LIVE UPDATE THREAD 2019 The Grandaddy with Callaway Golf

[HarryPotter]

I think there are two things. I let the travel issues I had get to me more than I should. It wasn't a big deal, but I let it bug me. I was still heading to paradise and should have just let it go. During the Q&A, I was kind of awe struck. I had some questions but they didn't seem relevant to the current convos. I should have just asked.

It was good you could talk to Dave and Tyler more on the bus ride back, that was awesome

 

[radiman]

It was good you could talk to Dave and Tyler more on the bus ride back, that was awesome

That was one of the best parts of the trip. I am sure they don't want to talk shop all the time. But, I don't know if I will ever have that kind of direct access to just fire away with questions and get answers right from the source.

 

[Iceman!]

I can only think of three:

1. I should have brought gray pants so I could have worn them on Wednesday. I was pretty cold at the end.

2. The last two shots of Fireball at the pre-Nest were probably unnecessary.

3. I should have learned left from right in kindergarten so that when Owen told me the putt broke a foot and a half left to right, I didn't start the ball 18 inches outside right and miss by 5 feet.

Funny, only the last two?

 

[vgolfman]

Not sure. The Grandaddy is Callaway marketing vs THPers. MV is not part of their marketing department, so I have no idea the same way Sean Toulon, Austie, Doc Hocknell, etc are not part of the Grandaddy team. I hope I am wrong, because he is a friend to this forum, but genuinely no idea.

Always a friend, but a friend would would cut you if we are playing head to head. But still a friend.

 

[Mmaynard11]

Reading through these recaps is surreal! It’s amazing and unspeakable of what has been provided to all of the THP Grandaddy Alum’s! Hands down hats off and a bow from me!

cant wait to continue reading the rest and continue dreaming that I will be part of the unthinkable one day!!!

 

[Jman]

Always a friend, but a friend would would cut you if we are playing head to head. But still a friend.

I am .500 against you. I demand a rubber match!

 

[vgolfman]

I am .500 against you. I demand a rubber match!

I'm in! And if its at the Granddaddy 2020, even better! Fingers crossed for both of us.

If not, get here and let's play Torrey.

 

[Jman]

I'm in! And if its at the Granddaddy 2020, even better! Fingers crossed for both of us.

If not, get here and let's play Torrey.

Oh I can make that happen! Miss me some Vrska!

 

[NoShanks]

Now that you all have had a few days to look back on the adventure, I asked last years group and now will ask you guys: Anything you would have done differently AT the event?! Q&A's, fittings, team strategy, conversations, Nest fun, etc. Some of you have already snuck a few hints in some posts but always curious about this question after the event is over.

For fitting, I would have probably started with Wedges, Driver, irons, then woods/hybrids. Just to calm the swing down a bit. By the time I got to the Driver at the end, I was starting to get tired from swinging non stop for an hour and driver demands a big swing. Driver is a big part of my game as its my biggest strength and I wanted to make sure I dialed in with the correct head and shaft. Thankfully I did. My suggestion for future is to prioritize your fitting order. If you know what you want right away in terms of shaft for certain clubs, I'd save it towards the end so you can knock it out quick with time to spare.

There are a few more recommendations to come in future recaps.

 

[JasonFinleyCG]

Always a friend, but a friend would would cut you if we are playing head to head. But still a friend.

Maybe there is a place on our team for you after all!

 

[campilobaxter]

For now, I will leave you with this. Because, I don't know if it would be possible to look any better than I do in this pic with the G cardigan... (not saying that it's saying much)

View attachment 8918192

Those Granddaddy cardigans are so dope I can't even handle it.

 

[Greg Kulbick]

Always a friend, but a friend would would cut you if we are playing head to head. But still a friend.

"I think I'm going to want to see that one..."

 

[radiman]

Those Granddaddy cardigans are so dope I can't even handle it.

I don't even want to say it. But, my wife threw it in with the rest of the laundry without knowing. Went through a full wash and dry cycle. It may be more of a shmedium now.

 

[campilobaxter]

I don't even want to say it. But, my wife threw it in with the rest of the laundry without knowing. Went through a full wash and dry cycle. It may be more of a shmedium now.

 

[vgolfman]

"I think I'm going to want to see that one..."

Sadly, that GIF is more accurate than you know.

 

[tomcat]

Was able to get out and play 9 holes this morning. Finished one off my personal best. Only one ball OB, which is nice. Driver continues to give me good results. The 5w still amazes me, but that being said, I've never played a 5w before, so this isn't really a direct comparison.

I still have to get used to the extra distance I’m getting from the Epic Forged. Overshot the green on a couple holes.

 

[radiman]

I promise that I'll have some more recaps tonight. Apparently, I'm actually expected to work after this. I don't think they understand how amazing this trip really was.

In the meantime, I'll leave this as a teaser to Tuesday night and the Pre-Nest festivities.

 

[HarryPotter]

Day 2 Recap:
Going in, I thought it would be tough to sleep prior to the ECPC; however, with a distinct lack of sleep at home lately, I slept like a baby – guessing it was the amazing burrito from Filoberto’s the afternoon prior. Once the alarm went off, though, the excitement and adrenaline kicked in and I was ready to go. Will post up details on the clothing for our scripting in the Callaway Apparel thread, but I think we all looked pretty cool!


Pulling up and walking into the ECPC was surreal and you could see the anticipation on all of our faces; JB had some calming words for us, stating that at least one of us would slice it over the nets on the right into the parking lot. Happy to report that I did not. The facility is breathtaking: pristine grass, fitting bays lines up, multiple targets down range, and when we rolled up, gorgeous new staff bags stuffed to the brim with new clubs we would be hitting. It was just a crazy, crazy moment and I could feel my nerves start to kick in. Luckily, Sizzle, Badolds, JMB, and I started with some product knowledge upstairs at the ECPC.






The presentation began with Cuater (like E-quater, as Badolds correctly asked) and how they plan to go to market. I will delve into the details in the Cuater thread, but I was impressed by the quality of the shoes, the upcoming designs, and other cool items they have coming out. Travis Mathew is going to be the apparel/lifestyle portion of the company, with Cuater being the name plate for shoes, belts, and other performance items. This is a very crowded segment, but I believe the product speaks for itself.
Next up, we learned about the Callaway Apparel line, which I will detail more about in its own thread. Callaway Apparel is going to stay true to authentic golf fits but with modern, quality materials; slimmer cuts will be found in the TM brand. Nice to find out that there will be some shorter than 10” inseams in shorts coming, and lots of tech coming to pretty much the entire lineup.

Next up was putter fitting, which I was pretty stoked for. Luke told us that we would get a choice of a putter from the Stroke Lab Black line and a yet to be released line. Took the opportunity to roll a few putters in the room while Badolds got fit and quickly settled on the new Double Wide. I love the shape and the new insert and tech made it a no brainer for me. The fitting proper began next, and unbeknownst to me, I aim WAY left and push to the right to compensate – oddly enough, Luke said he does the same thing! Maybe not as far left aiming as I did, but still! HA! He said I could stick with the double bend or if I wanted to correct my aim and release it a little more, to go with the flow neck. After putting a few with the flow neck, I opted to go with that one. Going to work with this in the basement a lot this winter. It was really cool having Luke, Tony, and Austie there taking a look – and DNevs jumped in too!

The nerves started kicking in once it was time for the full swing fitting; coming into The Grandaddy, I was swinging it as well as I ever have and once I hit the range at the ECPC, it was shaky at best. Started out with a PW from one of the new offerings and liked my distance and flight, then moved to the 7iron. We got some really good numbers, but my fitter wanted to get some more spin and launch. I told him that I already gamed the Apex Combo, and for the sake of the event and reviews, that I’d like to do something different. So he brought out the Epic Forged and we plugged in the modus105 shaft. Got a really nice ball flight and feel out of it, but we wanted to get a little more loft and spin to hit target numbers, so he ordered them up 3*weak.
Woods next, and while I can’t go into a lot of details, we got these dialed in pretty darn quickly. The new woods line is ridiculously good, there are tons of options for fitting, and they are gorgeous. We just had to pick out shafts, and we went with the Ventus line. They didn’t have the Attas lineup for fitting, but I got really similar feel and performance out of the new shafts. We initially went Black for the driver, but I think Blue would be profile for me.
We didn’t have much time to fit wedges due to time constraints, so we really just filled gaps and he picked grinds based on what he saw and my typical course conditions. 50S-54S-58 low bounce W. I did hit Dnev’s 60Xgrind at The Hideaway and I think I will be ordering one of those. Maybe Harry Potter custom stamping??

We then packed up our gear and headed back to Callaway HQ for lunch and a really informative Q&A sessions. Having that many brilliant people in the room at one time was a bit intimidating at first, but once everyone started talking and getting rolling, the forum really opened up. I wish I had had some questions prepared going into this session, but I feel like we asked a lot of good questions, as did those of you following along on the forum. A lot of thought and care goes into product development, fitting, every aspect of the products that Callaway makes, and it starts with the people. It’s crystal clear that they have the best people and it rings true in the product.

The next hour or so was spent in R&D and, while we couldn’t take pictures, it was really freaking awesome. We saw how different compounds come together to make cores, ways covers are made for balls, the ball gun room, all kinds of really interesting scientific stuff that was just a blur. From there, we went into the product development lab, where again, we couldn’t take pictures. I could have spent a whole day in here listening to our guide, Brad, talk about different processes and prototypes. We got to see different machines milling irons, futuristic materials, it was just wild. We were pressed for time, so we had to move pretty quickly through here, but as Brad said, “We don’t make money in here.” Callaway is committed to funding these R&D processes to make the best products possible, and this tour made that abundantly clear.

It was then time to head out into the desert – this was an awesome time to get more face time with teammates and Callaway people. Don’t want this to be a cop out, but you kind of just have to be there. Got to spend some time with Steven aka Slinger, which was good, as we played golf together the following two days, Ian, and my teammates. Had a super quick turnaround, slipped on our awesome “G” cardigans, and headed to Al’s house.

What can I add to what has been said about Al, his family and friends, and their generosity? This man literally opens the doors to his (gorgeous) home to us, treats us like he’s known us forever, and simply lives it up. I’m still struggling to find the words to explain what this evening felt like. The food, drinks, and atmosphere were second to none. Al’s love for The Grandaddy, Callaway, and people in general was on full display, and I think I speak for our entire team when I saw that this evening was a major highlight.


So there you have it… Day 2 in the books!


_____________________

 

[SouthernShred]

"I think I'm going to want to see that one..."


[/QUO

Seen that before

 

[Flipit]

This will serve as my recap of the Grandaddy event. I will not go too deep but know more than anything this event means a lot to me, always has and always will. As I sit back and think about what we pull off at the end of it, I am proud but more than anything else, the three things that stand out the most to me are:

-Team THP – we had a great group of guys that came together as a group, represented this community (and themselves) very well and above all else were very appreciate and thankful for what they were able to experience. I look forward to reading the recaps and reviews as we move into the new year.

-The Hideaway crew – from Lehua the incredible Pro and her staff to our incredible hosts, they play a huge role in this and owe a lot to them. They open their (very) Private enclave to us and even Al opened his home to host the Tuesday night party. The team at Hideaway continues to allow us to come back for some reason and the members have really embraced what our vision for the event is and help to make it what it is today. Not sure many other private clubs anywhere in the world would allow something like this to happen.

-The Callaway crew – From top to bottom, we have a great crew. With a lot of new faces on our team and helping out, everyone has a piece of making this happen and come together, even many who do not get to be at the actual event itself. Penny is a huge part of this behind the scenes and a great help for me on the details no one wants to deal with. Please make sure to support her Penny Candle Company efforts. The travel team, fitters, cafeteria team, tour builders were all a huge help in making this possible. The Zoo Crew not only played well enough to get (another) dominating win but all were incredible hosts and ensured everyone else was having an incredible time along with them.

Personally for me, I am always really happy getting off the bus and heading home after a long couple days but as I move into the following days, bummed that it will be another year until we get to do it again. And, as has been mentioned from here on, we will be thinking about how we can make next years Grandaddy even better. So, I will be following along and looking forward to all feedback about what you liked, didn’t like and thought we could do to make it better.

Thanks to everyone who followed along and all the support of this great event!

Wow that’s awesome. Gotta say that was a lot of fun following. Perhaps only more fun for those in attendance. Only thing I could see making it better is a THP win for the belt. As far as I can tell all involved already won with this event.

 

[Snickerdog]

The 5w still amazes me, but that being said, I've never played a 5w before, so this isn't really a direct comparison.

Give me a 5W anytime!!!! It's long and easy to hit and launches very easily

 

[McLovin]

Now that you all have had a few days to look back on the adventure, I asked last years group and now will ask you guys: Anything you would have done differently AT the event?! Q&A's, fittings, team strategy, conversations, Nest fun, etc. Some of you have already snuck a few hints in some posts but always curious about this question after the event is over.

honestly no, i don’t think so. maybe i would like to have started more convos with different zc guys. but i was too wrapped up in the convos with the ones i was talking to!

heck, i don’t even regret the texas sized hangover i had on wednesday. sure it affected how i felt, but i had so much fun going out that i don’t regret it at all.

 

[McLovin]

@McLovin I know that you cannot give anything specific, but correct me if I am wrong: your ball before the GD that fit you well was the ERC and the new ball is now your preference? That is exciting to me if I am remembering correctly because I like the ERC quite a bit. I have been playing the ChromesoftX with Triple Track, but feel the ERC and standard Chromesoft are a slightly better fit for me. That is not based on anything factual like trackman numbers, just my gut feeling. I like CSXTT, but think I like ERC just a tad more.

you are correct that i was playing erc and liked it a lot. you are also correct that i am now playing a different ball, and i like it a lot more!

i need more time to definitively answer how the ball I'm playing differs than anything else. and there’s also that pesky little embargo date that may be affecting my ability to wax eloquently about what i may or may not have in the bag.

i’ll just say this: for those who say tech is “maxed out,” you can keep your old tech. i’ll go ahead and blast it past you with my new sh1t.

 

[MWard]

you are correct that i was playing erc and liked it a lot. you are also correct that i am now playing a different ball, and i like it a lot more!

i need more time to definitively answer how the ball I'm playing differs than anything else. and there’s also that pesky little embargo date that may be affecting my ability to wax eloquently about what i may or may not have in the bag.

i’ll just say this: for those who say tech is “maxed out,” you can keep your old tech. i’ll go ahead and blast it past you with my new sh1t.

 

[radiman]

you are correct that i was playing erc and liked it a lot. you are also correct that i am now playing a different ball, and i like it a lot more!

i need more time to definitively answer how the ball I'm playing differs than anything else. and there’s also that pesky little embargo date that may be affecting my ability to wax eloquently about what i may or may not have in the bag.

i’ll just say this: for those who say tech is “maxed out,” you can keep your old tech. i’ll go ahead and blast it past you with my new sh1t.

The thing is playing a different ball than ERC in any shape or form, or even a ball that may or may not be the same as other balls out currently, all while playing equipment that cannot be commented on, makes it difficult to relate any difference in feel. That makes sense right?