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#TaylorMadeTuesday at The Kingdom, Feb 26-28, 2017 (pics added pg1,16,19 & 20)


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Updates and write-ups start here!

 

 

 

We'd like to thank everyone who applied for this, but there are limited number of spots available. From the application thread, 5 GolfWRX members have been selected to join us in Carlsbad at TaylorMade Golf Headquarters for an exclusive, all-access trip to The Kingdom. They are....

What to expect:

  • All-expenses paid trip to TaylorMade HQ in Carlsbad, CA.
  • Club fitting at the Kingdom, TaylorMade’s exclusive on-site fitting facility.
  • Meet & greet with TaylorMade product, marketing and R&D teams for product deep-dives.
  • Golf outing with TaylorMade and GolfWRX teams in SD area with new product (course TBD).
  • Other surprises, giveaways and experiences.

They'll continue to provide live updates throughout the end of the trip. Enjoy their writeups of this amazing experience at TaylorMade!

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I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to Golfwrx and Taylormade for putting this whole thing together and for selecting me! I don't think I've ever been so excited in my whole life. I still can't believe it's real!

 

Can't wait to get out there and start this experience!

 

 

 

**Placeholder for future summary of trip**

 

 

 

 

What follows is my recap of the trip: It's very long but I wanted to give the most accurate view I could. I'd advise against quoting it in its entirety. :smilie_tm:

 

 

 

 

#TaylormadeTuesday

 

 

So….Do you want to go to the Kingdom?

 

YEESSSSSS! is the way I believe I responded to the message from HipCheck asking if I wanted to join GolfWRX at Taylormade’s The Kingdom. I’ve been a member on WRX for about 6 years, and I’ve always hoped to be selected for an OEM contest. I never could have guessed that I’d be picked for something of this magnitude. I literally jumped for joy when reading the PM. I don’t think I had ever been that excited in my entire life. I wanted to tell all my friends and family, but we had to wait for the go-ahead from the guys at WRX and Taylormade.

 

A few days later, we received an email from Jory Mendes, the Global Communications Manager at Taylormade. Jory told us that he wanted us to feel like a member of their team while we were there, and let me tell you, they did just that. The group got acquainted with each other via PM, and we were told that this thread would start, at which point we could discuss the trip. We were allowed to put #TaylormadeTuesday as our member title above our avatars, as a little nod to being selected. Not being able to talk about the trip was torture, but it helped to build anticipation! I received an email from Kim Johnson, the Events Manager at Taylormade, which contained my flight info out to the San Diego/Carlsbad. Now it was getting real! I was still in a state of disbelief. About a week after receiving my flight info, we received our itinerary. If it was even possible, the excitement level increased again! At this point it was only a few days until the trip, but it couldn’t come soon enough.

 

Going to California

 

I got my things together to leave out of Newark and prepared to get there bright and early for my 6AM flight. I packed up my clubs, which were sort of an assortment of backup clubs. We were told that it was important to bring our gamers. There was a problem though. You see, I had just completed a full bag fitting at Club Champion in NJ, and was in the process of reconstructing my bag. I only had my Mizuno MP25’s with C Taper 130X, my Directed Force putter, and my lob wedge. All of my other clubs had been traded in to Global Golf and Rock Bottom Golf with the expectation of using that credit for the clubs I was fit for. I grabbed my old Callaway 3Deep from my garage, so I had a 3 wood. Usually I use 3 wedges, 50,54,58, but on short notice, I snagged a 52* Gap wedge to go 52-58. Finally, I had to get some sort of driver together. I had an Aldila Tour Blue 75x with an M1 tip on it, so I set out to get a cheap head from the BST. A member helped me out with an SLDR head on short notice.

 

It wasn’t an ideal situation, but I needed a complete bag. Obviously, if I knew I was going to be picked for this trip I wouldn’t have traded my stuff in and left me without a playable set! Jory asked us to email them our current specs and a player profile form for the Kingdom in order to pair us with our own fitter. I listed my specs before the bag trade because that was what would be most accurate. This was my setup:

 

Ping G30 10.5 Aldila Tour Blue 65X

Taylormade SLDR Mini 14* Matrix RUL 80X

Tour Edge Exotics CB Pro H 21* Fujikura Tour Fuel 80X

Mizuno MP25 C Taper 130 X 4-PW

Mack Daddy 2 50,54

Mack Daddy PM Grind 58

Directed Force Reno Putter

 

I got paired up with Chandler Carr, who would be one of the first faces we met once we got to Taylormade

 

I headed to bed early on the eve of the Taylormade Trip, only be awoken by an email and text from Delta Airlines. My flight out of Newark had been delayed 2 hours, which was going to cause me to miss my connecting flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to San Diego. I was crushed. The last thing I wanted to do was get there late and miss the first night’s festivities. I scrambled to open my computer and select an alternate flight, per Delta’s instructions. I sorted through the alternates, and all of them got me into San Diego at 8:00PM PST or later. Darn, that would make me miss dinner and drinks at Chandler’s Restaurant and Lounge in Carlsbad, CA. I refreshed the page, and up popped an option that would do the trick! Newark to Atlanta, GA, 2 1/2 hour layover, then off to San Diego. I booked it as fast as I could. Good thing I did, it was the very last seat.

 

Without much fanfare, I left my house at 3:00AM to drive to Newark. I breezed through TSA, headed to the gate, and was on my way to the West Coast. I made it into Atlanta, killed time during the layover, and boarded my connection. I struck up a conversation with the man next to me, an 86 year old Korean War Vet and avid golfer. Apparently he lurks on WRX from time to time. So if you’re reading this, hey Wayne!

 

After about 12 hours of traveling, I finally landed in San Diego. I headed to the baggage claim, grabbed my clubs and checked that they made it in one piece. I then called an Uber using a code that the folks at Taylormade provided for us. Pretty cool. We would use Uber extensively the rest of the trip as our primary mode of transportation. I had left my house about 15 hours prior, so I was famished. I knew that I had to continue the tradition I have when arriving to the West Coast: In-N-Out Burger. I know some West Coast folks may scoff that it’s not the best, but without access to it on the East Coast, it’s really great to get it when you can. I had my Uber driver take me to the hotel to check in first and drop my bags. The ride was only about 35-40 minutes which wasn’t bad at all.

 

In checking into the hotel, I knew that Taylormade was REALLY going to pull out all the stops for this trip. We were lucky enough to stay at the Park Hyatt Aviara. My Uber pulled up and I was greeted by Park Hyatt’s friendly staff. They even graciously offered to help me bring my bags to my room. The Park Hyatt is built on the side of a cliff, so the lobby is actually on the 3rd floor. I made my way up one flight and walked the long trek to room 411. Seriously, this place is huge. I would learn later that my next door neighbor was Zak from GolfWRX. The other guys were scattered around the hotel I believe. We had a group text going, so we all decided to meet up in the lobby around 4pm before heading for dinner. That left me plenty of time to grab another Uber to the In-N-Out a few miles away. I went with the old standby, a double double, fries, and a shake.

 

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I made my way back to the hotel, grabbed a shower, and headed down to meet the guys. Immediately, it felt like I had known them forever. We hit it off immediately with the shared bond of the game of golf. GolfWRX picked a great group with these fellas, truly some good dudes. After an hour of so of discussion and introductions, we hailed some Ubers and headed off to Chandler’s Restaurant and Lounge. We grabbed a beer and were soon greeted by our hosts, Jory Mendes, and his boss, Ryan Lauder, The Director of Consumer Engagement at TMAG. We had some beers and made our way over to be seated at a long, nicely lit table. We took our seats and continued the conversation. Appetizers of every sort made their way to the table, and soon enough our entrees arrived. The conversation criss-crossed the golf world and covered everything from our favorite courses to our favorite PGA Tour players. We picked our hosts brains about the inner workings of Taylormade and they were open and candid the whole time. It was like having a discussion with your oldest friends. I felt like I had known them for years.

 

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After finishing dinner, we called it a fairly early night because many of us, myself included, had been up for almost 24 hours. I retired to my room, but not before having a good conversation with Zak and him taking a look at my clubs. They were doing turn down service in his room next door so we killed some time. That’s how nice this place was, turndown service! I’d never experienced that before. I didn’t think I’d be able to fall asleep because of the anticipation but 24 hours awake won out.

 

Welcome to the Kingdom

 

We met in the lobby the next morning and again prepared to summon our chariots on our iPhones. The staff at the hotel was nice enough to drive us there with the hotel shuttle, so no need for Uber. The weather wasn’t looking good at all, but we didn’t let it deter us. Jory and Ryan assured us at dinner the night before that they had a contingency plan if the weather didn’t cooperate. Believe me, it didn’t. We pulled up to the Taylormade headquarters and immediately it sank in. This was real now. The rain was coming down at a steady, but not unbearable pace as we opened the glass panel doors to the Taylormade lobby. Inside was a glitzy foyer decorated with the latest Taylormade equipment, staff bags of their players, the latest Adidas shoe offerings, and a time capsule of Taylormade irons past. We signed in and got our badges and were greeted once again by Jory.

 

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We stepped through the double doors into a hallway decorated with notable Taylormade clubs from the past few decades. Jory introduced us to Chandler Carr, Manager of Product Creation at TMAG. After a brief introduction, we headed down the hallway and into an open area with warehousing and assembly space on our left, and The Taylormade Tour Department on our right. We made our way into the tour department and stared in amazement at the rows of bins full of tour issue heads, shafts, and grips. Chandler showed us around the tour department and explained that one individual supervises the build of a set from start to finish. They pull the heads, shafts, and grips, put them in their rolling cart, and make their way around the work area to bend, trim, epoxy, grip, and swing weight them. What I found interesting is that Taylormade bends their club heads BEFORE installing a shaft to ensure an accurate loft and lie measurement. Taylormade uses a proprietary epoxy that activates under heat, and is ready to play in 15 minutes.

 

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After some time perusing the candy store of gear, we made the short walk across the street to The Kingdom. The lush green range beckoned to us from behind a gate, and with a few steps through the impressive wood doors, we found ourselves inside the Kingdom. We were greeted by Tom Kroll and the whole team of fitters, and placed our gear inside our own personal locker. The rain was steady by this point, and it was clear that we weren’t going to get to hit outside. Alas, the contingency plan was set into motion.

 

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Measurable and Noticeable

 

The TM folks started off by presenting their new ball, the TP5, and TP5X, which we could tell they were immensely proud of. Michael Fox, the golf ball category director at TM led the presentation. He detailed the advancements with the TP5(x) over prior generations of Tour Preferred balls, and also detailed the strengths of the TP5(x) over their competitors. A softer, lower compression inner core followed by progressively firmer outer cores allow for maximum energy transfer, especially on full shots. The TP5 and x have a soft cast urethane cover that provides ample greenside spin and groove interaction on wedge and partial shots. Michael Fox explained to us that during their testing, Taylormade employed 2 trackman units, one behind their robot/air cannon, and one downrange, connected to fiber optic cables underneath the surface of the range to measure a 3mph increase in ball speed at peak height over their competitors. Reduced spin and a higher launch angle allows for increased distance, especially in the irons. Mike Fox explained that when Taylormade CEO David Abeles came to head up the company, he instilled the mantra “Measureable and Noticeable” to describe their strategy in releasing equipment. They won’t debut a product to market unless it is a measurable improvement, meaning legally defensible, and noticeable, meaning that there’s a marked improvement from a previous iteration that makes a consumer want to buy the new product. TM has gotten flak in the past especially on these boards for releasing too many drivers and other products too soon. Believe me, they hear you.

 

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After wrapping up the presentation, we were invited to test the TP5x against our gamers… on camera of course =). I volunteered to go first and after getting mic’d up, I set out hitting some 6 irons alternating between Bridgestone B330S and the TP5X. The TP5X launched NOTICEABLY higher, without the added spin that usually comes from such a launch angle. It seemed to fly out there on a towering trajectory and keep going! I picked up 3mph of ball speed with 6 iron. I moved on to driver, but it didn’t really go very well. I consider irons a strength of mine, but driver is definitely a weakness. I tend to be a bit steep with driver, and having 10 people in a room, 2 cameras, and an untested driver, I buckled a bit under the pressure. My swing got short and steep and I hit it horribly. Honestly my data with driver was unusable. I guess they had a good chance of beating my “gamer” with a driver fitting!

 

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I made my way over to the other side of the building to be fit for my driver. Jason Werner was at the helm of the trackman. I explained to him that the driver in my hands was a last minute backup, and told him what combination I was fit for at Club Champion. he quickly that combo and I hit a few (2017 M2 10.5*, HZRDUS Yellow 6.5) it was good, but Jason thought we could beat it. I was hitting it better than during the golf ball test, but still not great. I was actually missing with a slice, when my miss is almost always a pull or a pull hook. Jason put me into an M1 8.5* Cranked up with a Project X HZDRUS 6.0 Tipped an inch. It was much better than the combo I was previously fit for. Jason thought that was going to be the best combo and didn’t think we had to go much further. I wasn’t completely sold on the combo, but I deferred to his knowledge. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the combo itself, it’s that I wasn’t hitting ANYTHING all that well, so I didn’t know how it would perform on course when my swing was better. I’m glad I trusted him, because it was AMAZING on course. Jason Werner is who JDAY requests to work with when he comes to the Kingdom so obviously he knows his stuff.

 

Finally, it was time for my putter fitting with Duane Anderson. He’s an absolute putter nerd, and I was excited to get started. I brought my Directed Force Reno putter and was very curious to see what they would say about it at TM. I’ve putted very well in the rounds I’ve played with it. We used Taylormade’s MATT system, which uses 8 cameras and a reflective ball to map your putting stroke in 3D. It’s very much the GEARS of putting. Duane mapped out my individual putter and we set out to get some data. Throughout the fitting, Duane kept saying to himself “interesting….” I didn’t know if that was a bad thing or a good thing! I made a bunch of putts with the DF, so I hoped the numbers would be good. After hitting about 15 putts with the DF, Duane put a Spider Limited Platinum in my hands. I made a bunch with that too. Finally we tried out the Tour Preferred Berwick, and a missed a few with that to the right. Typically, my miss is a pull. I rarely ever push putts. We broke down the data, and the long and short of it is that Duane didn’t like the DF for me. I hit putts a bit off the toe and tend to have a bit of a closed face coming into impact. The Berwick, with a bit of toe hang, made the face come into impact open. The Spider was very close to square every time.

 

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This is where I’m not totally sure about Duane’s assessment of the Directed Force. He said that I come into impact with a closed face, and hit it off the toe in order to spin the putter face open and hit the putt on line. The Directed Force is lie angle balanced so it swings freely about the lie angle. Duane said it does a great job of that but is susceptible to twisting on off center hits. I understand his explanation and his vast knowledge about putters and putting, but that just hasn’t been my experience with this putter. Maybe I just compensate well with it and haven’t noticed. I think the MOI is so high on it that the starting direction isn’t affected by the balancing. I’m not saying Duane is wrong by any means. I just think I need to test it more extensively “In the Wild” so to speak. Spider Platinium Limited 35" 2° flat 2° strong and Pistol GTR 2.0 is what I was fitted into.

 

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I caught the tail end of the metalwoods presentation because I was doing my putter fitting, so I’ll defer to the other gents about what they learned there. I did get to ask 1 or 2 questions and take a few pictures. I asked that if since COR is limited, are there really going to be that many exponential improvements in performance due to CG movements etc, and have we reached a ceiling on performance. They said there absolutely is a ceiling, but they’re nowhere near it yet. They’re very proud of all of their technological advancements, especially the SLDR and this year’s M1/M2.

 

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We made our way back across the street to the Tour Department/main building where we were given an extensive tour of some R&D areas. That’s all I’m allowed to say. There were no pictures, and I can’t discuss what we saw. Suffice it to say that these guys are doing some groundbreaking stuff.

 

We worked with Chandler Carr and some of the guys in the Tour Department to have our drivers built to spec, right in front of us! They went right up to the wall of tour driver heads, grabbed one off for each of us, grabbed the shaft we were fit fit, and let us pick whatever grip we wanted. I was tempted to try out an MCC+4 Midsize, but I went with my usual NDMC Black/White because I thought it would look better. Chandler and the tour guys made short work of our driver assemblies, and soon enough we were back at the Kingdom testing them out. With the remaining time we hit some of the new irons and wedges before departing for the hotel. i’m a big fan of the P770s and the MG wedges. The P770s look very similar to my MP25’s or a set of MP15s, with a tidy little topline and not too much heft.

 

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I Remember My First Beer…

 

After a quick shower and break at the hotel it was off to Barrel Republic to sample some craft beers and wines before dinner. I’m not an expert in beer at all, so I relied on Jory to be my beer sensei. We sampled tons of different varieties, and before we knew it, it was time to go to Campfire for dinner. Their claim to fame is making drinks and food inspired by an open flame. I opted for a Charred Parsnip cocktail (tequila, charcoal, lime, salt at the suggestion of Josh from TM. For dinner I went with the meat pie. The guys gave me some flak for not finishing mine, but I swear it was way bigger than their portions. After dinner and more lively conversation with Jory, Ryan, Josh, and Mike Fox, some of the group went back to the hotel, and the rest of us headed back a few blocks to Barrel Republic for some more drinks. We stayed there another hour or two and then headed back to the hotel via Uber. My uber group was treated to a Mercedes M Class and great conversation with our driver. Apparently the other guys got Ricardo Grande’d by their uber drivers and were forced to call for another. I checked the forums a bit and it was off to bed for a good night sleep before teeing it up at Aviara.

 

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Where’s the First Tee and What’s The Course Record?

 

I jokingly asked Jory this on our way to begin our round. I had a great warmup session after we left the hotel at 6:15AM to make the short trip from the hotel to the course. Zak shot some photos of us hitting our drivers and we split up into our foursomes. I was lucky enough to get paired with Zak and Brian of GolfWRX, and Jory Mendes of TMAG in the first group. All of them are great players. Jory said he doesn’t get to play as much as he’d like but his game doesn’t show that. He hits it great. Zak hits it a mile and I don’t think there’s any weaknesses in his game. Brian is a master with a wedge, and he hit quite a few tour level chips and pitches that spun back nicely.

 

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We had a fun and relaxing round, opting to play two 9 hole best ball matches. First up it was Me and Brian against Zak and Jory. We got it handed to us haha. They beat us 4UP I believe. They were Ham and Egging it for sure. On the back 9 after some lunch at the turn and some adult beverages (hey, it was after noon on the East Coast) we switched to cart teams and Jory and I took on the guys from GolfWRX or as Jory jokingly called them, the Motor City Muppets. We were down a bit and went dormie on 15 green. On 16 we really had our work cut out for us. Jory piped a drive down the middle and Zak and Brian were on the left side of the fairway or just off. I massively pulled my drive onto the adjacent hole. I had a shot into the green with about 135 in over the pond on the left side of the green. I took 8 iron because the wind was strongly in my face. I was afraid of tugging it into the water, and I pushed it right of the flag. Took a big hop and went through the green. I had a little downslope to hit off of in the rough, caught it clean and hit it to 2 feet for par. Jory hit one in the water but I was in with par. Zak had 2 putts to win the match, and lagged his first to about 3 feet. Now, I don’t know if it was a miss, or if Zak was being generous, but he pulled it, and lipped it out. The match goes on!

 

17 Tee, I pull my drive a bit and struggle to get out of the junk, so my ball is pretty much a non starter. Jory hits Driver and has roughly 265 into the green by my estimation. He’s sitting in the rough, and decides to take driver off the deck. He pushes it a tiny bit and it winds up in a bunker by the green on an adjacent hole. The bunker was like concrete and he caught a bit too much ball. He hit a marvelous flop to 2 feet and tapped in for par, but it wasn’t enough to get Zak’s birdie. The GolfWRX guys had the match. Honestly, I think whoever was playing with Zak would have won because he was hitting it really well. I will say though, Jory made 3 birdies to Zak’s 1, so that’s worth noting. Jory hits it great. They all do. We decided to play double or nothing (double pride) on 18. We played through the hole, but Zak and Brian had to leave before putting out to catch their flight in time. So….. We won! Victory is so sweet!

 

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I thought I was hitting it pretty decent, but you could see the Winter rust was definitely there. I was hitting driver really well though, and Jason Werner’s fitting skills shined through. The M1 is incredible. I was actually missing a few left with some hooks, so moved the weight 3 clicks toward fade half way through the round and it was mostly straight balls after that. I switched off between the TP5 and x and really came to love the X. It launches nice and high and is plenty soft feeling especially off putter and wedge. The regular TP5 spun a bit too much for me and was shorter. I actually flew some greens with the X, it’s really long! I’d say I gained at least 7 or 8 yards with irons. Once I gain my in-season form this ball and driver is going to be even better than it is now. i have a feeling I’m going to hit driver to places I’ve never been before. This is the first driver I’ve truly been fit for. I’ll have to see how the putter shakes out, like I said previously.

 

Is it really over?

 

After finishing our round, we waited to see the other groups come in to 18. There were tons of people milling around near the back of the green/practice green, presumably talking about setup for the LPGA KIA Classic. The course was in fine condition, especially considering the fact that it got 3 inches of rain the day and night before. Aviara is a BEAUTIFUL layout, and every hole is unique it seems. It’s a very tough test, especially for a casual golfer, but great players like Jory, Zak, and Drew had few issues navigating it. Once everyone made it to 18, we headed to the practice green to say our goodbyes. Jory informed us that Taylormade will be hooking us up with a full bag in the coming weeks so it made a bittersweet end to the day that much sweeter. The 5 of us piled back into the hotel shuttle and said goodbye to George and Drew who had to depart for the airport shortly after. Brian,Darrin and I decided to go for one last In-N-Out run as Darrin had never been before! I was there until early Wednesday morning, an additional night, so I grabbed a cheap rental car, and went up North on I-5 to Irvine to sneak in a lesson with my teacher and friend Monte Scheinblum. He had my swing sorted in 15 minutes so we grabbed some dinner. Another bonus tacked on the trip!

 

I packed my bags that night and got to sleep early, still exhausted from the time change and the incredible experiences of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I drove my rental car back to San Diego and boarded my first flight to San Francisco. My connecting flight to Newark was delayed an hour and a half, almost 2 hours by the time we sat on the tarmac. There was turbulence East of Denver so everyone was to remain seated from there to Newark. A little dog yapped the whole way as well. I guess it was the universe saying that I had too good of a time out on the West Coast!! When we finally landed, i went to the baggage claim to get my sticks, but they didn’t come out, even after a long time. On a hunch, I went to the regular baggage claim where the rest of the bags from our flight were, not the oversize carousel. There I found my SKB hard case half dangling off the merry-go-round of luggage with 2 of 3 latches undone. I wrestled it off and found a love note from TSA that my bag had been checked (more like rummaged through and slammed back together.) I went to my Jeep in long term parking and made the hour drive home where I was greeted by my two dogs. It was sad that this once in a lifetime experience was over, but I was glad to be home with my pups and family.

 

Thank you.

 

I want to extend the most sincere and heartfelt thank you to my trip mates Brian, Darrin, Drew, and George for enhancing this experience, and becoming 4 of my good friends, to Zak and Brian of GolfWRX for selecting us and facilitating this journey, and THANK YOU to the folks at Taylormade, Jory Mendes, Ryan Lauder, Chandler Carr, Michael Fox, Tom Kroll, and the entire crew! You guys created an experience that was unforgettable. I haven’t had such a big Perma-Smile since I was 7 years old at Disney World. I don’t think there’s enough adjectives or expressions to describe what this 3 day journey to Carlsbad was.

 

Taylormade invited us into their headquarters, their home, and made us feel like one of their team, like family. They have an unbelievable work environment, and you can tell that they really are friends, not just coworkers. They love the game of golf, and they want to share their incredible products with the golfing community. They’re not just a marketing machine, they’re real human beings that take pride in their work and the products that they produce. They read these forums, they read the criticisms and the praise for their company. They take all of your words to heart. Realize that Taylormade isn’t just a golf equipment goliath. They are "a company of golfers, for golfers who take our game seriously, but not ourselves” to quote Jory’s first email to us.

 

I am grateful and humbled to have been a part of this extraordinary adventure. I will never forget the hospitality that was extended to us. I can only hope that I can work for a company as great as Taylormade during my lifetime. I’m a Taylormade guy for life.

 

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Great group, I can't wait to follow along!

TI Taylormade SIM (9.0°) Tensei CK Pro Orange 70TX
TI Taylormade SIM Ti (15.4°) Tensei CK Pro Blue 80X
Callaway XR Pro (20°) Diamana White 90X
PING i210 (4i-UW) DG X100
Ping Glide 2.0 (54°) DG S400 TI
Artisan MT Grind (58°) DG S400
Taylormade Spider X Chalk SS

Taylormade TP5

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BCULAW TRIP REPORT - TAYLORMADE TUESDAY (FEBRUARY 14, 26-28, 2017)

 

FEBRUARY 14, 2017: SO . . . WANT TO GO TO THE KINGDOM?

 

February 14 started out like any other day. I woke up early, help my wife get our girls ready for school, and settled in for a cup of coffee before getting ready to go to the gym. Scrolling through emails . . . hmmm . . . PM from a GolfWRX member. I'm not selling anything in the classifieds. What's up?

 

"So . . . do you want to go to the Kingdom?"

 

And just like that, the day went from something very ordinary to something very different.

 

Heart beat increases.

 

Adrenaline rush.

 

Huge smile streaks across my face.

 

Skepticism sets in.

 

Me: "Are you kidding me?"

 

George (aka "HipCheck"): "100% legit"

 

At this point, I am absolutely on cloud nine. Can't sit down. Pacing the house with nervous energy. I might have thrown in a Tiger-esque fist pump or two. Then, reality check.

 

You see, my wife's birthday is February 26 - the day the trip is scheduled to begin. For the first time in our "married and parents" life, we arranged an overnight babysitter for our 2 girls so we could take a quick "staycation" to celebrate. Hotel is booked. Dinner reservations made. Now, I am faced with breaking plans for my wife's birthday or missing out on a golf trip of a lifetime. Long story short, she couldn't be happier for me. I have literally been telling anyone who would listen for years that I wanted to go to the Kingdom, and she knew what I big deal this was for me. I will owe her big for a long time! This was truly going to be the golf trip of a lifetime for an equipment geek like me.

 

WHO IS THIS BCULAW GUY, ANYWAY?

 

So, before getting into the trip, I thought a little introduction might be in order. My name is Brian Christopher Ussery ("BCU") + I am a lawyer ("LAW") = "BCULAW"

 

I'm a 43 year old, father of two. I practice law in Richmond, VA. I've been married nearly 17 years to my best friend. I am a former minor league baseball player that actually spent a brief stint 20 years ago playing in Lake Elsinore, CA - about an hour from the Kingdom. I was pumped to go back to SoCal. I had a series of heart attacks a few years back at the ripe old age of 37 that changed my life and my perspective for the better. Golf is my therapy and my chance to find peace, quiet, time away, and fun.

 

I love golf, and absolutely love golf equipment, but I am a "guy that golfs" and not a "golfer." The difference being that I'm a decent stick, but I am not a "player" when it is all said and done. I've been on the GolfWRX Board since 2005 (member #2307) and I can say with near certainty that I have visited the site nearly every day since that time. I love blades and wedges, I suck at putting (more on that later), and the Kingdom has been very, very high on my bucket list for years.

 

That's me on the right with the gray top.

 

 

 

 

FEB. 26, 2017: CHRISTMAS DAY IN FEBRUARY!!!

 

I can sum up my excitement for this trip very briefly: My wife and I went out to celebrate our birthday (mine was 2/25, hers 2/26) and I had a couple of bottles of wine (check the picture above, I am built like Shrek) and at least one cocktail. My flight was scheduled to depart at 5:15 AM. I had a 3:30 wake up call. I didn't need it. AT ALL.

 

I got into San Diego at approximately 10:30 AM local time and quickly found an Uber to the resort. TaylorMade put us up at the Park Hyatt Aviara. I purposely didn't research the resort or the golf course before the trip. I wanted to be surprised, and the place didn't disappoint.

 

Aviara Entrance

 

 

Park Hyatt Aviara Entrance

 

 

 

Room

 

 

View from Balcony

 

 

The first order of business was In-N-Out Burger. I hooked up with George ("GC70") and we set out to find transportation. One of the resort employees overheard that we were going to grab food and immediately said that either he or his buddy would be happy to take care of us since it was a short distance away. I didn't know how to take his comment - was he going to call a shuttle, was he going to roll up in his personal vehicle? As it turned out, his buddy pulled up in a brand new, black BMW 7 series (still with dealer tags) to chauffeur me and George through the In-N-Out drive thru. Our driver turned out to be a former minor league ball player, and we hit it off right away. The burger run ended up being somewhat of a preview of the hospitality we received at the resort and throughout the entire trip - from my Uber drivers, to the resort employees, to all the guys at TM HQ and the Kingdom - everyone just seemed happy and you left your interactions with them feeling happy to have met them.

 

We met the entire crew in the resort lobby for introductions at 4:00. GolfWRX was represented by Zak Kozochowski and Brian Knudsen. Zak played college golf at University of Richmond (where I now live). He's a helluva stick and an even better guy. Brian held court with stories about past trips and workplace interactions among the WRX team that had us all in stitches within minutes of arrival. You can tell WRX is an awesome place to work and the guys truly enjoy one another's company - though it seems the needle is always on standby ready to poke. When they hit you, they hit as hard as Morgan Hoffman hits his 3 wood (inside joke).

 

From Left to Right: George Cellette (GC70), Darrin Sloan (DNice26), Zak Kozuchowski, Chris Schneeweiss (Schnee), Brian Knudson

 

 

We headed over for drinks and dinner at Chandler's around 5:30. Craft beers, great appetizers - best calamari I've ever had - and great entrees.

 

We got to meet our hosts for the weekend - Jory Mendes, TaylorMade's Global Communications Manager, and Ryan Lauder, TaylorMade's Director of Consumer Engagement. Jory has a wealth of knowledge of all things TaylorMade - he answered every question thrown his way and made clear from start to finish that he wanted us to ask away. His goal for the trip was to make us feel like part of the team for the duration of the trip. Ryan moved to California from the U.K. a few years ago, and held court throughout dinner with stories about the Euro Tour players and the inner workings of the company.

 

What struck me during our first dinner together is that both of these guys are truly proud of the team, the staff players, and the Company. TaylorMade is on a great run right now with DJ and JDay currently at #1 and #2 in the OWGR, and with recent wins from Sergio, Jon Rahm, and DJ. There is excitement to see what Tiger brings to the table, and the guys at TM believe that Rahm has potential to be their next great player.

 

An interesting tidbit about Rahm: I've always assumed that player sponsorship decisions - which players a company chooses to pursue - were fairly straightforward. You follow a player and try to project success based on prior accomplishments and potential for future success. It is apparently far more analytical, though, and relies heavily on metrics and statistical data. Far more scientific than I expected. It appears, based on our conversations with the TaylorMade guys, that they are really excited about Rahm and Beau Hossler, but Rahm, in particular, projects off the charts according to their metrics.

 

Throughout dinner, we listened to stories about the team and the tour - which players are heavily involved in the equipment process and which ones stay out of it. What products we may or may not see in the future. It was a fantastic ice breaker, and a great appetizer for what was coming.

 

Jory Mendes

 

 

Brian Knudson

 

 

Darrin (DNice26) and Ryan Lauder

 

 

Andrew (DrewTaylor21) and Chris Schneeweiss (Schnee)

 

 

It's almost game time!

 

 

FEBRUARY 27, 2017: WE ARE FAMILY

 

PART 1 - A VISIT TO TAYLORMADE HEADQUARTERS - CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA

 

You can imagine our excitement when we woke up Monday morning. Unfortunately, we woke up to very wet surroundings. It had rained all night and was raining through the morning as we prepared to leave the resort to go to tailor-made headquarters. The rain continued throughout the day without any let up - absolute deluge. The cashier at the resort gift shop told me she received 4" of rain at her house. It was wet!

 

Don't think for one second that anyone was any less excited about what we were about to do.

 

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking for a lot of this portion of the post, but let me say that the TaylorMade entrance and lobby is what you would expect of a global golf brand. You could spend an entire morning just checking out the lobby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The TMAG Boys can PLAY!

 

 

 

PART 2 - The TaylorMade Tour Department

 

Our next stop during the visit was a trip inside the TaylorMade tour department. To set the stage, once you leave the lobby, you walk into a HUGE warehouse space divided into various segments. The largest is devoted to retail operations, where the Company's retail goods are stored, sometimes assembled, packaged, etc. Thousands of boxes of all things golf on massive shelves everywhere. To the right, however, is a much smaller segment of the facility where the tour department techs build clubs for the staff players. If you think it would be cool to see this workshop, you would be correct. Components everywhere - heads, shafts, grips - some identical to retail, some very different - all ready to be assembled and put in play by the world's best players. The workshop is set up for efficiency and precision, with the utmost detail to quality. As we were told, no one at that company wants to tune in to TV to watch DJ hammer a drive, only to see his driver head rolling down the fairway due to poor build quality or poor components. The guys working on these clubs are some of the best in the business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jory Mendes

 

 

Chandler Carr

 

 

Part 3 - Next Stop - the Kingdom!

 

Let me start by saying that I have wanted to go to the Kingdom forever. It is at or near the top of my dream golf trip. Short of playing Augusta or St. Andrews, there is not much else I would rather do in the game of golf. Having a fitting from the tour fitters and having access to clubs that you know were built to your exacting specifications is an equipment junky's dream come true. I don't ever dream of being a tour pro because . . . well . . . I'm not awesome at golf. But, I do dream of being treated like one, and that is what the Kingdom is all about.

 

First off, the facility is gorgeous - exudes high end class and elegance, and the practice facilities are the nicest I have seen.

 

 

 

 

When we arrived in the facility, we were ushered into a high-end clubhouse-style locker area, where each us of received a designated locker complete with our own name tag. The entire facility was covered in memorabilia - limited edition staff bags, an original TaylorMade driver, a memorial to Jim Flick, and numerous photos and other reminders from recent staff pro victories. We received a "welcome speech" and brief tour from Tom Kroll, TaylorMade's Director Experiential and Training, who also introduced us to TaylorMade's team of fitters as we prepared for the business at hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 4 - TP5 and TP5X - THE MOST COMPLETE TOUR BALL

 

After getting settled in, Michael Fox, TaylorMade's Category Director - Golf Balls and Accessories, and Eric Loper, TaylorMade's Director of Product Development - R&D Golf Ball, provided us with a presentation on TaylorMade's new line of tour level golfballs; the TP5 and TP5X. We've been discussing these balls throughout the thread. Long story short, they are impressive. Here's the presentation (at least the portions I can share with you!! Only three days in and already receiving benefits from the faMily!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all spent time hitting the TP model golf balls against our current gamers including the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, and the B330 and B330s. TaylorMade set up a camera crew to capture footage of the test and the results. There is a possibility that they might use the footage in future marketing campaigns or commercials. I feel quite certain that I won't be on TV or in any of their ads, though. As I mentioned in another post in this thread, I absolutely froze up in front of the camera. I was like a deer in the headlights. I was like Ricky Bobby in Talledega Nights - I didn't know what to do with my hands! It was a nightmare!

 

As a result, I probably showed the least gains of any of the members that participated in the test. But, I did show increased performance with the TP5 over the Pro V1 I usually play. We all received a dozen of each ball to bring home to test. I'm anxious to get them out on my home course to see how they compare. I will say that I drove the ball as well yesterday as I have in quite some time, and my launch angle seem to be really good, which is a rarity for me as a low launch/high spin driver of a golf ball. Better yet, I could play the ball without any sacrifice in the feel. It feels great. That's a big one for me.

 

Here's a great video of Jon Rahm's initial testing with the ball. It is not a stretch to say all of our guys had similar results.

 

 

Part 5 - Putter Fitting

 

I think the highlight of the day for me was the putter fitting with Duane Anderson in TaylorMade's new MAT-t Putter lab. I am a TERRIBLE putter, and I always have been. I played for a month with no putter in the bag, preferring to use the belly of my 60* wedge. I'm fairly certain I didn't suffer any decline in performance, and that should tell you all you need to know.

 

The MAT-t system uses multiple cameras over a roughly 25 foot indoor putting green to create a 3D image and video of your stroke in order to determine whether inconsistencies in aim, stroke, fit, etc., are causing you to miss putts. In my case, it was all of the above. Duane was a saint - a patient teacher who spent plenty of time figuring out both the cause of my miss and its cure. I have two significant issues with my stroke: First, I set up with the toe high, regardless of the putter's specs. Second, I add significant loft at impact. Ad the loft from my stroke to the loft of most putters, and I am essentially "laying up" on every green (more accurately, I am chipping with my putter). In addition, I tended to aim 2 balls left of center on nearly every putt, and pulled most putts another 2 balls left. Essentially, I had to hit a bad putt in order to make anything.

 

The MAT-t system was an instant cure. Duane handed me multiple putters in various styles and lengths, and all provided nearly identical numbers. Left, left, left, left, left. Then, lightning struck. With the 5th putter Duane handed me - a 35" TaylorMade TP Collection Berwick - my aim suddenly centered and so did my stroke. I went from pulling everything to suddenly hitting nearly every putt exactly where I was looking, which was center of the hole. Take off 2* of loft and I plan on making a bunch with this one!

 

My man, Duane!!

 

 

 

 

 

Part 6 - Driver Fitting

 

The next major hole in my game is off the tee. As I mentioned above, I am a high spin/low launch player off the tee. The result is short carry due to lack of launch/height and little roll due to spin. I hit my driver MUCH shorter than I should at my swing speed. My recent attempts to combat these issues was to find a driver I could launch and carry, regardless of spin. That driver was a Titleist 915D2 with Aldila Rogue Black 95 70 stiff. My strategy: bunt it around the course. For reference, during the ball test, I was swinging 94-96 with a 6 iron, but only 102-103 with the driver in an attempt to control what was obviously a too whippy/too spinny club.

 

We started out with the M1 D type with a Fuji Tour Spec of some sort in extra stiff at -1". I did not ask many questions about the shaft, as I was trying not to let emotion influence the fitting process. My guess is that my swing characteristics are so similar to Andrew's (drewtaylor21) that putting me in the same head was a "no brainer." I kid. I kid. Andrew is a good 40-50 yards longer than me off the tee, and makes me feel like I should take up knitting or enroll in spelling contests when I hit balls next to him. The results with this combo were a lot of low pulls. I simply could not elevate it enough to make it playable. Jason went next door and found a new combo - 10.5* M1 460 with Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 6x, again at -1" (44.75"). The improvement was almost immediate. I found a groove for a bit and started getting some much better results. We tinkered with the length a bit - going back to standard and then even shorter at 44" - and even tinkered with the weight and flex, but Jason was quickly convinced that the AD-DI was the right fit. Based on my on-course play yesterday, it would seem he is pretty spot on. After a couple of holes to adjust and tinker with the settings, I settled into a very solid driving round until my back tightened up on 16. I turned 43 on Saturday, and felt every bit of 75 by the end of yesterday's round, but the driver performed really well. I can't wait to get it on the home course to see if I can find some new areas of the fairway.

 

After the testing, Chandler took us back across the street to TaylorMade HQ to build our clubs - COR tested, hand picked heads from the Tour Department. The guys over there are outrageous in their efficiency and attention to detail. Start to finish, the driver was built in roughly 15-20 minutes. A couple of photos of the process:

 

 

 

 

 

Part 7 - Ball Manufacturing Facility and Double Top Secret Room of Wonderful Inventions:

 

Not to be vague here, but a good portion of the afternoon was spent getting access to some of TaylorMade's most proprietary R&D facilities, and we simply are not at liberty to share much. I will say that TaylorMade HQ houses a small batch ball manufacturing facility where the Golf Ball R&D team can manufacture their own golf balls for tinkering and testing - everything from (I presume) tinkering with the recipes to shooting balls out of a cannon at a block of concrete to test durability. The place houses a bunch of mad scientists who were kind enough to share insight into their daily tasks and give us a sense of the passion and energy they bring to creating golf balls from idea to reality.

 

As for the Double Top Secret Room of Wonderful Inventions, let me just say that it was both mind blowing and life changing, and if you are ever as fortunate as I am (and as good looking, charming, funny, charismatic, macho, athletic, etc.) to be provided access, then count yourself lucky. Until you are, however, I am not at liberty to discuss it with you.

 

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !!!!!!

 

Part 8 - Chilling with the Fellas

 

After the tour, the hour was getting late and energy levels were running low, so we went back over to the Kingdom for a little R&R with a Trackman and a room full of demo clubs. It was just golfers being golfers, and it was a blast. Perry Dickey was kind enough to humor our games and side bets as we all tried to max out our ball speed with a 3 iron, tried to hit various fades/punches, draws, etc., and generally resorted to trash talking and other various forms of ball busting at the end of a long and awesome day.

 

My feet were sore, my back was screaming, and I failed to bring advil, so beers - many beers - were in order. On to Dinner!

 

Part 9: Drinks at Barrel Republic and Dinner at Campfire

 

After a quick stop back at the hotel to clean up, we all met at Barrel Republic for drinks before dinner. For anyone not familiar with the concept, the place has dozens of craft beer selections set out in "self-serve" style. You waive a wristband in front of a motion sensor and pour. Drink. Repeat. I didn't get brave enough to try a "suicide" - remember the old slushie suicides we used to get as kids? As I looked at all the taps, side by side, I kept thinking I needed to try a "beer suicide." The idea quickly passed. I did, however, try an awesome stout called Old Chubb that was 8% ABV. My back felt better almost immediately, so a couple of more were definitely in order.

 

After a couple of "pops," we walked a couple of blocks over to Campfire for heavy appetizers (including duck liver pate - not my favorite) and a phenomenal meat pie that I would not hesitate to order again. We traded golf stories, but mostly spent time digesting the day's events and getting to know our hosts and new friends a little better. I got to chat at length with Brian and Zak prior to dinner. I sat next to Mike Fox, Darrin, and Ryan Lauder during dinner and had a great conversation with them. After dinner, a couple of more beers at Barrel Republic and an Uber back to the hotel wrapped up a fantastic day!

 

 

 

 

 

Part 10: The Day's Haul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEBRUARY 28, 2017: AVIARA (AKA: GOLF PARADISE)

 

To wind up the trip, we were all treated to a round of golf at Aviara Golf Club. As I mentioned earlier, I intentionally did not research the course, as I wanted to be surprised at every step on the way. I assumed the course would be great, but I was not expecting what I saw when we got there. The course was beautifully landscaped with flowers, tropical foliage, and waterfalls everywhere. It was challenging, with elevation changes, difficult green complexes, and demanding dog legs. It was in fantastic shape - especially given how much rain we got the day before.

 

I was paired with Andrew - again, I assume the powers that be thought I would be an equivalent golfing talent with similar distance off the tee. If that is the case, they were dead wrong. For those that have never seen Andrew play, all I can say is "WOW!" He kills the ball off the tee, and has a fantastic swing - we are talking legitimate tour caliber ball and swing speeds, with a shot trajectory unlike anything I've ever seen. His drives are basically mortar shots that routinely carry over 300 yards. Better yet, he's a gentleman and a great guy to hang out with. We had a blast!

 

We got paired up with Tom Kroll and Ryan Lauder from Taylormade. I mentioned both of them earlier, but would just reiterate that they are both great players and even better hosts. Tom is a former touring professional with (I think I heard) a couple of decades of experience at TaylorMade - Tom, I apologize if I am aging you or over stating that number. He's a stick and a character that knows everyone in Carlsbad, it would seem. Ryan is the kind of golfer that sneaks up on you, which is to say that you get into shooting the breeze with him, having some laughs, talking some trash, and tend to overlook the fact that he is waxing you by multiple strokes. If I recall correctly, he was +3 through 15 yesterday and did it without breaking a sweat. He's also a California transplant from the UK that had to suffer through 70* and sunny yesterday while his family across the pond played in the snow. I got the sense he was pleased with his move.

 

Bottom line is that we had a PHENOMENAL time on the course. The pictures tell the story!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARCH 1, 2013 - THANK YOU TO ALL

 

I want to first thank our hosts at TaylorMade for the golf trip of a lifetime. Ryan and Jory went above and beyond to show us a great time and to give us a peak into the TaylorMade culture and brand. I have to believe that their job was made EXTREMELY difficult by the weather, and I would like to just say that their efforts did not go unnoticed. Learning about, and testing, the new products was awesome. The driver and putter fitting was really cool. The facility tour - especially the Tour Department and Ball Manufacturing facility - was a highlight for me. More than anything, though, it was just fun getting to know these guys and seeing them in their element. I am sure all of them face challenges at work, but they all sure seemed to enjoy what they do. I've been smiling ear to ear since February 14 when I learned I had been selected, and I don't see the smile going away any time soon. Thanks to TaylorMade for being such a big reason it has been there.

 

Word is that all the attendees will be provided some manner of "care package" in the very near future, including a full 14 club set. I can't wait, and am excited to bring more thorough reviews of all of these products in the coming weeks. Needless to say, TaylorMade's generosity in essentially outfitting us like a staff member is above and beyond.

 

A special thanks to Jory Mendes, Ryan Lauder, Tom Kroll, Mike Fox, Duane Anderson, Eric Loper, Chandler Carr, Kurt Donahoo, TJ Balhoun, Josh Hurst, Kim Johnson, and all the others who played a hand in planning and executing this special event. It really was a phenomenal trip and I can't thank you all enough for your work and generosity.

 

 

Next, I want to thank our hosts from WRX - Zak and Brian. As hard as it is for us to believe, this is work for these guys. It takes them away from family, and keeps them busy for weeks in advance preparing to ensure that we receive VIP treatment. Thank you both for your hard work and for being such generous hosts this week. I'll display my new WRX stickers proudly on my car, and look forward to interacting with both of you in the future. Look me up next time you are over this way!

 

Finally, a big shout out to the #TaylorMadeTuesday gang (AKA "the Fantastic 5," AKA "the bringers of rain"). It is amazing that you can build such good friendships over such a short amount of time. A big shout out to George, who is as geeked about equipment as anyone I have ever met. I hope we get to enjoy a burger and a round of golf again someday. To my man, Darrin, who swings like Jimmie Walker (check out the finish in the Aviara pictures above) and my boy Schnee, who let me borrow his room yesterday while I waited to leave for my red eye flight last night - I had a great time meeting you both. We live close enough that a future golf event needs to be in the works! And to Andrew, an all-around great guy and fantastic golfer who I fully expect to see in a future TM commercial, I had an awesome time playing with you yesterday, and I'll pay you the $10 I owe you at some point. Really. I promise. Ha Ha!

 

The #TaylorMadeTuesday Crew!!!

 

 

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Congratulations gentlemen! Take lots pictures and enjoy yourself!

Twitter: @Ed_Settle        My WITB
Driver:           Callaway Rogue ST Max LS 9.0 +2 GD Tour AD HD 6X
Fairway:        Callaway Rogue ST Max LS 3W/15*  Tensei Wht AV 70S

Utility W:         Callaway UW 19* HZRDUS Black RDX 6.0 S
Hybrid:          Callaway Apex Pro 4/21* KBS Hybrid 85S

Irons:             Callaway X Forged Star 5-PW Modus 105 S
Wedges:       Callaway Jaws Raw 48S/53W/58Z DG S200 
Putter:           2022 Toulon Design Small Batch Austin 34" 

Ball:               2022 Callaway CSX LS
Bag:               VESSEL Blk Lux Cart Bag 14 way   

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Good group here. I am envious, but I look forward to following along.

TaylorMade QI10 9* - Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8TX

TaylorMade Stealth+ 15* - Fujikura Ventus Red 9TX

NIKE Vapor Fly Pro 3-4i - Fujikura Pro Tour Spec 95X

Mizuno JPX 919 Tour 5 - KBS Tour 130X

Mizuno JPX 919 Tour 6-PW - DG TI X100

Mizuno T22 Raw 50* S, 55* D | TaylorMade Hi Toe 60* - DG TI S400

Scotty Cameron Select Squareback +

 

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Congrats to everyone selected! Of all the trips WRX has ever held, this is the one I would have wanted to be on. Should be an amazing experience.

TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus 9.0, Ventus Black 6X, 45.5"

TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus 4 (16.5), HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 6.5 70g, 42.5"

TaylorMade P790 3 (2021), DG X100 (SSx2)

TaylorMade P7MC Raw 4-PW, DG Mid X100 (SSx1)
TaylorMade MG4 50, 54 - DG S400

Titleist SM9 58T - DG S400
Scotty Cameron Oil Can Newport, 34"
TaylorMade TP5x (2021)

My WITB Post

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Guys, enjoy every second of this! When we went a few years back it was one of the most exciting few days of my golf life, and I will never forget the cool things we got to see and do. The Kingdom is golf heaven! Congrats and make every moment count bc you will remember these couple days forever!

TM M4 10.5 Mitsubishi Rayon Tensei White 70X
Callaway Rogue 4 wood Hzrdus Yellow 6.5
TM Stage 2 tour hybrid 22* Altus 85X
SLDR 5-PW C Taper 120s
Cleveland CBX 50*
TM MG2 54*, 58*
Toulon Atlanta H4
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Congratulations to all selected. I guess my application answers of dear god pick me aren't working. I know a couple of guys just went through a driver fitting at other places and were put into Taylormade drivers. It will be interesting to see if they are put in the same specs at Taylormade as they were at the other places.

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Thanks WRX and TaylorMade for this great experience! I can't wait too meet the other members going. The whole 17 TM line up looks great! I haven't gamed TM since the RAC and R7 days.

Smoke 9* GD IZ 5s
Smoke 🔹🔹🔹15* GD IZ 6s
 
T150's 5-PW KBS Tour
SM10 Nickel 50/12F KBS Tour
SM10 Nickel 54/10S KBS Tour
SM10 Nickel 58/08M KBS Tour

Nike 006 Paul Casey Proto 
Nike 006 Rory Proto 

PRO V1 #36 or #70

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/973333-mnnikeguy-nike-oven-witb/"]WITB Link[/url]

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Cool. Congrats to the members getting to go. Look forward to hearing about the experience.

G430 max 10.5, Accra TZ Five 60s
Callaway Epic Super Hybrid 16, AD-IZ 75S
Callaway Rogue X 20, Oban Devotion 85S
Cobra King utility 25, Accra TZ6 95di
Ping I210 5-U, black dot

Callaway Jaws 56, W grind

Vokey 60, M grind
Scotty Newport 1.5

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I'm so excited for this incredible opportunity!!!!

 

Thank you to Golf WRX and TaylorMade golf for putting this all together and for hosting us.

Titleist TSi2 10, Fujikura Ventus Blue Velocore 6X, 45"

Titleist TSi2 16.5, Fujikura Ventus Red Velocore 7X, 43"

TaylorMade GAPR Mid 4, KBS

Titleist T100S, KBS C-Taper S+ 5-PW

Titleist SM8, 50F, 54S, 60D, TT S400 Custom 

Scotty Cameron Phantom X12, 35", Stability Tour


[url="https://www.instagram.com/dnice262626/"]https://www.instagram.com/dnice262626/[/url]

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Awesome guys, congrats.

 

DNICE - if you happen to see Sergio out there, tell him Warrick says "hi"...lol.

 

Should we be so lucky, I'll let him know you said "hola."

Titleist TSi2 10, Fujikura Ventus Blue Velocore 6X, 45"

Titleist TSi2 16.5, Fujikura Ventus Red Velocore 7X, 43"

TaylorMade GAPR Mid 4, KBS

Titleist T100S, KBS C-Taper S+ 5-PW

Titleist SM8, 50F, 54S, 60D, TT S400 Custom 

Scotty Cameron Phantom X12, 35", Stability Tour


[url="https://www.instagram.com/dnice262626/"]https://www.instagram.com/dnice262626/[/url]

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Congrats to all...especially Drew! Looking forward to hearing about the adventure!

 

Haha thanks Dave! Tell Mrs Pelz hello for me :)

 

Huge thanks to WRX and TaylorMade! It really does feel like Christmas. We all joked that we didn't sleep well the night we found out we were selected... I'm anticipating even less sleep Saturday night! Can't wait to experience The Kingdom and share it with everyone here!

 

Also please let us know if you have any questions you want asked!

 

 

*Placeholder*

Callaway Great Big Bertha 9* (Rogue Rip i/O 60x)
2016 M1 3HL (Aldila Rogue Silver 70x)
TaylorMade p790 3i (KBS Tour S)
TaylorMade RSi TP 4-9i (KBS Tour S)
Mizuno T7 Blue Ion 46-50-54-58 (S300)
Spider Tour Platinum 35"
TP5x

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hurryupgolf/?hl=en

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