tomcat
2019 Grandaddy Alumni
One of the best things about THP events is following along and experiencing everything with the participants.
An average event may have 100 photos posted to the live thread. Even if you’ve been a THP member for years, there’s still participants that you may not know. So, in an effort to eliminate the “who’s that” from this year’s Grandaddy, the team wanted to create a thread that had our photos and a short bio about who we are, so come December, you won’t have to wonder who’s the guy shanking one off KEV’s forehead (oh wait, that was last year).
....now, on to the team.
Captain
Screen Name: McLovin
Name: Chris E
Age: 38
Profession: Certified Public Accountant
Family: Married for 14 years, two boys under the age of 10
How long have you been a golfer: 20 years
What are you looking forward to the most: Bus rides! Unbridled access to the people who design the gear and tell the stories that get me excited year in and year out.
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Dave Neville. I love learning about gear and why it does what it does and how the decision processes along the way affect the final product. He seems like someone who is just as excited to nerd out about this stuff as I am!
Assistant Captain
Screen name: mikeg_74
Name: Mike G
Age: 45
Profession: Digital Forensic Investigator
Family: married, 2 girls and 2 dogs
How long golfing: almost 21 years
Most looking forward to: helping this team realize its potential before, during and after the event. I hope to take as many questions out of the equation so these guys can enjoy the trip and truly maximize the experience.
Contest #1 Winner - Jeff Neubarth's challenge
Screen name: bigskyirish
Name: Mike M
Age: 38
Profession: Lawyer
Family: Married almost 11 years (Sabrina) with two boys (Emmett, 8 and Soren, 5)
How long I’ve been golfing: I started as a kid, but didn’t really play all that frequently until college.
Most looking forward to: Besides hanging out with everyone, a real fitting. I’ve never had one.
Zoo Crew member I’d like to face: Is whoever is playing the worst an acceptable answer? Seriously, I’ll go with Ethan. I got to spend some time talking to him at dinners during an event a few years ago, but we never had a chance to play together.
Contest #2 Winner - Being A Team Player
Screen Name: JourdanInMich
Name: Jourdan
Profession: dinosaurs
Age: 37 here in a couple weeks
Family: Married with 3 year old daughter and 2 week old son
How long have you been a golfer: Played since junior golf but quit for awhile and really found my love for it 5 years ago.
What are you looking forward to the most: Getting out to California, meeting my team and the Zoo Crew, and having the best 4 days ever.
What Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Would love to play at the GD with Chad or AJ - think we’d have a blast talking about new dad stuff.
Contest #3 Winner - Bring It To The Forum
Screen Name: radiman
Name: Michael R
Age: 37
Profession: IT Professional
Family: Married to my lovely wife for 10 years (11 in Sept). We have two girls, 12 & 8.
How long have you been a golfer: I've been golfing for roughly 24 years
What are you looking forward to the most: I'm most looking forward to hanging with my new group of friends. These guys are a blast and our time together will be amazing
What Zoo Crew member you would like to face? Ooh, tough question. What can I say? Bring on Finley!
Contest #4 Winner - Expectations of the Capt and Asst Capt
Screen name: zbeekner4
Name: Zack
Age: 31
Family: I’ve been married to my wife for 4 years. We have a 20 month old son and big dog named sebago. We met at work just outside of Atlanta and have been here ever since. I’m an athletic trainer by trade and work for a large hospital covering high school athletics.
How long have you been playing golf: I started playing golf when my 1st college roommate and now best friend was on the golf team and took me with him to the driving range. That same year I took a job at a country club, working 1 day a week and playing 4 days a week!
What are looking forward to the most? Meeting my teammates and hanging with the Zoo Crew. These are some of the greatest minds in the industry and it’ll be incredible to learn so much in just a few days. I’m also incredibly excited to get fit and for the first time, have an all new bag of brand new clubs!
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Ethan. We were previous teammates at the gauntlet in 2017, although, truthfully I’d be happy to play against any one of the Zoo Crew guys!
Contest #5 Winner - Describe Callaway, The Company
Screen Name: clarkgriswold
Age: ~40
Profession: Consulting (not cereal)
How long you've been golfing: Maybe since age 7-8? I learned growing up taking lessons at local par 3 course, then was a caddy for a few years at a private course. I took a hiatus from college until my late 20s, but now it's my main hobby.
What are you most looking forward to: All of it really, most courses I play aren't even as nice as the driving range I've seen in the photos, so the hideaway will probably blow my mind.
From just a pure curiosity factor the tour and fitting probably has me the most intrigued, as i love seeing the inner workings of what makes one club work vs another, and can have 100% faith in the data I’ll be seeing on the range. The food and fun goes without saying.
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Doesn't matter to me, this whole trip is all bonus time, so I'm happy playing against anybody the team needs.
Contest #6 Winner - Thoughts on Chrome Soft
Screen name: snickerdog
Name: David
Age: 52 years young
Profession: Office Manager
Family: Married, 3 children, and 3 beautiful grandchildren
How long have you been a golfer: I have been golfing on and off since I was 20, but took it up more seriously 12 years ago.
What are you looking forward to the most: I am most looking forward to seeing and hearing about the inner workings of Callaway and dinner at Al’s house.
If you had the choice, which Zoo Crew member would you like to challenge? I would like to the time to play all of the Zoo Crew members but would love to get in at least 9 with Finley.
Contest #7 Winner - Name The Man (AJ)
Screen Name: tomcat
Name: Spencer
Age: 47
Profession: Aircraft dispatcher
Family: Married for 10 years, three girls (16, 14, and 9)
How long have you been a golfer: approx 4 years
What are you looking forward to the most: the time spent with my team, and the Callaway team. The dinners, time on the course, and bus rides.
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: AJ, Hashtag (have followed him on social the longest), or DNevs (for the knowledge).
Contest #8 Winner - Explain Your Game
Screen name: badolds
Name: Dan
Age: 49
Profession: Own and operate a lawn equipment dealership
Family: Married 29 years to wife Carol. 23 year old son Erik
How long have you been a golfer: I played for 5 years in the nineties then took it back up in 2017
What are you looking forward to the most: Getting fit by the best in the business, meeting my teammates
What Zoo Crew member would you like to face: I am prepared mentally to face whomever I end up facing. BRING IT ON!!
Contest #9 Winner - Be A Firestarter
Screen name: JMB3
Name: James
Age: 34
Profession: attorney
Family: I'm a bachelor living in downtown Milwaukee
How long have you been a golfer: I started playing golf after high school graduation in '04. Took a hiatus during and after law school. I've been back playing since '14.
What are you looking forward to the most: Making life-long relationships
What member of the Zoo Crew would you like to face: Not Finley! Haha. Literally anyone.
Contest #10 Winner - THP Moods
Screen Name: NoShanks
Name: Eddie
Age: 34
Profession: UX/UI Designer
Family: Married for 7 years. 2 kids (4 year old girl and 19 month old boy)
How long have you been a golfer: I've been playing since I was 3 years old
What are you looking forward to the most: Meeting everyone and getting to know the whole team and Zoo Crew! Also, the fitting and learning everything about Callaway.
Which member of the Zoo Crew would you like to face: Any one of them really!
Contest #11 Winner - Convince Cap/Asst Cap in GIFs
Screen Name: j_sizzle9
First Name: Jonathan
Age: 36
Location: New Orleans, LA
Profession: CPA
Family: Married for 6 years to a my wife Natalie with 2 young kids
How long have you been a golfer: I’m been playing golf since I was 4, and never had a formal lesson and basically been taught by my Dad.
What are you looking forward to: I’m looking forward to playing catch up quickly, meeting all the guys in person and making some lifelong friends.
Which ZC member would you like to face: Anyone who is competitive wants to go up against @JasonFinleyCG and try to tame the beast, I feel like @AJVCG and @HashtagChad would be super fun, but I’m going to go with @Luke WilliamsCG.
An average event may have 100 photos posted to the live thread. Even if you’ve been a THP member for years, there’s still participants that you may not know. So, in an effort to eliminate the “who’s that” from this year’s Grandaddy, the team wanted to create a thread that had our photos and a short bio about who we are, so come December, you won’t have to wonder who’s the guy shanking one off KEV’s forehead (oh wait, that was last year).
....now, on to the team.
Captain
Screen Name: McLovin
Name: Chris E
Age: 38
Profession: Certified Public Accountant
Family: Married for 14 years, two boys under the age of 10
How long have you been a golfer: 20 years
What are you looking forward to the most: Bus rides! Unbridled access to the people who design the gear and tell the stories that get me excited year in and year out.
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Dave Neville. I love learning about gear and why it does what it does and how the decision processes along the way affect the final product. He seems like someone who is just as excited to nerd out about this stuff as I am!
Assistant Captain
Screen name: mikeg_74
Name: Mike G
Age: 45
Profession: Digital Forensic Investigator
Family: married, 2 girls and 2 dogs
How long golfing: almost 21 years
Most looking forward to: helping this team realize its potential before, during and after the event. I hope to take as many questions out of the equation so these guys can enjoy the trip and truly maximize the experience.
Contest #1 Winner - Jeff Neubarth's challenge
Screen name: bigskyirish
Name: Mike M
Age: 38
Profession: Lawyer
Family: Married almost 11 years (Sabrina) with two boys (Emmett, 8 and Soren, 5)
How long I’ve been golfing: I started as a kid, but didn’t really play all that frequently until college.
Most looking forward to: Besides hanging out with everyone, a real fitting. I’ve never had one.
Zoo Crew member I’d like to face: Is whoever is playing the worst an acceptable answer? Seriously, I’ll go with Ethan. I got to spend some time talking to him at dinners during an event a few years ago, but we never had a chance to play together.
Contest #2 Winner - Being A Team Player
Screen Name: JourdanInMich
Name: Jourdan
Profession: dinosaurs
Age: 37 here in a couple weeks
Family: Married with 3 year old daughter and 2 week old son
How long have you been a golfer: Played since junior golf but quit for awhile and really found my love for it 5 years ago.
What are you looking forward to the most: Getting out to California, meeting my team and the Zoo Crew, and having the best 4 days ever.
What Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Would love to play at the GD with Chad or AJ - think we’d have a blast talking about new dad stuff.
Contest #3 Winner - Bring It To The Forum
Screen Name: radiman
Name: Michael R
Age: 37
Profession: IT Professional
Family: Married to my lovely wife for 10 years (11 in Sept). We have two girls, 12 & 8.
How long have you been a golfer: I've been golfing for roughly 24 years
What are you looking forward to the most: I'm most looking forward to hanging with my new group of friends. These guys are a blast and our time together will be amazing
What Zoo Crew member you would like to face? Ooh, tough question. What can I say? Bring on Finley!
Contest #4 Winner - Expectations of the Capt and Asst Capt
Screen name: zbeekner4
Name: Zack
Age: 31
Family: I’ve been married to my wife for 4 years. We have a 20 month old son and big dog named sebago. We met at work just outside of Atlanta and have been here ever since. I’m an athletic trainer by trade and work for a large hospital covering high school athletics.
How long have you been playing golf: I started playing golf when my 1st college roommate and now best friend was on the golf team and took me with him to the driving range. That same year I took a job at a country club, working 1 day a week and playing 4 days a week!
What are looking forward to the most? Meeting my teammates and hanging with the Zoo Crew. These are some of the greatest minds in the industry and it’ll be incredible to learn so much in just a few days. I’m also incredibly excited to get fit and for the first time, have an all new bag of brand new clubs!
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Ethan. We were previous teammates at the gauntlet in 2017, although, truthfully I’d be happy to play against any one of the Zoo Crew guys!
Contest #5 Winner - Describe Callaway, The Company
Screen Name: clarkgriswold
Age: ~40
Profession: Consulting (not cereal)
How long you've been golfing: Maybe since age 7-8? I learned growing up taking lessons at local par 3 course, then was a caddy for a few years at a private course. I took a hiatus from college until my late 20s, but now it's my main hobby.
What are you most looking forward to: All of it really, most courses I play aren't even as nice as the driving range I've seen in the photos, so the hideaway will probably blow my mind.
From just a pure curiosity factor the tour and fitting probably has me the most intrigued, as i love seeing the inner workings of what makes one club work vs another, and can have 100% faith in the data I’ll be seeing on the range. The food and fun goes without saying.
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: Doesn't matter to me, this whole trip is all bonus time, so I'm happy playing against anybody the team needs.
Contest #6 Winner - Thoughts on Chrome Soft
Screen name: snickerdog
Name: David
Age: 52 years young
Profession: Office Manager
Family: Married, 3 children, and 3 beautiful grandchildren
How long have you been a golfer: I have been golfing on and off since I was 20, but took it up more seriously 12 years ago.
What are you looking forward to the most: I am most looking forward to seeing and hearing about the inner workings of Callaway and dinner at Al’s house.
If you had the choice, which Zoo Crew member would you like to challenge? I would like to the time to play all of the Zoo Crew members but would love to get in at least 9 with Finley.
Contest #7 Winner - Name The Man (AJ)
Screen Name: tomcat
Name: Spencer
Age: 47
Profession: Aircraft dispatcher
Family: Married for 10 years, three girls (16, 14, and 9)
How long have you been a golfer: approx 4 years
What are you looking forward to the most: the time spent with my team, and the Callaway team. The dinners, time on the course, and bus rides.
Which Zoo Crew member would you like to face: AJ, Hashtag (have followed him on social the longest), or DNevs (for the knowledge).
Contest #8 Winner - Explain Your Game
Screen name: badolds
Name: Dan
Age: 49
Profession: Own and operate a lawn equipment dealership
Family: Married 29 years to wife Carol. 23 year old son Erik
How long have you been a golfer: I played for 5 years in the nineties then took it back up in 2017
What are you looking forward to the most: Getting fit by the best in the business, meeting my teammates
What Zoo Crew member would you like to face: I am prepared mentally to face whomever I end up facing. BRING IT ON!!
Contest #9 Winner - Be A Firestarter
Screen name: JMB3
Name: James
Age: 34
Profession: attorney
Family: I'm a bachelor living in downtown Milwaukee
How long have you been a golfer: I started playing golf after high school graduation in '04. Took a hiatus during and after law school. I've been back playing since '14.
What are you looking forward to the most: Making life-long relationships
What member of the Zoo Crew would you like to face: Not Finley! Haha. Literally anyone.
Contest #10 Winner - THP Moods
Screen Name: NoShanks
Name: Eddie
Age: 34
Profession: UX/UI Designer
Family: Married for 7 years. 2 kids (4 year old girl and 19 month old boy)
How long have you been a golfer: I've been playing since I was 3 years old
What are you looking forward to the most: Meeting everyone and getting to know the whole team and Zoo Crew! Also, the fitting and learning everything about Callaway.
Which member of the Zoo Crew would you like to face: Any one of them really!
Contest #11 Winner - Convince Cap/Asst Cap in GIFs
Screen Name: j_sizzle9
First Name: Jonathan
Age: 36
Location: New Orleans, LA
Profession: CPA
Family: Married for 6 years to a my wife Natalie with 2 young kids
How long have you been a golfer: I’m been playing golf since I was 4, and never had a formal lesson and basically been taught by my Dad.
What are you looking forward to: I’m looking forward to playing catch up quickly, meeting all the guys in person and making some lifelong friends.
Which ZC member would you like to face: Anyone who is competitive wants to go up against @JasonFinleyCG and try to tame the beast, I feel like @AJVCG and @HashtagChad would be super fun, but I’m going to go with @Luke WilliamsCG.
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