2008 Tour Blog
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UNLV OPEN 2008: Campus golf vegas style |
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Event Highlights
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UNLV CAMPUS GOLF OPEN 2008: I MET A REAL ALMOSTGOLFER: This was the third stop on our 2008 spring tour and it took place right in the middle of the UNLV campus. During this inaugural spring tour we’ve been trying to learn all we can about what students are into:
1. How many of them are actually golfers with a half decent swing
2. How many are what we call ‘closet golfers’ afraid to admit to their friends that they once played golf 3. How many are true beginners but into the game.
4. How many would be into a tournament if the school had one
First: We learned that there are a ton of #1 and #2. It’s amazing the number of closet golfers who almost apologize for not wanting to go from high school ball to college ball. Their major answer is that they want to be college students and not live on a golf course. I can understand that completely.
What blew me away this time was one freshman who kept hitting crisp shots about 70 yards to one of our water hazards. He was so consistent and mindless in his ability to hit repeatable shots, I had to grab my camera and start shooting. (Video: see me catching the ball with one hand)
After the event we had the joyous ritual of shagging a days worth of golf balls…and this kid came out to help us. I mean this kid was not only good at golf, he was helping us shag! He definitely wins the almostGOLF ‘Dude’ award for valor on the range. As we shagged, he told me about how his dad actually bought him almostGOLF balls five years ago to get him into golf. I was honestly blown away because I think his dad must have been one of our very first customers.
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CAL POLY POMONA HIGHLIGHTS: Introducing golf onto college campuses |
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Event Highlights
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CAL POLY POMONA: HOW TO PRODUCE AN ON-CAMPUS COLLEGE GOLF EVENT THAT WORKS: It's been an amazing spring season for almostGOLF events so far. We've definitely learned alot about how to bring golf onto a school campus and the steps needed to make it effective, fun, tractionable and repeatable.
STEP #1 CREATE A DRIVING RANGE EXPERIENCE EVERYONE WILL REMEMBER: Starting at the USC Open, we created a five stall 'demo' range near the middle of campus where there was a lot of foot traffic so students and administrators could come by and just hit balls. We knew that bringing golf onto campus was breaking a long standing perception that golf is dangerous and therefore not allowed on campus. You see, most people associate swinging golf clubs with the lethal projectile known as a traditional golf ball. We needed to re-educate teachers and students alike and show them there is a very cool alternative that safely fits the world they all live in. So the easiest first step was to create a structured range situation where anyone could try their hand, get some instruction and either discover or rediscover the game of golf in a casual way.
STEP #2: CREATE AN ALMOST- GOLF COURSE: What we found was that alot of kids really wanted to go beyond the range and play some holes...but there's more. Much to our surprise we discovered a silent mass of really good 'closet golfers' that came by and began really slinging the rock. They were usually kids who played in high school or learned at a country club, but simply didn't want to spend the time to compete on a collegiate level. So for those players we created a five hole almost- golf course. Now players could spend a half hour playing the course and schooling their friends. It was just enough time to give them a taste of this new form of golf competition and reignite their interest in the game. In fact, nearly everyone of these players came back to us and asked when we were going to have a tournament and if so, they wanted to play. (Read more)
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USC almost-Golf Open Video Highlights 2008 |
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Event Highlights
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THE BEST WAY TO PLAY GOLF...IS RIGHT OUTSIDE YOUR DORM: The first tournament of the almostGolf College Campus Golf Tour went off with a bang. It was truly an urbangolf success. We had over 100 players compete on the 12 hole course through McCarthy Quad on the campus of the University of Southern California. The highlight of the golf tournament was the battle between the almostGolf factory team of Gareth Estwick and almost-Tiger Woods vs the USC Golf Club . The match was all square until the 8th hole when USC took the lead. Then, on the 11th hole almost-Tiger Woods sank a birdie chip to draw the match to even and bring the competition to the final bonus 'water hole'. With all the chips on the table almost-Tiger came through by nailing the water target on the first shot and putting the competition away...Of course a spectator had to go swimming to celebrate the victory.
Special thanks to all our sponsors: Puma golf for their great golf fashions and prizes, Function Drinks for their tasty beverages and Astroturf for the best hitting mats in golf. And we can't forget Puma's killer DJ Shumpei....
GOLF COURSE DESIGN: In terms of our urbangolf-streetgolf-crossgolf course design, the water fountain hole took the prize followed by our hole #2 which was a killer par 4 over the bike racks, over the clubhouse tents and then over water.
TOURNAMENT SCORES: Even though the par was 22 for the course, many teams came out and blew that count away thanks to special bonuses along the course. Below is the list of golfers who turned in legible scorecards. See where you stacked up:
1. Chris Cheng 16
Brad McMahon
1. Christian G. 16
Mike Coverly
1. Eric Chiang 16
2. Justin Neog 17
Brian Timmins
3. Matt Raichel 18
Max Szentveri
4. Andrew Steiner 18
Scott Sternad
Lisa Okamoto
5. Colin MacMillan 19
Ken Lee
6. Heather Massie 22
Travis Adamson
Tom Goodrich
7. Matthieu Delgrange 22
Jon Chow
8. Eric Sangrin Shin 23
9. Chupacabras 23
Lyons
10. Gary Chan 39
Charles Wang
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JUNIOR GOLF INSTRUCTION: A New Horizon |
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Practice Tips
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JUNIOR GOLF INSTRUCTION SEES A NEW HORIZON: These are exciting times for junior golf development, thanks to the almostGOLF ball. Now you can teach juniors golf almost anywhere. They can learn golf in a gym, on a playing field, around the schoolyard, at a park, in the backyard or around the neighborhood. Best of all there is no compromise in performance and/or ball striking feedback because the ball goes exactly where the club tells it to go. This new level of convenience allows juniors to actually get hooked on the game as opposed to simply being exposed to the game of golf.
ALMOSTGOLF BALLS HAVE BROKEN ALL THE TRADITIONAL BARRIERS TO ENTRY IN GOLF:  For years, few people inside the golf industry wanted to admit that there were some very large barriers to entry facing the new and junior golfers. With the almostGolf ball all those barriers are gone. By breaking the golf ball safety barrier and allowing kids to practice, learn and even play around their yard, park or schoolyard, we make it possible for kids to do more than just get acquanted with the game. By making golf convenient, safe and exciting to play, kids and adults can practice as much as they want. That's revolutionary. This daily and/or weekly practice can suppliment any golfers course play and practice and allow them to improve faster.
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almostGOLF in the Wall Street Journal |
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Mixed Bag
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NEWS FLASH: ALMOSTGOLF MADE THE WALL STREET JOURNAL April 7th Wall Street Journal took a look at golf training-aids on the market and highlighted our very own short game guru, Dave Pelz as well as almostGOLF practice balls: 
For the Golfer Who Doesn't Quite Have Everything: Gadgets to help you putt, swing, chip, travel, stay cool -- and win
By TIMOTHY J. CARROLL
April 7, 2008; Page R1
Dave Pelz, who is not only Phil Mickelson’s coach [and almostGOLF’s endorser] said, "There are some very purposeful, very useful learning aids" on the market. But "most golfers don't know what the problem in their game is," making a training-aid purchase a "hit-and-miss thing." To separate the good from the not-so-good, we went on a golfer's dream reporting assignment: find some new and innovative gadgets that will allow a golfer to get better [...and to our pleasant surprise the almostGOLF ball was at the top of the list!]
 When you think about established monster brands like Taylormade, Titleist, Calloway and Nike, it nice to see that our innovation and unique vision warranted the WSJ’s editorial attention (without our having to spend the big advertising dollars). But the truth is that there are a growing number of serious players and especially golf educators who recognize that the almostGOLF ball is growing the game of golf. It’s simple. Most golfers simply don't practice because they can't get to a golf course enough. (It's the age old barriers to entry for Golf - time, money and travel). Prior to almostGOLF, there was no off course safe ball that gave real golf ball feedback and performance.
In a recent interview with Dave Pelz, he spoke about his exhaustive multi-year study on amateur golfers’ and their improvement. He found that those players who had large backyards or an area near their home, where they could practice conveniently and consistently with a regular golf ball, showed significant improvement in performance and lower scores. He also mentions that this is extremely rare… unless you’re Phil Mickelson, who has a driving range size backyard or practice hole in their backyard? This is where Pelz recommends the almostGOLF ball as the perfect solution. With the almostGOLF ball's limited distance and performance, golfers with normal size backyards or a nearby park or school playing field or gym, have new found freedom to practice and improve.
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GOLF TECH INNOVATION: Parking Lot Driving Range |
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Practice Tips
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HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN PARKING LOT GOLF DRIVING RANGE: Everyone jokes about how golfers never practic e. But they don't joke about how most golfers can't break 90. The reason is obvious, most golfers don't have the time to get to a range enough to actually groove a real golf swing. Well, unintentionally, I discovered an easy way to solve this time honored dilema of access by creating my own, super convenient, home driving range within walking distance from my house. So here is a breakdown for how - why and what the benefits are of creating your own 'golf training facility' as close to home as possible. 
HISTORY OF HOW OUR FIRST DRIVING RANGE CAME ABOUT: It all started in 2002-3 as I was inventing the almostGolf ball. I would come back from a prototyping session at the factory, and sprint the 90 yards to the First Federal Bank Human Resource Training Center parking lot down the street. There I would take our new batch of balls and beat them into submission, hoping that this batch could take a punch. I knew I was inventing a new golf ball, but I didn't know I was inventing a new way to practice. Eventually this driving range became the official 'almostGolf Testing Laboratory' in Santa Monica, CA.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN GOLF DRIVING RANGE...AT HOME: The key to creating your own driving range is to first find the location. It should be at least 60 yards long to accomodate at least a 5 iron. Also make sure you have access to adjacent buildings or areas..because you will shank balls. Finally, make it convenient, because Jack Lalanne, the inventor of the modern day gym, proved that if you live too far from where you work out, you stop going and working out. So your driving range or personal almostGolf course needs to be CONVENIENT - CONVENIENT - CONVENIENT. Your range can be a park, schoolyard, parking lot, anywhere there is open area.
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Golf on College Campuses: Interview with Mike Munson at USC |
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Practice Tips
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ALMOSTGOLF AND THE CGA JOIN FORCES TO GROW THE GAME OF GOLF ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: During the recent USC Open, we had a chance to sit down with Mike Munson, the recreation director at USC and the president of the CGA about how having on campus tournaments and events are helping build campus golf clubs within his network of nearly 300 participating schools.
To start, I met Mike four years ago at a Roger Dunn Demo day in Santa Ana, Ca. Our meeting seemed to be destiny. We had set up 30 yard hole in one contest right in front of the store. (Something most people had never seen before) We had people hitting away, laughing, trying to win prizes, but no one was able to make a hole in one. Then this tall, tan fellow sautered up holding the Titleist Volkey wedge he had just won from another contest. Without even taking off the wrapper, he set up and sunk his first shot. As I stood in amazement, he turned to me, shook my hand and said, "My name is Mike Munson, I run a golf club at USC...What did I win?"...from that point on almostGOLF became a sponsor of Mike's growing organization and we are now partners in growing golf within the hundreds of college golf clubs associated with the CGA.
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Event Highlights
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 SATURDAY, March 29th: This weekend marked the first official USC Open
It was not only the beginning of a tradition for the Trojan Golf Club It was not only the beginning of a tradition for the Trojan Golf Club, it was the launch of the 2008 almostGolf season. Thanks to the Collegiate Golf Alliance, Trojan Golf club, and our generous sponsors PUMA Golf, Function Drinks and Brandlin and Associates. The tournament took place through McCarthy Quad complete with a tight 6 hole course (par 22) and a bonus hole over the fountain. The format was a two-man best ball scramble, which was designed to guarantee low scores. The field of 105 players saw some healthy although not exactly firece competition. And we definitely have to thank PUMA for sending over their LA DJ Shumpei. He amped us with tunes all day…something you don’t get during most ordinary ‘golf tournaments’. (See photo album)
I know this sounds bizarre, and very LA, but the SoCal winter was still upon us, which means even though the Trojan Golf Club hosted a strong field of players, the chilling 67 degrees with zero humidity and slight overcast ke pt the lightweight Californian spectators down just a bit. As the day wore on, the numbers increased but it was mostly Dodger fans, migrating through campus to get to the Coliseum for Opening day, which had a record turn out. Some of them even stopped by to take a swing or two at the bonus water hole.
THE COMPETITION: The weather card did not stop the early teams from putting up some major numbers. Though we were told that the later teams thought the weather would ‘warm up’ and give them an advantage, the early teams of Chris Cheng, Brad McMahon and Christian G, Mike Coverly set a scorching pace with a mere 16 for 7 holes. (hhhmmm) A score that would late be matched by Eric Chiang solo. The highlight of the tournament was a gentlemanly competition (which we hope will become an almostGolf tradition) between the top two young guns of the Trojan Golf Club Mark and Chris and the almostGOLF ‘factory team’ of Gareth Estwick and our own almostTiger Woods! This was a one round head to head team scramble between the old and the new. The best part was that we filmed it all, so stay tuned in three weeks for the highlight footage. | |
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2008 Tour Blog 
