Contest and Live Update Thread: 2019 Bridgestone Championship

I left with a dozen and a half. We were given 2dz


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I lost 4 on Saturday and Elliot said to grab a couple 2-packs off the table at the bbq. Lost one on Sunday from the 18th tee in the same place as Saturday. I'm a slow learner.
 
I mean....I’ll take bacon over flying it 290 I think.
Maybe not.....but probably


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
This would be a fun poll!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
 
Nice! I’ll give in and just have to get a different custom one. I haven’t been able to find anything in that style that’s Bridgestone on the eBay/online store market.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think I heard Zak say they are thinking of expanding some of their accessories and updating some things soon. We will see.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I'm blaming the views on 17& 18... I had a good swing according to the other members... But I believe I lifted my head to capture the essence of that water tower.... Instead of seeingy ball land on the green/fairway I got to witness some huge splashes! Hahaha

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
9483d81e1f577027c976784f88df6b7e.jpg

c6d6313f781a2e31482559fc9f4f4a81.jpg
ce87095ae56a7dc654947a2056822eef.jpg

Those holes were beautiful disasters for me. I love and hate them lifted head or not lol.
 
I’d answer this, one way. I’d say my biggest misconception was that I had a clue what I was talking about and what was best for my game based on nothing at all. Basically I was taking Titleists word for it with no actual swing data. The ball was working great but it wasn’t optimized for my swing at all.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I can agree with that after being st the Titleist event in April. It doesn’t matter what you think is happening once the track man numbers show up.

We learned very quickly we were all wrong


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I’ll be writing my full event recap tomorrowish . As well as some comments on each participant and a few other pertinent details.

Be on the look out for some details about the gloves, more info on the balls, additional notes on the stand bag, backpack,

Annnnnnnddddddd maybe a little contest to get some Bridgestone swagggggg.....stay tuned


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I think I heard Zak say they are thinking of expanding some of their accessories and updating some things soon. We will see.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I hope they do. They gave me 6 doz+ balls and I almost ordered 2 doz more just to get the shirt promo lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have to imagine it was just mere inches away from some pretty large windows. Those damn Tour B XS balls they fit me into apparently d chided it was time to jump off the face of my pitching wedge from 156 and flyyyyyyyyyyy over 180

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Okay, what's in the water in Ohio with you and Winchell and Gunner and Phil and Pringles and Dan and I'm sure more people that I'm forgetting?

I mean....I’ll take bacon over flying it 290 I think.
Maybe not.....but probably

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This would be a fun poll!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

This would be a great poll. I think that I could go without bacon. I can find other vices, fatty or otherwise.
 
I hope they do. They gave me 6 doz+ balls and I almost ordered 2 doz more just to get the shirt promo lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Approved! :D
 
I'm blaming the views on 17& 18... I had a good swing according to the other members... But I believe I lifted my head to capture the essence of that water tower.... Instead of seeingy ball land on the green/fairway I got to witness some huge splashes! Hahaha

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
9483d81e1f577027c976784f88df6b7e.jpg

c6d6313f781a2e31482559fc9f4f4a81.jpg
ce87095ae56a7dc654947a2056822eef.jpg

You got it, that’s my reasoning as well buddy.

Those holes were pretty intimidating. I know they had my number.
 
Bridgestone Team B

Team 3: Nerdy_81 & Pete379

And the winner is...
KCSmitty.

Please send a PM to GolferGal with your full name and shipping address.
 
And the winner is...
KCSmitty.

Please send a PM to GolferGal with your full name and shipping address.
Congrats KCSmitty!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
And the winner is...
KCSmitty.

Please send a PM to GolferGal with your full name and shipping address.
Whoop whoop, KC smitty!!! Lol whatever u receive u can just give that to me sir!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
And the winner is...
KCSmitty.

Please send a PM to GolferGal with your full name and shipping address.

Congrats my man!
 
Whoop whoop, KC smitty!!! Lol whatever u receive u can just give that to me sir!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Pete I'm sure you will be reaping the reward of that W at the event for awhile!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Congrats. Great pick and fun follow


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Congrats!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Congrats KCSmitty!
 
Saturday

A 7:30 tee time after getting to bed after 1 would normally be pretty tough to crawl out of bed for, but I think PKorf and I were both up before our alarm went off just ready to get to the course. After a quick discussion about the rules, Pete and I headed off to 11 tee with Elliot and Heather from Bridgestone. Hole 11 is a 155 yard par 3. All carry over water. No range time. You want to talk about an intimidating shot. The Bridgestone team goes first, and both are safely on. I step up and hit a 9 iron to the back fringe absolutely stoked to not have chunked one in the water. Pete hits his to just above pin high on the left fringe, leaving us with 20 feet or so. As we drive up, the discussion turns to who should putt first and I say I can usually roll the putter ok, so I can go and give you a read. It’s a downhill slider going to our right that I hit right on my line and it tracks dead into the hole. We start birdie net ace and we are on cloud 9. On the next tee I sail my drive off to the right, and then Pete does what he did all weekend and just sends one. We are blocked out by a tree, but only about 60 yards out. I take a safe route and pitch to just short of the green, chip up and leave myself about 15 feet below the hole. I end up draining that putt for a par net birdie and knew right then if Pete could do that with his driver all day, that my putter was working, and we could really have a great day. That’s exactly what happened. I had no clue it would be a good as it turned out, but Elliot and Heather were playing really well too, and I think we just fed off of each other all day. I’m a 14 cap, who is probably a 25 cap off the tee and 6 cap everywhere else to average that 14. Being paired with someone who could hit a driver like my guy Pete was a dream scenario, and we used each other perfectly all weekend.

After the round, the Bridgestone crew supplied us with Clubhouse passes and we went in and had a great lunch followed by their presentation about what they have in store for 2020. A lot of the stuff is still behind closed doors, so we can’t discuss specifics, but they provided some great data for their 2020 balls, and to put it simply it will be a significant improvement on their current offerings. They will use the same Tour B line, just adding the new tech. After their presentation, it was off to the tour truck for a quick walkthrough. It was really cool to see all the equipment and talk shop.

After the truck, we were given our VIP passes and told about the dinner that night. We spent a couple hours at the hotel, and then left for one of the coolest nights of my life. The dinner was at a place ironically enough called Hackers. There was free food and drinks, a range to demo their equipment, a couple professional golfers just hanging out, and Connor Moore who does the impressions. No big deal. Every time I turned my head, there was something new to experience. There was about a 15 minute Q&A, followed by Freddy and Rocco playing the golf version of “horse.” We had a front row seat for both and it was so much fun. After they finished their game, they just hung out and talked/took pictures with those in attendance. It was an incredible night that we will all remember for a long time.
 
Atta boy @KCSmitty..........
 
Awesome win KCSmitty!!!!
 
Winner from Pete's neck of the woods! Great job KCSmitty.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
 
Contest and Live Update Thread: 2019 Bridgestone Championship

RECAP, Part 1 of 2

This could get long so I'll break it into two parts. Let’s get started.

Practice rounds
Practice rounds are a great THP tradition and I highly recommend participating for anyone attending an event. I traveled to OH which meant using a couple vacation days so maximizing golf time was important. Hoosiermess, DJT311 and the Legend himself (Smiter) played on Thursday at Shale Creek. We played a team match and DJT311/Smiter battled back on 17 and 18 to halve the match.

Pkorf kindly invited us to play at his home course (Fox Meadows) on Friday. The course offers a nice blend of styles on the front and back 9s. We paired with our event teammate for the round and this was a great investment for Hoosier and me. More to come on this subject.

Friday Dinner
There are three certainties in life; death, taxes, and great food at every THP event. We met JB and the Bridgestone team at Dante Boccuzzi Akron (a.k.a. DBA). The restaurant is 20 yards from our hotel. If you saw pictures in the thread, then you already know their food is delicious.

We met Dan Murphy, President of Bridgestone Golf, plus key members of the marketing team including Adam, Elliot, Heather, Zack, and James. Pete379 and I sat by Adam and James. We enjoyed exchanging golf and life stories. James spends a lot of time on the road and already has 115 nights at Hilton properties in 2019. Wow!

Ball Fitting
We left DBA around 10PM and drove 15 minutes to the Firestone course. The Bridgestone Golf team had their annual sales meeting earlier in the week and the Senior Players is a huge event for their company. Doing ball fittings and presenting us with swag late on a Friday evening after a loooong week is going waaaay above and beyond the call of duty! I’m a firm believer that actions speak louder than words and this is a prime example of Bridgestone’s commitment to golfers, THP, and finding the right ball for your game.

Each participant received a backpack full of swag including hats, gloves, valuables bag, driver headcover, Bridgestone/THP insulated travel cup, blue tooth speaker, ball markers, repair tool and a pen with a built-in flash drive. The pen is really slick. The speaker is half the size of my previous speaker and fits nicely in a golf cart and on my desk.

6240af60976487af8b727f0b34477968.jpg


As mentioned earlier, James travels around the country and frequently fits 125 to 150 people in a day. We joked that he could pick the right ball based on setup alone. James knew a little bit about my game before stepping into the bay. I followed the Pete379 stripe show which led to a couple suboptimal swings. Note to self: you can’t keep up so don’t try! James consulted my RX numbers and suggested trying the RXS. He’s a great guy so I humored him but felt certain RX is the right answer. I was blown away when James shows an 8-iron height increase of 3-4 yards with RXS. Trust the experts! You wouldn’t believe how much time and money I’ve spent searching for more height with my iron shots. Who knew the golf ball was a key piece of the answer? This was my mic drop moment for the trip. I enjoy studying golf equipment and passed over the ‘S’ version because I was trying to keep the spin rate low in hopes of hitting it farther. Happy to admit you learn something every day. RXS is better for my game.

Bridgestone BBQ, Saturday evening
The Bridgestone team invited us to attend their annual VIP BBQ at the Hackers restaurant. This event is another example of Bridgestone’s generosity. The guests of honor include Fred Couples, Rocco Mediate, Conor Moore, Phil Blackmar, CEO of Bridgestone Corp, President of Bridgestone Golf, numerous global leaders from their tire division, and eight THPers.

Hackers has a driving range and Bridgestone stocked it with multiple demo bags full of equipment so you could test their clubs. I spent time with the irons. The HF2s are great!

Pete379 went for the drivers and hit about 50 balls over the net at the end of the range. It was like a fireworks show. Oohs and aahs followed every shot. If Pete ever wants to switch careers, then I’d be happy to be his agent. Long Drive World Tour 2020?!?

giphy.gif


The guests of honor played a game of GOLF after the Q&A. Take a look at the THP twitter feed if you want to see Conor experience his magnum opus golf moment. 3W to the blue flag.
https://twitter.com/THPGolf/status/1150361776015519751

I’ll pause for now but more thoughts are coming on the golf event and Bridgestone. Thanks for reading.
 
Back
Top