baldguy
Part-Time Sasquatch
First off, let me say that this review was not sanctioned or requested by THP. With that in mind, I thought an account of my experience with my first THP event could prove useful to anyone considering attending their first. We review so much equipment, courses, etc. that it only seems fitting to review events as well. Others have given lots of feedback within other threads, but this is my perspective. I hope someone finds this information useful. Sorry if it is long-winded 
Event Details
Orchestrated and organized by THP and Adams, this event was held February 28-March 1, 2014 in the DFW, TX area. Festivities were in Plano and golf was in Grapevine at the Dallas Cowboys Golf Club.
My Background
I'm a relatively new golfer, with about 9 months of playing under my belt. Going into this I was a bit unsure that I was ready for a real competitive experience, but THP was coming to my hometown and partnering with one of my favorite OEMs. I had to try to get in. I have been competitive in sports my entire life, and spent about 4 years as the Southwest's most prolific Disc Golf tournament director. I ran over 50 sanctioned and charity tournaments ranging in size from 80 players to over 200. Many of the tournaments I have run involved a very significant amount of time and coordination with municipalities, course owners, OEMs, and sponsored professionals. I have also competed on the biggest stage in that sport - the United States Disc Golf Championship - which is as close to a PGA event as that sport currently has. Tournament nerves are nothing new to me, even if I haven't mastered them. I also have a first-person perspective on what it takes to organize a big event, and the difficulties that come with it. Wrangling a huge number of anxious players into a precise schedule of events is a unique and trying task, no matter the sport.
Signup Process
From my perspective, this couldn't have been easier. I put the opening date and time on my calendar and readied myself at my computer. I sent an email with all of the requested information and crossed my fingers. A few minutes later, I got a message from GG that I was in!
There was much hullabaloo around the process, which is to be expected when the supply simply cannot be expanded to meet the demand.This thing sold out in literally 1 second. In my opinion, this can only be a good thing. It is never fun to be turned away (or to be the one turning people away), but the incredible response is a strong indicator of just how much people want to attend these events.
Leading up to the event
The thing that THP does best in my opinion is to generate hype. Whether it be about equipment, courses, events, or gadgets, THP has the innate ability to whip us all into a frenzy. #OwnTheSecondShot was no exception. JB and GG gave us teasers of things to come and left us all to speculate, dream, and fantasize about. Communication throughout the process was excellent for the most part. I even at one point thought about backing out because I just wasn't confident in my own game and didn't want to subject 3 other people to my issues, but GG convinced me via PM to stick with it and just focus on the fun. I'm glad she did... but Shakey, kc720, and Joe from Adams might not agree
#Cookie also did a fantastic job organizing practice rounds for event attendees. He shuffled teetimes to accommodate airline schedules and allowed many of us to meet and play golf with new people and see the course before the official event began. I know that Nate and TexasHacker34 put some people up in their homes, and I'm sure they weren't the only ones. Texas hospitality at its finest!
Day 1
Friday started at the Cowboys Club. This really is a fantastic venue. It has a very private club feel, but is open to the public. #Cookie was there before I was, organizing people and making sure we all got to where we needed to be ahead of time. It was a fun, casual round of golf with 3 fellow THPers. Great weather, great course, great people, great times.
Upon arriving at Adams, I could see that they were ready for us. Blue Adams banners out in the parking lot made for a very welcoming sight. The wrapped Adams dually and tour trailer was parked out front and really made a statement about what we were about to experience. I snapped a few pics with my phone and headed over to the group of anxious THPers standing in front of the building. GG handed out nametags so we could all easily put names to faces. Adams provided iced beverages (it was 80 degrees outside... February in Texas, go figure) and at precisely 4:00pm rounded us up for an intro. A few of the Adams execs gave us a quick intro, then they split us up into tour groups.
My group went to the production floor first. Shafts, heads, assembly equipment, and shipping boxes galore. This wasn't some dressed-up-for-the-public press room, this was where work was getting done. Our tour guide was also an expert fitter (and scratch golfer) and he gave us a lot of good information about how things happen on the line. One interesting note that he pointed out - 90% of assemblers at Adams are female. He said something about their heightened attention to detail... but I was too busy gawking at gear to get all of what he said.
Next was a state-of-the-art fitting room right inside HQ. This is clearly designed for a one-on-one session with a pro and an expert. Big screen, GC2 monitor, and software that gave all the numbers one could want to help dial in their clubs. Behind and to the left were racks full of every current Adams model on tour and in retail, and a few that had not yet seen the public eye. You want to hit the new Adams hotness? not problem... what shaft? what flex in that shaft? what grip? They had it all.
Next door to the fitting room was the putting room. Big Yes! logos on the wall, two very fancy putting greens, a putt tracer, and all sorts of gadgets to fit putters just like everything else. I kept eying the blue bags that were sitting against the wall with our names on them. It was hard to contain my new gear excitement at first, but I quickly got fully interested in what was being said. We were treated to demonstrations by Adams staff, and discussion about technique, club design, and technology both in the putters themselves and the gadgets. We even got a quick green reading lesson... very good stuff! We all picked up our goodie bags and brand new clubs, and headed over to the office area.
This is when it got seriously fun. As if we weren't all already having a good enough time... OFFICE GOLF! Right in their business office, 3 holes were marked with masking tape on the floor. Complete with tee signs, tee boxes, hazards and putting cups, this was a par 12 course like nothing else I've ever seen. Played with foam balls and adams irons (you had to pick one and stick with it for all shots!), the holes were measured in inches and literally played over, through, under, and around the offices and desks that people use every day. The par 4 first was about 400 inches and required a layup to an aisle or you could try to drive the green... 3 cubes away. Oh man, this was so much fun.
Next, my group shuffled into the office of one of their head R&D designers. He showed us CAD schematics, cutaways, and prototypes in every stage from initial mold to final products. We discussed materials, manufacturing, the whole works. The information to be had here was unlike anything even we "prosumers" are generally privy to. I learned so much in that office that I couldn't begin to do the experience justice. I'll just say that it was incredible.
Our final stop at Adams HQ was in a presentation room towards the back corner of the offices. We listened and watched and learned as a group. History of the brand, how it got to where it is today, where they want it to go in the future, and even a yet-unreleased Adams commercial were just part of the presentation. Overall it was great to really see behind the curtain and humanize the folks who make Adams awesome. We ran a bit late in this stage, but soon were led outside to make the 1 mile trip to Love & War in Texas for some free beer and grub.
There was a bit of a mixup at the restaurant that kept us from being seated immediately. Not to fear, Adams ordered up buckets of Shiner Bock to keep us busy while we waited! Once we were seated, the room we were in was filled with conversation, laughter, good beer, good food, and just a great bunch of people having a great time. My day 1 ended happily - I headed home, put a new grip on my new hybrid, and tried to get some sleep... not easily accomplished when you are so excited for the next day.
Day 2
Another early arrival at Cowboys club. GG was at a table in the lobby to greet us and check us in. Free breakfast if you wanted it, free range balls if you wanted them, and plenty of staff to help get us and our gear situated and organized.
Once on the range, we were treated to some more demo time with more ADams clubs. 8 staff bags full of brand new technology in all shapes and sizes... but they didn't have anything other than regular grips. My ape hands require oversized, or I have to dig my fingers into my palms and end up death-gripping... that's not a good idea, so I wasn't able to demo anything. That was disappointing, but I did already have an oversize grip on my new hybrid so I hit that one quite a bit and was plenty warmed up by the time we started our round. Shakey and I headed over about 30 minutes before our tee time to heckle and chat with the groups going out before us.
The format for this tournament was a modified shamble. 3 THPers and one Adams staffer per team. Each player hit a tee shot, the group picked one of those, then each player finished with his own ball from that mark. On par 5s, the team carded one score from the group. Par 4s carded two scores, and par 3s carded three. 6 of the holes were designated as #OwnTheSecondShot holes, where THPers were required to use the new hybrid for their second shot. The Adams staffer was allowed to use anything from his own bag, which of course were all Adams clubs. This was a very fun format that produced some interesting strategy. It wasn't always awesome to be hitting that hybrid from very non-hybrid distances, but the better golfers on my team found ways to make it work.
I played absolutely terribly. It was really some of the worst golf I've played in months, but thankfully I was the D player on the team and the other three members carried me without complaining. I did manage to contribute on a few holes, so I took solace in that. In spite of my bad play, we still had a great time and turned in a respectable score. We didn't place, but we definitely had fun. After the round there was a banquet room all set up for us with buffet-style food and drinks. More time spent chatting with more THPers and Adams folks. There was a brief awards ceremony (grats those who placed - a lot of my local crew!) and I headed home very satisfied with the entire experience.
Biggest Negatives
My only real complaint for this event was that with 30 golfers, as far as I know 29 got an Adams polo in their goodie bag. I did not. Keep in mind that I'm 6'6" and require a tall size or it just doesn't fit. I mentioned that to GG in the questionnaire email and she forwarded it over to Adams. I asked that if they could not do a tall size for me that they instead do a ladies size for my wife. I never heard anything back, but my goodie bag just had no polo in it. Instead it had two t-shirts (neither was Tall). When I asked the adams folks about it, they just said that Adidas doesn't do tall sizes so they didn't order me one. No mention from them of the ladies shirt in lieu... and I know for a fact that Adidas makes tall sizes on some things because all of my gym shirts and many of my t-shirts are Adidas. This isn't the end of the world or anything, but it's a detail that I think Adams could have handled better. It also would have been nice to be able to demo some clubs, but again - not a big deal. Lastly, with only 30 golfers there and an even smaller number being new, it would have made sense to me that JB make a point to introduce himself to those few of us he had not yet met.
I only mention these things because I feel it's important to be honest and give the negative feedback right along with the positive. As an event coordinator and tournament director, I always valued having as much information as possible so I could avoid making those mistakes again the next time around.
Biggest Positives
It's hard to pick a "biggest" positive in an event that was full of so many. Without a doubt though, the thing that made this all work so well was the people. While I didn't get a chance to talk to GG much or JB at all, I did get to meet just about every other THPer who was there and all of the Adams staff. The golf was great, the venue was great, and the behind-the-scenes view at Adams was amazing. I left feeling like I got to do something that very, *very* few golfers in the world ever get to do.
Final Thoughts
Overall this was a fantastic introduction for me to THP events. Adams told us many times that this was the first thing they had done like this and that they were really looking forward to doing it again. With that in mind, I think they knocked it out of the park. I offered the suggestion that next year they make it more expensive ($500 maybe?) and include a full set of #OwnTheSecondShot clubs. That feedback seemed well-received by Adams - at least they know that some of us would be willing to pay more for an even bigger and more awesome experience. I highly recommend that anyone considering a THP event (or even just some Adams gear!) go ahead and pull the trigger. You will not be disappointed.
Event Details
Orchestrated and organized by THP and Adams, this event was held February 28-March 1, 2014 in the DFW, TX area. Festivities were in Plano and golf was in Grapevine at the Dallas Cowboys Golf Club.
My Background
I'm a relatively new golfer, with about 9 months of playing under my belt. Going into this I was a bit unsure that I was ready for a real competitive experience, but THP was coming to my hometown and partnering with one of my favorite OEMs. I had to try to get in. I have been competitive in sports my entire life, and spent about 4 years as the Southwest's most prolific Disc Golf tournament director. I ran over 50 sanctioned and charity tournaments ranging in size from 80 players to over 200. Many of the tournaments I have run involved a very significant amount of time and coordination with municipalities, course owners, OEMs, and sponsored professionals. I have also competed on the biggest stage in that sport - the United States Disc Golf Championship - which is as close to a PGA event as that sport currently has. Tournament nerves are nothing new to me, even if I haven't mastered them
. I also have a first-person perspective on what it takes to organize a big event, and the difficulties that come with it. Wrangling a huge number of anxious players into a precise schedule of events is a unique and trying task, no matter the sport.Signup Process
From my perspective, this couldn't have been easier. I put the opening date and time on my calendar and readied myself at my computer. I sent an email with all of the requested information and crossed my fingers. A few minutes later, I got a message from GG that I was in!
There was much hullabaloo around the process, which is to be expected when the supply simply cannot be expanded to meet the demand.This thing sold out in literally 1 second. In my opinion, this can only be a good thing. It is never fun to be turned away (or to be the one turning people away), but the incredible response is a strong indicator of just how much people want to attend these events.
Leading up to the event
The thing that THP does best in my opinion is to generate hype. Whether it be about equipment, courses, events, or gadgets, THP has the innate ability to whip us all into a frenzy. #OwnTheSecondShot was no exception. JB and GG gave us teasers of things to come and left us all to speculate, dream, and fantasize about. Communication throughout the process was excellent for the most part. I even at one point thought about backing out because I just wasn't confident in my own game and didn't want to subject 3 other people to my issues, but GG convinced me via PM to stick with it and just focus on the fun. I'm glad she did... but Shakey, kc720, and Joe from Adams might not agree
#Cookie also did a fantastic job organizing practice rounds for event attendees. He shuffled teetimes to accommodate airline schedules and allowed many of us to meet and play golf with new people and see the course before the official event began. I know that Nate and TexasHacker34 put some people up in their homes, and I'm sure they weren't the only ones. Texas hospitality at its finest!
Day 1
Friday started at the Cowboys Club. This really is a fantastic venue. It has a very private club feel, but is open to the public. #Cookie was there before I was, organizing people and making sure we all got to where we needed to be ahead of time. It was a fun, casual round of golf with 3 fellow THPers. Great weather, great course, great people, great times.
Upon arriving at Adams, I could see that they were ready for us. Blue Adams banners out in the parking lot made for a very welcoming sight. The wrapped Adams dually and tour trailer was parked out front and really made a statement about what we were about to experience. I snapped a few pics with my phone and headed over to the group of anxious THPers standing in front of the building. GG handed out nametags so we could all easily put names to faces. Adams provided iced beverages (it was 80 degrees outside... February in Texas, go figure) and at precisely 4:00pm rounded us up for an intro. A few of the Adams execs gave us a quick intro, then they split us up into tour groups.
My group went to the production floor first. Shafts, heads, assembly equipment, and shipping boxes galore. This wasn't some dressed-up-for-the-public press room, this was where work was getting done. Our tour guide was also an expert fitter (and scratch golfer) and he gave us a lot of good information about how things happen on the line. One interesting note that he pointed out - 90% of assemblers at Adams are female. He said something about their heightened attention to detail... but I was too busy gawking at gear to get all of what he said
. Next was a state-of-the-art fitting room right inside HQ. This is clearly designed for a one-on-one session with a pro and an expert. Big screen, GC2 monitor, and software that gave all the numbers one could want to help dial in their clubs. Behind and to the left were racks full of every current Adams model on tour and in retail, and a few that had not yet seen the public eye. You want to hit the new Adams hotness? not problem... what shaft? what flex in that shaft? what grip? They had it all.
Next door to the fitting room was the putting room. Big Yes! logos on the wall, two very fancy putting greens, a putt tracer, and all sorts of gadgets to fit putters just like everything else. I kept eying the blue bags that were sitting against the wall with our names on them. It was hard to contain my new gear excitement at first, but I quickly got fully interested in what was being said. We were treated to demonstrations by Adams staff, and discussion about technique, club design, and technology both in the putters themselves and the gadgets. We even got a quick green reading lesson... very good stuff! We all picked up our goodie bags and brand new clubs, and headed over to the office area.
This is when it got seriously fun. As if we weren't all already having a good enough time... OFFICE GOLF! Right in their business office, 3 holes were marked with masking tape on the floor. Complete with tee signs, tee boxes, hazards and putting cups, this was a par 12 course like nothing else I've ever seen. Played with foam balls and adams irons (you had to pick one and stick with it for all shots!), the holes were measured in inches and literally played over, through, under, and around the offices and desks that people use every day. The par 4 first was about 400 inches and required a layup to an aisle or you could try to drive the green... 3 cubes away. Oh man, this was so much fun.
Next, my group shuffled into the office of one of their head R&D designers. He showed us CAD schematics, cutaways, and prototypes in every stage from initial mold to final products. We discussed materials, manufacturing, the whole works. The information to be had here was unlike anything even we "prosumers" are generally privy to. I learned so much in that office that I couldn't begin to do the experience justice. I'll just say that it was incredible.
Our final stop at Adams HQ was in a presentation room towards the back corner of the offices. We listened and watched and learned as a group. History of the brand, how it got to where it is today, where they want it to go in the future, and even a yet-unreleased Adams commercial were just part of the presentation. Overall it was great to really see behind the curtain and humanize the folks who make Adams awesome. We ran a bit late in this stage, but soon were led outside to make the 1 mile trip to Love & War in Texas for some free beer and grub.
There was a bit of a mixup at the restaurant that kept us from being seated immediately. Not to fear, Adams ordered up buckets of Shiner Bock to keep us busy while we waited! Once we were seated, the room we were in was filled with conversation, laughter, good beer, good food, and just a great bunch of people having a great time. My day 1 ended happily - I headed home, put a new grip on my new hybrid, and tried to get some sleep... not easily accomplished when you are so excited for the next day.
Day 2
Another early arrival at Cowboys club. GG was at a table in the lobby to greet us and check us in. Free breakfast if you wanted it, free range balls if you wanted them, and plenty of staff to help get us and our gear situated and organized.
Once on the range, we were treated to some more demo time with more ADams clubs. 8 staff bags full of brand new technology in all shapes and sizes... but they didn't have anything other than regular grips. My ape hands require oversized, or I have to dig my fingers into my palms and end up death-gripping... that's not a good idea, so I wasn't able to demo anything. That was disappointing, but I did already have an oversize grip on my new hybrid so I hit that one quite a bit and was plenty warmed up by the time we started our round. Shakey and I headed over about 30 minutes before our tee time to heckle and chat with the groups going out before us.
The format for this tournament was a modified shamble. 3 THPers and one Adams staffer per team. Each player hit a tee shot, the group picked one of those, then each player finished with his own ball from that mark. On par 5s, the team carded one score from the group. Par 4s carded two scores, and par 3s carded three. 6 of the holes were designated as #OwnTheSecondShot holes, where THPers were required to use the new hybrid for their second shot. The Adams staffer was allowed to use anything from his own bag, which of course were all Adams clubs. This was a very fun format that produced some interesting strategy. It wasn't always awesome to be hitting that hybrid from very non-hybrid distances, but the better golfers on my team found ways to make it work
.I played absolutely terribly. It was really some of the worst golf I've played in months, but thankfully I was the D player on the team and the other three members carried me without complaining
. I did manage to contribute on a few holes, so I took solace in that. In spite of my bad play, we still had a great time and turned in a respectable score. We didn't place, but we definitely had fun. After the round there was a banquet room all set up for us with buffet-style food and drinks. More time spent chatting with more THPers and Adams folks. There was a brief awards ceremony (grats those who placed - a lot of my local crew!) and I headed home very satisfied with the entire experience.Biggest Negatives
My only real complaint for this event was that with 30 golfers, as far as I know 29 got an Adams polo in their goodie bag. I did not. Keep in mind that I'm 6'6" and require a tall size or it just doesn't fit. I mentioned that to GG in the questionnaire email and she forwarded it over to Adams. I asked that if they could not do a tall size for me that they instead do a ladies size for my wife. I never heard anything back, but my goodie bag just had no polo in it. Instead it had two t-shirts (neither was Tall). When I asked the adams folks about it, they just said that Adidas doesn't do tall sizes so they didn't order me one. No mention from them of the ladies shirt in lieu... and I know for a fact that Adidas makes tall sizes on some things because all of my gym shirts and many of my t-shirts are Adidas. This isn't the end of the world or anything, but it's a detail that I think Adams could have handled better. It also would have been nice to be able to demo some clubs, but again - not a big deal. Lastly, with only 30 golfers there and an even smaller number being new, it would have made sense to me that JB make a point to introduce himself to those few of us he had not yet met.
I only mention these things because I feel it's important to be honest and give the negative feedback right along with the positive. As an event coordinator and tournament director, I always valued having as much information as possible so I could avoid making those mistakes again the next time around.
Biggest Positives
It's hard to pick a "biggest" positive in an event that was full of so many. Without a doubt though, the thing that made this all work so well was the people. While I didn't get a chance to talk to GG much or JB at all, I did get to meet just about every other THPer who was there and all of the Adams staff. The golf was great, the venue was great, and the behind-the-scenes view at Adams was amazing. I left feeling like I got to do something that very, *very* few golfers in the world ever get to do.
Final Thoughts
Overall this was a fantastic introduction for me to THP events. Adams told us many times that this was the first thing they had done like this and that they were really looking forward to doing it again. With that in mind, I think they knocked it out of the park. I offered the suggestion that next year they make it more expensive ($500 maybe?) and include a full set of #OwnTheSecondShot clubs. That feedback seemed well-received by Adams - at least they know that some of us would be willing to pay more for an even bigger and more awesome experience. I highly recommend that anyone considering a THP event (or even just some Adams gear!) go ahead and pull the trigger. You will not be disappointed.