for me is getting interviews when matches close out. Getting thoughts on the weekend that just happened. And putting the camera right there to capture raw emotion. I watched grown men back away from putts because of tears. I watched men hug opponents by running from across a green to celebrate. And most importantly, I watched 32 men play hard, play serious and then grab a person intensely and tell them they love them. That is what separates this event from anything else I have ever witnessed.
When the Cup was decided, everybody was down on the 18th green waiting for the captains to finish their match. What many do not realize is that I was upstairs on the patio that overlooks that 18th green sobbing like a baby. I dont know what happened, but having Buck, Howzat and a few others come up to me and grab me and say things like "Its that effin good" while their emotions took over hit me hard. I lean over the patio wall when I hear a huge roar. Its for Captain Ddec making his way to the green. Dean is not a real emotional guy like me (not that you would know that based on this week). He is a guy that gets it. A guy that has been in each one of these and captained two of them. He gave it his all out there and has made it known that this was his last one. Someone I call my brother, walking up to the green on the 18th and getting 30+ people giving him a standing ovation sent me over the top. I lost it and had to have someone go get me something cold to drink while I cuddled in the corner trying to regain composure knowing a speech of some sort was going to be needed.
Im sitting there on the patio above, with everybody below, drinking a diet soda trying to gain even a semblance of normalcy when I hear a call from down below. I figured someone had a question about where to go and I leaned over to tell them to come on up. My head still buried in my hands and all I saw was a sea of golfers and volunteers saluting and giving me a standing ovation. I lifted my hat off and muttered what was supposed to be "Its all for you", but came out more like someone stepping on a cats tail. I lost it again and did not know what had hit me. These gentlemen standing there tired, emotional and all because of something you created is something incredible to watch.
It was time to try and get myself together and prepare for the champagne celebration. I had a lot to say. What happened was more odd sounds coming out of me as I asked Morgan to come up. She was not prepared for this because I was not planning on that. I needed someone to hide my face in as I tried to talk. As always, she was my rock and got me through it. At that time, we mentioned that the Morgan Cup was not in fact over. It was being changed. As she put it, the new THP has evolved in a lot of ways, and this is just another example of that. I tried hard to get some words out, but every time I looked into that sea of incredible people, the emotions took over again. I was happy to call up the captains and let them do their thing, and then each one of them made me sink even further into emotional bliss. I knew then it was over and the ride was amazing.
Three years of hosting this event and on this year, this weekend in Myrtle Beach, it all came together for something so special, it was fitting to end it that way. I have few things I want to say and some people I want to thank.
True Blue and Caledonia - You guys have a special set up and treat our athletes like royalty. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this event what it is.
Cobra Golf - We told you. I kid of course. You were a Morgan Cup rookie and the folks at the office that we worked with all year and Jamie Lynn coming out to Myrtle were incredible. You guys "got it" and it was a pleasure to watch.
Callaway - Been to every one of them and Hashtag has taken the ball and run with it. Working with them for this event has been a highlight for me and I cannot thank everybody there enough for all the work they put into this event.
Bridgestone - A company that cherishes each golfer and was the first to take the ball and run with it. Their players know that they have something special and watching them work with each guy was fun to see.
Cleveland - It was a wonderful run and I am so glad that they did what they did this year. Between their social media presence leading up and during the event to the wonderful help from a special person while there, the company was amazing to work with.
The Captains
Puttin4Bird - You know we feel differently about a few things and the best part is we can always talk about them. Few people understand this event like you and watching you win it was something special.
War Eagle - My brother. War is one of the reasons this event happened. He does not know that, but its true. Watching him take the reigns was something I will never forget.
Ddec - I have said before what he means to THP events. What his wife and he mean to my family. And to quote the great Barney Stinson..."Challenge Accepted".
Chunkylover - Buddy. You had some stuff going on, and thanks for talking to me. I love his famous quote (which is real) "Im going to be a terrible captain". He is not and everybody around him knows that. He brought something wonderful to this event and I only wish he realized it.
Rather than go through everybody individually, I am going to have some shout outs. I believe I was able to get around to most and tell them my feelings during the event and if not, don't worry it's coming.
My group of high handicappers. I am so effin proud of you guys its crazy. I told many of you that during play and it was so incredible to follow your journey. Wade, you are one amazing person. And now I know how. Your wife is equally as amazing. Thank you for giving me a glimpse into that.
Veterans from years past. Thank you for continuing to evolve with the event. Thank you for welcoming with open arms each newcomer to the event. And most of all thank you for making the 3rd Morgan Cup, the crowning achievement we always expected this event to be.
Mrs Whozat & Nerfny. You two and the rest of the wives are incredible. We know the sacrifices and know them well, but you guys not only sacrifice so many things but do so with a smile. Thank you for personally helping my amazing wife pull this off.
Playdough, Smithfaced and mward. Are you kidding me? How lucky are we that we have you 3 as part of our family. You guys were simply awe inspiring. What you did out there was something that legends are made of and it will never be forgotten.
Every family member that gave up their time, energy and/or made sacrifices for the better of this event holds a special place in our hearts.
What can I say? It is the end of an era. It is something that I will never forget and in the 3 years since its inception, was always left wanting a bit more. Well this last week, I got that more and the dream of this event was fulfilled. You thank me? Sorry, that is not the way it worked. I owe you all for putting on that display over the last few days and it was a fairy tale ending.
F*ck it, lets do it again! The other event and changes we spoke of will be made into something else. That's right, the 2014 Morgan Cup is on and its no longer the Ultimate Amateur Golf Event. Its the Ultimate Golf Event PERIOD!
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