2015 Cleveland Golf Tour For THPers - Up & Down

Nate with the amazing recap. Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. Thanks for all the posts over the weekend. Loved following along when I could.
By the way, we missed you at dinner Saturday. But we understood.
 
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I'm going through the thread myself. Seeing these pictures reminded me of the story Keith told us. Mr. Nelson had a special relationship with Cleveland and according to Keith was a special human being, the kind of person who treated everyone with kindness, remembered your name, made you fee like you'd known each other for some time, etc. One day the then president of Cleveland asked Mr. Nelson how well he would have done if he had been able to use modern technology, how many more tournaments and majors he would have won, how many records he would have broken. Mr Nelson's answer was a bit surprising: "None. It doesn't matter. The middle of the club face is the middle of the club face."
 
Took a half wedge swing in my hotel room with the swing byte. Not sure what it all means yet, but it's pretty cool.
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I learned the translation on Sunday. All those numbers mean this: you are about to shoot your new PB.
 
What a cool day and getting the SwingByte on top of it all was a nice surprise. Cleveland really understands how to get golfers fit without overloading them and making it fun.

Their swing analyzer tool is using a driver head that was made to mimic the average of all the drivers on the market, not just Cleveland/Srixon, and using that to gauge where on their matrix you fall. It even recommends irons and shaft flex as well.

A ton of fun today and looking forward to the range tomorrow.
We should explain this better. Cleveland produces a driver specifically to be used with the swing analyzer that is not part of any line of clubs they sell. It is purely an industry average club for everything in the market place. It has a red head with white Srixon lettering and a red shaft (I think). I don't remember any other markings on it indicating loft or shaft flex. That's the club you use with the swing analyzer, not your own driver.
 
Finally found some time to try and recap this amazing event from a first timers view of an official event. First off I cannot say or give enough thanks to all that helped to put this event together. JB and GG THANK YOU! Cleveland Golf THANK YOU! All the guys from THP that made the trip THANK YOU!

Friday- morning came early as I ventured south over the Grapevine headed towards Orange County to pick up Frank (t4k) at the airport. Everything was going great until I accidently got into the carpool lane (Honest to God). I was only in it long enough to see the diamond markings in the lane before I quickly jumped back out. Well Mr. CHP happened to be right there and he thought it important enough to make 3 lane changes to get in behind me and turn on his lights! "Crap, I cant belive this!" License and proof of insurance please. Pulling you over for improper use of carpool lane sir. "I wasn't in that lane for more than 500' when I realized it and bailed back out" I tried to explain. Be right back he said. NO LUCK for me. Ticket received, tossed it into the glove box and determined that wasn't going to ruin my weekend and I was quickly back on my way to pick up Frank. Having never met him we quickly introduced ourselves, tossed his stuff in the back of the truck and away we went. Immediately I knew that hanging out and rooming with Frank for 2 days was not going to be difficult. Great guy, loves golf and we had numerous things in common!

Arriving at Cleveland HQ's about 45 minutes before everyone was cool because I got to meet everyone as they arrived. Not going to lie, I was a bit nervous! The first to arrive was MikeG and Nate, I knew what Mike looked like from seeing photos of him on THP but Nate I had no clue. When he introduced himself I kinda had to laugh to myself. Later at lunch I had to tell him I had envisioned him to be this "24 year old punk kid who wore clothes 3 sizes to big... possibly with corn rows or dreads." HAHA... Nate is nothing like that and possibly one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet in your life!

Everyone else quickly arrived and introductions were made and we made our way into Cleveland Golf HQ's.

We all signed in and got our guest badges. Keith Patterson met us in the lobby and our tour began.

First impressions to me were WOW, this place is huge! Every aspect of Cleveland Golf is done in the same building. We made our way through rooms with cubicles, the conference room, down hallways with closed doors with brass name plates hanging on them, through the warehouse, into a room that does customization, the fitters room and finally into the room that we all spent the most time in which was what Nate described above. I won't say too much about that because he really covered it well.

I will add that in that room is where I took my first swing in front of other THPer's and I was a bit nervous. Thankfully Fupy already proved that none of us are pros or have pro swings and that took away alot of the nerves. Thanks Dave for doing that by the way! LOL

The Cleveland/Srixon staff was amazing and genuinely friendly. If any of you can ever make it to a Cleveland event DO IT! Don't even think about it... DO IT! So much fun to be around!

Saturday- Time for golf! I had just received my Bridgestone J15's and 2 Cobra FW woods for winning Fantasy Golf the night before I left for this event but I decided to take those instead of my regular gamers. I figured why not play a full set of clubs (except driver) I've never played before. It was my version of some other great THP events. LOVED THEM right off the bat btw! At the range we were able to demo some Srixon irons. One that stood out to me the most was a Z545 with recoil shafts. Mike let me hit his and it was love at first sight!

Over on the putting green was where I spent most of my time with my new 6.5. I immediately fell in love with this putter. The ball comes off the face so smooth. The alignment gave me much confidence. My lags were closer to the hole and my 5-10' putts were dropping for me. I will definatley keep this in the bag for a long long time.

Soon enough we were all told to head to our carts and we were off. Paired with emmers, MikeG and Adam Sheldon from Srixon (The guy who invented the 2135 putter). There was no competition just friendly golf. We decided to play from the blues and away we went. The entire round was enjoyable and a beautiful day for golf.

Hole 18 will forever be etched into my mind. I had hit a great tee shot and was left a 150 yd shot to the green. Somewhat of a blind shot from where I was standing because of the water and tall grass on the shores. I normally play a 7i from that distance so that's what I went with. Well I found out after hitting that shot that this is now my 165-170yd iron. I pull up and see my ball down by the hole. The first group was finished and was waiting for the other two groups to finish. I ask them if that's where my ball landed. "Yep, and you had better make that putt now". I sensed something wasn't right and I asked Nate "really, that's where it landed?" He said no, it actually missed JB's head, hit his collar on his shirt, ricocheted off the front of the the front brace of the winshield... AND JOSH CAUGHT IT WITH HIS BARE HANDS! I just about crapped my pants. NO WAY! My mind went kind of blank after that, I missed the putt. As soon as we were off the green I went over to the group and we relived what actually happened. Pretty sure JB was experiencing one of those moments when your life flashed right before your eyes. I told him I was sorry and I didn't have clue that I had hit into them. Gracefully he accepted and didn't just kick my arse right in front of everyone!

Sunday- Extra rounds was a blast and Oak Quarry was the most beautiful and challenging course I've ever played.

T4K- Roomie, Co-pilot, Cart partner, mentor and whatever else you were to me this weekend THANK YOU! You took me in under your wing and represented THP with class. Thanks for being my go to guy when I had questions. You helped make this weekend more relaxed and made a "new guy" feel like he fit right in!

Emmers- It was fun being you cart partner on Saturday! We definately played "all of the course". I knew we were in for a fun round when looking for our tee shots on the first hole we felt like our cart needed knobbie tires LOL! It was great meeting you!

MikeG- You were in my foursome on Saturday and I usually dont play golf while listening to music but what you had going was my kinds music. You kept the game fun and loose and it was my pleasure to meet you! If you ever decide to part with those 95 Recoils let me know. Those 545's are freaking sweet! (By the way, I had Pandora CCR playing all the way home)

Nate- HAHAHA... you ain't 24 and definately aren't some punk kid! I really wish I would have gotten to tee it up with you! Next time okay!

ken_h- One of the highlights of my weekend was the extra round on Sunday and watching you shoot your PB on a course that pushed me 15 over my cap! I loved the excitement and focus you had. Congrats!

Fupresti, Duffer Too, azrsx- I didn't get to spend too much time with you guys but I'm glad I got the chance to meet you and to put a face with a name now. You're all west coasters so I'm sure our paths will cross again... hopefully sooner than later!
 
Great recap Pappa. Nothing like your first THP Event.
 
So I'm writing up my recap & wanted o explain the "beer coasters" we mentioned a time or two. It's hard to explain, but basically the Cleveland golf app & this coaster renders a 3D hologram of the 2135 putter and it's make up. So rather than bore you with words here are pictures

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Pretty cool to see in person
 
GREAT job capturing that, Mike. Perfect.


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Great recaps so far Nate and Papa!


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What a weekend we had with Cleveland/Srixon Golf. Thank you JB & GG for continuing to place normal internet golfers in a room with OEM's and get the facts straight from the source. I've always wanted to attend the smaller (group size) events like this because they seem like a blast every time and this one did not disappoint.

A few thoughts from this past weekend in California-

- Adam, Chris, Keith, Brisa, Eli & the rest of the Cleveland/Srixon crew are a blast to hang out with. To see the passion each one of them has in their brand is truly awesome and infectious. They understand what they do and how to maximize that in the market. The new fitting methodology they are adopting with their products is something I've never seen before and really a genius idea. You can fit any golfer without overloading them or intimidating them with numbers. Take a few swings and immediately you know where you fall within their products.

- Sharing a cart with Adam and playing with him on Saturday was an experience I will not soon forget. This man hasnt played a round of golf in 6months & promptly went out and shot a smooth 78. Mentally I was trying to keep up because for one i didn't want to embarrass myself and two I didn't want to embarrass myself. IT was fun round and when he asked to play some Beattles on Pandora, that was pretty cool. Oh and it was also cool playing with the guy that actually came up with the idea and design of the 2135 we were all playing

- Seeing the light bulb go off for first time THP'ers at events like these. Watching the guys take it all in as we walked the warehouse and toured the facility was awesome. It reminded me of my first event and the best way to grow this community with quality members. THP will always be what you get put into it. If you take a chance, put yourself out there and attend an event, you will not be disappointed.

- Speaking of quality THP'ers, Nate was my road dog from the minute I got off the plane and headed to the rental car lot. IT was a blast sharing this event with you and as always we laughed our tails off. I knew that fitting monitor was eating at you after the first day and it was pretty funny that you stayed back to get the "validation" you were looking for. I'm glad i've mastered the art of "Bringing Nate Back From The Brink" because you were pouting like a toddler who didn't get his way there for a while on Sunday. I wasn't sure if it was the pressure I was putting on you during our match or what, but golfing with a happy Nate is always better than beating a pouting Nate. :friends:

- What was the first thing I did once we left the facility on Friday?? Straight to the golf shop and get a SuperStroke put on it! #InternetGolfer

- Watching Fupresti destroy a golf ball is a sight you have to see. JB called it on the swing analyzer tool, we found a way to turn it into a competition. Oh and don't let him fool you, he eats bacon!

- If you've never met Emmers, just think Steve Marino. Splitting image

- I will never complain about Houston traffic again. Driving in LA makes Houston feel like a Sunday stroll through the country side.

- I'm still in shock at the wedges and the swag bag we were given. I got home and my wife promptly confiscated the portable charger and the water bottle. Adam and I tested out the bag on Saturday and I am happy to report it keeps adults beverages nice and cold.

- I always regret not spending more time with everyone at these events. Things seem to happen at a quick pace and the next thing you know you're on a plane heading home. It was great to meet everyone!

- Thank you American Airlines for making my flight home easier.

- Gentle Ben came home to Texas. Sounds crazy given all that we experienced, but winning that signed hat was pretty cool and something I will cherish.

- XXIO balls are apparently kryptonite to THP'ers. I'm not sure of the properties this ball is made from, but for some reason you give it to a THP'er to play and they forget how to swing a club.

- #WestTexasStinger travels

I had a blast & again thank you JB, GG, Cleveland/Srixon and anyone who had a hand in making this event a reality. Word on the street is that next year Vegas might be the location for an event with Cleveland/Srixon, if so that will be a hard ticket to punch!
 
So I'm writing up my recap & wanted o explain the "beer coasters" we mentioned a time or two. It's hard to explain, but basically the Cleveland golf app & this coaster renders a 3D hologram of the 2135 putter and it's make up. So rather than bore you with words here are pictures

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Pretty cool to see in person

that stuff is pretty amazing right? Blew my mind when the developers gave us a preview.
 
I was not pouting, I was still 2 up on you at the time. :D But it is true, somehow that cart girl comes around at the right time and you know exactly what to do.

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It was kinda cool to see in person. I knew describing wouldnt do it justice so i decided to take the pictures to show it off. After messing with it for a while, laying the coaster on a flat surface was the best way to see it.
 
I was not pouting, I was still 2 up on you at the time. :D But it is true, somehow that cart girl comes around at the right time and you know exactly what to do.

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I didnt notice any pouting but I can remember you being a lot more chatty after some help from the drink cart.
 
I didnt notice any pouting but I can remember you being a lot more chatty after some help from the drink cart.

That was because you let me hit your driver on the back! But you are right, hosel rocket's on 115 yard par 3's aren't fun to hit. :banghead:
 
That was because you let me hit your driver on the back! But you are right, hosel rocket's on 115 yard par 3's aren't fun to hit. :banghead:
Just virtually slide me over an offer and you could hit those drives all the time.
 
Wanted to also give a shout out to alez367 and Awkward Silence who helped set up the Sunday round in LA for those of us who stayed and played after the event. Met both of those guys for the first time and they couldn't have been better people. AS played with mikeg and myself while alez367 played with The Papa, ken_h and tequila4kapp. Both guys were a blast to be around after we finished up.

You CA peeps would do yourself some good by playing with either one of these guys. Good people in my book and who I look forward to seeing again somewhere down the road.
 
Wanted to also give a shout out to alez367 and Awkward Silence who helped set up the Sunday round in LA for those of us who stayed and played after the event. Met both of those guys for the first time and they couldn't have been better people. AS played with mikeg and myself while alez367 played with The Papa, ken_h and tequila4kapp. Both guys were a blast to be around after we finished up.

You CA peeps would do yourself some good by playing with either one of these guys. Good people in my book and who I look forward to seeing again somewhere down the road.
Couldn't agree more and I was going to say so myself in my event recap, if I can ever get my thoughts together well enough to finish it.
 
My event recap starts with a repost from Friday:

I predict that at some point tonight Papa is going to wish he five finger discounted a couple of these ear plugs.

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ThePapa came over to tell me he saw my post and laughed out loud because he knew something I didn’t – the joke was on me. It didn’t matter that I’m a pretty bad snorer (and get a lot of crap from my family about it) because he wears hearing aids. When he takes them out he can’t hear anything, so he’d sleep like a log no matter how loud I got. This was an early sign that Scott was going to be the peanut butter to my jelly on this trip, a perfect guy to share rides and a room with. (thanks for everything buddy, I really enjoyed sharing this trip with you).

I wanted to start with that story because even though the swag, golf courses and everything else from THP events are great – they really are and I really do appreciate all of it – the people and friendships formed at events have often been the true highlight for me. Somehow there’s a magic that happens at THP events where people that haven’t met in person connect immediately as if they’ve been long time friends. It is such an amazing and unique thing. The Up And Down event with Cleveland / Srixon was no exception.

Friday at dinner I was seated more or less between Chris from Srixon and Keith from Cleveland. Keith shared a story which I’ll paraphrase – he’s reached an age where he just doesn’t have the time or energy to deal with people’s BS. He likes people (and golf forums) that are authentic, and that’s why he likes THP and why he considers Josh a friend. We went on to share stories about our families and interests outside of golf. Chris and I tipped a few beers together while commiserating over the challenges that come with traveling and leaving younger kids behind with a spouse. The next morning I was in a bay on the range next to Brisa from Cleveland; we joked about her hangover being a good thing for her game because it would slow her down and help her tempo. Eli from Srixon had an Oski head cover on his driver, which told me immediately that he was a great guy. We shared a few “Go Bears!” then grumbled over Cal getting their arses beat down two nights before by UCLA. It was fun seeing Adam’s excitement as he turned around to needle Keith who grumbled when Adam outdrove him on the simulator Friday afternoon. All of which is to say every single one of the people at Cleveland / Srixon was – to borrow a Keith-ism – real. It made them more interesting and approachable and the event more fun. Thank you to each and every one of you for making this a special time. I really do hope the whispers of Cleveland and THP in Vegas eventually come to fruition. I’ll be first in line for sign ups.

About that simulator. So 9 random guys found themselves hanging out at Cleveland headquarters on a Friday afternoon doing closest to the pin and long drive contests (with Turnberry set as the backdrop) at Cleveland’s corporate fitting room. Yeah, that happens every day. Not. Fupresti commented to me in a private moment that being out there with JB was A LOT of work. This is something us members maybe have some abstract notion of, but probably none of us can truly understand. So let me take a moment to say thank you to Morgan, Josh and all the other staff members for all your efforts – the stuff that happens silently behind the scenes every day to keep the site running, as well as the stuff that makes incredible opportunities like this happen. We may not fully understand it but we DO appreciate it.

About those 9 guys. One of the great things about events is seeing old friends (MikeG, Fupresti, Duffer) again, making new friends (ThePapa, Nate, Emmers, Ken_h and azrsx) and seeing them experience THP events for the first time. That was definitely true here. The new guys were like teenagers standing nervously against a wall at their first high school dance when Adam broke out the closest to the pin contest on the simulator and invited someone to come hit a wedge. The ice was broken shortly when Fupresti stepped up to the plate and immediately shanked not one but two wedges in a row (I can talk, I shanked my 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] shot…hey, the grip was really slick!). That wall to the right of the simulator may still be dented :bashful: After that the ice began to thaw and the fun factor increased even more.

About that swag. Everyone saw the pictures. It was very generous. And that’s what many of us commented on – how generous everyone was with us. Not just with the swag but with their time (Friday not working, Friday night at dinner and Saturday with us on the course instead of with families and friends) and their thoughtfulness. It did not go unnoticed. Thank you again THP and Cleveland / Srixon.

About those other guys. I will probably always think of Alez367 as Kang’s Mini-Me from now on (he knows what I’m talking about). Alex drove up from San Diego to make an 8am tee time Sunday morning and brought an M1 with him for me to demo. Awkward Silence fought off a nasty bug, handled a bunch of up front finances with the course to lower expenses for a bunch of guys he’d never met and gave me a ride to the airport. More than that they are both just great guys and fun to hang with. If either of you make it up to Portland and don’t connect with me for a round of golf I’m going to hunt you down.

About this thread. I really hope you guys enjoyed following along. It was an interesting experience being at HQ. There would be some down time then you’d go to a room and there’d be a million things to see. You’d linger for a bit then you were moving on to the next room with a bunch of great stuff to see. Or you’d go to a room – like the one in their Marketing department – with a display wall not unlike what you might see in a store. You’d poke around and feel like you saw everything only to hear someone mention something else (after you left the room) and realize “Damn it, I missed that!” Over and above that there were any number of conversations where little tid-bits were shared about the industry, a company, a product line, etc. It was such a unique experience to gain those insights (I tried as best I could but these were harder to share). It was a fun experience that I really appreciated. I hope we collectively succeeded in making the rest of you feel like you were there, too.

In closing, I'd like to encourage all of you to give Cleveland/Srixon a look the next time you are in the market for gear. Between the fitting tool mentioned in this thread, the wedge analyzer, the 2135 technology, the mobile app for the 2135 putters, their desire to create equipment that makes the game easier and more enjoyable for every day golfers, a host of different products from the Cleveland/Srixon/XXIO brands and a whole lot more, they are really innovating to bring it on every front. Before this event they were a bit under the radar for me. No more.
 
I don't have a ton to add that the others haven't already talked about, I just want to give a big thank you to JB, Golfer Gal and everyone from Cleveland/Srixon for an amazing event. There's nowhere else where I could have gotten the opportunity to do something like this, and am just very grateful that I was lucky enough to be chosen.

All of the clubs and swag we got was awesome, but meeting and getting to know my fellow THPers and the Cleveland/Srixon group was what made the experience unforgettable, and just makes me want to do more events.

Playing with T4K, The Papa, and alez367 on Sunday during the extra round and shooting a PB just capped the whole weekend off. It was awesome that alez367 and Awkward Silence came out to play with us.

I want to thank all of the other participants for being so inviting and fun to be around, and I hope I get to see/play golf with all of you again at some point. I also want to give a special thank you to The Papa for buying me a divot tool/ball marker after the round on Sunday to commemorate my PB. That was unexpected and very nice, and it's something I'll treasure.
 
Now that I am rested, it's time time give some more follow-up.

This has likely been endlessly covered, but the THPers this I spent the weekend with blew me away. Everyone was very inviting and inclusive. You felt like you'd known them all for years, not hours. I came in putting a large amount of pressure on myself to play well. I learned quickly this was not the case. It didn't matter how anyone played, we had a blast every step. I had a great time cruising around the course with Papa and was pleased to only nearly die once. It was great having tequilla and duffer at the hotel who had previous experience at events to answer questions and share stories with. I'm glad I stayed at the hotel with everyone else to have that extra time.

The biggest takeaway for me was how impressed I was with the Cleveland / Srixon staff. Keith and his team really went out of their way to make this event spectacular. I felt like half of their office was in the fitting center with us at one point answering questions and making sure we had every gift imaginable. The fitting center was an experience to remember. I am really excited to try my Swingbyte! Golfing with Adam was a real treat. He shared a stories with our group about coming up with 2135, how he came to be at Cleveland / Srixon, what brought him to the US, and more. Every time we reached the green, you could see his excitement on every stroke of that putter wanting to see us succeed with his creation. I never got to commend him enough on how much I love this putter. I came home and put the Scotty into the closet. No plans on going back right now.
 
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This was my first THP event and I can’t wait for the next.

I arrived early Thursday and had a chance to meet Ken_h and have a late dinner and brew with him. Great THPer right there, was happy to read you had that killer round at Oak Quarry!

I’m still recovering from Friday, was that real? Meeting the guys was great, it’s funny meeting people from a forum cause you never know what you’re going to expect but THP really has a great group of guys and I am proud I can be a part of the community. Right from the get-go Keith Patterson came out and welcomed us all, we signed up and got the tour started. The tour went pretty quick but I can understand why now because the best was for the end. Like it was stated before, it was pretty cool to see half their office downstairs with us talking and getting to know us just shows they really care what we as consumers have to offer & say.

There are no words really to describe this event than a golfers dream come true. I still can’t wipe the smirk off my face from this early Christmas that Cleveland & Srixon has provided us with! This was my first THP event and it totally surpassed all expectations I had. Even better I had the opportunity to share it with a great group of guys. I truly enjoyed the time I spent with this group, from golfing with Brisa/Fupresti/Ken_h to touring the facility with the group, it was too much fun. Thank you again to JB & GG, yall did a great job & to the folks at Cleveland/Srixon you have a fan for life.
 
What an awesome event! And those wedges...hotness! My Cleveland wedges want to be those wedges!!!
 
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