AT&T Championship

10/28/10

I got a little earlier start this morning in order to have breakfast with a couple of the players. It's dark thirty at around 6:45am! Like the ol Eveready battery it just keeps going and going!

The caddie shack is all Solus'd up! Looking good in the neighborhood!

I had a pretty good little session at breakfast with a few of the players. Naturally the talk of the round table was the grooves. The players think it's funny that the grooves did not make as much impact as first intended by the USGA. The players are testing new balls this week and guess what they are not getting softer! My topic was to pick this groups brain as to why or what could we be doing to get more players playing the club?


Not surprising to hear that the design is awesome and the club works beautifully. No bad vibes regarding the design and performance, but the lurking questioned remained unanswered, until my friend Billy Glasson spoke up! Billy said all of us are scared to try anything different unless it's for money or distance. He went to expand upon the Solus wedge, which is the only real change that has been made to a wedge is God knows how long. He continued on to say that there really isn't much difference from wedge to wedge and if fact the grooves have pretty much leveled the playing field. All of the wedges feel good, look good and now pretty much perform the same. Nothing really stands out. This is when I jumped in to say you are all wrong! Until you try the Solus design most of you will never know or have the advantage this wedge produces! They all looked stunned. Billy jumped back in and said Mark you must realize something about us players, we are all PSYCHO and in some cases just plain stupid! Being afraid to change is the biggest road block when it comes to wedges. Boy this was the answer that I had felt all along but needed to hear it from the horse's mouth!


We had another little argument regarding shafts, swing weight and perception of weight distribution within a wedge or for that matter any club. They ask me how I would swing weight a wedge for proper feel. I explained a lot of time players that are really good wedge players are swinging the wedge about 60% of their total speed therefore some like the wedge heavier and most want a little softer shaft. On the other hand there are players that want nothing but to match whatever is in their irons regardless of how the wedge feels. Rory Sabbatini is that kind of player but has the talent to pull off the shots regardless of the shaft. This is a natural born talent that not every player has. So I explained I usually start with player explaining to me what he is and isn't feeling and go from there. Every player has a different perception of weight, more times than not I will test a few shafts. If the player says the wedge feels to "heavy" I will start by going to a stiffer shaft. The question then becomes, why? Well if the shaft is stiffer it is usually heavier and doesn't flex naturally as much producing less feel back to the hands from the club head. Conversely if the player wants a little more head feel or swing weight I will go to a "softer" shaft. These players are a lot like Rory, they have excellent eye hand coordination and touch thus a softer shaft is heavier and produces the "heavier" feel since the shaft is flexing more. You see this is just a start! The only thing I heard from the group was "really"? Hey gives you all something to think about! I do know a thing or two and can really show you a few things if you give me a chance! I left them there in a steaming pile of knowledge! Stunned is a good word!


You know when my Dad was playing and in the business he was on the playing staff at Ben Hogan Golf Company. Back then the players such as Hogan were installing "R" flex in their wedges as did my Dad. The wedges always had a different shaft than the balance of the set and it was always a regular flex. Something to ponder.


I went back out to the tee and walked the tee line. It still blows my mind how many players that have bought the new conforming wedges. Most of these players are double digit handicappers! Still why would they change? Oh wait, because these guys(tour players) had to! I forgot? These guys are not having much fun and I can promise you they are wedging at least two times per hole. Why give up that advantage? I will never know?


I was informed that if a player plays the Srixon ball they have to play the Cleveland wedges, regardless.


Well all in all it was great to get back here and see ol friends on the Champions Tour. It's been a fun two weeks! It is still hard to believe the season is almost over! I have one more stop and that is Disney the second week of November. By the time I am done and at home the snow should just begin to hit the ground! Nice..................:-(


Have a great weekend!


 

10/27/10

Well today turned out to be pretty busy with the two pro-ams. It was very difficult to work in and around all of the teams. Oh well you can only do what you can do! It is a little frustrating to me so I can just imagine how the pros feel. The round will take six hours to complete and for some teams longer.

Hey these guys start in the dark and a little rain also. There was a heavy fog move in right around day break and it was just enough to keep you wet! It was all supposed to burn off around noon and then the temps were to get in the lower 90's possibly setting a new heat record for this date which is 91 degrees. I am not sure it got that hot but it sure felt like it around 2:00 this afternoon.

There were still a lot of players that hadn't shown up even today such as Freddy, Nick and Bernhard where just a few I noticed missing.

I guess Yes Golf will be going through a restructuring mode. We all wish them the best of luck for the future and hope they return to the tour soon! Such a good product!

I took a look at the scores from the morning pro-am and caught an eye of J.C.’s team score! Check it out! I have never seen a pro-am score this low! Well you know how my mind works and know right where I am going, yea the wedge we built him yesterday! I thought man that wedge really helped him and his team! Granted these teams are sometime loaded with high handicappers and his team would be no exception.

I decided to ask the Champions Scoring Official if I could take a look at their scorecard. He said sure. Well after I looked at it I discovered the team only used two of J.C.'s scores! Take a look at this card. I could not believe how these guys played, four net "1's"! Holy cow! These guys will not be liked at the after party! Like I said it was pretty wild to see a 48 and to think the next team that was even close was five shots back! Boy that will take a little air out of the ol balloon!

I heard this will be the last year for this event here at Oak Hill. The event will be moved to the new TPC course. This is the same course that hosted the Valero Texas this year. I guess it only makes since, but Oak Hill has a lot of history and a very loyal fan base.

Rich Beem returned to the tour since a layoff in April when he had undergone surgery for a herniated disk. He had played two Nationwide events and put in quite a bit of practice getting ready for Las Vegas, but he missed the cut shooting 72-76. I hope to see him in Orlando in two weeks. I was told the Solus wedge was still in the bag!

I had a couple of pro-am players asked me a few questions regarding wedges. They follow my blog and believe me they knew it frontwards and backwards inside out! Both of these players had Solus wedges in the bag. I know some of you are saying how can they play the non-conforming wedges in a PGA Tour Pro-Am event? You must remember the amateurs can continue to play in any event that is structured towards amateur play such as these pro-ams. These events are for "FUN" they are not qualifying for a PGA Tour event where the payout is money! Please keep in mind unless you are planning on qualifying for a US Open or attempting to Monday qualify for a PGA Tour sanctioned event you can continue to play the non-conforming grooves until 2024 according to big brother USGA. Have fun! Who is going to be policing this when 2024 comes around and "big brother" says stop playing them? How'd they or who selected the random number 2024? Hell the entire world and this game will have changed by then! I hope I am still standing to see how this all pans out come 2024 it should be interesting!

10/26/10

Well it was a pretty laid back Monday, oh wait this is Tuesday! Sorry I had a little crampage of the cranium! Naturally I have to bore you with the amount of pro-ams we are having this week! This morning to my surprise there was a pro-am off site! Not only that we are having two on Wednesday and two on Thursday! Ok now you are set for the week! I got that cleared up in a quick and painless fashion! Hey it's all part of the drill! Grit and bear it!!!

I heard today that Yes Golf closed their doors. I am really finding it hard to believe though? Jim Furyk just won the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup with a Yes putter! It's true though! I confirmed it with Mark Wiebe. He carries the Yes staff bag and plays the putter out here on the Champions Tour. It's a sad day, they had an excellent product line and had several wins out here on tour. I am hoping that they get picked up by one of the bigger companies that don’t have a putter line, such as Adams Golf.

Here's a photo of Lee "Buck" Trevino holding court on the tee. Tommy Armour III, J.C. Snead and Gene Jones are all listening to his sermon and taking it all in! Lee is funny when they get him started!

Not having the other three lofts have just killed me out here. I had three more opportunities for clubs in play if I had only the 50 and 54 in stock. Several of these players were playing the 47 Series 4.1 and Tour 7.1 until the groove change. I am missing the boat with these players as well since we don't have a replacement loft. They liked the versatility and utility of the old 47 so it only makes since for them to want the new FC-10 in a 48! Oh well!

My ol buddy J.C. Snead came by and wanted to test one of the 56 FC-10's. Here he is putting it through a few maneuvers. He had discovered he had a wedge in his bag that wasn't conforming. He asked me to take a look and sure enough it doesn't conform. J.C. hasn't played much this year so he needed to get caught up on the new changes! As if he didn't know?

About two hours later J.C. came back to me and picked up the 56 again. He said if I would pull the leading edge back slightly, add 1/2" to the length and re-grip it he would put it in play. Away I went!

I wasn't sure if I had shown you the inside of the Champions Tour workshop, so I snapped a few shots while I was having J.C.'s club altered. Take a look.

           This is Brian grinding on J.C.'s wedge.                        This is Mike one of two techs that run the van.

I had to make a couple of trips out to J.C. until we got it right. I feel a little helpless out here since I am more of a hands-on kind of guy. Sometimes it is hard to let go and let the techs do their thing. Brian is very good. Here is a look of the first pass on "squaring" the leading edge.

The sole contour after the adjustments had to be reworked and finalized per my spec.

                    We got his wedge finished and here he is testing before taking it to the course.

Since I hadn't been out on the PGA Tour since Mississippi, I had to get brought up to speed on all the news from a fellow rep today. He said things have started to show change. When I say "change" I mean with contracts and endorsement deals. This time of year players and agents are jockeying for their positions for next year's tour contracts. I have been telling you this was going to happen for the last two years but it has finally happened! My friend said that players are being dropped and the multi club contracts are dwindling away by the day. He said so far the rumor was there are no more 6-7 figure contracts which should open the door of opportunity for a little company like us to finally get in. The trend so far seems to be each company selecting 5-6 top players for their stable and the rest are getting partial deals depending on their position on the money list, the balance are history. I will keep you posted as this situation develops. After all it drives what you the consumer buys, right? Give it some thought?


He went on to say that there seemed to be a few bag, hat, ball and driver deals being offered in place of the 13-14 clubs deals that have been so evident over these past few years. Please keep this mind I am getting this information second hand and have not heard this for myself firsthand. I will be able to find out in the next two weeks when I head back to the season ending event in Orlando. This rumor has been floating around though way before now. The contractual process usually starts in early September and ends by the end of November if not before. Finally you will start to see players resurface since they have disappeared due to equipment they could not play. Just look at who has come out of the back of the field of late, David Duval! Hey if they cannot play the equipment which is bigger the weekly purse or that multiyear contract. Oh by the way most contracts have protection over this kind of thing happening.

Administaff Small Business Classic

10/22/10

It's been a fun week catching up with all our friends and family out here. The air on this tour is so relaxing and laid back. There's music on the tee, good food and great people! My good friend and fellow rep "Fordie" were talking this morning about this tour in comparison to the "Big show" which oh by the way doesn't compare in any way shape of form other than they both have players!

But you know these guys have a completely different attitude and how they go about their daily routines. Today was no exception with a two wave pro-am. These guys are never in a rush, come to the tee, warm up with about a dozen or so shots, hit a few putts and off to the course. Once finished they have lunch with their pro-am group and off they go! There isn't more than 2-3 players that you will see come back to the tee to work on their swing, it just doesn't happen.


The biggest difference these guys have "been there, done that" and appreciate where they have come from. They have succumbed to having FUN! The reps aren't walking all over each other and everybody enjoys the day! I love it! At least you won't go through days that no one and I mean no one will speak to you. The only way that would happen out here is your tongue would have to have been cut out the night before and then these guys will still talk to you! As you can tell I like it out here!

We have a new "rookie" on the Champions tour this week! Since turning 50, Kenny Perry makes his debut this week! It's nice to see him out here, great guy! I may have to see how his contract holds up out here? Maybe we have a chance to get in the bag on this tour!

Something that really impresses me is how some of these guys never seem to age and actually look in better shape today then in their prime. Take a look at Billy Glasson he is still as stout as he was when he made his debut on the PGA Tour less the blond hair, he is still as intimidating as he ever was.

I strolled over to check in on Nick Price, up close he too is in stellar shape and strong. I use Bernhard Langer as an example all the time, he never changes! I want what he's having! Ha-ha! I remember watching him on TV growing up and he looks the same with the exception of maybe a few wrinkles here and there! Hell a brand new pair of slacks will wrinkle up when you sit down! Other than that these guys are amazing!

Uh Oh guess who's in the house?

That's right, the KING is in the house! Mr. Palmer as you know is the spokesman for Administaff Company, so he is here to participate in the pro-am and do a little promotional work for the company. He is still the nicest man you will ever meet! What a gentleman. I had a little conversation with him regarding our company and let him know how my Dad was getting along. It was good to see him!

Two legends catching up on current events and talking "ol times". That's Doug Sanders with his back to the camera. You can always pick out the Dougster, his shoes will always match either his shirt or slacks or both! I have stayed at his house here in Houston a time or two and he must have 9000 pairs of shoes, slacks and shirts that all match! Still! It was his signature look back in the late 60's. Anybody that followed golf back then knows what I am saying!

I followed up with Tom McKnight this morning and he didn't have either Solus wedge in the bag. Of course you can see who he really plays for! Tom has played the Solus wedge for good number of years and has had great success. He has been out with a back injury or problem for much of the season. He said he would not be playing next week in San Antonio although I am not sure if it's due to the back. He is struggling, however he looks strong and is making a good pass at the ball. He said his wedge game has been off regardless of his back since the groove change. He really wanted to know if we were going to come out with the Series 4.1 with the new grooves. He said he really got comfortable with that head and had more confidence in his short game. I explained to him that we had talked about it, however at this point do not have anything in place to make it happen just yet.


You know after talking to the players this week I have to say our tour efforts and support out here has weakened. I blame myself for this but our penetration has dropped off for some reason. I am not sure if it's the entire groove issue or if it lack of sufficient follow up or what. We are just not as strong as I would like to see us especially out here. Our club numbers in play should be at least what they were last year if not shown an increase.


Granted there are a few companies keeping us at bay with money which will continue regardless of the company. On the other hand having a closer follow up and increase communication with the players is needed. The one thing that still stands out, I didn't have one player say they switched because of performance. They love the new FC-10 but most of them really and truthfully still don't understand the design to this day!


With the insurgence of the new blood from the PGA Tour I am wondering if all of that endorsement money will follow. I do know that certain players can play other club brands on this tour but must go back to the contractual agreements for club count when crossing over back to the PGA Tour. There are even a few players out here that can play our club overseas but not out here! Go figure..... You can tell the bigger manufacturers pay less attention out here than any of the other two tours. The players feel it.


The single one thing that I think that has ruined some of these players are the contracts. The contracts relate to sales numbers and consumer demand. Just think you run a buy a club just because Bernhard won with it. The thought process says hey I can too!! That is why the "monster" has grown to what it is today. There are so many good designs out here that really provide game improvement features but will not make in the bag or to market due to the big companies keeping a hold on these players.


I won't mention any names but I have a few really good friends making a serious move up the money list this year due to changing contracts and equipment. What does that say? Simply put, there isn't one single brand of club that is made for everyone regardless of size or ability. It the same out here but what is happening is it will ultimately come down to three or four big companies and that will be it! Even thought there are designs out here such as ours that will be pushed aside for lack of money to distribute for clubs in play or offer huge contracts. The smaller companies are all feeling it and so are the players especially in this economy. Very seldom if not rare do you take a look at a player’s bag on any tour and find something other than what's on the bag and their hat! Back when my Dad was playing you could look in the bag and have no idea what staff the players was on.


I often get off on this muddy road due to frustration. Doug Sanders brought up a good point he said he had won numerous majors and tournaments in his life and had a total lifetime earnings of a little over 700,000, he said look at about eighth place or lower each week and you will see where 700,000 kicks in! He too feels the same way. The days of playing the best golf these guys can to win, as now went to I hope I can win with what I am playing because I am getting paid to PLAY them! It is incredable how things have evolved over the years. But as long as we all keep buying 60.00 a dozen balls and 600.00 drivers this trend will continue!


It's like the USGA changing the groove rule out here in order to shorten the courses and the ball. They though this should have make a huge impact on the game! Sure it made an impact at first, but let's face it these guys are the best in the world and could probably play with a shovel if told to. The real truth is, it's made no impact on the game at this level. The players have learned how to use the new grooves to their advantage and the ball development and technology will continue to shorten the longest of courses! The ball will continue to be developed to gain distance, not what the USGA had in mind at all! They wanted the ball to be "softened" to allow the player to regain the spin and ball control of the old square grooves in turn shorting the course. Not!


I will get to the bottom line here and then I will shut up! The real impact of this whole groove thing will fall on you the consumer. This groove change will really impact the average player. Thus big brother USGA did what? They made the game more difficult in the end for the average player! Removing a lot of the fun!


I still think the craziest thing that has come out of this whole thing is the fact the USGA is going to tell the manufacturer and the consumer when and how you will play the game. You have until 2024 to play the "old" grooves on the other hand as a manufacturer we have to cease production and sales of such grooves by December 2010? How does this sound to you? Who are these guys? Who is going to police you the consumer January 1, 2025 to make sure you have changed? Come on now! I think enough is enough! Don't you? Hey that's my sermon for the week, sorry it's a sad story but it had to be told!!


Have a great weekend if you can after that little dissertation!

10/20/10

This year there is pro-ams everyday during the work week! I came in early this morning to find the morning wave going off. Early out here is 9:00am. I am out of my element though; usually I get to the course around 6:30-7:00am Monday and Tuesday then 5:30 to 6:00am on Wednesday. Of course the work week on this tour is Tuesday thru Thursday since the tournament is three rounds instead of the traditional four. This tour is a lot more laid back as you can imagine.

Tom McKnight came by on his way out to the course and wanted a 52* to match his 60* he got yesterday. No worries!


I checked in to see if Hal Sutton had our wedges in this week. He is now on contract with Callaway and gets paid for the wedges! I guess Callaway is paying weekly for the wedges.


I received a request from a close friend that came by the course. He used to be a rep out on the PGA Tour and now sells heavy equipment. He is helping a young man through Q School and needed a 56 band 60. The players name is Corbin King and he lives in the area. I agreed to help him get to the finals!

Caught up and had coffee with good friend and Solus player Bruce Fleisher. I thought I would snap a few shoots of him warming up with the wedge!

Houston native and great family friend Doug Sanders stopped by the bag to check in on me and the new wedges. As you know Doug is a golf legend and really close friends with my Dad. He was checking up on both! I really listen to his feedback which is usually spot on. He said the FC-10's are perfect! We just need to add the other three lofts and we got it! I love talking to Doug as you can imagine since I grew up around him.

Mike has been working on LU for a few weeks. He wanted to demo a 52*. We are both going to sit on him until he decides to switch.

Here is a close up of that little "launch monitor" I have been featuring for a few weeks. I will get a shot of the front screen during the operation. This is a great little piece! You know I am pumped over it! This unit is so portable it would be perfect for proving the Solus technology in real time side by side with the players gamers. I could sit this on the tee, around the green, in the bunker and rough, proving we produce superior ball spin and consistent launch angle. There would be no questioning when the proof is right in front of them! These little units go for $5000.00 but would be well worth it! Proof!

Here is good friend "Fordy" working with Bob Gilder using the monitor. Fordy is with Titleist and as you can see Bob is with Ping. Bob just wanted to see how the monitor worked and check his numbers. Fordy is working with all of the players regardless of brand choice.









I checked in with John Jacobs to follow up. Mike had given John a new 56 a few weeks back so I thought I would see if it was in the bag. Well it's not in the bag and John admitted he had really screwed it up trying to grind the leading edge back. He asked if I would spec him another one.

Checked in on Fuzzy. Fuzzy now has his own brand of Vodka and is promoting it this week here in Houston. I will have to do a little sampling, ya think?

Here a little "mic" reversal with Jim Nance. Here he is doing an interview with XM Radio's, Bob Bubbka.










Larry Nelson is back out! I am not sure why he has been laid off, but he is back and wants a new 56 and 60 for San Antonio next week. I will need to bend the off-set he needs before then. Tomorrow will be a busy day in before the pro-am goes off. I will get John and Larry fixed up first thing in the morning.

10/19/10

It's always great to get back out here on the Champions Tour. Don't get me wrong the Nationwide Tour is great, but the Champions for me is a little more fun since I know more of these guys out here. I grew up around most of them! One of the many perks of getting old. I have a lot of old friends out here and it's really nice to catch up and see what's been going on!


I am in Houston this week working the Administaff Small Business Classic one of the last two Champions Tour events for this year. I will work alongside our rep Mike Nickell. Mike pretty much steers the ship out here for us and has done a wonderful job. I am only able to get out to these two events since the Champions schedule moves to opposite ends of the earth from where I am usually at. These two events make the most sense for me due to the fact they are so close to home. This will be our final swing of the 2010 season! As soon as I am finished up in San Antonio next week I travel to Orlando for the final PGA Tour event at Disney.


Although today was a little slow there was still a lot going on. I caught up with good friend Tommy McKnight. Tom has been out with back problems pretty much the last several weeks. He picked up a new 60 to take to the course this week. He did make an inquiry as to putting the new grooves on the Series 4.1? I told him I had thought of that a while back and was going to add it to our year end meeting agenda.


I also caught up with Bernhard Langer. He has the 56 I made for him about three months ago and from time to time puts it in play. He still wanted to know if we were going to develop another offering of the FC-10 but with the added off-set, such as the prototype I made for him. All I could say at this point is, I'm working on it!


Others that I made a point to follow up and talk to were Sonny Skinner, Jim Dent, Gil Morgan, Gene Jones, Loren Roberts, Billy Glasson to mention a few! I had a great day! Love these guys, really good friends! Oh did I already say this?


Mike had went out on the course with Keith Fergus. While he was out there he heard that Ben Crenshaw really liked the 56 that he had "off-set" bent into. He said it fit his eye! I want to follow up with Ben in the morning to get his feedback.

Check this out! This afternoon the pros played with the juniors in a 9 hole competitive pro-am. I stood and look at some of the young upcoming golfers that might one day emerge out of this area. I am scouting out a few future "Solus" staffers! It was really amazing to watch all ages taking up this great game with ease. One little gal really stood out and caught my eye! She may have been all of 3' and change tall, but she is a fierce as any competitor I've seen! She has a great swing and was flanked by her Dad/coach which I thought was really cool! She was very diligent in her routine so I decided to watch for a while. Here she is, take a look for yourself. She had it all and was dead serious about her game. She could really bust it! She had the look and the "bug"! I really had fun watching these kids warm up!

Good friend and fellow rep, Kenny MacDonald here is demonstrating a new putting trainer. It is one of the damnest things I have ever tried. Apparently, Sandy Lyle is involved and believes this is the key to the aggressive putting strokes. There are three balls which are the red ones, obviously... The red "Balls of Steel" are just that, steel over weighted balls. You putt one with the heavy ball and then with a regular ball through a series of six putts. You perform this drill from no more than 2' from the hole for fifteen to twenty minutes. The first time I drew the putter back and hit this "ball of steel" it didn't move more than 1-2"! It was really good for a laugh, but I soon got the hang of it. I putted three heavies and then three standard balls and the results were unbelievable! The stoke becomes very aggressive and you simply take all of the break out of the putt and bang the back of the hole every time! Crazy! But the best putters of the ball are stroking it this aggressively in the heat of battle. There is less guess work with a straight in putt! Don't you agree? Hell Ya!!! That's what I'm talking about!!

Until tomorrow!

Chattanooga Classic Presented by Black Creek

10/6/10

Once the pro am went off at 8:00am I went in search of some food! Well looky here leave it to the "fatman" to find this little oasis! Ummm delicious!

I am not really sure if this kind of thing interests you, this guy is an animal. He has qualified for the ReMax Long Drive Championship if Nevada in December. There was a long drive competition today. This guy was warming up on the tee this morning with all of us looking on. The pros were hitting balls just short of the trees at the end of the range. This animal was hitting balls up the mountain and over the tree line some 400 yards plus. There was no way to show you this but it was unbelievable to watch!! He won the qualifier for Nevada by hitting a ball 387 yards into the wind so you can just imagine what this ball flight looks like!

The competition was open to all age groups. This guys was hitting right in front of Mr. Lefty! Sort of intimidating to say the least!

I caught up with Mark Hensby and all three wedges are in the bag! This week Cleveland brought out their latest new wedge, CG-16. If you look close the new Cleveland's are in the bag as well. They are still trying to take us out! Mark said there is NO chance of that happening! The FC-10s are the best wedges he has ever used. He said they hole out three times in Midland during their debut competition! I can only hope the little Titleist fellow will step in, I'm ready and loaded! You can bank on that!

Although once again I took a horrible photo I was trying to give you an idea of just how dark it is here until about 7:50am. The morning Pro-Am went off at 8:00am just barely enough light to see the cart path. Since this location is on the farthest west side of the Eastern Time Zone it doesn't get light until about 8:00am and then it's iffy, then it gets dark around 5:00pm. I can't imagine what is like when the daylight savings goes back?

This photo will give you an idea of just how dark it was this morning! I took this photo for two reasons one, the contrast of light in a 1/2 hour time difference and two, My finger is at the top of the trees where the "Left Handed Animal" hit his drives. The only thing the balls were clearing was the tops of these trees! The pros were landing at the front base of these same trees! Keep in mind this is all uphill! He hit a drive in competition yesterday at 373yds.

I spoke to my friend Dennis this morning in the dark, regarding nick's wedge choices for week. He told me this morning is the cut for what wedges will go into play. He has a new Cleveland set and of course his Titleist set that have been re-shafted. Dennis said that the FC-10/60 was the most consistent of all. Nick told Dennis he may have to go "rogue" this week with the Solus! The term "rogue" out here on tour means the player is changing equipment right before the tournament starts. But like he said it was that good and he did need the consistency on the course in the heat of battle.

Their process began! First up, Titleist. Please keep in mind I am comparing only the 60* since I need to build him a spec set. The FC-10/60* he is working with is a 1/4" too short per his spec. I told him to go ahead and take it out on the course and test it. He did now he is a believer!

Comparing distance numbers and trajectory one more time.

Having a wedge conference! The final cut is about to be made. The FC-10/60 is going in!

I am really not sure why I snapped this little shot? Hey it's a good photo though!









There has been a group of players, reps and caddies playing what I call league basketball during the season. The groups have been split between the East and the West. Each week the group organizes and plays a game. This time the outcome was not good for one of the players. Peter Tomasulo took a bad fall and broke his foot! He is 13th on the Nationwide money list! Bad timing and bad judgment in my mind. Then again it's none of my business. All I know is if your a golfer and are depending on your hands mind and body to perform week to week basketball would be my last choice of recreation! Call me crazy unless you are playing professional basketball why would a golfer of his stature risk a season ending injury. I have no answer?

Good friend and caddie Kevin Smith informed me this morning that a Solus player is leading the Peach State Tour event this week by two shots! Kevin said that if it weren't for him giving Stan a couple of Solus wedges he would have quit the game! Stan put in a Series 4.1/54 and a FC-10/60. He shot 65 in his first round! Kevin said Stan was fed up with golf but now has a renewed attitude with the Solus wedges. Kevin told me he would give Stan my number and I could build Stan a set of his own so he could get his back! Obviously the Peach State Tour doesn't recognize the new groove rule yet so the players are playing whatever they want! Hey it just goes to show you both the old grooves and the new grooves must perform for Stan pretty much the same way! Think about it?


Mike missed last week's Champions Tour event at Rock Barn but attended this week's Senior Players Championship in Maryland. We had a few new players make requests for the new FC-10. Loren Roberts got the 60* he was looking for and Morris Hatalsky likewise with a 60. John Morse and Ben Crenshaw both wanted 56's. John got his this week but Ben WD and went home so Mike shipped his to him in Austin. Bruce Fleisher also WDs this week.


I will be working with Mike in the next few weeks to close out the Champions tour for 2010. We will both work Houston and San Antonio.

10/5/10

It was another beautiful day although we started late due to frost! It was cold this morning!

First thing this morning I followed up with Dennis Mitchell, Nick Rousey's caddie. Dennis explained that Nick was ready to talk to me this morning regarding his wedge needs. I had a conversation with Nick and he said he didn't really care what bounce the wedges had from the fairway but had more concerns with it around the green. I stepped through the design and features then went to my bag to bring a hand full to try. I started out with a couple of strikes against me. First off I didn't have two of the lofts he wanted 50 and 54, but I had the 60. Secondly, he is 1/4" over standard length. He Monday qualified with a set of Cleveland's which he said did him no favors. He had a set of Vokey's that he had played in the past and they were back in the bag.

My problem out here is I have no place to work so it makes it very difficult to just go build him a set, especially with Titleist breathing down my back! We agreed to adjust a stock 60* to 59* and set the lie angle to his spec of 65*. This way we are as close as we can get to comparing apples to apples. I had fellow rep take the wedge and make the adjustments for me in the Nationwide van.

The next few minutes really pissed me off! Keep in mind I am working with Nick so no other rep should butt in until I am finished! It is just plain good etiquette to allow the rep working with the player to finish then move in. Well this wasn't the case! In steps the Titleist rep to give his two cents. This put me in the middle with the player, really awkward. I really wanted to step up to this but not in front of the player, hell he knew. Dennis was furious during this whole process and I had the attention of the player. Well Titleist derailed us both, he thought! They seen me moving in and possibly removing three of their wedges, I had to be stopped.


Dennis said he knew these guys would come over sooner or later but went on to explain that when he called me after the qualifier to let me know Nick needed help several reps overheard the conversation and one of the reps were Titleist! You have heard me bitch in the past regarding this behavior, I would never think twice about moving in while another rep has the stage! I will though with this one if the opportunity presents itself! Nick understood perfectly and says they pushed him around before. Big bully games! To think I like this rep!


Back to Nick and his feedback. He loves the shape and feel of the FC-10. He would like a set in a "raw" finish if possible. Once we adjusted the loft and lie he was now getting the distance number and flight he liked. He said this 60* felt better and looked better than both the Titleist and Cleveland. He took it to the course and tested it. Dennis said he really like it especially out of the sand. He felt like the 60 would go into play. I urged Nick to play what got him through the qualifier and don't make a lot of changes especially this close to competition. Nick plays the Hooters Tour when he is not qualifying for the Nationwide.


I got Nick's complete specs and will build him a custom set when I get home. He told me he thought it would be OK to adjust the lofts I had to match what his gamers were. I explained how this might be a short term fix, however it's really not optimal for performance.


Above are a few shots of Nick testing the FC-10/60. Nick is a great guy and even though we started off a little rough with the Titleist geek!

I just couldn't resist the temptation to strike a pose with the T.A.V.! It is nice to see it back out on tour!

There are two pro-ams tomorrow one at 8:00am and one at 1:00pm both shotgun starts. I will get to the course early. I want to catch up with Mark Hensby.

10/4/10

The T.A.V.; I am glad to announce HAS BEEN REPAIRED! This process started back July 8th, but is now over! That is all I am going to say! It runs better than a new truck! Many thanks to Gale Banks Engineering!

What a beautiful place! This is the first time I have worked this particular event. There is so much of Tennessee I have not seen believe it or not through my many years of travel. This golf course is right at the base of "Look Out" mountain. In a couple of weeks the trees will begin to turn their fall colors which have to be awesome!






Not only is this a great set-up to work but very handy for the reps! The range is as stunning as the course. I know these photos don't do it justice but you get the jest of my message.

Here is a view looking back at the trailers which are located just about a lob shot away from the practice tee.

New Solus player, Mark Hensby withdrew last week. I am going to follow up with him this week to see what happened. I was told by the Cleveland rep he loves his new FC-10's and would not look at another wedge! This is a nice comment from a fellow rep! These kinds of comments or feedback happen all the time with the reps out here! Unheard of on the "Big Show"!


For just a second I thought the USA was going to pull off a win in a record breaking come back finish. Great to watch especially when Ricky Fowler came back to halve his match! No pressure in his house! I do know one thing I will look up Hunter Mahan the next opportunity possible. I was told this is the only part that plagues him, chipping. The Solus FC-10 can fix that! I am sure he would now be open to change and I believe Ping would support such a change to get him over the hump! I know pressure was playing a big part today, however history shows he plays best under such pressure. It's not surprising but he really never puts himself in that situation unless he has hit a shot "chunky" which he did. Everybody was quite surprised how good his little chip was on 16 however, the one on 17 was killer! I will look him up more than likely in Orlando.


Good friend and tour caddie, Dennis Mitchell called this afternoon and has taken a new player through the Monday qualifier, Nick Rouse. He made the cut but Dennis said he needs new wedges. Dennis and his son, Brian both play the Solus wedges and have been recruiting players in the last two weeks for that matter this season! Last week in Mississippi Brian suggested his player, Jordan Payne take a look at the FC-10's. Jordan did and has since sent me an email with his build specs. Jordan is a Cleveland/Srixon staffer. Big Daddy likes dat! Brian Mitchell plays the Nationwide Tour so understands the player's side of things.