Hilton Head - 2014 THP Invitational #1 Sponsored By Bridgestone Golf
I will be watching my bag closely. You might have to fight Jordan for it.
#champagneonice for real this time
JaxGolfer1
Weekend Warrior
Great meeting Jeff Spicoli, still not sure what his Christian name is.
It's a mystery. I'm just glad you read my post.
Hilton Head - 2014 THP Invitational #1 Sponsored By Bridgestone Golf
I know this event is over, and this thread has kind of died down over the last day or two, but this event was way too special for me not to do a recap. This week has been crazy busy, and this was the first I’ve had a chance to write this out. It might take all weekend, but I plan on doing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday recaps. I’m doing this all from memory, and I’ve consumed an insane amount of alcohol this week, so if I forget anyone, or anything, I apologize in advance. Here’s Friday:
My journey to Hilton Head started Friday morning at 3:35am. No missing my flight this time around. After a pretty boring (slept) and nondescript set of flights to Savannah, I picked up my rental and was on my way to the Island. Best part of the drive out? 70 mph speed limits….YES! The worst part of the drive out? People driving 28 mph in BOTH lanes on Hilton Parkway. Brutal.
As it took way longer to get to Palmetto Dunes than I expected, and I still had to change and unpack my golf bag, I started to get a little antsy that I might be late for Fazio Friday. So to the Ohio boys (MikeDean; mmayndard11;Robman7; and GolfinFF), sorry for almost running you down in the parking lot. Mike Dean not only recognized me by my forum name right away, but remembered meeting me at the CT Invitational last year even though my forum name was different then. Impressive stuff.
As I walked out to the putting green, it started to get real—the sun was shining, it was warm, I could see green grass, and there were THPers everywhere. I ran into Greg (GregKulbRick), Troy (Troyefl), Barry (cpljohnst) and Freddie (Tadashi70) whom I all met at the Gauntlet and got in a few quick hellos before warming up. My warm up consisted of putting on sunscreen and hitting about 8 putts…none of which went in. I almost forgot this. I’m in the middle of putting on sunscreen and I here from behind me “Peter……….” I turn around and Jeff (JaxGolfer1) is barreling down the sidewalk towards me with a big smile. A bro-hug ensued and all of the sunscreen I spent 25 minutes caking on went from my skin to his shirt…so I’m blaming him for the sunburn. Thanks Jeff.
After a quick reorganizing of groups, I found out that I’d be playing with Rob (Robman7), Matt (mmaynard11), and Kyle (flog2424)—all THPers that I had not met yet. These are the best rounds because you get to know a lot about guys you see on the forum, but now get to put a face and personality to those posts. The four of us headed over to the makeshift driving range at the Hills course—consisting of 4 turf mats with BirdieBalls and a flag stuck in the ground about 35 yards out. I made the mistake of choosing the mat next to Kyle. The ranger instructed us to hit nothing but wedges, as anything longer would land in the street. When I swung my wedge, you’d hear athump-click…then the ball weakly floating out towards the flag. When Kyle hit his…oh my. A solid crack, then the BirdieBall exploding into the top of the tree adjacent to the flag while making a helicopter wing sound as it flew through the air. I couldn’t make that sound if it hit those balls with my driver.
I said before my round on Friday that being out in the sun, on grass, in the warm air…I could shoot 130 and do it with a big old smile on my face. I didn’t actually think I would shoot 130….. Well, it wasn’t that bad (felt like it), but I did struggle hitting a lot of shots fat and finding the right pace on the greens. The shot of the day for me was on the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] hole. I can’t remember how I ended up there, but I found myself 240 yards from the center of the green with a big lipped bunker guarding the front and water right. I had my shiny new 588 fairway wood in the bag, and figured why not? I then proceeded to hit an absolute bullet right at the flag that carried the bunker and got hung up in the greenside fringe. So I woke up Friday morning,flew to Savannah, drove to Hilton Head, took my 588 fairway out of the wrapper, and peckered a shot that carried 230 yards right at the stick. It became my favorite club after the first swing, and it worked all weekend.
Riding in the cart with Rob was awesome. He’s way cooler than Mike. Matt had some of the worst lies on a golf course I’ve ever seen. Buried in pine straw, leaning against trees, you name it. I think all three of us northerners were a bit rusty. There were plenty of good shots; and plenty of not so good ones as well. Then there was Kyle. What a stick. He has an insanely smooth swing and the ball simply explodes off the club. As you saw in the GoPro shot, the mechanics are flawless and it’s fun to watch him smack the ball around the course. He’s also an insanely nice guy and didn’t seem to get too upset when I refused to hit the ball in the air for 18 holes.
I was pretty pumped that dinner Friday night was at the Wild Wing Café, as I lived there for 7 days the last time I was down in Hilton Head. Pulling into the parking lot and walking into the restaurant was a trip…as NOTHING has changed with that place in 8 years. I ran into my roommate from the Gauntlet Randy (Milehighgolfer) in the parking lot and walked into the section of the café where THP had already taken over. Believe me, it is quite a sight when THP takes over a section of a restaurant.
The Ohio boys I mentioned prior were at one table; behind them were Randy (DawgDaddy), my MC Brother Ken (v.man), my fellow TM Ultimate Testing buddy John (Just_Hacking) and another I met at the Gauntlet—Sean(TOAD). To their right were fellow Gauntleters Freddie (Tadashi70), Chris (KnightLightPro), and Barry (cpljohnst); and my Friday roundmate Kyle (flog2424). Next to them were the Florida crew: Jay (bogeybrain), Jeff (JaxGolfer1), Greg (Greg KulbRick), and Troy (troyefl). More on theselunatics awesome guys in my shoutouts.
I sat with Randy, and a short moment later, Joey (IR13), who I met for 10 seconds on the putting green earlier, came in and sat with us as well. More THPers continued to flow in as the dinner progressed….Duece and his wife; CJ (Michigan Slice) and his wife; Threeboysdad, SoxFan, Penglynns, and Eddie (afwcardinal). Josh was floating from table to table meeting everyone and thanking them for coming. I, of course, had to apologize for missing the Adams Event (son of a…) but mentioned how fun it was to follow along with the live thread (a total lie,I really wanted to be there).
I have NO IDEA what I ordered, but they brought me a sausage/cheese/deep fried ball thingy appetizer with fire sauce from hell. Then my dinner was a Buffaletta…which is some sort of buffalo chicken wrap with 485 different types of cheese in it. After getting sunburn, and chapped lips,eating flaming hot food was awesome. My whole face was on fire. Saturday morning it would be something else that was on fire, but I’ll save that for Saturday’s recap. You know what? I’ll just leave that part out.
Towards the end, the Florida crew started to head out and Greg mentioned “liquor store” and “pool” so we knew it was time to go. This particular pool party was two shifts. Joey, Randy, Barry, Sean, John, and myself were the first to arrive. My MC teammate Seth (ATLgolfer) also arrived a short time later as the party grew. You could tell that everyone was exhausted and it was getting about time to hit the rack (which everyone but Randy, Joey, and I did) when the Florida guys showed back up from their quest for liquor (why do all liquor stores close at 7:00pm anyway?). A short moment later John (Jeff Spicoli) and Jordan (Smithfaced) showed up and it literally was a Gauntlet Pool Party flashback. Everything else that happened at the pool party; stays at the pool party (nothinghappened). It was only 6 degrees (felt like it) and that’s good because I would’ve destroyed everyone in the canonball contest. You were hugely missed Trevor.
I think that’s enough for Friday. Saturday and Sunday to come.
I know this event is over, and this thread has kind of died down over the last day or two, but this event was way too special for me not to do a recap. This week has been crazy busy, and this was the first I’ve had a chance to write this out. It might take all weekend, but I plan on doing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday recaps. I’m doing this all from memory, and I’ve consumed an insane amount of alcohol this week, so if I forget anyone, or anything, I apologize in advance. Here’s Friday:
My journey to Hilton Head started Friday morning at 3:35am. No missing my flight this time around. After a pretty boring (slept) and nondescript set of flights to Savannah, I picked up my rental and was on my way to the Island. Best part of the drive out? 70 mph speed limits….YES! The worst part of the drive out? People driving 28 mph in BOTH lanes on Hilton Parkway. Brutal.
As it took way longer to get to Palmetto Dunes than I expected, and I still had to change and unpack my golf bag, I started to get a little antsy that I might be late for Fazio Friday. So to the Ohio boys (MikeDean; mmayndard11;Robman7; and GolfinFF), sorry for almost running you down in the parking lot. Mike Dean not only recognized me by my forum name right away, but remembered meeting me at the CT Invitational last year even though my forum name was different then. Impressive stuff.
As I walked out to the putting green, it started to get real—the sun was shining, it was warm, I could see green grass, and there were THPers everywhere. I ran into Greg (GregKulbRick), Troy (Troyefl), Barry (cpljohnst) and Freddie (Tadashi70) whom I all met at the Gauntlet and got in a few quick hellos before warming up. My warm up consisted of putting on sunscreen and hitting about 8 putts…none of which went in. I almost forgot this. I’m in the middle of putting on sunscreen and I here from behind me “Peter……….” I turn around and Jeff (JaxGolfer1) is barreling down the sidewalk towards me with a big smile. A bro-hug ensued and all of the sunscreen I spent 25 minutes caking on went from my skin to his shirt…so I’m blaming him for the sunburn. Thanks Jeff.
After a quick reorganizing of groups, I found out that I’d be playing with Rob (Robman7), Matt (mmaynard11), and Kyle (flog2424)—all THPers that I had not met yet. These are the best rounds because you get to know a lot about guys you see on the forum, but now get to put a face and personality to those posts. The four of us headed over to the makeshift driving range at the Hills course—consisting of 4 turf mats with BirdieBalls and a flag stuck in the ground about 35 yards out. I made the mistake of choosing the mat next to Kyle. The ranger instructed us to hit nothing but wedges, as anything longer would land in the street. When I swung my wedge, you’d hear athump-click…then the ball weakly floating out towards the flag. When Kyle hit his…oh my. A solid crack, then the BirdieBall exploding into the top of the tree adjacent to the flag while making a helicopter wing sound as it flew through the air. I couldn’t make that sound if it hit those balls with my driver.
I said before my round on Friday that being out in the sun, on grass, in the warm air…I could shoot 130 and do it with a big old smile on my face. I didn’t actually think I would shoot 130….. Well, it wasn’t that bad (felt like it), but I did struggle hitting a lot of shots fat and finding the right pace on the greens. The shot of the day for me was on the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] hole. I can’t remember how I ended up there, but I found myself 240 yards from the center of the green with a big lipped bunker guarding the front and water right. I had my shiny new 588 fairway wood in the bag, and figured why not? I then proceeded to hit an absolute bullet right at the flag that carried the bunker and got hung up in the greenside fringe. So I woke up Friday morning,flew to Savannah, drove to Hilton Head, took my 588 fairway out of the wrapper, and peckered a shot that carried 230 yards right at the stick. It became my favorite club after the first swing, and it worked all weekend.
Riding in the cart with Rob was awesome. He’s way cooler than Mike. Matt had some of the worst lies on a golf course I’ve ever seen. Buried in pine straw, leaning against trees, you name it. I think all three of us northerners were a bit rusty. There were plenty of good shots; and plenty of not so good ones as well. Then there was Kyle. What a stick. He has an insanely smooth swing and the ball simply explodes off the club. As you saw in the GoPro shot, the mechanics are flawless and it’s fun to watch him smack the ball around the course. He’s also an insanely nice guy and didn’t seem to get too upset when I refused to hit the ball in the air for 18 holes.
I was pretty pumped that dinner Friday night was at the Wild Wing Café, as I lived there for 7 days the last time I was down in Hilton Head. Pulling into the parking lot and walking into the restaurant was a trip…as NOTHING has changed with that place in 8 years. I ran into my roommate from the Gauntlet Randy (Milehighgolfer) in the parking lot and walked into the section of the café where THP had already taken over. Believe me, it is quite a sight when THP takes over a section of a restaurant.
The Ohio boys I mentioned prior were at one table; behind them were Randy (DawgDaddy), my MC Brother Ken (v.man), my fellow TM Ultimate Testing buddy John (Just_Hacking) and another I met at the Gauntlet—Sean(TOAD). To their right were fellow Gauntleters Freddie (Tadashi70), Chris (KnightLightPro), and Barry (cpljohnst); and my Friday roundmate Kyle (flog2424). Next to them were the Florida crew: Jay (bogeybrain), Jeff (JaxGolfer1), Greg (Greg KulbRick), and Troy (troyefl). More on these
I sat with Randy, and a short moment later, Joey (IR13), who I met for 10 seconds on the putting green earlier, came in and sat with us as well. More THPers continued to flow in as the dinner progressed….Duece and his wife; CJ (Michigan Slice) and his wife; Threeboysdad, SoxFan, Penglynns, and Eddie (afwcardinal). Josh was floating from table to table meeting everyone and thanking them for coming. I, of course, had to apologize for missing the Adams Event (son of a…) but mentioned how fun it was to follow along with the live thread (a total lie,I really wanted to be there).
I have NO IDEA what I ordered, but they brought me a sausage/cheese/deep fried ball thingy appetizer with fire sauce from hell. Then my dinner was a Buffaletta…which is some sort of buffalo chicken wrap with 485 different types of cheese in it. After getting sunburn, and chapped lips,eating flaming hot food was awesome. My whole face was on fire. Saturday morning it would be something else that was on fire, but I’ll save that for Saturday’s recap. You know what? I’ll just leave that part out.
Towards the end, the Florida crew started to head out and Greg mentioned “liquor store” and “pool” so we knew it was time to go. This particular pool party was two shifts. Joey, Randy, Barry, Sean, John, and myself were the first to arrive. My MC teammate Seth (ATLgolfer) also arrived a short time later as the party grew. You could tell that everyone was exhausted and it was getting about time to hit the rack (which everyone but Randy, Joey, and I did) when the Florida guys showed back up from their quest for liquor (why do all liquor stores close at 7:00pm anyway?). A short moment later John (Jeff Spicoli) and Jordan (Smithfaced) showed up and it literally was a Gauntlet Pool Party flashback. Everything else that happened at the pool party; stays at the pool party (nothinghappened). It was only 6 degrees (felt like it) and that’s good because I would’ve destroyed everyone in the canonball contest. You were hugely missed Trevor.
I think that’s enough for Friday. Saturday and Sunday to come.
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mikedean441
6X HOF
Wish I could have finished reading it up you are obviously high if you think Rob is cooler than me.
Thanks for the recap, glad you had a good time and were able to make it (this time)
Thanks for the recap, glad you had a good time and were able to make it (this time)
Went through and fixed some of the spacing errors. Cut & paste FAIL. Sorry about that.
Great review partner. Although I'm developing an immense dislike for Kyle. No one should have a swing that sweet, JK. Maybe.
flog2424
Philippians 4:13
I'll trade you if I can find a way to hit every fairway
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
- Messages
- 74,782
- Reaction score
- 88,339
- Location
- Ponte Vedra, Florida
- Handicap
- 11.9
Great review Pete! It was a pleasure playing with you and kind of comical that you almost ran us down. Funny stuff.
As for my horrible lies they continued the rest of the week. As 441 stated I was being punished for something.
moosejaa
Mr. Inconsistent
This cracked me up a little... "took my 588 fairway out of the wrapper, and peckered a shot that carried 230 yards right at the stick."
Did you mean peppered?
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flog2424
Philippians 4:13
It was great playing with you O'C. Word of advise to those that come in contact during the MC. Do not let him hit that 3 wood because he hits it freaking amazing!
ATLGolfer
#ATLClive75
If I had your swing, I'd be embarrassed if I didn't hit 15 fairways every round.
:Alien
Hilton Head - 2014 THP Invitational #1 Sponsored By Bridgestone Golf
Ha, no. I wrote peckered and meant it. It's something our CF used to say all the time in college, and it's stuck with me. It means the same thing as peppered, smashed, destroyed, demolished, etc.This cracked me up a little... "took my 588 fairway out of the wrapper, and peckered a shot that carried 230 yards right at the stick."
Did you mean peppered?
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Robman7
Active member
You had to play with me all weekend. That's the only punishment
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
- Messages
- 74,782
- Reaction score
- 88,339
- Location
- Ponte Vedra, Florida
- Handicap
- 11.9
Hilton Head - 2014 THP Invitational #1 Sponsored By Bridgestone Golf
Rob you played well for being Mike's brother. Alien. I enjoyed watching you sculpt that driver in the fairway hole after hole.
Rob you played well for being Mike's brother. Alien. I enjoyed watching you sculpt that driver in the fairway hole after hole.
Hilton Head - 2014 THP Invitational #1 Sponsored By Bridgestone Golf
Forgot I had taken a few photos during our round:
Mike teeing off on 3. Missed the green but made a great up and down. He didn't even have to chutt:
Alan and Phillip thinking about it on 13
Forgot I had taken a few photos during our round:
Mike teeing off on 3. Missed the green but made a great up and down. He didn't even have to chutt:
Alan and Phillip thinking about it on 13
mikedean441
6X HOF
So ugly..chicken wing
Hilton Head - 2014 THP Invitational #1 Sponsored By Bridgestone Golf
That would be after topping my 2nd shot below my feet into the base of that stupid pine tree and having to then use my putter to putt the ball five feet left just to have a shot at the green with my fourth. Stupid tree. :-/
That would be after topping my 2nd shot below my feet into the base of that stupid pine tree and having to then use my putter to putt the ball five feet left just to have a shot at the green with my fourth. Stupid tree. :-/
Hilton Head Invitational Recap - Saturday
Hilton Head Invitational Recap - Saturday
I woke up late Saturday, shocking I know, so I dressed quickly, snagged a yogurt and a banana from the hotel, and headed off to Palmetto Dunes. About halfway there, my dinner from the previous night decided to make a comeback and I regretted sleeping in. I arrived just early enough to check in, snag a khaki Bridgestone hat since the grey ones had all been taken, and head off to the men’s room.
Even though I now have been lucky enough to take part in a bunch of THP events, there is just something extra exciting about pulling into a golf course, seeing the THP Tour Van, the plethora of golf carts lined up, and the sound and sights of 40 THPers taking over the driving range. It’s just…awesome.
Walking along the range I ran into my buddy Amol (arydolphin). I wish I had gotten there earlier and had more of a chance to chat. I promised TOAD that he could use my SmartSole wedge during the round on Saturday, so I found him and gave him the wedge. Then I stole it back to “warm up.” That warm-up consisted of 5 or 6 full swings where I couldn’t reach the bunker out in the middle of the range. Toad said that somebody lasered the bunker at 80 yards (?) and I was aggravated that I couldn’t get the ball there with a full swing. So then I skulled the crap out of one and hit it about 185 yards. Warm-up over.
Before I realized it, our tee time was upon us and everyone gathered over on the first tee box. I LOVE the first tee box at THP events. The nervous energy of everyone, the overwhelmed blank stare of the first-timers, the banter back and forth between everyone…it’s perfect. Since I was in the second to last group, I had plenty of opportunity to walk around the back of the box stretching with my Orange Whip and chatting. I shook a bunch of hands and introduced myself to a bunch of people, and to me, that’s the best part of these Invitational’s.
My group for Saturday included my Gauntlet Roommate Randy (Milehighgolfer), his partner Eddie (afwcardinal); and my partner for the Invitational Troy (troyefl). After going 0-2 finding the fairway at the 2013 Invitational’s, I am proud to report that I am currently 1-1 in 2014. I also hit my PW approach to 10 feet and 2 putted for par (I guess I should’ve rolled some putts before we started). After Troy rolled in a longish par putt, we were officially going to win. Unfortunately there’s more than 1 hole. On the second hole, I drove my 588 fairway wood tee shot down the right side of the fairway to 150 yards. Perfectly placed per the yardage book. Then I missed the green left, where the yardage book said you couldn’t miss, and proceeded to chunk and chop 37 chips (this turned into a reoccurring problem all day) before kicking the ball onto the green and 3-putting for a triple and all confidence from the first hole was gone.
I think it’s safe to say that all four of us would’ve liked to have played better, but the round was incredibly enjoyable anyway. The most memorable hole for me played by Randy and Eddie was the par 3 11[SUP]th[/SUP]. While only playing around 130 yards, it is from an elevated tee box and there are two large bunkers guarding both front sides of the green and no room to miss long either. I’m not sure who went first (I think Eddie) but both hit good tee shots onto the green about 20 feet or so to the pin. Since this was the shramble part of the Invitational, they both putted from the closer ball…and BOTH drained their birdie putts. Just awesome.
The following hole, according to Arthur Hills: “The fun starts here” is the par 4 dogleg right with water guarding the entire right side of the hole. From the angle of the tee box, there is a forced carry over the water as well. I looked at Troy and said “guess the play here is to just aim for the 150 stake, right?” Then I pulled out my Big Bertha and crushed a drive dead at the 150 stake. Everyone joked at my called shot. Then Troy steps up and peckers (everyone’s new favorite word) his drive at the stake, with a little baby fade, working its way towards the green. Just a perfect tee shot for that hole. We played from his ball, and both of us hit the green, but I three-putted (another reoccurring problem!) to ruin a perfectly played hole by both of us (Troy made his par).
When the golf was finally over, Troy and I headed to the bar (we needed one…or two), waited 45 minutes for four beers, and then headed out to the range to where the large group of THPers had gathered. Jeff (JaxGolfer1) gave Troy the business about not knowing what he shot, and I sided with Troy—I had no clue what either of us shot. Part of it was that the scorecard was in the other cart with Randy and Eddie; and the other part of it was that I didn’t want to know what I shot. I told everyone I shot one-O-thirty something. The overall consensus was that the course played hard, and that nobody shot what they had hoped to shoot.
After a quick stop back at the hotel for a shower and to change, it was off to Big Jim’s at the RTJ course for dinner. This was also the first time I got a close-up of the THP Tour Van and its new skin. The red definitely pops, that’s for sure. I sat next to my round mate Randy (Milehighgolfer) with Phillip (threeboysdad) across from us. A short moment later Seth (ATLGolfer) and his dad (Roy/Ray…D@mmit…sorry Seth!) joined us at the table as well. Seth and I chatted a little about the Morgan Cup, and his dad seemed pretty interested in THP as a whole. Then it was announced that Marc (Troutbum) and Ron (lightningbolt) were the winners. Ron went from finding out there was a spot open in the Invitational on Friday night at 9:00 pm; and by Saturday at 9:00 pm he had an Invitational Trophy in his hand and a guaranteed spot at the Bear Trap…how awesome is that?! Congrats to both of you. I also enjoyed briefly chatting with Mike Dean, and Ken (v.man); and retelling Toad’s bunker story from the Gauntlet to the Florida boys.
Back at the hotel, the pool crew decided it was too cold to hang outside, so we simply took over the Lobby. Barry (cpljohnst); Jeff (JaxGolfer1); Greg (Greg KulbRick); Joey (IR13); Troy (troyefl); Jamie (Troy’s fiancé); Jay (bogeybrain); John (Just_Hacking); John (Jeff Spicoli); one huge bottle of Jameson; another bottle of Jack Daniels; a 12 pack of Bud; and a 12 pack of Coors Light. (I hope that’s everyone). Lots of stories, lots of laughter, Jay ate a second or third dinner, I may or may not have fallen asleep, we definitely broke the center piece on the table and charged it to Trevor’s room; and it was just a blast sitting there talking like we had all been friends for years. The Ohio boys stopped in after their trek for ice cream, and Jason (GolfinFF) even stuck around for a drink. We broke up the party around midnight and I talked Joey into filling out our foursome with Barry and Jeremy (phenom4hire) on the RTJ course in the morning—more on that in Sunday’s recap (posted tomorrow).
Hilton Head Invitational Recap - Saturday
I woke up late Saturday, shocking I know, so I dressed quickly, snagged a yogurt and a banana from the hotel, and headed off to Palmetto Dunes. About halfway there, my dinner from the previous night decided to make a comeback and I regretted sleeping in. I arrived just early enough to check in, snag a khaki Bridgestone hat since the grey ones had all been taken, and head off to the men’s room.
Even though I now have been lucky enough to take part in a bunch of THP events, there is just something extra exciting about pulling into a golf course, seeing the THP Tour Van, the plethora of golf carts lined up, and the sound and sights of 40 THPers taking over the driving range. It’s just…awesome.
Walking along the range I ran into my buddy Amol (arydolphin). I wish I had gotten there earlier and had more of a chance to chat. I promised TOAD that he could use my SmartSole wedge during the round on Saturday, so I found him and gave him the wedge. Then I stole it back to “warm up.” That warm-up consisted of 5 or 6 full swings where I couldn’t reach the bunker out in the middle of the range. Toad said that somebody lasered the bunker at 80 yards (?) and I was aggravated that I couldn’t get the ball there with a full swing. So then I skulled the crap out of one and hit it about 185 yards. Warm-up over.
Before I realized it, our tee time was upon us and everyone gathered over on the first tee box. I LOVE the first tee box at THP events. The nervous energy of everyone, the overwhelmed blank stare of the first-timers, the banter back and forth between everyone…it’s perfect. Since I was in the second to last group, I had plenty of opportunity to walk around the back of the box stretching with my Orange Whip and chatting. I shook a bunch of hands and introduced myself to a bunch of people, and to me, that’s the best part of these Invitational’s.
My group for Saturday included my Gauntlet Roommate Randy (Milehighgolfer), his partner Eddie (afwcardinal); and my partner for the Invitational Troy (troyefl). After going 0-2 finding the fairway at the 2013 Invitational’s, I am proud to report that I am currently 1-1 in 2014. I also hit my PW approach to 10 feet and 2 putted for par (I guess I should’ve rolled some putts before we started). After Troy rolled in a longish par putt, we were officially going to win. Unfortunately there’s more than 1 hole. On the second hole, I drove my 588 fairway wood tee shot down the right side of the fairway to 150 yards. Perfectly placed per the yardage book. Then I missed the green left, where the yardage book said you couldn’t miss, and proceeded to chunk and chop 37 chips (this turned into a reoccurring problem all day) before kicking the ball onto the green and 3-putting for a triple and all confidence from the first hole was gone.
I think it’s safe to say that all four of us would’ve liked to have played better, but the round was incredibly enjoyable anyway. The most memorable hole for me played by Randy and Eddie was the par 3 11[SUP]th[/SUP]. While only playing around 130 yards, it is from an elevated tee box and there are two large bunkers guarding both front sides of the green and no room to miss long either. I’m not sure who went first (I think Eddie) but both hit good tee shots onto the green about 20 feet or so to the pin. Since this was the shramble part of the Invitational, they both putted from the closer ball…and BOTH drained their birdie putts. Just awesome.
The following hole, according to Arthur Hills: “The fun starts here” is the par 4 dogleg right with water guarding the entire right side of the hole. From the angle of the tee box, there is a forced carry over the water as well. I looked at Troy and said “guess the play here is to just aim for the 150 stake, right?” Then I pulled out my Big Bertha and crushed a drive dead at the 150 stake. Everyone joked at my called shot. Then Troy steps up and peckers (everyone’s new favorite word) his drive at the stake, with a little baby fade, working its way towards the green. Just a perfect tee shot for that hole. We played from his ball, and both of us hit the green, but I three-putted (another reoccurring problem!) to ruin a perfectly played hole by both of us (Troy made his par).
When the golf was finally over, Troy and I headed to the bar (we needed one…or two), waited 45 minutes for four beers, and then headed out to the range to where the large group of THPers had gathered. Jeff (JaxGolfer1) gave Troy the business about not knowing what he shot, and I sided with Troy—I had no clue what either of us shot. Part of it was that the scorecard was in the other cart with Randy and Eddie; and the other part of it was that I didn’t want to know what I shot. I told everyone I shot one-O-thirty something. The overall consensus was that the course played hard, and that nobody shot what they had hoped to shoot.
After a quick stop back at the hotel for a shower and to change, it was off to Big Jim’s at the RTJ course for dinner. This was also the first time I got a close-up of the THP Tour Van and its new skin. The red definitely pops, that’s for sure. I sat next to my round mate Randy (Milehighgolfer) with Phillip (threeboysdad) across from us. A short moment later Seth (ATLGolfer) and his dad (Roy/Ray…D@mmit…sorry Seth!) joined us at the table as well. Seth and I chatted a little about the Morgan Cup, and his dad seemed pretty interested in THP as a whole. Then it was announced that Marc (Troutbum) and Ron (lightningbolt) were the winners. Ron went from finding out there was a spot open in the Invitational on Friday night at 9:00 pm; and by Saturday at 9:00 pm he had an Invitational Trophy in his hand and a guaranteed spot at the Bear Trap…how awesome is that?! Congrats to both of you. I also enjoyed briefly chatting with Mike Dean, and Ken (v.man); and retelling Toad’s bunker story from the Gauntlet to the Florida boys.
Back at the hotel, the pool crew decided it was too cold to hang outside, so we simply took over the Lobby. Barry (cpljohnst); Jeff (JaxGolfer1); Greg (Greg KulbRick); Joey (IR13); Troy (troyefl); Jamie (Troy’s fiancé); Jay (bogeybrain); John (Just_Hacking); John (Jeff Spicoli); one huge bottle of Jameson; another bottle of Jack Daniels; a 12 pack of Bud; and a 12 pack of Coors Light. (I hope that’s everyone). Lots of stories, lots of laughter, Jay ate a second or third dinner, I may or may not have fallen asleep, we definitely broke the center piece on the table and charged it to Trevor’s room; and it was just a blast sitting there talking like we had all been friends for years. The Ohio boys stopped in after their trek for ice cream, and Jason (GolfinFF) even stuck around for a drink. We broke up the party around midnight and I talked Joey into filling out our foursome with Barry and Jeremy (phenom4hire) on the RTJ course in the morning—more on that in Sunday’s recap (posted tomorrow).
Shakey
#TheGolfWhisperer
Love these recaps O'Carroll.
Friday: Up at 4:40 because of something I have termed 'event insomnia' and was on the road by 5:05. I arrived in plenty of time to catch v.man and DawgDaddy at Stacks for some blueberry pancakes before our 10:30 round at Fazio. It’s always great running into these two Georgia gentlemen and the golf is almost secondary as we catch up and chat our way through a round. I can’t count how many rounds the three of us have played together at some point and hope it never stops. Fazio kicked my butt, but I DID just drive 3:30 hours and stuff my gut full of pancakes prior to the round. But seriously, why have such tough greens AND surround them with horrible amounts of difficult bunkers? Just isn’t fair. Post-round dinner was fun, as always, as we slowly eliminated the regular people from our THP section and had a big room to ourselves at Wild Wings. I had a bacon, egg, and cheese hamburger. It was one of the only hamburgers I was NOT able to fully devour. I left scraps.
Saturday: Woke after another restless night and got ready for the day. How did I do that? By going to the free Hampton breakfast and eating everything I don't ever get at home. It was a blast chilling out and seeing THPer after THPer come down for some food and B.S. with them about the day’s events. Hanging out with everyone before and after the round was, as always, a THP classic memory, and one I hope all of you (who haven’t yet been to an event) will someday experience. It was good seeing all the new faces, as well as the familiar ones. Bonus faces this event included JB’s parents, Ary’s dad and cute little pup, ATL’s dad, and some lovely wives/girlfriends/fiancés. As I milled around and set up for the day, I finally met my partner jhstew (John) and joked around with the other ½ of our foursome, Freddie and GolfinFF (Jason). What a group, let me tell you! Such good dudes. Such ‘fun’ times. It was a little rough out there at times, but there were some really good shots made and a TON more laughs. The shot that sticks in my mind was one of Freddie’s last; a fairway wood off the bark/mulch from the right side of 18 that damn near made the green. And, although it would appear it wouldn’t happen, I did hit some monster drives myself after that topped three wood off the first tee.
Dinner on the deck was a complete hoot that night. I was feeling a bit bummed out having played so rotten, but that quickly went away as I had some of the funniest people ever at my table. We all learned something new about Troyefl and begged the lovely Jamie to take a second look and make sure she was making a wise choice. Kidding, of course, as he’s a great dude, but I’m glad Greg and Jax gave/give him tons of grief. It makes me laugh.
Sunday: Up early and trying to be quiet as Just_Hacking (John) informed me he was sleeping in/sleeping off the round of Saturday. Got dressed and went down for round two of the Hampton Waffle and Omelet Festival with my tablet and caught up on the late night postings on the forum. Chatted with a bunch of groups, either going to play or head home, and finally dragged my way back up to pack and get ready for RTJ. The RTJ course…WOW! By far the best course of the weekend and the most fun course I think I have ever played. It was a bit breezy toward the beach, but it made for a shot that just made me laugh, in the end. Going up the hill to the green, you really can't tell just how windy it is coming off the beach. I was on the right edge of the fairway, 104 out, and looking at a flag bending in half from the wind. I added a club for the hill climb, a club for the wind, so now I'm hitting 9i and only wanting it to go 100 yards to stay below the hole. I aimed way right, probably the entire width of the green right, and swung. The contact was perfect, the flight path was as intended, but once it cleared sea level and hit the oncoming wind, the 'funny' came into the shot. This ball was on a solid 9-iron trajectory, but stood straight up in that wind, then blew all the way across the green and into the bunker on the left. It really could have been worse and it wasn't a hard up and down, but I haven't seen a ball move like that in a while. I finished with a 43 on the back, my best nine of the weekend, and I didn't want to leave. A replay would have been wonderful, but I had to hit the road. I stopped off at the outlets, hit a golf store, didn't find anything screaming at me to purchase, so head for Georgia, and the rain. It rained almost all the way home, but I was making great time....until this happened: http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...-Away-Thread&p=2884696&viewfull=1#post2884696
Wrapping up the weekend as a whole, I go to as many events as I can, and I am just continuously amazed at how awesome THPers are and how much fun can be had with friends, old and new, from all over the country. Congrats to the winners, and to Trevor, we sure missed ya. We'll catch ya at one down the road. To JB, GG, 441, thanks for the planning and even the possibility to meet up at such a great place. To everyone participating, you all made it another perfect weekend. I wish I could talk to everyone an equal amount of time, but geez, there's just so much to squeeze in a weekend. Freddie, Jason, Ken, Randy, John, thanks for the fun rounds and the laughs. Oh, were there some laughs, as always. I still cannot believe I tripped and fell out of another bunker, and that skulled shot off the bridge on RTJ is going to be a fun memory.
Until Indy...........
Saturday: Woke after another restless night and got ready for the day. How did I do that? By going to the free Hampton breakfast and eating everything I don't ever get at home. It was a blast chilling out and seeing THPer after THPer come down for some food and B.S. with them about the day’s events. Hanging out with everyone before and after the round was, as always, a THP classic memory, and one I hope all of you (who haven’t yet been to an event) will someday experience. It was good seeing all the new faces, as well as the familiar ones. Bonus faces this event included JB’s parents, Ary’s dad and cute little pup, ATL’s dad, and some lovely wives/girlfriends/fiancés. As I milled around and set up for the day, I finally met my partner jhstew (John) and joked around with the other ½ of our foursome, Freddie and GolfinFF (Jason). What a group, let me tell you! Such good dudes. Such ‘fun’ times. It was a little rough out there at times, but there were some really good shots made and a TON more laughs. The shot that sticks in my mind was one of Freddie’s last; a fairway wood off the bark/mulch from the right side of 18 that damn near made the green. And, although it would appear it wouldn’t happen, I did hit some monster drives myself after that topped three wood off the first tee.
Dinner on the deck was a complete hoot that night. I was feeling a bit bummed out having played so rotten, but that quickly went away as I had some of the funniest people ever at my table. We all learned something new about Troyefl and begged the lovely Jamie to take a second look and make sure she was making a wise choice. Kidding, of course, as he’s a great dude, but I’m glad Greg and Jax gave/give him tons of grief. It makes me laugh.
Sunday: Up early and trying to be quiet as Just_Hacking (John) informed me he was sleeping in/sleeping off the round of Saturday. Got dressed and went down for round two of the Hampton Waffle and Omelet Festival with my tablet and caught up on the late night postings on the forum. Chatted with a bunch of groups, either going to play or head home, and finally dragged my way back up to pack and get ready for RTJ. The RTJ course…WOW! By far the best course of the weekend and the most fun course I think I have ever played. It was a bit breezy toward the beach, but it made for a shot that just made me laugh, in the end. Going up the hill to the green, you really can't tell just how windy it is coming off the beach. I was on the right edge of the fairway, 104 out, and looking at a flag bending in half from the wind. I added a club for the hill climb, a club for the wind, so now I'm hitting 9i and only wanting it to go 100 yards to stay below the hole. I aimed way right, probably the entire width of the green right, and swung. The contact was perfect, the flight path was as intended, but once it cleared sea level and hit the oncoming wind, the 'funny' came into the shot. This ball was on a solid 9-iron trajectory, but stood straight up in that wind, then blew all the way across the green and into the bunker on the left. It really could have been worse and it wasn't a hard up and down, but I haven't seen a ball move like that in a while. I finished with a 43 on the back, my best nine of the weekend, and I didn't want to leave. A replay would have been wonderful, but I had to hit the road. I stopped off at the outlets, hit a golf store, didn't find anything screaming at me to purchase, so head for Georgia, and the rain. It rained almost all the way home, but I was making great time....until this happened: http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...-Away-Thread&p=2884696&viewfull=1#post2884696
Wrapping up the weekend as a whole, I go to as many events as I can, and I am just continuously amazed at how awesome THPers are and how much fun can be had with friends, old and new, from all over the country. Congrats to the winners, and to Trevor, we sure missed ya. We'll catch ya at one down the road. To JB, GG, 441, thanks for the planning and even the possibility to meet up at such a great place. To everyone participating, you all made it another perfect weekend. I wish I could talk to everyone an equal amount of time, but geez, there's just so much to squeeze in a weekend. Freddie, Jason, Ken, Randy, John, thanks for the fun rounds and the laughs. Oh, were there some laughs, as always. I still cannot believe I tripped and fell out of another bunker, and that skulled shot off the bridge on RTJ is going to be a fun memory.
Until Indy...........
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Messages
- 17,428
- Reaction score
- 28
- Location
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Handicap
- 12.8
these write ups are great, I am really looking forward to my first THP event in OC