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It was great meeting you Steve.
2016 Gauntlet Recap and Review Thread
Damn. This looks like it was a blast! Looking forward even more to a month or so from now.....
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JP_CO
Chamption of something...
Coming up on 2 weeks and needless to say, I’m going through withdrawals. My recap is more about the experience rather than the golf, which was AWESOME.
The week leading up to #TheGauntlet was unbelievably exciting and unproductive at the same time. Unproductive in that I was completely useless at work. Pretty much non-existent.
Day 1 – 5/19
Was a pretty hectic day with the travel and all that comes with it. My flight was delayed almost 2 hours and the worry that followed I’m not going to make it there in time. Thankfully I made it with enough time to check in to the hotel and head over to Talking Stick for a PM pre round. Outside of Pokeslice, it was great to put a face with the forum name. For me, the round was decent, given I’ve never played on it before, but the company was great. Lots of talking and getting to know each other. Afterwards and quick rest in the clubhouse and then a quick drive down the street to TopGolf where we met majority of the other members. Range, food, booze and great company? Can’t get much better than that. It was a blast just to talk to so many THPers face to face. Great that guys from all over the country and even Canada can come together. Out of the entire day and even during the evening festivities, I’d have to say the most memorable moment was a bunch of strangers giving a toast to mixalot and his dad. A toast that he couldn’t be there and a toast to his dad who sounded like one hell of a man and father.
Day 2 – 5/20
An exciting day as we were going to play at Desert Forest (Spivey’s home course). Considered to be the first desert-styled course ever built. This course is no joke. If you didn’t respect it, it definitely bit back. With that said, this course was one of the top 5 courses I’ve ever played. It was beautiful, pristine and horrible at the same time. After shooting a 107 (ESC 103) and then hearing how everyone else shot, didn’t feel so bad. We had guys in the low single digit HC shooting 100. After a very humbling round of golf, into the clubhouse for some drinks and lunch and reminiscing about the day. Again, great company with top notch group of guys.
Back to WeKoPa resort for a little R&R and get cleaned up before the #TheGauntlet Meet & Greet. I know I did and I’m sure everyone else would agree, I got a glimpse of just how these events turn out, especially when TheZooCrew are involved. What we’ve all heard about the ZooCrew is 100% accurate. They are a group of people that love what they do and have developed such a special relationship with THP and us members and it shows. Everyone going around and introducing themselves and talking to each other like they’ve known each other for years. Such a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Dinner was really good. Callaway swag was awesome. Afterwards, we all met back up at the hotel patio and had drinks and great conversations. The night was something to remember.
Day 3 – 5/21
Day 1 of #TheGauntlet
Paired up with the one and only JRod against Spivey and BigTex. The one thing that stood out was JRod telling the 3 of us just to have fun and don’t worry about the golf. This was true during the entire round. He made the round that much more enjoyable and we all had lots of laughs. And not once did he give me s*@t about my TM clubs. I honestly think because of the company, I played one of my best rounds of golf ever. What a difference having fun makes. Just wish I was there when JRod was looking for his ball out in the desert and ran across a baby rattler.
After the round into the clubhouse for a couple of drinks and lunch waiting for the rest of the teams to finish. Even though #TeamJRod didn’t have a great day, we definitely had fun. Back to the resort to cool off at the pool and relax with some of the THPers, talking about the day and having a few drinks. The one thing everyone agreed on was that it was fun and we all had one hell of a day. Like the night before, the group dinner was fantastic. Again, lots of conversations, lots of laughs, lots of trash talk. After final pairings, we all met back at the hotel patio to share some more drinks and conversations and more trash talk. Back to the room to start packing what I can as this is the last night there (a little tear rolling down my eye, sniffle, sniffle)
Day 4 – 5/22 (final day)
Day 2 of #TheGauntlet
Early start for me. Did my final packing and getting ready for the final day of competition. Today I’m paired with wubears playing GregDan and Molten. I was very excited. I heard of tales and stories of wubears, mr. goliath demolishing golf balls with distances that us mere mortals can only think of. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Wubears was a monster with the driver. There were times GregDan, Molten and I just sat there in awe. Although we didn’t win our match, we had a fantastic time. Again the company was awesome, lots of talking and laughing.
After the round and #TeamRookie being crowned the victors, everyone headed into the clubhouse for lunch and drinks. Lots of congratulations for #TeamRookie (Steven, Mr. Hicksta, GregDan and Molten).
Final recap
The one thing that echoed throughout my experience was the company and how much fun I had. Everyone that was involved with this event was incredible. Since I’ve been home, I have thought about the golf just a little bit, I’ve thought about everything else every day (the people I met and how much fun this was). Even though it was a few days, I came away from this event with a new respect for JB, GG and the rest of the THP staffers and all the work they put into setting up these events. I also come away with meeting complete strangers that I can honestly call my friends.
The one advice I can give to anyone that has not been to a THP event is BEWARE. Why? Because one you participate in one, you walk away with wanting, needing more. They are incredible events that you cannot get enough of. I can’t wait to get to another THP event.
The week leading up to #TheGauntlet was unbelievably exciting and unproductive at the same time. Unproductive in that I was completely useless at work. Pretty much non-existent.
Day 1 – 5/19
Was a pretty hectic day with the travel and all that comes with it. My flight was delayed almost 2 hours and the worry that followed I’m not going to make it there in time. Thankfully I made it with enough time to check in to the hotel and head over to Talking Stick for a PM pre round. Outside of Pokeslice, it was great to put a face with the forum name. For me, the round was decent, given I’ve never played on it before, but the company was great. Lots of talking and getting to know each other. Afterwards and quick rest in the clubhouse and then a quick drive down the street to TopGolf where we met majority of the other members. Range, food, booze and great company? Can’t get much better than that. It was a blast just to talk to so many THPers face to face. Great that guys from all over the country and even Canada can come together. Out of the entire day and even during the evening festivities, I’d have to say the most memorable moment was a bunch of strangers giving a toast to mixalot and his dad. A toast that he couldn’t be there and a toast to his dad who sounded like one hell of a man and father.
Day 2 – 5/20
An exciting day as we were going to play at Desert Forest (Spivey’s home course). Considered to be the first desert-styled course ever built. This course is no joke. If you didn’t respect it, it definitely bit back. With that said, this course was one of the top 5 courses I’ve ever played. It was beautiful, pristine and horrible at the same time. After shooting a 107 (ESC 103) and then hearing how everyone else shot, didn’t feel so bad. We had guys in the low single digit HC shooting 100. After a very humbling round of golf, into the clubhouse for some drinks and lunch and reminiscing about the day. Again, great company with top notch group of guys.
Back to WeKoPa resort for a little R&R and get cleaned up before the #TheGauntlet Meet & Greet. I know I did and I’m sure everyone else would agree, I got a glimpse of just how these events turn out, especially when TheZooCrew are involved. What we’ve all heard about the ZooCrew is 100% accurate. They are a group of people that love what they do and have developed such a special relationship with THP and us members and it shows. Everyone going around and introducing themselves and talking to each other like they’ve known each other for years. Such a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Dinner was really good. Callaway swag was awesome. Afterwards, we all met back up at the hotel patio and had drinks and great conversations. The night was something to remember.
Day 3 – 5/21
Day 1 of #TheGauntlet
Paired up with the one and only JRod against Spivey and BigTex. The one thing that stood out was JRod telling the 3 of us just to have fun and don’t worry about the golf. This was true during the entire round. He made the round that much more enjoyable and we all had lots of laughs. And not once did he give me s*@t about my TM clubs. I honestly think because of the company, I played one of my best rounds of golf ever. What a difference having fun makes. Just wish I was there when JRod was looking for his ball out in the desert and ran across a baby rattler.
After the round into the clubhouse for a couple of drinks and lunch waiting for the rest of the teams to finish. Even though #TeamJRod didn’t have a great day, we definitely had fun. Back to the resort to cool off at the pool and relax with some of the THPers, talking about the day and having a few drinks. The one thing everyone agreed on was that it was fun and we all had one hell of a day. Like the night before, the group dinner was fantastic. Again, lots of conversations, lots of laughs, lots of trash talk. After final pairings, we all met back at the hotel patio to share some more drinks and conversations and more trash talk. Back to the room to start packing what I can as this is the last night there (a little tear rolling down my eye, sniffle, sniffle)
Day 4 – 5/22 (final day)
Day 2 of #TheGauntlet
Early start for me. Did my final packing and getting ready for the final day of competition. Today I’m paired with wubears playing GregDan and Molten. I was very excited. I heard of tales and stories of wubears, mr. goliath demolishing golf balls with distances that us mere mortals can only think of. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Wubears was a monster with the driver. There were times GregDan, Molten and I just sat there in awe. Although we didn’t win our match, we had a fantastic time. Again the company was awesome, lots of talking and laughing.
After the round and #TeamRookie being crowned the victors, everyone headed into the clubhouse for lunch and drinks. Lots of congratulations for #TeamRookie (Steven, Mr. Hicksta, GregDan and Molten).
Final recap
The one thing that echoed throughout my experience was the company and how much fun I had. Everyone that was involved with this event was incredible. Since I’ve been home, I have thought about the golf just a little bit, I’ve thought about everything else every day (the people I met and how much fun this was). Even though it was a few days, I came away from this event with a new respect for JB, GG and the rest of the THP staffers and all the work they put into setting up these events. I also come away with meeting complete strangers that I can honestly call my friends.
The one advice I can give to anyone that has not been to a THP event is BEWARE. Why? Because one you participate in one, you walk away with wanting, needing more. They are incredible events that you cannot get enough of. I can’t wait to get to another THP event.
Spivey
Active member
So, the Recap thread is up. The event is now officially over and in the books. Very sad, I had a great time. Unexpectedly, I experienced some interesting emotions during the event build-up, during the event, and after. Personally, I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of this event, to have met the Callaway captains, to have met (and re-connected) with a number of THP members, and to have made new friends along the way. THP, as others have said for years, is more than just a community where golf is discussed, it is a living, breathing group of avid golfers, all of whom are solid individuals who are great people and golfers who are more concerned with having a good time golfing than anything else.
The Build Up
I live in Scottsdale, 20 min from WeKoPa, so this event really was "in my back yard". I had the opportunity to play both the Saguaro and the Cholla course before the Gauntlet started. I love Saguaro, I do not like Cholla at all. Cholla is a golf course that you NEED to play a few times before you can really appreciate the layout and design.
The days before the event, I was feeling pretty good about my game. I played a pretty good round at Cholla the Monday before the event, and I thought it would get better at the event.
Thursday, I met Molton in the restaurant of Talking Stick resort, and kensisland, Will82 and NoLine were there, having finished their morning round. Over the next 30 minutes, everyone playing showed up, I met a number of new people, and we got out to play the South course (which is the easier of the two courses, also the shorter course). I played with JP_CO and Will82, and had a blast. Will was hitting these low, running draws, for his "handicap" he was playing very well!! JP just flat out hits the ball - it was fun to watch, especially since he had just had an Albatross in CO! I wanted to see his 317 yd 3w shot!! The scores were not that great, but the golf was a blast!!
After golf, I met up with Awkward Silence, drove home for a shower, and rolled into TopGolf just before 7pm. I was not the first one there, we had three bays, food and drinks were coming, and the gang started getting their golf on. It was great meeting everyone, and over the three hours that we were there, almost everyone came by. A few local guys who were playing golf but not in the event helped fill the spots so we could get the bays reserved next to each other. A toast to Mixalot's dad, whose passing prevented Derryck from participating, and the event "unofficially" started for me. Great time - if you have never been to TopGolf, it is a blast, ESPECIALLY with THP'ers.
Friday AM - I am glad that the guys decided to play a round at my home course. Wubears71, mr.Hicksta and NoLine were in the walking group with me. Funny - we started on the "easiest" hole and nobody hit the fairway. It was a great time, nobody played particularly well (because of the set-up of the course, the wind, and the course is hard anyway). Lunch afterwards was fun, good times and good food. The staff at the club was very nice, and I have heard a number of times how much they enjoyed our group of guys!!
PGA SuperStore was our next stop, for the people who do not have access to a BIG golf store to check out (and this store has the 2016 Cure Putter line up at it).
Turns out that JP, Awkward Silence and I left our credit cards at TopGolf, so we swung over and grabbed them before heading to the resort.
Friday evening - AS and I shared a room, we checked in and met BigTex, rozo22 and Xman at the bar before the dinner. Just shooting the breeze, a little team strategy, mostly just getting to know the guys.
Fri dinner - Meeting the Callaway captains and hanging out with the team during the meal was the highlight. And the swag. A couple of jokes about the kosher cheeseburgers, wubears eventually arrived, and the dinner seemed to be over as soon as it started. I loved the team balls!!
After dinner, some went to the casino, most just hung out in the outdoor patio. The weather in May in AZ is perfect, the temp was great, and no rain. Ethan brought beers in Callaway bags, which I though was great! Meeting the captains and the teams is, as others have said and I agree, the best part of any of these events. Everyone is just a solid, interesting, friendly, fun person, some drink more than others, some talk more, but everyone is just fun! We hung out until around 11pm, then went to bed.
Sat - First round. I got to the course early, but did not get my normal warm up - I wanted to try the XR drivers. This lack of warm up cost me dearly during my round. My teammate, BigTex, and I were paired up against JP_CO and JRod (which I requested Friday night - can't be the champ if you can't beat the champ). First tee jitters, I pushed my drive into the desert. Luckily, BigTex was in the grass (which was the pattern for our entire round). JRod pretty much set the tone, this was to be FUN, and it was! May be the most fun I have ever had playing golf, especially considering how poorly I played. JRod has serious game, JP drained putts from everywhere, hit every fairway (it felt that way), and our team lost 3&1 on the front nine.
Back 9 was different - but BigTex and I could not string together two good holes. We ended up pushing the round, which really was appropriate, as neither team played so well that they deserved to win the match.
Post round, drinks at the golf course, then to the pool. I met up with a number of guys, but the most memorable part of that time was getting to speak with Velardo about golf clubs and his experience at the Grandaddy. Really a nice guy, I could sit and pick his brain over beers for a good long time if it were possible. He recommended I try the GBB driver (given my experience w the mini 1.5). Then it was dinner time.
Dinner was another great time - terrific food, better company, and the day 2 match ups were announced. Rozo22 and I were paired up against Pokeslice and Finley. I was really looking forward to playing w Pokeslice, as we had not played any golf at all, but spent a lot of time after the rounds discussing the courses, the holes, and the shots that he hit. I also wanted to see his distance first hand.
After dinner, again we overtook the outdoor patio, drinks, some shots of tequila and Mescal (no worm), and just good conversation. Again, the time with the other guys is the part of any of these events where strong bonds are forged, this night being no exception.
Sunday - Our group was the fourth to tee off, which was fine. I was feeling pretty good until I started seeing tee shots head left, into the crap, and then a few into the fairway bunker that I assumed was out of play for all but Wubears. I put my tee shot in the grass (which was NOT the case on Sat), and we were off. Finley called our first two holes a "pillow fight", they won #3, we won #4, 5, and then we held on for the one up win on the front. Finely hates to lose, and it showed on the back. Alt shot was not our strong suit, we got waxed 4&3 (which stunk, because our team got pops on the last three holes).
On the 17th hole, we were told that Ethan and BigTex lost their match, and we were tied with 4.5 points. I figured 3 points Sunday would win it for us, it just did not happen. We earned two points.
Congrats to Team Rookie on the fantastic win! I will say, that team played well, and it was really close the entire day.
Thank you to Steve for buying everyone (who ate lunch at the course) lunch!
I drove home, sat in front of the tv, and fell asleep. I was emotionally spent after the weekend. I had a bunch of mixed emotions - I played like dirt, but had a blast playing with everyone, felt great for GregDan (who finally got a HOF tag) and the entire winning team, and being sad to say goodbye to a bunch of really great people.
This will go down in my mind as one of the best, if not the best, golfing experiences I have ever had. It rivals many other THP events, (B'stone Events, ProjectX #HandCrafted, #PersonalDistance) as absolutely fantastic golf events, with great people organizing and participating, like every THP event.
Big thanks to JB and GG for organizing the event, Fupresti for all his help before and during the event, the Callaway captains for their energy, enthusiasm, time, and love of the game. Without them, events such as these would be less fun, especially if you get to golf with JRod!!
I hope to run into everyone in the near (and not so near) future - I am honored to have participated with you all, and thanks for all the memories!!
The Build Up
I live in Scottsdale, 20 min from WeKoPa, so this event really was "in my back yard". I had the opportunity to play both the Saguaro and the Cholla course before the Gauntlet started. I love Saguaro, I do not like Cholla at all. Cholla is a golf course that you NEED to play a few times before you can really appreciate the layout and design.
The days before the event, I was feeling pretty good about my game. I played a pretty good round at Cholla the Monday before the event, and I thought it would get better at the event.
Thursday, I met Molton in the restaurant of Talking Stick resort, and kensisland, Will82 and NoLine were there, having finished their morning round. Over the next 30 minutes, everyone playing showed up, I met a number of new people, and we got out to play the South course (which is the easier of the two courses, also the shorter course). I played with JP_CO and Will82, and had a blast. Will was hitting these low, running draws, for his "handicap" he was playing very well!! JP just flat out hits the ball - it was fun to watch, especially since he had just had an Albatross in CO! I wanted to see his 317 yd 3w shot!! The scores were not that great, but the golf was a blast!!
After golf, I met up with Awkward Silence, drove home for a shower, and rolled into TopGolf just before 7pm. I was not the first one there, we had three bays, food and drinks were coming, and the gang started getting their golf on. It was great meeting everyone, and over the three hours that we were there, almost everyone came by. A few local guys who were playing golf but not in the event helped fill the spots so we could get the bays reserved next to each other. A toast to Mixalot's dad, whose passing prevented Derryck from participating, and the event "unofficially" started for me. Great time - if you have never been to TopGolf, it is a blast, ESPECIALLY with THP'ers.
Friday AM - I am glad that the guys decided to play a round at my home course. Wubears71, mr.Hicksta and NoLine were in the walking group with me. Funny - we started on the "easiest" hole and nobody hit the fairway. It was a great time, nobody played particularly well (because of the set-up of the course, the wind, and the course is hard anyway). Lunch afterwards was fun, good times and good food. The staff at the club was very nice, and I have heard a number of times how much they enjoyed our group of guys!!
PGA SuperStore was our next stop, for the people who do not have access to a BIG golf store to check out (and this store has the 2016 Cure Putter line up at it).
Turns out that JP, Awkward Silence and I left our credit cards at TopGolf, so we swung over and grabbed them before heading to the resort.
Friday evening - AS and I shared a room, we checked in and met BigTex, rozo22 and Xman at the bar before the dinner. Just shooting the breeze, a little team strategy, mostly just getting to know the guys.
Fri dinner - Meeting the Callaway captains and hanging out with the team during the meal was the highlight. And the swag. A couple of jokes about the kosher cheeseburgers, wubears eventually arrived, and the dinner seemed to be over as soon as it started. I loved the team balls!!
After dinner, some went to the casino, most just hung out in the outdoor patio. The weather in May in AZ is perfect, the temp was great, and no rain. Ethan brought beers in Callaway bags, which I though was great! Meeting the captains and the teams is, as others have said and I agree, the best part of any of these events. Everyone is just a solid, interesting, friendly, fun person, some drink more than others, some talk more, but everyone is just fun! We hung out until around 11pm, then went to bed.
Sat - First round. I got to the course early, but did not get my normal warm up - I wanted to try the XR drivers. This lack of warm up cost me dearly during my round. My teammate, BigTex, and I were paired up against JP_CO and JRod (which I requested Friday night - can't be the champ if you can't beat the champ). First tee jitters, I pushed my drive into the desert. Luckily, BigTex was in the grass (which was the pattern for our entire round). JRod pretty much set the tone, this was to be FUN, and it was! May be the most fun I have ever had playing golf, especially considering how poorly I played. JRod has serious game, JP drained putts from everywhere, hit every fairway (it felt that way), and our team lost 3&1 on the front nine.
Back 9 was different - but BigTex and I could not string together two good holes. We ended up pushing the round, which really was appropriate, as neither team played so well that they deserved to win the match.
Post round, drinks at the golf course, then to the pool. I met up with a number of guys, but the most memorable part of that time was getting to speak with Velardo about golf clubs and his experience at the Grandaddy. Really a nice guy, I could sit and pick his brain over beers for a good long time if it were possible. He recommended I try the GBB driver (given my experience w the mini 1.5). Then it was dinner time.
Dinner was another great time - terrific food, better company, and the day 2 match ups were announced. Rozo22 and I were paired up against Pokeslice and Finley. I was really looking forward to playing w Pokeslice, as we had not played any golf at all, but spent a lot of time after the rounds discussing the courses, the holes, and the shots that he hit. I also wanted to see his distance first hand.
After dinner, again we overtook the outdoor patio, drinks, some shots of tequila and Mescal (no worm), and just good conversation. Again, the time with the other guys is the part of any of these events where strong bonds are forged, this night being no exception.
Sunday - Our group was the fourth to tee off, which was fine. I was feeling pretty good until I started seeing tee shots head left, into the crap, and then a few into the fairway bunker that I assumed was out of play for all but Wubears. I put my tee shot in the grass (which was NOT the case on Sat), and we were off. Finley called our first two holes a "pillow fight", they won #3, we won #4, 5, and then we held on for the one up win on the front. Finely hates to lose, and it showed on the back. Alt shot was not our strong suit, we got waxed 4&3 (which stunk, because our team got pops on the last three holes).
On the 17th hole, we were told that Ethan and BigTex lost their match, and we were tied with 4.5 points. I figured 3 points Sunday would win it for us, it just did not happen. We earned two points.
Congrats to Team Rookie on the fantastic win! I will say, that team played well, and it was really close the entire day.
Thank you to Steve for buying everyone (who ate lunch at the course) lunch!
I drove home, sat in front of the tv, and fell asleep. I was emotionally spent after the weekend. I had a bunch of mixed emotions - I played like dirt, but had a blast playing with everyone, felt great for GregDan (who finally got a HOF tag) and the entire winning team, and being sad to say goodbye to a bunch of really great people.
This will go down in my mind as one of the best, if not the best, golfing experiences I have ever had. It rivals many other THP events, (B'stone Events, ProjectX #HandCrafted, #PersonalDistance) as absolutely fantastic golf events, with great people organizing and participating, like every THP event.
Big thanks to JB and GG for organizing the event, Fupresti for all his help before and during the event, the Callaway captains for their energy, enthusiasm, time, and love of the game. Without them, events such as these would be less fun, especially if you get to golf with JRod!!
I hope to run into everyone in the near (and not so near) future - I am honored to have participated with you all, and thanks for all the memories!!
BigTex
Well-known member
Great recap Spivey! It was a blast being teammates with you, Rozo, and Ethan. Your advanced legwork and advice to above all else "keep it in the grass" helped a ton. Look forward to teeing it up with guys again!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There have been some really good recaps so far! I'll just try to hit some of the highlights from my perspective:
Thursday:
TopGolf is really cool! I had never been to one before so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but it's a really neat setup. I tend to be pretty introverted at times, so showing up at a place with 20some strangers was a bit daunting for me, but everyone was super nice and Spivey was there to greet us right away, so it wasn't really uncomfortable at all. It was a great way to meet everyone and break the ice, and get a look at everyone's swings. THPers really are the best. Props to Spivey and Fupresti for setting up all of the extracurricular stuff!
Friday Morning:
Spivey's course is hard, but it was a lot of fun and I've never seen a course in better shape. I actually played fairly well to start, but once the wind picked up my balloon drives were getting blown all over the desert. GregDan was killing it while the other 3 of us (JP_CO, AZRSX and I) kind of hacked our way around the course.
Friday evening:
Dinner with everyone and the Callaway crew was a great time. The Callaway guys are also super nice and down to earth, super generous with all the swag they gave us and just good people. When it came time to pick teams, my captain (Jason Finley) got to go first and took a looooong time to deliberate, but he ended up putting the two of us together on the first day. I was pretty excited to get to play with Jason, but also pretty nervous. I had been practicing a lot in the 2 weeks since I found out I was in, but I still never know what kind of game I'm going to have day to day it seems like. Anyway, Koske picked next and we found out we were going to be playing Awkward Silence and stevececil which calmed my nerves a bit because I'd met AS a few times before and knew it'd be a fun round.
Later that evening a bunch of us gathered together in the patio and drank some beers with the Callaway guys and had a good time just shooting the breeze.
Saturday morning:
I got my first glimpse of the We-Ko-Pa course at the driving range. It was probably the biggest driving range I’ve ever seen and was in great shape. I started hitting some balls to warm up and could not hit a decent shot - slices, chunks, etc, it was ugly. After 10-15 minutes of that I’d had enough and got some short game and putting practice in. I went back to the range and something clicked and I started hitting some decent shots so I had a shot of confidence before the round started.
Jason and I had discussed our strategy, which was basically I’d tee off first with something conservative since I’m not a very long hitter, and then he’d go after me with something more aggressive. We were the first group up, which meant I was hitting the first shot of the mother #@#$ Gauntlet! It was gut check time and I reeaally didn’t want to be the guy that duffs the first drive of the tournament with 24 other guys watching. Luckily I was able to bang one out in the middle of the fairway (granted it was a pretty big fairway), but I was mostly happy to make solid contact. After that a lot of the nerves went away.
The two rounds that day were a lot of fun. Jason and I played off of each other pretty well, though he’s so good it’d be hard not to play well off of his shots. The banter between Jason and Awkward Silence was entertaining and may have been the reason we were able to pull out both matches, as I think it made Jason play juuust that much better.
Since we were done first we got a little food and watched the rest of the groups come up 18. In the last group or 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] to last, I saw XMan hit the best chutt ever, putting it to within inches from I don’t know, 20 yards away or something, it was pretty incredible.
Saturday evening:
After getting back to the hotel, a group of us went to the pool for some drinks before dinner and I got to know some of the guys better.
Dinner was excellent with a full bar, and again had the chance to talk with more of the guys and get to know people better. We did matchups again at dinner, but this time the teams were put into a hat for a blind draw. Jason decided to mix it up a bit and put Tanker337 and I together the next day, and we were the last group drawn to play with JohnnyRod from Callaway and BigDG.
That night a bunch of us gathered on the patio again having drinks and shooting the @#$!. It’s the times like that, just hanging out with new friends that I’ll really look back fondly on. Near the end of the night after a few beers and a few shots of Mezcal, Awkward Silence bet me a dollar he could make a basket with a bottle cap and one of the glasses on the table, and damn if he didn’t do it. Might have been the best shot I saw him make all day
Sunday
Since we were the last group out to go we got to see everyone else’s tee shots, which was fun but at the same time kind of hard because I was just itching to get out and play.
JohnnyRod and BigDG were a lot of fun to play with. You hear a lot of stories about JohnnyRod and I understand why, he’s just a really cool, fun guy and I’m glad I got the chance to play with him.
Tanker337 and I didn’t play great the front 9 (him better than I). I had a couple holes where I just could not get out of the desert and had to rely on Tanker to finish the hole for us. We kept it pretty close but got closed out on the 8[SUP]th[/SUP] hole I think? On the back 9, I think we loosened up a bit after getting a loss on the front 9 and we started playing pretty well. We had it in hand on the 16[SUP]th[/SUP] hole I think. We just played a couple shots on 17 and I hit probably my best drive and best second shot of the weekend when it didn’t count. We didn’t finish 17 and rolled up to 18 to watch the finish of the Velardo and Koske match, which was pretty epic.
Final thoughts
All said and done it was an awesome weekend and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I haven’t done much team match play like that and this was an awesome introduction. I can’t thank JB, GG and the rest of the THP staff and Callaway enough. Definitely going to try to get in again next year and bring home the trophy!
Thursday:
TopGolf is really cool! I had never been to one before so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but it's a really neat setup. I tend to be pretty introverted at times, so showing up at a place with 20some strangers was a bit daunting for me, but everyone was super nice and Spivey was there to greet us right away, so it wasn't really uncomfortable at all. It was a great way to meet everyone and break the ice, and get a look at everyone's swings. THPers really are the best. Props to Spivey and Fupresti for setting up all of the extracurricular stuff!
Friday Morning:
Spivey's course is hard, but it was a lot of fun and I've never seen a course in better shape. I actually played fairly well to start, but once the wind picked up my balloon drives were getting blown all over the desert. GregDan was killing it while the other 3 of us (JP_CO, AZRSX and I) kind of hacked our way around the course.
Friday evening:
Dinner with everyone and the Callaway crew was a great time. The Callaway guys are also super nice and down to earth, super generous with all the swag they gave us and just good people. When it came time to pick teams, my captain (Jason Finley) got to go first and took a looooong time to deliberate, but he ended up putting the two of us together on the first day. I was pretty excited to get to play with Jason, but also pretty nervous. I had been practicing a lot in the 2 weeks since I found out I was in, but I still never know what kind of game I'm going to have day to day it seems like. Anyway, Koske picked next and we found out we were going to be playing Awkward Silence and stevececil which calmed my nerves a bit because I'd met AS a few times before and knew it'd be a fun round.
Later that evening a bunch of us gathered together in the patio and drank some beers with the Callaway guys and had a good time just shooting the breeze.
Saturday morning:
I got my first glimpse of the We-Ko-Pa course at the driving range. It was probably the biggest driving range I’ve ever seen and was in great shape. I started hitting some balls to warm up and could not hit a decent shot - slices, chunks, etc, it was ugly. After 10-15 minutes of that I’d had enough and got some short game and putting practice in. I went back to the range and something clicked and I started hitting some decent shots so I had a shot of confidence before the round started.
Jason and I had discussed our strategy, which was basically I’d tee off first with something conservative since I’m not a very long hitter, and then he’d go after me with something more aggressive. We were the first group up, which meant I was hitting the first shot of the mother #@#$ Gauntlet! It was gut check time and I reeaally didn’t want to be the guy that duffs the first drive of the tournament with 24 other guys watching. Luckily I was able to bang one out in the middle of the fairway (granted it was a pretty big fairway), but I was mostly happy to make solid contact. After that a lot of the nerves went away.
The two rounds that day were a lot of fun. Jason and I played off of each other pretty well, though he’s so good it’d be hard not to play well off of his shots. The banter between Jason and Awkward Silence was entertaining and may have been the reason we were able to pull out both matches, as I think it made Jason play juuust that much better.
Since we were done first we got a little food and watched the rest of the groups come up 18. In the last group or 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] to last, I saw XMan hit the best chutt ever, putting it to within inches from I don’t know, 20 yards away or something, it was pretty incredible.
Saturday evening:
After getting back to the hotel, a group of us went to the pool for some drinks before dinner and I got to know some of the guys better.
Dinner was excellent with a full bar, and again had the chance to talk with more of the guys and get to know people better. We did matchups again at dinner, but this time the teams were put into a hat for a blind draw. Jason decided to mix it up a bit and put Tanker337 and I together the next day, and we were the last group drawn to play with JohnnyRod from Callaway and BigDG.
That night a bunch of us gathered on the patio again having drinks and shooting the @#$!. It’s the times like that, just hanging out with new friends that I’ll really look back fondly on. Near the end of the night after a few beers and a few shots of Mezcal, Awkward Silence bet me a dollar he could make a basket with a bottle cap and one of the glasses on the table, and damn if he didn’t do it. Might have been the best shot I saw him make all day
Sunday
Since we were the last group out to go we got to see everyone else’s tee shots, which was fun but at the same time kind of hard because I was just itching to get out and play.
JohnnyRod and BigDG were a lot of fun to play with. You hear a lot of stories about JohnnyRod and I understand why, he’s just a really cool, fun guy and I’m glad I got the chance to play with him.
Tanker337 and I didn’t play great the front 9 (him better than I). I had a couple holes where I just could not get out of the desert and had to rely on Tanker to finish the hole for us. We kept it pretty close but got closed out on the 8[SUP]th[/SUP] hole I think? On the back 9, I think we loosened up a bit after getting a loss on the front 9 and we started playing pretty well. We had it in hand on the 16[SUP]th[/SUP] hole I think. We just played a couple shots on 17 and I hit probably my best drive and best second shot of the weekend when it didn’t count. We didn’t finish 17 and rolled up to 18 to watch the finish of the Velardo and Koske match, which was pretty epic.
Final thoughts
All said and done it was an awesome weekend and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I haven’t done much team match play like that and this was an awesome introduction. I can’t thank JB, GG and the rest of the THP staff and Callaway enough. Definitely going to try to get in again next year and bring home the trophy!
There have been some really good recaps so far! I'll just try to hit some of the highlights from my perspective:
Thursday:
TopGolf is really cool! I had never been to one before so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but it's a really neat setup. I tend to be pretty introverted at times, so showing up at a place with 20some strangers was a bit daunting for me, but everyone was super nice and Spivey was there to greet us right away, so it wasn't really uncomfortable at all. It was a great way to meet everyone and break the ice, and get a look at everyone's swings. THPers really are the best. Props to Spivey and Fupresti for setting up all of the extracurricular stuff!
Friday Morning:
Spivey's course is hard, but it was a lot of fun and I've never seen a course in better shape. I actually played fairly well to start, but once the wind picked up my balloon drives were getting blown all over the desert. GregDan was killing it while the other 3 of us (JP_CO, AZRSX and I) kind of hacked our way around the course.
Friday evening:
Dinner with everyone and the Callaway crew was a great time. The Callaway guys are also super nice and down to earth, super generous with all the swag they gave us and just good people. When it came time to pick teams, my captain (Jason Finley) got to go first and took a looooong time to deliberate, but he ended up putting the two of us together on the first day. I was pretty excited to get to play with Jason, but also pretty nervous. I had been practicing a lot in the 2 weeks since I found out I was in, but I still never know what kind of game I'm going to have day to day it seems like. Anyway, Koske picked next and we found out we were going to be playing Awkward Silence and stevececil which calmed my nerves a bit because I'd met AS a few times before and knew it'd be a fun round.
Later that evening a bunch of us gathered together in the patio and drank some beers with the Callaway guys and had a good time just shooting the breeze.
Saturday morning:
I got my first glimpse of the We-Ko-Pa course at the driving range. It was probably the biggest driving range I’ve ever seen and was in great shape. I started hitting some balls to warm up and could not hit a decent shot - slices, chunks, etc, it was ugly. After 10-15 minutes of that I’d had enough and got some short game and putting practice in. I went back to the range and something clicked and I started hitting some decent shots so I had a shot of confidence before the round started.
Jason and I had discussed our strategy, which was basically I’d tee off first with something conservative since I’m not a very long hitter, and then he’d go after me with something more aggressive. We were the first group up, which meant I was hitting the first shot of the mother #@#$ Gauntlet! It was gut check time and I reeaally didn’t want to be the guy that duffs the first drive of the tournament with 24 other guys watching. Luckily I was able to bang one out in the middle of the fairway (granted it was a pretty big fairway), but I was mostly happy to make solid contact. After that a lot of the nerves went away.
The two rounds that day were a lot of fun. Jason and I played off of each other pretty well, though he’s so good it’d be hard not to play well off of his shots. The banter between Jason and Awkward Silence was entertaining and may have been the reason we were able to pull out both matches, as I think it made Jason play juuust that much better.
Since we were done first we got a little food and watched the rest of the groups come up 18. In the last group or 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] to last, I saw XMan hit the best chutt ever, putting it to within inches from I don’t know, 20 yards away or something, it was pretty incredible.
Saturday evening:
After getting back to the hotel, a group of us went to the pool for some drinks before dinner and I got to know some of the guys better.
Dinner was excellent with a full bar, and again had the chance to talk with more of the guys and get to know people better. We did matchups again at dinner, but this time the teams were put into a hat for a blind draw. Jason decided to mix it up a bit and put Tanker337 and I together the next day, and we were the last group drawn to play with JohnnyRod from Callaway and BigDG.
That night a bunch of us gathered on the patio again having drinks and shooting the @#$!. It’s the times like that, just hanging out with new friends that I’ll really look back fondly on. Near the end of the night after a few beers and a few shots of Mezcal, Awkward Silence bet me a dollar he could make a basket with a bottle cap and one of the glasses on the table, and damn if he didn’t do it. Might have been the best shot I saw him make all day
Sunday
Since we were the last group out to go we got to see everyone else’s tee shots, which was fun but at the same time kind of hard because I was just itching to get out and play.
JohnnyRod and BigDG were a lot of fun to play with. You hear a lot of stories about JohnnyRod and I understand why, he’s just a really cool, fun guy and I’m glad I got the chance to play with him.
Tanker337 and I didn’t play great the front 9 (him better than I). I had a couple holes where I just could not get out of the desert and had to rely on Tanker to finish the hole for us. We kept it pretty close but got closed out on the 8[SUP]th[/SUP] hole I think? On the back 9, I think we loosened up a bit after getting a loss on the front 9 and we started playing pretty well. We had it in hand on the 16[SUP]th[/SUP] hole I think. We just played a couple shots on 17 and I hit probably my best drive and best second shot of the weekend when it didn’t count. We didn’t finish 17 and rolled up to 18 to watch the finish of the Velardo and Koske match, which was pretty epic.
Final thoughts
All said and done it was an awesome weekend and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I haven’t done much team match play like that and this was an awesome introduction. I can’t thank JB, GG and the rest of the THP staff and Callaway enough. Definitely going to try to get in again next year and bring home the trophy!
Ill be honest I dont remember making this bet, haha.
Haha, that's too funny.
Part 1.
Part 1.
What an event. I will start by Thanking JB, GG, Callaway and anyone responsible for putting this event together. I had one the most relaxing fun times of my life. I'll be damned if played some aweful golf but really I didnt care at all (I mean a little). Anyway onward.
Thursday:
I needed to work the first part of the morning before I left but by about 10:30 I was on the road and head west through the desert. Made a couple of stops and got Talking stick about 30 min before the guys were done with there PM round. I was able to Putt on the greens and soak up probably the last 1 to 2 percent of Humidity that may have been in the air. Finally found Dave and we headed back to his place before our night out. Top Golf, what a place, bascially a bowling ally for golf but outside obviously and vibrant atmosphere. It was the perfect backdrop for everyone to meet each other and show off our "skills" I think I hit all my best shots of the weekend that night now that I think about it. Thanks to Dave for setting that up it was a blast. You could feel the excitement in the air especially from Mr.Hicksta who gave us all some much needed breeze with his Golf range boot camp session he put on that night. Anyway the night was great the company was better.
Friday Morning:
Shotgun start at Desert Forest started with a range session which was C+ plus for me at best and I knew I needed my A game, but just didn't have it. Played with BigTex, Will, and PokeSlice. Great guys who all played some great shots, never all on the same hole but we all had a blast. The course it self was perfectly manicured from tee to green and rewarded great shots. It was my intro in desert golf and I hope to get another crack at it some day. A few of us broke 100 (myself not included) and they should have gotten medals. I actually had a chance had it not been for the 55 on the back to card a 102. Anyway again broken record but a great time was had and couldn't ask for better company. We ended with the lunch and then made our way back to Dave's for some showers and 13 gallons of water. (FYI I lost like 6lbs on this trip)
Friday Meet and greet:
We make our way past the desperation and cigarette smoke that was the Casino (I kid I lost some money there also, this will come later in the story) And found our group in a back room. The guys trickled in and then finally the Zoocrew arrived and we had a chance to talk as a team and put some strategy to work for the pairings. I am not a big buffet guy but the food was great and I was positive the beer would kill and food born illness anyway. Then out of no where WuBears woke up from hibernation and joined the group, he looked refreshed and ready to take on the buffet. The meals came to an end and the match-ups began to get paired up. Stevececil and I would be facing the infamous Jason Finely and Ken_h. A big shout out to Callaway for the SWAG, the shirts balls, glove, ball marker, etc it was all awesome and aside from losing most of the balls I managed to keep everything else and got them home.
To be Continued....
Part 1.
What an event. I will start by Thanking JB, GG, Callaway and anyone responsible for putting this event together. I had one the most relaxing fun times of my life. I'll be damned if played some aweful golf but really I didnt care at all (I mean a little). Anyway onward.
Thursday:
I needed to work the first part of the morning before I left but by about 10:30 I was on the road and head west through the desert. Made a couple of stops and got Talking stick about 30 min before the guys were done with there PM round. I was able to Putt on the greens and soak up probably the last 1 to 2 percent of Humidity that may have been in the air. Finally found Dave and we headed back to his place before our night out. Top Golf, what a place, bascially a bowling ally for golf but outside obviously and vibrant atmosphere. It was the perfect backdrop for everyone to meet each other and show off our "skills" I think I hit all my best shots of the weekend that night now that I think about it. Thanks to Dave for setting that up it was a blast. You could feel the excitement in the air especially from Mr.Hicksta who gave us all some much needed breeze with his Golf range boot camp session he put on that night.
Anyway the night was great the company was better. Friday Morning:
Shotgun start at Desert Forest started with a range session which was C+ plus for me at best and I knew I needed my A game, but just didn't have it. Played with BigTex, Will, and PokeSlice. Great guys who all played some great shots, never all on the same hole but we all had a blast. The course it self was perfectly manicured from tee to green and rewarded great shots. It was my intro in desert golf and I hope to get another crack at it some day. A few of us broke 100 (myself not included) and they should have gotten medals. I actually had a chance had it not been for the 55 on the back to card a 102. Anyway again broken record but a great time was had and couldn't ask for better company. We ended with the lunch and then made our way back to Dave's for some showers and 13 gallons of water. (FYI I lost like 6lbs on this trip)
Friday Meet and greet:
We make our way past the desperation and cigarette smoke that was the Casino (I kid I lost some money there also, this will come later in the story) And found our group in a back room. The guys trickled in and then finally the Zoocrew arrived and we had a chance to talk as a team and put some strategy to work for the pairings. I am not a big buffet guy but the food was great and I was positive the beer would kill and food born illness anyway. Then out of no where WuBears woke up from hibernation and joined the group, he looked refreshed and ready to take on the buffet. The meals came to an end and the match-ups began to get paired up. Stevececil and I would be facing the infamous Jason Finely and Ken_h. A big shout out to Callaway for the SWAG, the shirts balls, glove, ball marker, etc it was all awesome and aside from losing most of the balls I managed to keep everything else and got them home.
To be Continued....
Great reads in here, thanks for the recaps
Part Duex
Part Duex
Saturday-Round 1
So it was me and SteveCecil for round 1 of the Gauntlet and we were first group off. Ken_h steps up and hit kicks off the contest was driver right down the middle and Finley follow suit. I shoot one to the left hugging the desert, we find the ball but Steve put us in a better spot so off we were to begin the round. This round was back and forth a little but team Finley kept a hole lead for most of the round. I felt like I couldnt miss a putt on the front 9. I would say I got up and down for par no less than 3 or 4 times with crucial par putts to half the hole, and Steve was right there with me with his awesome short game. The great thing was we finding trouble, but somehow found our ball almost every time, it was a bit nuts and I could see it bothering Finley a little, as their success rate in the desert was nearly as good. I wish I could say it helped us, but it really just kept us a float enough to keep us within striking distance. They would close us out on the last and second to last holes on the front and back. Steve you were blast to play with man and like I said before the round ken is best damn ball striking 17 hcp I have ever had the pleasure to play with.
Trash talking: Always do it
We were on the back 9 second round on a long par 3. I hit my 3 wood, I cant remember but I think the pin was playing 218 or something with trouble on down the left short. I hit pretty solid tee shot to the front left part of the green complex just off. Finley was and Co. was about 20 yards short right in fairway type grass. I walked by him as he was lining up his shot and asked if he breathed before or after he hits the ball. His head snap back at me and I could see the fire burning in his eyes haha. He proceeds to almost hole out and give them a gimme to halve the hole. The next few holes were a formality as I dont believe he missed a shot or putt after that haha. Would I do it again? Your bet your ass I would, we were 2 down and to be honest I just love a little gamesmanship. Well played Jason and Ken you guys hit a ton of great shots and clutch putts when you needed it.
We were the first to finish up and Jason was kind enough to treat our foursome to lunch and beer. We would stand and wait to see how all groups came and start to hear just how close of a contest this was shaping up to be as no capt had a lead after day 1. We all took a shot of 99 bananas and called it a day on the course. I grabbed a little ice for my sore ass and back to the resort we went. Showered up and then met the guys down by the pool for some relaxing and beer. I really tried to stay present for the whole trip and I felt right at home talking with all the guys, like we were all just old friends hanging out. After a few we took off for dinner on the patio of the resort. Things start to get a bit hazy for me on this part of the night, but I remember the pork being awesome and dinner in general being great. The teams were announced for the following day and it would be and Koske facing Velardo and Arwin. Dinner wrapped up and most of us stayed down stairs and just shot the **** with a few more beers and I believe it was Tanker who brought a bottle of Mezcal (or the end of my night as I remember. ) I would then go off looking for the rest of the guys with Tanker in the Casino and lose a quick 40 bucks then see my way back to my room.
To be continued... Final Day
(some of this is kind of just rambling but o well haha)
Part Duex
Saturday-Round 1
So it was me and SteveCecil for round 1 of the Gauntlet and we were first group off. Ken_h steps up and hit kicks off the contest was driver right down the middle and Finley follow suit. I shoot one to the left hugging the desert, we find the ball but Steve put us in a better spot so off we were to begin the round. This round was back and forth a little but team Finley kept a hole lead for most of the round. I felt like I couldnt miss a putt on the front 9. I would say I got up and down for par no less than 3 or 4 times with crucial par putts to half the hole, and Steve was right there with me with his awesome short game. The great thing was we finding trouble, but somehow found our ball almost every time, it was a bit nuts and I could see it bothering Finley a little, as their success rate in the desert was nearly as good. I wish I could say it helped us, but it really just kept us a float enough to keep us within striking distance. They would close us out on the last and second to last holes on the front and back. Steve you were blast to play with man and like I said before the round ken is best damn ball striking 17 hcp I have ever had the pleasure to play with.
Trash talking: Always do it
We were on the back 9 second round on a long par 3. I hit my 3 wood, I cant remember but I think the pin was playing 218 or something with trouble on down the left short. I hit pretty solid tee shot to the front left part of the green complex just off. Finley was and Co. was about 20 yards short right in fairway type grass. I walked by him as he was lining up his shot and asked if he breathed before or after he hits the ball. His head snap back at me and I could see the fire burning in his eyes haha. He proceeds to almost hole out and give them a gimme to halve the hole. The next few holes were a formality as I dont believe he missed a shot or putt after that haha. Would I do it again? Your bet your ass I would, we were 2 down and to be honest I just love a little gamesmanship. Well played Jason and Ken you guys hit a ton of great shots and clutch putts when you needed it.
We were the first to finish up and Jason was kind enough to treat our foursome to lunch and beer. We would stand and wait to see how all groups came and start to hear just how close of a contest this was shaping up to be as no capt had a lead after day 1. We all took a shot of 99 bananas and called it a day on the course. I grabbed a little ice for my sore ass and back to the resort we went. Showered up and then met the guys down by the pool for some relaxing and beer. I really tried to stay present for the whole trip and I felt right at home talking with all the guys, like we were all just old friends hanging out. After a few we took off for dinner on the patio of the resort. Things start to get a bit hazy for me on this part of the night, but I remember the pork being awesome and dinner in general being great. The teams were announced for the following day and it would be and Koske facing Velardo and Arwin. Dinner wrapped up and most of us stayed down stairs and just shot the **** with a few more beers and I believe it was Tanker who brought a bottle of Mezcal (or the end of my night as I remember. ) I would then go off looking for the rest of the guys with Tanker in the Casino and lose a quick 40 bucks then see my way back to my room.
To be continued... Final Day
(some of this is kind of just rambling but o well haha)
The details you guys are able to remember and recap amazes me. The whole weekend seems like a blur. Thanks for helping me remember!
Has anyone done anything with the picture we got from We-Ko-Pa? Not sure I want to frame mine, but seems like it could be mounted on some sort of a backing and still look good.
JP_CO
Chamption of something...
Miss you guys ?
BigTex
Well-known member
Miss you guys
Should be headed your way sometime in the next month or so. I'll try and work it out so we can get a round in while I'm there.
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X.Man
Well-known member
2016 Gauntlet Recap and Review Thread
That's a recap in it of itself! Haha
Man I need to get my recap up. Stupid life getting in the way.
But hey, to the victor go the spoils.
That's a recap in it of itself! Haha
mr.hicksta
Golf->Tacos->Gainz
Man I need to get my recap up. Stupid life getting in the way.
But hey, to the victor go the spoils.
Nuff said
Come on guys, I know I havent seen recaps from everyone. I too need to finish my Final day and parting words.
BigTex
Well-known member
This would have added another dimension to #TheGauntlet. At least it's a dry heat?
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Will82
Well-known member
Friend had a 50% off coupon today only at Michael's and let me have it.. So the print that we received is now framed and ready to be put in my office.
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Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk
