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- #1
What can I say, it is the end of an era. What started as an idea scribbled on the back of an envelope, turned into an outline, that turned into an event that needed to evolve, that turned into this past weekend. The first two had some issues, the third was close and then this past weekend showed me what the vision truly was and when done right, should be. To start with, I will warn everybody that this is going to be rather long winded, so stay with me here as I head off into some strange abyss known as my weird mind.
First off I want to thank my wife, the namesake of this event, for agreeing that we needed to do it one more time, the right way no matter the costs, side effects or anything else. She was with me the entire step of the way and did so much work planning and executing this thing to perfection. She is the voice of reason when chaos comes, the person that keeps me grounded when I want to walk away and the perfect fit for the perfect event. Without her none of this happens and everybody that is there, or has been there knows exactly what I am speaking of. It was a rough week for us being away from those that needed us, and at one point she was headed back Sunday morning to take care of issues at home, but we made it through this thing together and that is because of her incredible desire and will.
Next I want to thank the volunteers. While we covered their expenses at the event, these people traveled from all over just to be a part of it, and bring it to life. They had early mornings, long days and for what? Capturing an event on video for people to watch again. It shows me how much this event and this place means to some and for that we are forever grateful. There is no way to ever repay them for their hard work, but I can still say thank you a million more times. No matter what team was crowned the winners this past weekend (DotCom), the champions were you six (plus O'Carroll and Trisha).
I get asked why a Team THP all the time and frankly I think I should explain it. The only way I was going to bring this event back is if I could have certain people in it. We dont fix contests despite what so many seem to believe, and if they were chosen in the contests, it would give off that impression (which is crazy in my opinion), so I did the next best thing. I added a team and did it with 5 knowing that I could give this event a proper send off with the only people that can say they deserve it.
People fear the unknown and each time we have changed this event, we were criticized and each time it was better than the last. What I realized this time is while the changes were great, the people were the reason it got better and better. If you told me before starting THP that I could get 50 THPers together from all over the world and it would be a good time with good people, I would have laughed a bit. However for the 1st time I can remember, it happened. What an amazing feeling being surrounded by absolute family and knowing that each one was so excited to be there. We know that people do not like change, or a better word might be don't embrace change. We saw that with each chnage in this event, when we add new events like the King, Grandaddy, Gauntlet, etc. Then the event happens, it kills and people realize that they might have missed out. Each change to the Morgan Cup was done for a very good reason because from the outside looking in, it needed them and this one was a culmination in those changes and it was very special to witness.
One more change that had to happen. Once we had our captains in place, we knew that quite a few things needed to be altered because we had 40 golfers in this event and needed to support 75 people in terms of food, etc. Costs never came into the equation, becuase like I said previously, being the last one, it needed to be done right, regardless of that. It was more about the little things, such as split tees, guys finishing 2 full hours after the 1st group, food planning, etc. The first decision I had to make was who would be announcing the 10th tee box and I turned to Morgan and said there is only one guy for the job...JAKE! She laughed and we talked about it some more and how it would work. So I placed a phone call that went like this "Jake, if I bring you to to Myrtle Beach for this, will you be able to"? The answer was yes. Then I told him one critical part. For 2 months he had to keep it a secret and not tell a soul. I told him if word got out, we wouldn't do it. Thursday he calls me and asks if he should bring his clubs and I tell him "no, there wont be time for golf". Fast forward a couple of days and trajedy struck. I get a call about a participant's family member and they had passed away. My heart is racing and I feel absolutely awful for this individual. The time he put in, what this journey has meant to him and how it came crashing down. Nothing we could ever do or say will make that part better, but knowing Flog, he would want the show to go on in grand style. I knew only one person that would be able to fill the massive shoes that Flog brings to the table in both golfing ability and "getting it" as it pertains to the event. So Jake walks into my villa and I say, "Something terrible has happened, but I need you to play in the Morgan Cup". We sit down and as he tells me about the chills he has, we focus on hoping to make sure that Jake walking into a room does not take away from the fact that one member had to leave this event due to tragedy. He then says "But I did bring my clubs just in case". Flog, you are a true champion and Jake tried his heart out to be you for the entire weekend.
We had the whole thing planned out with me announcing the Champion has returned and he would be announcing the golfers tomorrow morning...Instead we announced, the Champion has returned because of a sad moment. It did not take away from his arrival and he shocked the room as he entered in. In the end, we were thinking about Flog and hopefully this setback does not change his outlook on his own personal journey, that has been well documented and fun to follow.
I have to back track to earlier in the day however, to Staff Sponsor Day. As soon as staff sponsor day ended, I had to take off like a rocket to make it back to the villa to meet our surprise guest, but before that happened, man that was a treat. Nobody knew what to expect, but we had a great plan in place, and met with each company over the past few months making sure it was perfect and then again the previous evening at dinner. They were as excited as the golfers and took so many steps to make sure it was perfect. Each company was unique and each one was incredibly gracious. Watching Keith from Cleveland/Srixon say "Well there is not a lot we can do since you cant talk about your gear, so here are some beers" was awesome. He wanted the guys to enjoy their new gear, but even more so enjoy the company and have some fun. Cobra mic'ing up their players for their national presentation. Bridgestone having a robot rolling around the range with the staff from the home office was epic. Hashtag working with his guys and having goodies for everybody was awesome. TaylorMade Ken tweaked, bent, heated, bent some more and gave these guys the true tour treatment and then said afterwards "Man, this thing is fantastic" talking about the Morgan Cup. Staff Sponsor Day was perfect in every way and made closing the chapter that much better ending on such a high note.
Saturday had golf and as predicted it ran a bit long. We hate having to tell people to pick up the pace, get mad at them for slowing down, but frankly that was a long day out there and the course was on us from the start. 5 hour rounds should not really happen in these formats, but at the end of the day, everybody banded together and got to the next course on time ready to roll. A true testament to the guys here that made it happen. There were some incredible golf shots on the 1st tee. Nerves were there and you could see it. Glad people fell into place and into fun rather quickly. Switching to 2 nine hole rounds was something I really enjoyed watching unfold. Because it was alternate shot, the swings were dramatic and it was crazy getting the updates. Alternate shot is my favorite round in this event and if we ever do anything like this again, it will be there. You could see in the action how much prep these guys put in. I still say the drive I saw on #4 by Jeff Spicoli is the longest I have ever witnessed on that hole by anybody including some tour players. Putts were being rolled in, but the thing that stood out to me the most was the scrambling abilities of everybody. You could see the work put in and what it meant to these guys. Points were crucial and it was an absolute blast to watch.
Saturday night was another dinner and people wound down from an amazing day. The smiles went on for hours and it makes us so happy to see everybody else enjoying themselves. Sunday was an early start and with 40 golfers on the 1st tee, we knew it was going to be long. Guys were amped up and the energy in the air was so thick you could cut it (although that might have been the humidity). Absolutely great tee shots on Sunday and that was unexpected and awesome. Due to running a bit long, GG and I had to skip the celebration party we organized, but that was for the guys anyway. We did get to do the celebration speeches and hand out some trophies to the champions (Team DotCom) which was awesome.
Some fun one liners from this event that will never go away.
"MWard is like Lil Hitler" and the response was "Quit being so mean to Hitler".
Jersey Nate and Smithfaced..."He is too young for you by about 50 years".
"I ran into a buzz saw" - Pete and I heard that one a lot.
"Do you need help with the standings, because I will be off the course after the 9th"...Mike Dean after Amart was on fire.
"How ya feeling Donne" to adwillinghim..."Emotional".
Anything that came out of WCBM was spot on.
Heck I could be here all day with the lines from this event, but will save it for the rest of the thread. Sadly I am going to continue to bore you with more details about this one. Heading in I knew what to expect out of the planning, but not how it will turn out for obvious reasons. No event can be great without the participants being great. That is a testament to the guys involved, the ladies involved and the volunteers and guests. This was the fitting end because of these people and no matter the distraction, these people make it their job to make this thing perfect. As hosts, we planned, as volunteers, they covered, as guests, they viewed, but as participants, you tied it all together. It was that perfect of a weekend and showed off the type of people that are part of this community.
They always say to end it on a high note and this is the final chapter in what we call The Ultimate Golf Event Period...The Morgan Cup. Thank you all for the wonderful memories that will fill my head and make me smile forever. Thank you for taking the time to do this the right way, your way and make the final curtain call so meaningfull. And if you know me by now, you will know that I could never leave all of the above without something fun...So here goes.
Did the Morgan Cup create your legacy...Or has that yet to happen?
Legacy Is Coming...Get Ready For The Ride!
First off I want to thank my wife, the namesake of this event, for agreeing that we needed to do it one more time, the right way no matter the costs, side effects or anything else. She was with me the entire step of the way and did so much work planning and executing this thing to perfection. She is the voice of reason when chaos comes, the person that keeps me grounded when I want to walk away and the perfect fit for the perfect event. Without her none of this happens and everybody that is there, or has been there knows exactly what I am speaking of. It was a rough week for us being away from those that needed us, and at one point she was headed back Sunday morning to take care of issues at home, but we made it through this thing together and that is because of her incredible desire and will.
Next I want to thank the volunteers. While we covered their expenses at the event, these people traveled from all over just to be a part of it, and bring it to life. They had early mornings, long days and for what? Capturing an event on video for people to watch again. It shows me how much this event and this place means to some and for that we are forever grateful. There is no way to ever repay them for their hard work, but I can still say thank you a million more times. No matter what team was crowned the winners this past weekend (DotCom), the champions were you six (plus O'Carroll and Trisha).
I get asked why a Team THP all the time and frankly I think I should explain it. The only way I was going to bring this event back is if I could have certain people in it. We dont fix contests despite what so many seem to believe, and if they were chosen in the contests, it would give off that impression (which is crazy in my opinion), so I did the next best thing. I added a team and did it with 5 knowing that I could give this event a proper send off with the only people that can say they deserve it.
People fear the unknown and each time we have changed this event, we were criticized and each time it was better than the last. What I realized this time is while the changes were great, the people were the reason it got better and better. If you told me before starting THP that I could get 50 THPers together from all over the world and it would be a good time with good people, I would have laughed a bit. However for the 1st time I can remember, it happened. What an amazing feeling being surrounded by absolute family and knowing that each one was so excited to be there. We know that people do not like change, or a better word might be don't embrace change. We saw that with each chnage in this event, when we add new events like the King, Grandaddy, Gauntlet, etc. Then the event happens, it kills and people realize that they might have missed out. Each change to the Morgan Cup was done for a very good reason because from the outside looking in, it needed them and this one was a culmination in those changes and it was very special to witness.
One more change that had to happen. Once we had our captains in place, we knew that quite a few things needed to be altered because we had 40 golfers in this event and needed to support 75 people in terms of food, etc. Costs never came into the equation, becuase like I said previously, being the last one, it needed to be done right, regardless of that. It was more about the little things, such as split tees, guys finishing 2 full hours after the 1st group, food planning, etc. The first decision I had to make was who would be announcing the 10th tee box and I turned to Morgan and said there is only one guy for the job...JAKE! She laughed and we talked about it some more and how it would work. So I placed a phone call that went like this "Jake, if I bring you to to Myrtle Beach for this, will you be able to"? The answer was yes. Then I told him one critical part. For 2 months he had to keep it a secret and not tell a soul. I told him if word got out, we wouldn't do it. Thursday he calls me and asks if he should bring his clubs and I tell him "no, there wont be time for golf". Fast forward a couple of days and trajedy struck. I get a call about a participant's family member and they had passed away. My heart is racing and I feel absolutely awful for this individual. The time he put in, what this journey has meant to him and how it came crashing down. Nothing we could ever do or say will make that part better, but knowing Flog, he would want the show to go on in grand style. I knew only one person that would be able to fill the massive shoes that Flog brings to the table in both golfing ability and "getting it" as it pertains to the event. So Jake walks into my villa and I say, "Something terrible has happened, but I need you to play in the Morgan Cup". We sit down and as he tells me about the chills he has, we focus on hoping to make sure that Jake walking into a room does not take away from the fact that one member had to leave this event due to tragedy. He then says "But I did bring my clubs just in case". Flog, you are a true champion and Jake tried his heart out to be you for the entire weekend.
We had the whole thing planned out with me announcing the Champion has returned and he would be announcing the golfers tomorrow morning...Instead we announced, the Champion has returned because of a sad moment. It did not take away from his arrival and he shocked the room as he entered in. In the end, we were thinking about Flog and hopefully this setback does not change his outlook on his own personal journey, that has been well documented and fun to follow.
I have to back track to earlier in the day however, to Staff Sponsor Day. As soon as staff sponsor day ended, I had to take off like a rocket to make it back to the villa to meet our surprise guest, but before that happened, man that was a treat. Nobody knew what to expect, but we had a great plan in place, and met with each company over the past few months making sure it was perfect and then again the previous evening at dinner. They were as excited as the golfers and took so many steps to make sure it was perfect. Each company was unique and each one was incredibly gracious. Watching Keith from Cleveland/Srixon say "Well there is not a lot we can do since you cant talk about your gear, so here are some beers" was awesome. He wanted the guys to enjoy their new gear, but even more so enjoy the company and have some fun. Cobra mic'ing up their players for their national presentation. Bridgestone having a robot rolling around the range with the staff from the home office was epic. Hashtag working with his guys and having goodies for everybody was awesome. TaylorMade Ken tweaked, bent, heated, bent some more and gave these guys the true tour treatment and then said afterwards "Man, this thing is fantastic" talking about the Morgan Cup. Staff Sponsor Day was perfect in every way and made closing the chapter that much better ending on such a high note.
Saturday had golf and as predicted it ran a bit long. We hate having to tell people to pick up the pace, get mad at them for slowing down, but frankly that was a long day out there and the course was on us from the start. 5 hour rounds should not really happen in these formats, but at the end of the day, everybody banded together and got to the next course on time ready to roll. A true testament to the guys here that made it happen. There were some incredible golf shots on the 1st tee. Nerves were there and you could see it. Glad people fell into place and into fun rather quickly. Switching to 2 nine hole rounds was something I really enjoyed watching unfold. Because it was alternate shot, the swings were dramatic and it was crazy getting the updates. Alternate shot is my favorite round in this event and if we ever do anything like this again, it will be there. You could see in the action how much prep these guys put in. I still say the drive I saw on #4 by Jeff Spicoli is the longest I have ever witnessed on that hole by anybody including some tour players. Putts were being rolled in, but the thing that stood out to me the most was the scrambling abilities of everybody. You could see the work put in and what it meant to these guys. Points were crucial and it was an absolute blast to watch.
Saturday night was another dinner and people wound down from an amazing day. The smiles went on for hours and it makes us so happy to see everybody else enjoying themselves. Sunday was an early start and with 40 golfers on the 1st tee, we knew it was going to be long. Guys were amped up and the energy in the air was so thick you could cut it (although that might have been the humidity). Absolutely great tee shots on Sunday and that was unexpected and awesome. Due to running a bit long, GG and I had to skip the celebration party we organized, but that was for the guys anyway. We did get to do the celebration speeches and hand out some trophies to the champions (Team DotCom) which was awesome.
Some fun one liners from this event that will never go away.
"MWard is like Lil Hitler" and the response was "Quit being so mean to Hitler".
Jersey Nate and Smithfaced..."He is too young for you by about 50 years".
"I ran into a buzz saw" - Pete and I heard that one a lot.
"Do you need help with the standings, because I will be off the course after the 9th"...Mike Dean after Amart was on fire.
"How ya feeling Donne" to adwillinghim..."Emotional".
Anything that came out of WCBM was spot on.
Heck I could be here all day with the lines from this event, but will save it for the rest of the thread. Sadly I am going to continue to bore you with more details about this one. Heading in I knew what to expect out of the planning, but not how it will turn out for obvious reasons. No event can be great without the participants being great. That is a testament to the guys involved, the ladies involved and the volunteers and guests. This was the fitting end because of these people and no matter the distraction, these people make it their job to make this thing perfect. As hosts, we planned, as volunteers, they covered, as guests, they viewed, but as participants, you tied it all together. It was that perfect of a weekend and showed off the type of people that are part of this community.
They always say to end it on a high note and this is the final chapter in what we call The Ultimate Golf Event Period...The Morgan Cup. Thank you all for the wonderful memories that will fill my head and make me smile forever. Thank you for taking the time to do this the right way, your way and make the final curtain call so meaningfull. And if you know me by now, you will know that I could never leave all of the above without something fun...So here goes.
Did the Morgan Cup create your legacy...Or has that yet to happen?
Legacy Is Coming...Get Ready For The Ride!
