Had a great time playing with you again, even though conditions were less than ideal.... there were several short putts missed on the day, and even if you had made it we would have been dormie going to the next 3 holes.
Contest and Live Thread: 2017 THP Regional Rivalry Norcal vs Socal
Had a great time playing with you again, even though conditions were less than ideal.... there were several short putts missed on the day, and even if you had made it we would have been dormie going to the next 3 holes.
Saturday AM
Woke up bright and early (think about 4am) and finally popped out of bed when one of my roommates hopped in the shower about 5:25. Figured I could go downstairs and make a little money.... Went well for about 15 minutes and then the previously mentioned Coca Cola came to the table and cleared me out right quick.
Was the only losing I would do the rest of the weekend. Showered up, got as pretty as I could with my spiffy Red/black Bandon Dunes vest (I thought it was fitting given the hand mother nature handed us) and headed down for a little brekkie as Mark would say.
Grabbed something light (chicken fried steak, scrambled eggs and hash browns is how I stay waifish) was able to talk more golf with JB and a pretty large crew as he made up the cards for the days battle. Great time and JB as always made sure no one left the table hungry, thanks again man.
Then it was off to the range, I putted first, the greens look shaggy, but they are fast and true. Many have said it, but Barona was a really fun place to host this event. Good shape, lots of fun holes and a good variation that kept all 27 interesting. I hit a few wedges, hit a few hybrids (all good unless JB came by to watch...) and 2 drivers that were good. That was all I needed to see as I didn't want to waste any swings.
Hit the sand for some bunker work then it was off to the 1st tee for rules talk and then it was on like Donkey Kong.
Seriously impressed at how well everyone handled the pressure of the first tee, in particular Manny who was the very first off and striped his down the fairway and all the 1st timers that not only had to deal with 1st tee nerves, but also being filmed for the 1st THP Live 1st Tee. Great work by all of you/us!
The golf was like a Clint East wood movie (Good, bad and the ugly sure that is an easy pick, but I would actually go Gran torino. It was dark, nasty, ugly and uncomfortably funny with a fantastic ending, and strangely longer than you would think). time4Tim and I played a few more good holes than bad holes to get 1.5 points out of our first 2 matches and got buoyed by the fact that our Nor Cal compatriots were more than holding their own in the other matches against the So Cal horde.
The weather was legitimately awful. Not as bad as my trip to Bandon Dunes in March, but sadly only about 10 degrees warmer for May in ****ING SAN DIEGO so no one was prepared for it.... Anyway, fun time with fiveGs and alez367 and after 18 holes of battle, Nor Cal had the lead, and this guy had won his 2nd bet against a So Cal opponent for the weekend (I have control over Alez avatar for the next month...).
Only 1 more left to discuss on the wagering side, but that will have to come in part 3 of this epic recap.
Woke up bright and early (think about 4am) and finally popped out of bed when one of my roommates hopped in the shower about 5:25. Figured I could go downstairs and make a little money.... Went well for about 15 minutes and then the previously mentioned Coca Cola came to the table and cleared me out right quick.
Was the only losing I would do the rest of the weekend. Showered up, got as pretty as I could with my spiffy Red/black Bandon Dunes vest (I thought it was fitting given the hand mother nature handed us) and headed down for a little brekkie as Mark would say.
Grabbed something light (chicken fried steak, scrambled eggs and hash browns is how I stay waifish) was able to talk more golf with JB and a pretty large crew as he made up the cards for the days battle. Great time and JB as always made sure no one left the table hungry, thanks again man.
Then it was off to the range, I putted first, the greens look shaggy, but they are fast and true. Many have said it, but Barona was a really fun place to host this event. Good shape, lots of fun holes and a good variation that kept all 27 interesting. I hit a few wedges, hit a few hybrids (all good unless JB came by to watch...) and 2 drivers that were good. That was all I needed to see as I didn't want to waste any swings.
Hit the sand for some bunker work then it was off to the 1st tee for rules talk and then it was on like Donkey Kong.
Seriously impressed at how well everyone handled the pressure of the first tee, in particular Manny who was the very first off and striped his down the fairway and all the 1st timers that not only had to deal with 1st tee nerves, but also being filmed for the 1st THP Live 1st Tee. Great work by all of you/us!
The golf was like a Clint East wood movie (Good, bad and the ugly sure that is an easy pick, but I would actually go Gran torino. It was dark, nasty, ugly and uncomfortably funny with a fantastic ending, and strangely longer than you would think). time4Tim and I played a few more good holes than bad holes to get 1.5 points out of our first 2 matches and got buoyed by the fact that our Nor Cal compatriots were more than holding their own in the other matches against the So Cal horde.
The weather was legitimately awful. Not as bad as my trip to Bandon Dunes in March, but sadly only about 10 degrees warmer for May in ****ING SAN DIEGO so no one was prepared for it.... Anyway, fun time with fiveGs and alez367 and after 18 holes of battle, Nor Cal had the lead, and this guy had won his 2nd bet against a So Cal opponent for the weekend (I have control over Alez avatar for the next month...).
Only 1 more left to discuss on the wagering side, but that will have to come in part 3 of this epic recap.
Wonton
Sphincter says what?
Sounded like a great one! Congrats to Nor Cal and Roger for MVP!
My fellow So Cal guys, I'm sure you represented well! Great job guys!
My fellow So Cal guys, I'm sure you represented well! Great job guys!
Galen Marek
Well-known member
Okay I think I have enough distance from the even to put down my thoughts. First off thank you so much to JB, Golfer Gal, the THP staff and Don of True Temper for putting on a classy, fun and intense event. I spent a lot of time readying my gear, posting, laughing and getting nervous as Hell and the event did not disappoint. I love this community and every event I've attended has been a complete blast in my eyes and I value the friendships I've made with everyone. Thank you to my SoCal teammates for being funny, passionate and outrageous. You guys helped me elevate my play and kept things light as we fought our asses off in the worst golfing conditions I've ever experienced. It's a shame we didn't win it for SoCal but there's the unofficial event coming up. And finally thank you to Team NorCal for making the trek and fighting through adverse conditions to take the win. You fellas earned it and while I hate losing it makes it easier losing to friends. So congratulations on the team win and to Mancest for his MVP win.
The meet and greet was a blast. I was happy to arrive a bit early and gossip with JB and Don. I recall being made fun of about Star Wars, Looper and the second best Sci-Fi film of the last decade. I still haven't decided with certainty what that is but will announce the results when I do. The night was almost ruined when I mention to Don I put my Handcrafted Proto up against a Fubuki Alpha. Apparently Don was really hurt by that despite the fact the Proto was never in danger of losing. The analogy he gave me was it's like your wife running off and banging a Marine but you should be okay with it cause she came back to you. I'm sorry Don! The Fubuki was free and meant nothing to me. She never made it into my bed. She's already gone! I suspect that's why Don gave me the defective True Temper ball marker (which is bad ass BTW). After the pairings were announced and some really good margaritas we called it a night. Coming from a long line of alcoholics my wife sent me over in uber so I had to trek home alone while the teams went back for further revelry. However being Cinco de Mayo I did have a few Micheladas at the hotel before going to bed.
I have to get up at 3:30 AM for work so more to come tomorrow!
The meet and greet was a blast. I was happy to arrive a bit early and gossip with JB and Don. I recall being made fun of about Star Wars, Looper and the second best Sci-Fi film of the last decade. I still haven't decided with certainty what that is but will announce the results when I do. The night was almost ruined when I mention to Don I put my Handcrafted Proto up against a Fubuki Alpha. Apparently Don was really hurt by that despite the fact the Proto was never in danger of losing. The analogy he gave me was it's like your wife running off and banging a Marine but you should be okay with it cause she came back to you. I'm sorry Don! The Fubuki was free and meant nothing to me. She never made it into my bed. She's already gone! I suspect that's why Don gave me the defective True Temper ball marker (which is bad ass BTW). After the pairings were announced and some really good margaritas we called it a night. Coming from a long line of alcoholics my wife sent me over in uber so I had to trek home alone while the teams went back for further revelry. However being Cinco de Mayo I did have a few Micheladas at the hotel before going to bed.
I have to get up at 3:30 AM for work so more to come tomorrow!
I won't bore anyone with my recount of the event and everything around it. Had an awesome time. This victory is dedicated to our fellow NorCalers who was a part of this in their own way: Mr. Hicksta, Plinyyounger, and itsOpeningDay. Proud of our team. Great accomplishment against a very good group of players from SoCal. I wish everyone could come out of RR unscathed, but someone had to win and it was us. Thanks to Shank You, J-Pin, The Heez, Mark_UK, ASN21, and DufferToo. You guys played your tails off, provided encouragement to each other and showed class in victory. To our Roger Mancest Ortega, you did an outstanding job as captain. You had everyone prepared, came up with the perfect pairings, played great golf in some crappy conditions and most importantly, provided great friendship. I thank you. Finally to THP, True Temper Golf, JB and Morgan...thank you for allowing this hacker to be a part of this event. This site has provided me an outlet to correspond with other golf enthusiasts throughout the U.S and the world. I have been afforded the opportunity through THP to meet tons of new people and call many of them friends. Some even good friends. As many of you know, I am not a very vocal person. I am very much an introvert. Not by my choosing, just the cards I was dealt. I much rather listen to what others have to say than say it myself. So a site like this, allows me to sometimes say what I would like others to know, without having to actually say it. So one final heart felt THANK YOU To everyone involved with the NorCal VS SoCal Regional Rivalry.
PS: I'm getting a HOF tag....YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
PS: I'm getting a HOF tag....YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
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Saturday PM:
After 2 very tough matches against Alez367 & fiveGs (we got up early in both but they battled back in each one) time4Tim and I met up with a few people, grabbed a little snack (they had the Ortega melt, so I had to get that), I spent $100 on the only rain gear they had and an extra towel and we went back out to do it again.
The weather somehow got worse for the final 9 holes. Tim and I again got an early lead and honestly I thought we were going to end it on #5. Tim and I were on the green with decent looks at birdie while fiveGs was PLUGGED in a bunker and Mike was in the other bunker. Then Mike stuck his bunker shot to about 5 feet, Tim and I both missed our birdie putts and Mike jarred his. World class up and down by him, especially with wet sand.
We went on to the par 5 6th, that was playing down hill, but into a strong wind. Things were getting even more intense as the first 2 groups, So Cal brought it and closed things out quickly. With only 2 groups left on the course, we were down by a point for the first time all day....
Luckily we were up and had a chance to close out our match on this hole (if we won it), as did the Nor Cal group ahead of us. I hit one of my few decent drives of the day and So Cal both found the bunker on the right, so we had a bit of an advantage there.
After laying up we came to our approach shots. I grabbed my range finder and saw the group in front of us shaking hands on the green.... which meant Nor Cal had tied it up the total score and if we won our match, we won this Regional Rivalry! Mike had a fairway wood in and hit one that end up a little right of the green. It was sitting a few feet out of the hazard (the same hazard that Alez made a miracle birdie from in our 1st match of the day). I hit my 3rd to just off the green. Grabbing my putter, I was ready to make birdie and finish this match and lock up that HOF tag.
Mike hit a nice pitch on and had a very good look at par, with the rain and the wind I couldn't tell that my ball was in the rough not on the fringe.... I was too cold, lazy and distracted to go back and grab a wedge so I tried the old texas wedge shot and basically advanced the ball 3 feet to barely make it on the green...
So now I was still out and had to putt before Mike. If I made this, the worst we would be was dormie with 3 holes to play, so I gave it a whack and drained it to putt all the pressure on Mike. His putt slid by just barely missing and we were finished.
It was another tough match, especially with how nasty the conditions were, but we still had a great time out there. It was amazing how elated and excited I was, suddenly I wasn't cold and actually ran to the cart (or waddled) and we were off to meet the rest of the team for a quick celebration before dinner.
Hugs, high fives, fist bumps, shouts were to be had as we were so freaking pumped. Alez being the classy guy he is shook my hand, gave me a hug and bought me a shot when he told me congratulations. Every other So Cal guy went out of there way to congratulate us and tell us good job.
I said this a bit in the awkward speech I gave at dinner, but want to say it again: this was a total team victory, every pairing contributed points and all of them did it against a very good So Cal team. There was some very good golf and winning this event against those guys who not only are talented players but also were very motivated makes this even more special.
I told JB that getting the HOF tag is pretty amazing, but doing it against guys you know and have played with/against in official and unofficial events just takes it to the next level. The Rivalry portion of this event was very real to anyone that couldn't tell.
Dinner was just amazing, the food was so good, the setup was awesome and we were able to hang and laugh a bit about the day. Then we got on to the MVP voting. I am not going to lie, I didn't think I should have got it. When you weren't the best player in your pairing how can you be the MVP?
time4Tim seriously kept us in all of our matches. I hit maybe 3 decent to good tee shots all day (one each on the very 1st and last holes) but Tim kept it steady and let me hit approach shots from places I would never regularly see. So I was honestly shocked, and a bit overwhelmed when I won it. Thanks to everybody for this, I hope to do my absolute best to share the trip with everyone at home when I get out to visit True Temper.
Finally I want to again thank my team, everybody on So Cal, everybody who followed along, everyone at True Temper for helping to let some internet golfers play golf and have that competitive intensity that is there and most importantly thanks to JB, golfergal and everyone else that makes THP the place that it is.
I am told there are a other golf forums out on the internet, but I can't imagine any of them have what we have at this place. I have been to several events, and each and every one I leave thinking no way the next one can come close to that, and each time I am blown away by all the awesome.
After 2 very tough matches against Alez367 & fiveGs (we got up early in both but they battled back in each one) time4Tim and I met up with a few people, grabbed a little snack (they had the Ortega melt, so I had to get that), I spent $100 on the only rain gear they had and an extra towel and we went back out to do it again.
The weather somehow got worse for the final 9 holes. Tim and I again got an early lead and honestly I thought we were going to end it on #5. Tim and I were on the green with decent looks at birdie while fiveGs was PLUGGED in a bunker and Mike was in the other bunker. Then Mike stuck his bunker shot to about 5 feet, Tim and I both missed our birdie putts and Mike jarred his. World class up and down by him, especially with wet sand.
We went on to the par 5 6th, that was playing down hill, but into a strong wind. Things were getting even more intense as the first 2 groups, So Cal brought it and closed things out quickly. With only 2 groups left on the course, we were down by a point for the first time all day....
Luckily we were up and had a chance to close out our match on this hole (if we won it), as did the Nor Cal group ahead of us. I hit one of my few decent drives of the day and So Cal both found the bunker on the right, so we had a bit of an advantage there.
After laying up we came to our approach shots. I grabbed my range finder and saw the group in front of us shaking hands on the green.... which meant Nor Cal had tied it up the total score and if we won our match, we won this Regional Rivalry! Mike had a fairway wood in and hit one that end up a little right of the green. It was sitting a few feet out of the hazard (the same hazard that Alez made a miracle birdie from in our 1st match of the day). I hit my 3rd to just off the green. Grabbing my putter, I was ready to make birdie and finish this match and lock up that HOF tag.
Mike hit a nice pitch on and had a very good look at par, with the rain and the wind I couldn't tell that my ball was in the rough not on the fringe.... I was too cold, lazy and distracted to go back and grab a wedge so I tried the old texas wedge shot and basically advanced the ball 3 feet to barely make it on the green...
So now I was still out and had to putt before Mike. If I made this, the worst we would be was dormie with 3 holes to play, so I gave it a whack and drained it to putt all the pressure on Mike. His putt slid by just barely missing and we were finished.
It was another tough match, especially with how nasty the conditions were, but we still had a great time out there. It was amazing how elated and excited I was, suddenly I wasn't cold and actually ran to the cart (or waddled) and we were off to meet the rest of the team for a quick celebration before dinner.
Hugs, high fives, fist bumps, shouts were to be had as we were so freaking pumped. Alez being the classy guy he is shook my hand, gave me a hug and bought me a shot when he told me congratulations. Every other So Cal guy went out of there way to congratulate us and tell us good job.
I said this a bit in the awkward speech I gave at dinner, but want to say it again: this was a total team victory, every pairing contributed points and all of them did it against a very good So Cal team. There was some very good golf and winning this event against those guys who not only are talented players but also were very motivated makes this even more special.
I told JB that getting the HOF tag is pretty amazing, but doing it against guys you know and have played with/against in official and unofficial events just takes it to the next level. The Rivalry portion of this event was very real to anyone that couldn't tell.
Dinner was just amazing, the food was so good, the setup was awesome and we were able to hang and laugh a bit about the day. Then we got on to the MVP voting. I am not going to lie, I didn't think I should have got it. When you weren't the best player in your pairing how can you be the MVP?
time4Tim seriously kept us in all of our matches. I hit maybe 3 decent to good tee shots all day (one each on the very 1st and last holes) but Tim kept it steady and let me hit approach shots from places I would never regularly see. So I was honestly shocked, and a bit overwhelmed when I won it. Thanks to everybody for this, I hope to do my absolute best to share the trip with everyone at home when I get out to visit True Temper.
Finally I want to again thank my team, everybody on So Cal, everybody who followed along, everyone at True Temper for helping to let some internet golfers play golf and have that competitive intensity that is there and most importantly thanks to JB, golfergal and everyone else that makes THP the place that it is.
I am told there are a other golf forums out on the internet, but I can't imagine any of them have what we have at this place. I have been to several events, and each and every one I leave thinking no way the next one can come close to that, and each time I am blown away by all the awesome.
TheHeez
Well-known member
Such a great recap Cap!
Roger was the best captain for this event and it was a pleasure going to battle for him. Guy is probably one of the funniest people I have ever met and is a blast to hang with. So glad that we could all contribute to his getting MVP, his postings from that trip should be just as legendary as they were for this one!
Thanks man, I am hoping we can get together again soon. I am planning to wear the red vest (wearing it now actually) on the trip so people will recognize me if we do any videos.
ASN21
#TeamTaylorMade
Part 1:
Meet and Greet
This is where the fun began with the surprise visit by Don Brown and the announcement of the matchups. I had a feeling Don or someone from Project X might be there because of JB’s post in the thread earlier about watching the THP TV Lab Rats episode about how shafts were made. After the announcements came I was excited to hear who myself and DufferToo were facing. I had not played with either Galen or Greg (sourmash) before so I was looking forward to doing battle with them on the two 9 hole matches. The last 9 matchup was then announced with Minh (SanDiegoNative) and sourmash (poor Greg was going to have to see me and Don hacking it all over the course yet again LOL).
First 9
After a hearty breakfast and a bit of warm up at the range the time to tee off was quickly approaching. As many THP veterans will know, teeing off in the first group is no easy task. At my first event #TheKing in 2015 my hands were shaking as I tried to place the ball on the tee and my heart was beating very fast. It wasn’t quite that level of nerves for this first tee but having all of you guys watching it at home definitely didn’t make it easy lol. I must have watched the Youtube video of all the participants teeing off about 10 or so times by now. So proud of everyone stepping up and hitting quality shots (Cali got game, if you didn’t know!). The banter in between groups teeing off was also hysterical. That is the one thing you miss out on when you go out early. My partner and I both had two great approach shots going into #1. Don (DufferToo) went left of the massive tree and I went right. I was able to pitch it decently close and drain the birdie putt to win the first hole. That’s when the fun began. I have never seen anyone play better than what Galen showed for the first 9. His profile says he is a 9 handicap but he was legit playing like a scratch golfer. Par after par after par with a birdie mixed in between. Greg was no slouch either and myself and Don pretty much had to play bogey golf just to push holes against these guys. If Galen had a slight miss then Greg was there to pipe it right down the middle. There wedge and putter game was on point. They were pretty much in the fairway on every hole and when they got on the green it was either a 1 or 2 putt nearly every single time! Galen I believe nailed a clutch putt on the par 3 #7 to halve a hole that I thought we were going to win for sure as my tee shot landed on the green and they were on a hill side by the green. They were I believe 1 up going into the toughest hole on the course (IMO) #8. This hole had my number on Friday and Saturday. A 450 yard par 4 into the wind. You pretty much had to nail two perfect shots in a row to even sniff the green. I believe both Galen and Greg got on in two and needless to say we lost that hole and then the first 9 2&1. I had told my partner Don that if we were going to sneak a point from Galen and Greg it had to be on the first 9 since the shamble format is a little more forgiving than ALT shot. So we were a bit disappointed that we could not win or halve the first 9.
Meet and Greet
This is where the fun began with the surprise visit by Don Brown and the announcement of the matchups. I had a feeling Don or someone from Project X might be there because of JB’s post in the thread earlier about watching the THP TV Lab Rats episode about how shafts were made. After the announcements came I was excited to hear who myself and DufferToo were facing. I had not played with either Galen or Greg (sourmash) before so I was looking forward to doing battle with them on the two 9 hole matches. The last 9 matchup was then announced with Minh (SanDiegoNative) and sourmash (poor Greg was going to have to see me and Don hacking it all over the course yet again LOL).
First 9
After a hearty breakfast and a bit of warm up at the range the time to tee off was quickly approaching. As many THP veterans will know, teeing off in the first group is no easy task. At my first event #TheKing in 2015 my hands were shaking as I tried to place the ball on the tee and my heart was beating very fast. It wasn’t quite that level of nerves for this first tee but having all of you guys watching it at home definitely didn’t make it easy lol. I must have watched the Youtube video of all the participants teeing off about 10 or so times by now. So proud of everyone stepping up and hitting quality shots (Cali got game, if you didn’t know!). The banter in between groups teeing off was also hysterical. That is the one thing you miss out on when you go out early. My partner and I both had two great approach shots going into #1. Don (DufferToo) went left of the massive tree and I went right. I was able to pitch it decently close and drain the birdie putt to win the first hole. That’s when the fun began. I have never seen anyone play better than what Galen showed for the first 9. His profile says he is a 9 handicap but he was legit playing like a scratch golfer. Par after par after par with a birdie mixed in between. Greg was no slouch either and myself and Don pretty much had to play bogey golf just to push holes against these guys. If Galen had a slight miss then Greg was there to pipe it right down the middle. There wedge and putter game was on point. They were pretty much in the fairway on every hole and when they got on the green it was either a 1 or 2 putt nearly every single time! Galen I believe nailed a clutch putt on the par 3 #7 to halve a hole that I thought we were going to win for sure as my tee shot landed on the green and they were on a hill side by the green. They were I believe 1 up going into the toughest hole on the course (IMO) #8. This hole had my number on Friday and Saturday. A 450 yard par 4 into the wind. You pretty much had to nail two perfect shots in a row to even sniff the green. I believe both Galen and Greg got on in two and needless to say we lost that hole and then the first 9 2&1. I had told my partner Don that if we were going to sneak a point from Galen and Greg it had to be on the first 9 since the shamble format is a little more forgiving than ALT shot. So we were a bit disappointed that we could not win or halve the first 9.
ASN21
#TeamTaylorMade
Part 2:
Second 9
Going into ALT shot myself and Don knew we really needed to get at least a halve for this 9 so we don’t put our team into a hole point wise. Let me tell you that ALT shot is a beast! I told JB he should make the next two regional rivalries all ALT shot and he just laughed and said nobody would sign up or play. Man is it a tough format! If you tee off and hit it wayward, guess what you are responsible for the next shot!So if you are really in a funk there is no way to really get out of it. You really also don’t want to let your teammate down and sometimes over press in order to make up for each other’s shortcomings. Don was so CLUTCH this back 9. He drained 3 absolutely critical putts that IIRC helped us win 2 holes outright and halve another one. His putter was on fire for that stretch. It was really a struggle through the 8 holes for the match. At one point on the par 4 #12 I believe both teams picked up our balls and decided to just halve the hole after the score for each team was above an 7-8. That was definitely a hole to forget. Somehow me and Don managed to get a 1 shot lead going into the fun par 5 #17 where we were able to close the match out and earn a hard fought point for Team NorCal.
Third 9
Going into the last 9, Team NorCal was up 1 point so the pressure was definitely reaching a breaking point for everyone. I forgot to mention the rain during the last couple of holes on the front 9 and majority of the back 9 maybe because I wanted to never remember it again LOL. The rain never let up on this last nine. I am fortunate where I live that I do not have to play in the rain. I have no rain gear whatsoever. If it is raining one week, I just wait until it stops raining to go play. The rain definitely played into the difficulty for a lot of the holes in the tournament. For the third 9 there were not very many highlights for Team NorCal. Minh and Greg did a great job of keeping the ball in the play off the tee and then nailing approach shots and making putts. The lone highlight for me and Don was us both nearly acing the par 3 #3. Still have never had a hole in one, that would have been really nice!!! SDN and sourmash never let up and I knew that if they had a lead going into #8 that it was going to be really difficult to come back. This is the first time playing a 9 hole match for me so you really start to feel the pressure even when you go 2 down. There simply is not enough holes to make up the deficits sometimes. It was a wet and sloppy 7 holes played and we couldn’t have been happier to have gotten out of that miserable weather and catch up on how the rest of the groups were doing.
Dinner
The food and drinks were fantastic. I think it might have been the best THP dinner I’ve had and I’ve had some pretty great ones. The room we had was also very private and a great way to cap off a great event. It was great to hear how everyone’s rounds went and also hear some of the funny stories or shots that took place during each 9 hole match. Two great speeches by the captains and the well deserved nod for MVP for Roger. Looking forward to your MVP trip buddy!
Parting Thoughts
Thank you to JB, Morgan, and True Temper for setting up and getting everything ready for this fantastic event. THP events never disappoint and all of the wrinkles and additions made it over the top good. I know everyone really appreciated all the hard work from you guys and also the captains. We knew the motivation and desire to win was there for both sides. I will never forget Tim and Roger coming in after their victory and giving both of them big hugs. Fun fact: I have been in three THP events and time4tim has been in all of those with me. I really wanted to win for him and the guys and get them a HOF tag because I know how badly they wanted it. I am really proud of the NorCal guys for winning their very tough match ups and helping to bring home the W! Very well played by J-Pin, Shank You, TheHeez, Mark_UK, mancest, time4tim and my partner for all 3 9’s DufferToo! Hope to do battle with all of you guys later this year! El Norte out!
Second 9
Going into ALT shot myself and Don knew we really needed to get at least a halve for this 9 so we don’t put our team into a hole point wise. Let me tell you that ALT shot is a beast! I told JB he should make the next two regional rivalries all ALT shot and he just laughed and said nobody would sign up or play. Man is it a tough format! If you tee off and hit it wayward, guess what you are responsible for the next shot!So if you are really in a funk there is no way to really get out of it. You really also don’t want to let your teammate down and sometimes over press in order to make up for each other’s shortcomings. Don was so CLUTCH this back 9. He drained 3 absolutely critical putts that IIRC helped us win 2 holes outright and halve another one. His putter was on fire for that stretch. It was really a struggle through the 8 holes for the match. At one point on the par 4 #12 I believe both teams picked up our balls and decided to just halve the hole after the score for each team was above an 7-8. That was definitely a hole to forget. Somehow me and Don managed to get a 1 shot lead going into the fun par 5 #17 where we were able to close the match out and earn a hard fought point for Team NorCal.
Third 9
Going into the last 9, Team NorCal was up 1 point so the pressure was definitely reaching a breaking point for everyone. I forgot to mention the rain during the last couple of holes on the front 9 and majority of the back 9 maybe because I wanted to never remember it again LOL. The rain never let up on this last nine. I am fortunate where I live that I do not have to play in the rain. I have no rain gear whatsoever. If it is raining one week, I just wait until it stops raining to go play. The rain definitely played into the difficulty for a lot of the holes in the tournament. For the third 9 there were not very many highlights for Team NorCal. Minh and Greg did a great job of keeping the ball in the play off the tee and then nailing approach shots and making putts. The lone highlight for me and Don was us both nearly acing the par 3 #3. Still have never had a hole in one, that would have been really nice!!! SDN and sourmash never let up and I knew that if they had a lead going into #8 that it was going to be really difficult to come back. This is the first time playing a 9 hole match for me so you really start to feel the pressure even when you go 2 down. There simply is not enough holes to make up the deficits sometimes. It was a wet and sloppy 7 holes played and we couldn’t have been happier to have gotten out of that miserable weather and catch up on how the rest of the groups were doing.
Dinner
The food and drinks were fantastic. I think it might have been the best THP dinner I’ve had and I’ve had some pretty great ones. The room we had was also very private and a great way to cap off a great event. It was great to hear how everyone’s rounds went and also hear some of the funny stories or shots that took place during each 9 hole match. Two great speeches by the captains and the well deserved nod for MVP for Roger. Looking forward to your MVP trip buddy!
Parting Thoughts
Thank you to JB, Morgan, and True Temper for setting up and getting everything ready for this fantastic event. THP events never disappoint and all of the wrinkles and additions made it over the top good. I know everyone really appreciated all the hard work from you guys and also the captains. We knew the motivation and desire to win was there for both sides. I will never forget Tim and Roger coming in after their victory and giving both of them big hugs. Fun fact: I have been in three THP events and time4tim has been in all of those with me. I really wanted to win for him and the guys and get them a HOF tag because I know how badly they wanted it. I am really proud of the NorCal guys for winning their very tough match ups and helping to bring home the W! Very well played by J-Pin, Shank You, TheHeez, Mark_UK, mancest, time4tim and my partner for all 3 9’s DufferToo! Hope to do battle with all of you guys later this year! El Norte out!
ASN21
#TeamTaylorMade
Contest and Live Thread: 2017 THP Regional Rivalry Norcal vs Socal
Oh and shoutout to my boy Josh for keeping me updated during holes! I would basically post an update and then close the app since it was hard to keep up and cell service was a bit spotty at times. He kept me up to date on how my teammates and other groups were doing.
KC720 and Awkward Silence also did a great job updating the scores! Got hard to update score sometimes also because of the rain. Great job keeping the forum updated fellas!
Oh and shoutout to my boy Josh for keeping me updated during holes! I would basically post an update and then close the app since it was hard to keep up and cell service was a bit spotty at times. He kept me up to date on how my teammates and other groups were doing.
KC720 and Awkward Silence also did a great job updating the scores! Got hard to update score sometimes also because of the rain. Great job keeping the forum updated fellas!
Galen Marek
Well-known member
Day 2: Having made my way to Barona I was immediately impressed with the course, range, pro shop and locker room. All seemed top notch. The weather was mid sixties and overcast. I hooked up with the fellas and went to the range where I started striping the ball with every club. I was like this is gonna be a good day. Even Kevin was impressed which was a source of pride. JB made fun of my Vans but I have a superstition that I don't put on my golf shoes until the first tee which we were warned was coming soon so we headed over as a group. After team pictures it was time to be a smart ass for the live camera and hit our tee shots which was very intimidating. By the way Looper is the best modern sci-fi film. I have decided Gattaca is the second best. ASN21 striped his Cobra hybrid down the middle (which would be a theme for 18 holes. He doesn't miss with that thing), Greg pulled his a bit and Duffer hit a good one as well. In my nervous state I hit a low bullet but it left us about 200 yards out. We made it to the green in three and ASN21 and I have 12 footers for birdie. I misread mine and he dropped his in no sweat. The rest of the front nine was tight as hell and very competitive. There was a good camaraderie among the four of us and Greg and I gelled great. That sense of fun allowed me to play really well and I played quite consistently. If I faltered Greg was there with his smooth swing to save us. We didn't win till the tail end of the nine but it felt great especially being as close as it was.
Now alternate shot was a different story. Having never played that format I immediately disliked it because of the pressure of NOT screwing your playing partner weighed heavily on me and my play definitely went down a notch. It seemed the format invigorated ASN21 and Duffer and they definitely handled the elements better. Being a SoCal guy I don't even own rain gear. Admittedly I allowed the elements to dampen my spirit and every time the rain would let up or the sun would peak through I would get a little hope and optimism only for nature to say "sike!" and started raining and blowing again. It was pretty funny, ASN21 and Duffer were lying seven and Sour Mash and I were lying two in a fairway bunker and our opponents offered to halve the hole. We were like "we can beat a seven". Two balls OB later and we were all "yeah sevens all around". Of course JB rolls by and notices my ball marker is a 1943 steel penny and he was like "it's always gotta be different with you" and I was thinking like "yeah it really does. Does my mom know?" I gotta say JB's humor and enthusiasm really helped lighten my mood cause I really was only wearing my new Under Armour booty shorts and UA short sleeve polo. As ASN21 and Duffer close us out the weather started to let up again and I'm thinking "OK third nine is my time". WRONG. While grabbing a quick bite to eat before the final nine the rain starts coming down SIDEWAYS. Surely we were gonna postpone till conditions improved. WRONG! We on a schedule and there's no time for my ninny ways.
The final nine was pure misery. It was cold, windy and constantly raining on us. My grips, towel and clothing were soaked and I was afraid to lose my clubs so I swung very lightly and pulled out of my shots for the first three holes. I really should have had a drink or two of Shank You's hooch! It was a complete route and Kevin and I could only hope for either a weather miracle or a painless death. Funnily enough our opponents didn't seem fazed at all by the weather so well done fellas. NorCal played in the same conditions we did and they were able to use it to their advantage. Like I said earlier it's never fun to lose but to lose to friends makes it sting less. They deserved the victory and it just makes me want to engage in more competitions. There's really no feeling like it.
Probably the funniest part of the day was when SoCal went back to Greg's room to lick our wounds. We were disappointed but still had a good time laughing while trying to warm up and dry out. After a few beers and laughs we decided to head over to the restaurant and be good losers.
(to be continued. bedtime again.)
Now alternate shot was a different story. Having never played that format I immediately disliked it because of the pressure of NOT screwing your playing partner weighed heavily on me and my play definitely went down a notch. It seemed the format invigorated ASN21 and Duffer and they definitely handled the elements better. Being a SoCal guy I don't even own rain gear. Admittedly I allowed the elements to dampen my spirit and every time the rain would let up or the sun would peak through I would get a little hope and optimism only for nature to say "sike!" and started raining and blowing again. It was pretty funny, ASN21 and Duffer were lying seven and Sour Mash and I were lying two in a fairway bunker and our opponents offered to halve the hole. We were like "we can beat a seven". Two balls OB later and we were all "yeah sevens all around". Of course JB rolls by and notices my ball marker is a 1943 steel penny and he was like "it's always gotta be different with you" and I was thinking like "yeah it really does. Does my mom know?" I gotta say JB's humor and enthusiasm really helped lighten my mood cause I really was only wearing my new Under Armour booty shorts and UA short sleeve polo. As ASN21 and Duffer close us out the weather started to let up again and I'm thinking "OK third nine is my time". WRONG. While grabbing a quick bite to eat before the final nine the rain starts coming down SIDEWAYS. Surely we were gonna postpone till conditions improved. WRONG! We on a schedule and there's no time for my ninny ways.
The final nine was pure misery. It was cold, windy and constantly raining on us. My grips, towel and clothing were soaked and I was afraid to lose my clubs so I swung very lightly and pulled out of my shots for the first three holes. I really should have had a drink or two of Shank You's hooch! It was a complete route and Kevin and I could only hope for either a weather miracle or a painless death. Funnily enough our opponents didn't seem fazed at all by the weather so well done fellas. NorCal played in the same conditions we did and they were able to use it to their advantage. Like I said earlier it's never fun to lose but to lose to friends makes it sting less. They deserved the victory and it just makes me want to engage in more competitions. There's really no feeling like it.
Probably the funniest part of the day was when SoCal went back to Greg's room to lick our wounds. We were disappointed but still had a good time laughing while trying to warm up and dry out. After a few beers and laughs we decided to head over to the restaurant and be good losers.
(to be continued. bedtime again.)
Finally, #2 is revealed! :clap: Excellent choice - I need to watch that one again.
bhilton
Active member
Finally had a chance to get caught up on this thread. Way to go NorCal. Sounds like it was a really intense and fun tournament. It really makes me look forward to our SEC battle coming up soon. Hopefully our West team will have the same outcome as the NorCal guys did.
It's almost a week later and I still don't have the words to describe the team of mancest and time4tim other than "buzzsaw". It was ridiculous how well these guys played on a less than favorable day. I'll start my recap once I get done at work but what a weekend. Thank you to NorCal for making the trip down but next time leave the weather up there.
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Appreciate all the recaps guys. Great job.
SlightDraw
Well-known member
Great recaps guys. I definitely missed out!
sandiegonative
Active member
3 challenged individuals
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Hahaha I think I was one of those!
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I can say that the majority of #TeamEast from the SEC RR picked NorCal.