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#OwnTheSecondShot - THP & Adams Golf Event Info

Congratulations to Jman, Capt.dru and Threeboysdad for winning this event! All THPERS were winners this weekend. Thank you THP and Adams Golf!

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kc720 said:
Congratulations to Jman, Capt.dru and Threeboysdad for winning this event! All THPERS were winners this weekend. Thank you THP and Adams Golf!

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DFW Crew brings home another one. Congrats guys.
 
Dgvillere said:
This trip rocks! I'm beyond glad I was able to make plans to be here. If you ever get the chance to do a trip with THP don't ask just do it
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So glad you were able to make it happen, sorry I was so pushy but I think you now see why.
 
Thanks to Adam's and THP for this amazing weekend! Cant thank you guys enough for the opportunity. I learned so much this weekend. This was a first class event all the way! Thanks again! Too my team, Jman, TBD and Jared, had a great time on the course today! Thanks for having patience and waiting till I got properly "lubricated" Lol! Those 2 drinks really got me going. Cant wait to do it again! I will have a full recap up in a day or so.
 
Doesn't that make 3bd a two time THP Hall of Famer? That's awesome right there!
 
mikedean441 said:
So glad you were able to make it happen, sorry I was so pushy but I think you now see why.
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It wasn't pushy it was just trying to reach my wife to get the green light to attend, if I ever get another chance at one within driving distance I'm so there
 
Wanted to post up a recap of this weekend while it is still fresh in my head. This was my first THP event and I was crazy excited but also a little nervous going into it as I'm often more of an introvert and didn't want to be that weird guy that everyone talks about but nobody talks to. I will say that was absolutely not the case and true to form, THPers are the nicest people on the planet and it was honestly like talking to someone I've known for years.

The first THP part of this event happened on Friday when about 20 of us played cowboy's club for a practice round. As my dad, brother, and I were unloading our clubs I see this couple walking to their car, and I recognized them immediately, it was Josh and Morgan, who I wasn't expecting to be there, so this private meeting and introduction was a real treat. Being Floridians and it being 45* and windy, they were both freezing, so we made quick introductions and they went on their way to (I'm assuming) continue making dreams come true. This started my day off on a pretty high note getting to meet the owners of THP, so with that off the to-do list, we headed in for some breakfast.

I ate my French toast about as fast as I could because I was chomping at the bit to go to the range and meet all the THPers who were out there. I met Johnny Mojo right after pulling up to the range, and as a #THPMC Bridgestone brother, this was a meeting I was really looking forward to. I met a ton of people, each more friendly than the last, and it was so fun matching faces with forum names.

For the round, I was paired up with the now two-time hall of famer ThreeBoysDad, Phillip, and being the huge sandbagger that I now realize he is, he kept talking about how Vegas was him getting carried, and yada yada yada. Anyway, if you don't know TBD, he is just such a nice person, and he can whack a golf ball pretty dang well too. I wasn't playing particularly good golf, and I haven't played in the sand that much since I was a kid. Bless Phillip's heart, he threw in a few errant shots to make me feel better about myself. I'm assuming that's what he did because two-time hall of famers don't hit bad shots unless they're doing it on purpose. :alien: Anyway, Friday's round was a lot of fun and we got lunch than hurried home to get ready for Adams.

I pulled up to the Adams building and there are about 20 guys and 1gal just huddled up in the parking lot, so I knew I was in the right place. Morgan starts handing out name tags and even got mine right without me having to tell her. This might seem small, but for a woman who runs a website with thousands of users, and an event with 30 people, remembering the name and face of a guy she met for 15 seconds while her eyes were frozen shut meant a lot to me. So we're all shooting the breeze waiting for 4:00 to roll around, and a tour trailer pulls right past us and we start herding our way over to it like moths to a flame. Jeff with Adams greets us and literally shook hands with everyone and asked us all where we were from; just a nice guy right off the bat. He even positioned us so we were in the shade and he was looking into the sun. He gave us a run down of what was going to happen and then broke us down into groups of 10. I heard my name called in the first group, and we went in to learn about the history of Adams and what direction they wanted to go towards in the future.

We walked through some pretty cool work spaces (club tinkerers dream lab) to the back for a presentation. We walk in the door, and see bags with our names on them, but behind the bags we see shafts sticking out... Brand freaking new Pro hybrids that aren't even to market yet!!! My jaw hit the floor and I was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. They tell us to have a seat and Jeff begins his presentation. Really neat stuff about how their goal is to make golf easy (amen!) and what that looks like for them. After a really enjoyable presentation by Jeff, Michael Fox (not Michael J Fox) takes the stage and talks a bit more about Adams and a little about his background with TM. Overall, just incredible information and honest communication. Also, Matt, one of the R&D geniuses who made the new tight lies and a ton of other cool clubs played like 189 rounds last year... "In-depth product testing" was his spin on it.

We toured the rest of the building, stopping at the indoor launch monitor and getting to hit ANYTHING we wanted, and getting a true education on Yes! putters and putting in general. One thing we "learned" is that Jman has an amazing putting stroke, and he now has a computer to confirm it. We got to see some under construction clubs and tons of shafts to make KC720 drool, and finally got to play office golf. Got an eagle and tied for second, but KC crushed me in the tie breaker and won some sweet grips while I won a neat Adams head cover.

The tour was AWESOME, but it was time for dinner so we all headed out to Love and War Texas down the street from Adams. We all gathered outside waiting for our tables, and buckets of beer were being freely passed around. Finally we moved to our tables, and somehow the best seat in the house was open and I got to sit with Josh, Morgan, and Mike G for dinner; I was freaking elated. Getting to talk to those three for dinner about everything from life to THP and everything in between was one of the highlights of my trip, and I felt like I had won a lunch with Warren Buffet at a much lower price tag.

While I could have sat there talking with them all night, I did want to talk with some other THPers and Adams folks too. Got a chance to talk with Mike Fox, and I have to say I just like the guy. He gives it to you straight with no bull ****, and he's just a smart and friendly guy who is so easy to talk to. A few other Adams folks k got to chat with were Parker who works in R&D on the combination sets, and Rob (my competition partner) who works in the long-term R&D stuff that he could tell me about but then he'd have to kill me. Both incredibly nice guys, super smart, but still so easy to talk to, and just as passionate about golf as us hackers are.

Dinner wound down, and we all went our separate ways to get ready for competition the next day. There are just a few things I want to say about the pre-round warmups. First, huge thanks to Johnny Mojo and #Cookie for letting to try out some of my MC sponsor's hear on the range, been hard to get hands on, so that was appreciated. Also, and this has been said so many times but is still so true, Freddie Kong is an amazing person and a brilliant swing coach. I was struggling on the range and he sees one swing, makes a suggestion, and boom, next shot right down the pipes. Thank you Freddie for all you do for me and this forum. After warming up, Woody and I made our way to the first tee and proceeded to see people boom drives one right after the other until we were up. Thankfully we were 8th so there wasn't a lot of people left to see us tee off, but still plenty of nerves. You can read about the golf in the recap thread, but it was a lot of fun golfing with Woody, Easy8, and Rob from Adams. The Pro hybrid is no joke and it will be in my bag for a long time, and will likely get company.

Overall, whatever I was expecting from this weekend was blown away, and I'm so thankful I got to be a part of it. Adams golf has been in my bag since I started playing golf seriously, and they will be there for a long time to come. Josh and Morgan, getting to meet you and share a dinner with you was incredible; you two are amazing people, and thank you so much for all you do to enrich the lives of all of us hackers on a regular (daily) basis. To everyone involved in setting up this event and those who attended, from the bottom of my heart I thank you for giving me a fantastic event that I will always remember as my first (of hopefully many) THP event.

Sorry this got so long but wanted to share. If you think it was long to read, I typed it on my phone, so it was even longer to write! Can't wait until July for my next THP event.
 
Heck of a write up there Neb! Can't wait for part II!
 
Great read Neb. Very well done.
 
Awesome write up Ryan. I'm glad we finally got to meet buddy! Looking forward to seeing you again in July.

JM
 
Reading event recaps is always one of my favorite things to do. Awesome to see the event through so many eyes.
 
Nebgolfer said:
Finally we moved to our tables, and somehow the best seat in the house was open and I got to sit with Josh, Morgan, and Mike G for dinner; I was freaking elated. Getting to talk to those three for dinner about everything from life to THP and everything in between was one of the highlights of my trip, and I felt like I had
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Very humbling praise, but not deserved. I was as much in shock as you were that seats were open to sit with the two most important people this forum has.

I learned a lot from you also at dinner & if you ever need to chat or have any questions I can answer I'm only a quick PM away. My only regret was not being able to tee it up with you for a few holes, but that will be fixed next time we are at an event.
 
mikeg_74 said:
Very humbling praise, but not deserved. I was as much in shock as you were that seats were open to sit with the two most important people this forum has.

I learned a lot from you also at dinner & if you ever need to chat or have any questions I can answer I'm only a quick PM away. My only regret was not being able to tee it up with you for a few holes, but that will be fixed next time we are at an event.
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Absolutely dude. I used some of your tips on Saturday and think they were a big help in me playing better on Saturday. Was a ton of fun getting to know you over dinner and I truly look forward to seeing you at an event in the future.
 
Event Review - #OwnTheSecondShot w/ THP and Adams

Event Review - #OwnTheSecondShot w/ THP and Adams

First off, let me say that this review was not sanctioned or requested by THP. With that in mind, I thought an account of my experience with my first THP event could prove useful to anyone considering attending their first. We review so much equipment, courses, etc. that it only seems fitting to review events as well. Others have given lots of feedback within other threads, but this is my perspective. I hope someone finds this information useful. Sorry if it is long-winded :)

Event Details
Orchestrated and organized by THP and Adams, this event was held February 28-March 1, 2014 in the DFW, TX area. Festivities were in Plano and golf was in Grapevine at the Dallas Cowboys Golf Club.

My Background
I'm a relatively new golfer, with about 9 months of playing under my belt. Going into this I was a bit unsure that I was ready for a real competitive experience, but THP was coming to my hometown and partnering with one of my favorite OEMs. I had to try to get in. I have been competitive in sports my entire life, and spent about 4 years as the Southwest's most prolific Disc Golf tournament director. I ran over 50 sanctioned and charity tournaments ranging in size from 80 players to over 200. Many of the tournaments I have run involved a very significant amount of time and coordination with municipalities, course owners, OEMs, and sponsored professionals. I have also competed on the biggest stage in that sport - the United States Disc Golf Championship - which is as close to a PGA event as that sport currently has. Tournament nerves are nothing new to me, even if I haven't mastered them :). I also have a first-person perspective on what it takes to organize a big event, and the difficulties that come with it. Wrangling a huge number of anxious players into a precise schedule of events is a unique and trying task, no matter the sport.

Signup Process
From my perspective, this couldn't have been easier. I put the opening date and time on my calendar and readied myself at my computer. I sent an email with all of the requested information and crossed my fingers. A few minutes later, I got a message from GG that I was in!

There was much hullabaloo around the process, which is to be expected when the supply simply cannot be expanded to meet the demand.This thing sold out in literally 1 second. In my opinion, this can only be a good thing. It is never fun to be turned away (or to be the one turning people away), but the incredible response is a strong indicator of just how much people want to attend these events.

Leading up to the event
The thing that THP does best in my opinion is to generate hype. Whether it be about equipment, courses, events, or gadgets, THP has the innate ability to whip us all into a frenzy. #OwnTheSecondShot was no exception. JB and GG gave us teasers of things to come and left us all to speculate, dream, and fantasize about. Communication throughout the process was excellent for the most part. I even at one point thought about backing out because I just wasn't confident in my own game and didn't want to subject 3 other people to my issues, but GG convinced me via PM to stick with it and just focus on the fun. I'm glad she did... but Shakey, kc720, and Joe from Adams might not agree :D

#Cookie also did a fantastic job organizing practice rounds for event attendees. He shuffled teetimes to accommodate airline schedules and allowed many of us to meet and play golf with new people and see the course before the official event began. I know that Nate and TexasHacker34 put some people up in their homes, and I'm sure they weren't the only ones. Texas hospitality at its finest!

Day 1
Friday started at the Cowboys Club. This really is a fantastic venue. It has a very private club feel, but is open to the public. #Cookie was there before I was, organizing people and making sure we all got to where we needed to be ahead of time. It was a fun, casual round of golf with 3 fellow THPers. Great weather, great course, great people, great times.

Upon arriving at Adams, I could see that they were ready for us. Blue Adams banners out in the parking lot made for a very welcoming sight. The wrapped Adams dually and tour trailer was parked out front and really made a statement about what we were about to experience. I snapped a few pics with my phone and headed over to the group of anxious THPers standing in front of the building. GG handed out nametags so we could all easily put names to faces. Adams provided iced beverages (it was 80 degrees outside... February in Texas, go figure) and at precisely 4:00pm rounded us up for an intro. A few of the Adams execs gave us a quick intro, then they split us up into tour groups.

My group went to the production floor first. Shafts, heads, assembly equipment, and shipping boxes galore. This wasn't some dressed-up-for-the-public press room, this was where work was getting done. Our tour guide was also an expert fitter (and scratch golfer) and he gave us a lot of good information about how things happen on the line. One interesting note that he pointed out - 90% of assemblers at Adams are female. He said something about their heightened attention to detail... but I was too busy gawking at gear to get all of what he said :D.

Next was a state-of-the-art fitting room right inside HQ. This is clearly designed for a one-on-one session with a pro and an expert. Big screen, GC2 monitor, and software that gave all the numbers one could want to help dial in their clubs. Behind and to the left were racks full of every current Adams model on tour and in retail, and a few that had not yet seen the public eye. You want to hit the new Adams hotness? not problem... what shaft? what flex in that shaft? what grip? They had it all.

Next door to the fitting room was the putting room. Big Yes! logos on the wall, two very fancy putting greens, a putt tracer, and all sorts of gadgets to fit putters just like everything else. I kept eying the blue bags that were sitting against the wall with our names on them. It was hard to contain my new gear excitement at first, but I quickly got fully interested in what was being said. We were treated to demonstrations by Adams staff, and discussion about technique, club design, and technology both in the putters themselves and the gadgets. We even got a quick green reading lesson... very good stuff! We all picked up our goodie bags and brand new clubs, and headed over to the office area.

This is when it got seriously fun. As if we weren't all already having a good enough time... OFFICE GOLF! Right in their business office, 3 holes were marked with masking tape on the floor. Complete with tee signs, tee boxes, hazards and putting cups, this was a par 12 course like nothing else I've ever seen. Played with foam balls and adams irons (you had to pick one and stick with it for all shots!), the holes were measured in inches and literally played over, through, under, and around the offices and desks that people use every day. The par 4 first was about 400 inches and required a layup to an aisle or you could try to drive the green... 3 cubes away. Oh man, this was so much fun.

Next, my group shuffled into the office of one of their head R&D designers. He showed us CAD schematics, cutaways, and prototypes in every stage from initial mold to final products. We discussed materials, manufacturing, the whole works. The information to be had here was unlike anything even we "prosumers" are generally privy to. I learned so much in that office that I couldn't begin to do the experience justice. I'll just say that it was incredible.

Our final stop at Adams HQ was in a presentation room towards the back corner of the offices. We listened and watched and learned as a group. History of the brand, how it got to where it is today, where they want it to go in the future, and even a yet-unreleased Adams commercial were just part of the presentation. Overall it was great to really see behind the curtain and humanize the folks who make Adams awesome. We ran a bit late in this stage, but soon were led outside to make the 1 mile trip to Love & War in Texas for some free beer and grub.

There was a bit of a mixup at the restaurant that kept us from being seated immediately. Not to fear, Adams ordered up buckets of Shiner Bock to keep us busy while we waited! Once we were seated, the room we were in was filled with conversation, laughter, good beer, good food, and just a great bunch of people having a great time. My day 1 ended happily - I headed home, put a new grip on my new hybrid, and tried to get some sleep... not easily accomplished when you are so excited for the next day.

Day 2
Another early arrival at Cowboys club. GG was at a table in the lobby to greet us and check us in. Free breakfast if you wanted it, free range balls if you wanted them, and plenty of staff to help get us and our gear situated and organized.

Once on the range, we were treated to some more demo time with more ADams clubs. 8 staff bags full of brand new technology in all shapes and sizes... but they didn't have anything other than regular grips. My ape hands require oversized, or I have to dig my fingers into my palms and end up death-gripping... that's not a good idea, so I wasn't able to demo anything. That was disappointing, but I did already have an oversize grip on my new hybrid so I hit that one quite a bit and was plenty warmed up by the time we started our round. Shakey and I headed over about 30 minutes before our tee time to heckle and chat with the groups going out before us.

The format for this tournament was a modified shamble. 3 THPers and one Adams staffer per team. Each player hit a tee shot, the group picked one of those, then each player finished with his own ball from that mark. On par 5s, the team carded one score from the group. Par 4s carded two scores, and par 3s carded three. 6 of the holes were designated as #OwnTheSecondShot holes, where THPers were required to use the new hybrid for their second shot. The Adams staffer was allowed to use anything from his own bag, which of course were all Adams clubs. This was a very fun format that produced some interesting strategy. It wasn't always awesome to be hitting that hybrid from very non-hybrid distances, but the better golfers on my team found ways to make it work :).

I played absolutely terribly. It was really some of the worst golf I've played in months, but thankfully I was the D player on the team and the other three members carried me without complaining :). I did manage to contribute on a few holes, so I took solace in that. In spite of my bad play, we still had a great time and turned in a respectable score. We didn't place, but we definitely had fun. After the round there was a banquet room all set up for us with buffet-style food and drinks. More time spent chatting with more THPers and Adams folks. There was a brief awards ceremony (grats those who placed - a lot of my local crew!) and I headed home very satisfied with the entire experience.

Biggest Negatives
My only real complaint for this event was that with 30 golfers, as far as I know 29 got an Adams polo in their goodie bag. I did not. Keep in mind that I'm 6'6" and require a tall size or it just doesn't fit. I mentioned that to GG in the questionnaire email and she forwarded it over to Adams. I asked that if they could not do a tall size for me that they instead do a ladies size for my wife. I never heard anything back, but my goodie bag just had no polo in it. Instead it had two t-shirts (neither was Tall). When I asked the adams folks about it, they just said that Adidas doesn't do tall sizes so they didn't order me one. No mention from them of the ladies shirt in lieu... and I know for a fact that Adidas makes tall sizes on some things because all of my gym shirts and many of my t-shirts are Adidas. This isn't the end of the world or anything, but it's a detail that I think Adams could have handled better. It also would have been nice to be able to demo some clubs, but again - not a big deal. Lastly, with only 30 golfers there and an even smaller number being new, it would have made sense to me that JB make a point to introduce himself to those few of us he had not yet met.

I only mention these things because I feel it's important to be honest and give the negative feedback right along with the positive. As an event coordinator and tournament director, I always valued having as much information as possible so I could avoid making those mistakes again the next time around.

Biggest Positives
It's hard to pick a "biggest" positive in an event that was full of so many. Without a doubt though, the thing that made this all work so well was the people. While I didn't get a chance to talk to GG much or JB at all, I did get to meet just about every other THPer who was there and all of the Adams staff. The golf was great, the venue was great, and the behind-the-scenes view at Adams was amazing. I left feeling like I got to do something that very, *very* few golfers in the world ever get to do.

Final Thoughts
Overall this was a fantastic introduction for me to THP events. Adams told us many times that this was the first thing they had done like this and that they were really looking forward to doing it again. With that in mind, I think they knocked it out of the park. I offered the suggestion that next year they make it more expensive ($500 maybe?) and include a full set of #OwnTheSecondShot clubs. That feedback seemed well-received by Adams - at least they know that some of us would be willing to pay more for an even bigger and more awesome experience. I highly recommend that anyone considering a THP event (or even just some Adams gear!) go ahead and pull the trigger. You will not be disappointed.
 
Thanks for the review and all the detail! I'm one of those that likes to hear everything, so enjoyed it. If this event is around next year, I'll be gunning for it.


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Good review. Small details count as well as the large so I am glad you added your negative experiences as well. Many would shy away from that and I commend you for not doing that.
 
Awesome writeup.. It was almost like I was there! Sorry you didn't get a shirt, if I had a tall one I would send it to you.
 
Great right up. Bummed I didn't get to meet you!
 
Great review. It was great meeting you and spending some time with you at dinner and on the range.


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Well done on the review!
 
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