Fly With Me - Tomcat's Trek to the Grandaddy 2019

tomcat

2019 Grandaddy Alumni
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One of the things that I've enjoyed about previous editions of the Grandaddy was that by the time the actual event arrives, I felt like I knew some of the members. That immediately helped me connect with the team, and in reality, I cared more about what they were experiencing. So, I'm still unsure how I ended up on this end of things, as I know it's never something that someone deserves or earns. My goal over the next four+ months is to have everyone better know who I am, so when December rolls around, there's not anyone wondering, "who's that?".

As you can see in my signature, I'm Spencer. My handle "tomcat" is from my love of aviation (i.e. F-14 Tomcat), not my proclivity for being a ladies man. :) I work here in Dallas for Southwest Airlines. This is my third airline to work for and the culture here is so different from any other place I've been that it makes it so much more enjoyable. In case you're not familiar with Herb Kelleher's philosophy, he believed in the employee being at the top of the food chain, then customers, then shareholders. Treat the employee the best and they'll do the customer right, which in turn creates happy shareholders.

I started playing golf after I was invited to play during a church retreat. One of the guys had an old beater set of knockoffs (Pumas....and not the one associated with another major OEM). It was a rough round, as you could imagine, but the course was fun and we had a really good time. Shortly thereafter, I won a one hour lesson during a charity event auction and ended up with five lessons which was a very helpful way to get started.

During this time I was beginning a search for clubs that were younger than I was (at least it seemed they were that old), and found THP. I believe the first event I followed was a Wilson/Staff event then the C300s were released (I think). After seeing what they experienced, I began digging back through previous events and quickly realized that THP wasn't your normal, everyday forum.

I was lucky enough to get into the second UST Shaft Spectacular and was given a new driver, new Recoils and cookie's donated Big Bertha irons. If I had any questions about THP before, they were long gone by now. The following year I stumbled into an entry of the Morgan Cup (due to someone that had to back out). That was astounding to see what can happen when someone has a vision and a partnering sponsor that just says "whatever you want". Then last year, was able to join schanker in the Sweep. What a fun time that was. One of those things that you'd never expect to do, much less ever expect a business to open themselves up to someone just coming in and taking as much as they could.

Then this showed up.

The Grandaddy has existed for my entire tenure on THP, so it's always been an event that has stood out (obviously). Every year has differed slightly with its own unique twist, and every year has somehow exceeded expectations. I'm sure this year will be no different. I'm sure every participant has felt like they didn't deserve their spot initially (no one "deserves" it), and I'm no different. I'm not a great golfer, and will do my best to prepare, but my main goals include giving everything I have to include the forum, enjoy the time with my teammates, enjoy the time with the fine folks from Callaway, and have the time of my golfing life.

Thanks for supporting Team THP this year, and I look forward to seeing how this one plays out.
 
i love these threads! it will be fun to get to know you throughout the journey, but might be slightly more fun to get to know you in december ;)
 
Awesome! Can't wait to follow along with everyone that is involved in the Grandaddy!
 
I’ve decided I’m supporting the entire team but Tomcat...at least until I can actually fly southwest out of RDU!

I kid of course!

Love seeing these threads, and it’s great to get to know the team members better.
 
Very well Spencer!!! Can't wait to tee it up with you. :clapp:
 
I’ve decided I’m supporting the entire team but Tomcat...at least until I can actually fly southwest out of RDU!

I kid of course!

Love seeing these threads, and it’s great to get to know the team members better.

Why aren't you able to fly out of RDU? (or did I miss the punchline?)
 
Why aren't you able to fly out of RDU? (or did I miss the punchline?)

Never going where I need to go sadly. (It was mostly a joke though, I don’t fly that often).
 
Great intro! Can’t wait to follow your journey.


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AJ calling you tom was classic.
 
Well done and insightful. Put in the time (doesn’t have to be a ton) and your game can improve before December.

Remember I’m here to help you with any questions as are the rest of the group and the forum. No question is a dumb question.

Now get ready to have some fun in December!
 
Enjoyed the thread. Subscribed to this one for sure. Question for you Spencer, you work for southwest and have probably flown to some cool destinations. Where was the coolest place you’ve played golf?


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Enjoyed the thread. Subscribed to this one for sure. Question for you Spencer, you work for southwest and have probably flown to some cool destinations. Where was the coolest place you’ve played golf?


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Interestingly enough (or not), I've never flown anywhere to play golf (that will for sure change in December). Nearly all of my rounds are local. Two at wonderful courses in OK (from the Morgan Cup), so I'm looking forward to expanding that small list to the Hideaway.
 
Interestingly enough (or not), I've never flown anywhere to play golf (that will for sure change in December). Nearly all of my rounds are local. Two at wonderful courses in OK (from the Morgan Cup), so I'm looking forward to expanding that small list to the Hideaway.

Where do you like to play in DFW area?

Currently only playing at Buffalo Creek since it's local to me. Have also played at Waterview in Rowlett, Mesquite and also Tennison in Dallas. Getting my game better and then to try some more courses.
 
Can’t wait to see what the next 5 months are like for you.


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Interestingly enough (or not), I've never flown anywhere to play golf (that will for sure change in December). Nearly all of my rounds are local. Two at wonderful courses in OK (from the Morgan Cup), so I'm looking forward to expanding that small list to the Hideaway.

Once hideaway is on the list, it seems we won’t want to play any other courses!


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Where do you like to play in DFW area?

Currently only playing at Buffalo Creek since it's local to me. Have also played at Waterview in Rowlett, Mesquite and also Tennison in Dallas. Getting my game better and then to try some more courses.

I'm in Prosper, so the majority of my rounds are at WestRidge in McKinney and Plantation (ugh) in Frisco. Have played Gentle Creek CC here in Prosper a couple of times, but I'm not a member, so it's not that often.
 
My Shaft Spectacular and Grandaddy brother! Nate and I were the participants in SS #1.

Looking forward to your journey, man!
 
My Shaft Spectacular and Grandaddy brother! Nate and I were the participants in SS #1.

Looking forward to your journey, man!

Yeah, you guys made some wicked shafts.
 
Thanks for your posting. It’s nice that you shared information about your background and why you chose the name tomcat. I look forward to you continued updates regarding your journey to the granddaddy. Also, I’m a frequent Southwest customer usually into Tampa. Cool to hear about your connection to Southwest.
 
Thanks for sharing, this is a really good idea!

F-14 is a nice aircraft, but my all-time favourite is a DC-3.
 
Also, I’m a frequent Southwest customer usually into Tampa. Cool to hear about your connection to Southwest.

My future retirement profit-sharing account is very thankful for your business. :banana:
 
Thanks for sharing, this is a really good idea!

F-14 is a nice aircraft, but my all-time favourite is a DC-3.

Can't go wrong with the DC3. That thing was (and still is) a work horse.
 
Not sure if a round at The Tribute will assist Spencer but let the DFW crew know if you need some tune ups.


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Staff proto to MC to GD is a RUN! Keep it uo
 
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