zbeekner4
Proud 2019 Grandaddy Alum
So many of you guys may have seen on social media this week that I got to experience a trip that I won back on October. Well as a THP member, I wanted to share with you guys my experience and give a ton of praise and recognition to Noelle and Eli and their whole staff with Srixon/Cleveland golf & Golf Digest for treating me like a king for two days. And also, if you were on the fence about the Cleveland short game shootout, hopefully this thread will help you make your decision!
HOW I WON:
DAY 1: THE FITTING
I arrived at the Srixon/Cleveland golf HQ at 9am.
I was greeted by Noelle and Eli of Srixon, Cleveland and XXIO golf and taken immediately to my wedge fitting. My fitter, Ruben, is also the fitter for all of the Cleveland/Srixon tour staff. He even mentioned that most recently, Smylie Kaufman had come in last week and was dialing in a few clubs and shafts with him in the studio! This was seriously so cool that I was getting a fitting done where all of these pros are fitted as well! I only had to speak with Ruben for a few minutes before I realized that this guy knew what he was talking about. Crazy smart and analytical but also made me feel like I was one of their tour staff pros. We talked through my game, shot shape, trajectory, etc and then went through hitting a few shots with my pitching wedge.
Noelle posted a lot of great pictures on Instagram so some of my photos are screenshots from there.
Ruben started changing lie angles with me and changing shafts to see what works best. We went through a number of combinations but the end result was clearly Dynamic Gold S400 bent 3* flat and an extra wrap on my right (or lower) hand. All 3 were tour satin and we went 50, 54, 58. The 50 and 54 were the 2 dot but the 58 was a 1 dot cause I rarely hit full shots with it. Here are my numbers:
I also got the full treatment by getting "Tour Issue" S400 shafts with the multi compound platinum navy/gray grips.
Don't skull a chip....no pressure.
After the fitting, we walked over to the putting green and Eli asked if I liked any of the putters. He proceeded to tell me to pick one out to also take home with me! This wasn't part of the plan but like I said, these guys treated me like a tour pro. It was incredible. I went with the counter balanced TFI.
DAY 1 Part 2: HQ TOUR/SWAG BAG
After the fitting, Noelle and Eli took me to lunch before returning to HQ for a full factory tour. It was really neat to watch how clubs were made, personalized stamped balls were done, and just the overall the history of the company. This picture is one of the machines that engraves letters on clubs, this particular one was having "wedge analyzer" etched into it.
At the end of the tour, I received yet another surprise of golf swag which included 2 dozen Srixon Z-Star XV Balls (white and yellow) 2 gloves, and 2 hats. The builders also had finished my wedges by that time so I received those as well to put in my bag for Tuesday mornings round. Here's a picture of everything together.
After a big day at HQ, we were treated to a very nice dinner at a place called Solitas in Huntington Beach. Awesome dinner and conversation and getting to know Eli, Noelle and few other staffers. These guys are the best and treat people right.
DAY 2: WILSHIRE CC
With my new wedges, new putter, ew Z-Star XV golf balls in hand, we set off for our 7:30am tee time at Wilshire Country Club in downtown LA. We had caddies and walked 18. It's really hard to describe how special Wilshire is without experiencing it, on many of the holes, you can actually see the Hollywood sign in the distance.
On the picture below, I was about 118yds to the pin, hit my new 50* about 30 feet past the pin, and spun it off the front of the green. There is a hill but man, the new wedges/Z-Star XV combo works for me! (I'll be doing some reviews on their respective threads later)
We finished up our round, had lunch in the clubhouse and then headed to my "surprise."
DAY 2, Part 2: Surprise
A trip to the Genesis Open at Riviera!!!
The course wasn't open to the public so we were literally inside the ropes and getting up close to not only the players but this BEAUTIFUL course.
I was treated to a tour of the staff truck and see all the equipment that have on board. That was really cool to see what these guys use week in and week out.
The final surprise was a meet and greet on the course. I'll let the pictures do the talking...
All in all, a fantastic trip and more than I could've ever thought possible. The Srixon/Cleveland golf and Golf Digest staff are really awesome people and I am still in awe of what happened the past 2 days. I got a few tidbits of info for the THP Cleveland Shootout and all I can say is that you want to be in that one. It's gonna be incredible! Thanks again to Noelle and Eli, unforgettable experience, truly a great company with great people.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
HOW I WON:
Spoiler
Back in October, Srixon/Cleveland golf and Golf Digest did a sweepstakes on twitter and asked for followers to post a picture or video on how they best "#own125" (you can still see the entries if you look at #own125sweepstakes on twitter or instagram, including mine!) Here is the winning tweet that I posted.
I received an email in October stating that I had won the contest which consisted of a all-expense paid trip to Srixon/Cleveland golf HQ in California in February, 3 new RTX-3 wedges, 18 holes at Wilshire Country Club, and a special "surprise" after the golf round. I was stoked and was completely shocked that I had won but couldn't wait for the trip!
I received an email in October stating that I had won the contest which consisted of a all-expense paid trip to Srixon/Cleveland golf HQ in California in February, 3 new RTX-3 wedges, 18 holes at Wilshire Country Club, and a special "surprise" after the golf round. I was stoked and was completely shocked that I had won but couldn't wait for the trip!
DAY 1: THE FITTING
Spoiler
I arrived at the Srixon/Cleveland golf HQ at 9am.
I was greeted by Noelle and Eli of Srixon, Cleveland and XXIO golf and taken immediately to my wedge fitting. My fitter, Ruben, is also the fitter for all of the Cleveland/Srixon tour staff. He even mentioned that most recently, Smylie Kaufman had come in last week and was dialing in a few clubs and shafts with him in the studio! This was seriously so cool that I was getting a fitting done where all of these pros are fitted as well! I only had to speak with Ruben for a few minutes before I realized that this guy knew what he was talking about. Crazy smart and analytical but also made me feel like I was one of their tour staff pros. We talked through my game, shot shape, trajectory, etc and then went through hitting a few shots with my pitching wedge.
Noelle posted a lot of great pictures on Instagram so some of my photos are screenshots from there.
Ruben started changing lie angles with me and changing shafts to see what works best. We went through a number of combinations but the end result was clearly Dynamic Gold S400 bent 3* flat and an extra wrap on my right (or lower) hand. All 3 were tour satin and we went 50, 54, 58. The 50 and 54 were the 2 dot but the 58 was a 1 dot cause I rarely hit full shots with it. Here are my numbers:
I also got the full treatment by getting "Tour Issue" S400 shafts with the multi compound platinum navy/gray grips.
Don't skull a chip....no pressure.
After the fitting, we walked over to the putting green and Eli asked if I liked any of the putters. He proceeded to tell me to pick one out to also take home with me! This wasn't part of the plan but like I said, these guys treated me like a tour pro. It was incredible. I went with the counter balanced TFI.
DAY 1 Part 2: HQ TOUR/SWAG BAG
Spoiler
After the fitting, Noelle and Eli took me to lunch before returning to HQ for a full factory tour. It was really neat to watch how clubs were made, personalized stamped balls were done, and just the overall the history of the company. This picture is one of the machines that engraves letters on clubs, this particular one was having "wedge analyzer" etched into it.
At the end of the tour, I received yet another surprise of golf swag which included 2 dozen Srixon Z-Star XV Balls (white and yellow) 2 gloves, and 2 hats. The builders also had finished my wedges by that time so I received those as well to put in my bag for Tuesday mornings round. Here's a picture of everything together.
After a big day at HQ, we were treated to a very nice dinner at a place called Solitas in Huntington Beach. Awesome dinner and conversation and getting to know Eli, Noelle and few other staffers. These guys are the best and treat people right.
DAY 2: WILSHIRE CC
Spoiler
With my new wedges, new putter, ew Z-Star XV golf balls in hand, we set off for our 7:30am tee time at Wilshire Country Club in downtown LA. We had caddies and walked 18. It's really hard to describe how special Wilshire is without experiencing it, on many of the holes, you can actually see the Hollywood sign in the distance.
On the picture below, I was about 118yds to the pin, hit my new 50* about 30 feet past the pin, and spun it off the front of the green. There is a hill but man, the new wedges/Z-Star XV combo works for me! (I'll be doing some reviews on their respective threads later)
We finished up our round, had lunch in the clubhouse and then headed to my "surprise."
DAY 2, Part 2: Surprise
Spoiler
A trip to the Genesis Open at Riviera!!!
The course wasn't open to the public so we were literally inside the ropes and getting up close to not only the players but this BEAUTIFUL course.
I was treated to a tour of the staff truck and see all the equipment that have on board. That was really cool to see what these guys use week in and week out.
The final surprise was a meet and greet on the course. I'll let the pictures do the talking...
All in all, a fantastic trip and more than I could've ever thought possible. The Srixon/Cleveland golf and Golf Digest staff are really awesome people and I am still in awe of what happened the past 2 days. I got a few tidbits of info for the THP Cleveland Shootout and all I can say is that you want to be in that one. It's gonna be incredible! Thanks again to Noelle and Eli, unforgettable experience, truly a great company with great people.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk