Event Highlights
THE AUBURN UNIVERSITY ALMOSTGOLF OPEN turned out to be the type of event we strive for at every tour stop. Thanks to all the hard work of Thomas Burke and his IFC crew, we were able to put on a 2 day event which was part of the IFC philantropy week raising money for the Boy and Girls Clubs of Lee County, AL.
TUESDAY: We set up a driving range to build awareness about the tournament and give everyone a chance to hit some shots, win some prizes and get a feel for the ball.
WEDNESDAY: We set up the course, complete with elevated tee boxes, targets, water hazards, and our famous 'cup-O-sand traps'. The ceremonial first group included various school administration and officials. They said they were only going to play a hol e or two, but ended up playing most of the course.
THE COURSE: The course was designed to be played through campus with a number of showcase holes, including the second and third holes featuring elevated tee boxes and water hazards. The fifth hole was a dogleg left around a building, where only bombers could carry the building to cut the connor and have a short shot to the hole. The final hole was a true risk reward hole, players either hit a short punchy lay-up to the middle of the horse shoe or risk bogey by trying to cut the ball through the trees...we certainly saw more players loose this gamble then win it.
PHOTO LIBRARY OF EVENT
RELATED LINKS
How to play Golf...almost
How to create an almost Golf Tournament
10 Tips to designing your own golf course
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HOW TO PLAY GOLF...ALMOST IN HEAVEN: Thanks to all our AG friends around the world, we've just been sent two clips from the FIRST MEGEVE STREETGOLF OPEN. "Megève http://www.megeve.com is an amazingly beautiful little hamlet nestled in French alps. It's got chalets and cobble stone streets and most likely awesome wine and cheese. (At least better than anything in LA) It's one of the twelve best Alpine ski resorts in France and as you can see, they are very into their outdoor "recreation".
When they contacted us back in May about this event I instantly google mapped them and saw that they lived in streetgolf heaven. More so 'Mountain Golf' heaven. (Note that in France, StreetGolf is pretty much what they call almostGolf or off-course golf. In Germany they tend towards the more more rural Crossgolf or off-golf) Of course the mayor of Megeve and I skyped our hearts out. In the end we sent them some AG balls and lots of 'course design' knowledge straight from our LA almostGolf testing laboritories. I am not sure it really helped, since we live in Condo land and they are pretty much 'the sound of music'.
There are two things about these golf videos to let wash over you. First, they are playing through the cobblestone streets of an amazing town that was most likely created 500 years ago. Now they are turning it into a golf course. Now that is progress. The second is that they live on the side of the alps. And that is not just any mountain. In Europe, they cross purpose their mountains by growing with grass. (Geee, how novel is that?) So in the summer the cows get to chow down to provide everyone all that great French 'fromage'. But what this really means is that Megeve may some day allow us to create the most amazing down hill mountain golf course you've ever seen.
Competition wise the tournament definately wasn't the British Open, but who cares. It must have been an amazing day of having fun. As I watched, I yerned to be there, sipping on a glass of wine and keeping score for my streetgolfing breathern. As you can imagine, Megeve is officially on the almostGOLF 'we have to go to this event next year' calander list. And having spend a lot of time in France, I highly recommend trying to get to Megeve and the entire region. The food, wine, people and atmosphere is hard to beat anywhere in the world. Also, as a golfer you definately need to check out their legit Golf du Mont d'Arbois, the golf in the French Alps mountains. What else could be better. Bottomline, definately go to Megeve if you ever go to France.
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THE PUMA OPEN: Tustin Ranch Golf Course, Los Angeles, CA June : The almostGOLF Hail Mary shot: As you all may know, the almostGOLF ball is a limited distance golf ball designed to hit over your house or fade around the jungle gym. It's not necessarilly a "golf course" golf ball. So when Puma Golf, our college campus tour clothing sponsor, gave us a shout and asked us if we would come to their Puma Golf Open series of on-the-golf-course events, we said...(in our best Californian)....LIKE-A-YEAH! Then it hit us, what are we going to do in the world of the real golf ball? What could we offer?
All it took was a Saturday morning bike ride, round of golf and a chill in the LA hot tub to come up with the answer. Basically, what is the difference between the almostGOLF ball and a traditional golf ball? The traditional golf ball flies a mile, it's amazingly awesome to hit...but it will kill you if it hits you. But the almostGOLF ball flies a human distance of about 50 yards with a 9 iron and you can catch it.
YUREKA!...WE FIGURED IT OUT: The first ever 'HAIL MARY' Golf Shootout: So we created a contest. No, we created a whole new way to 'play' golf where the best ball striker gets in the 'hitters box' and the other three or four players go to the catchers box and tries to catch as many balls in a row. Well the video pretty much explains it. Everyone had a blast because when they drove up to our hole, it was something they never expected. It was active, involving and a definate challenge. It's really not that easy catching any object, much less a 'golf ball' from fifty yards. We had players digging for shots and diving over benches. I can definately say, Puma golfers know how to go for it.
OTHER PUMA EVENTS AND VIDEOS: Learn more about how to get involved in Puma Open events and to check out their clips.
PUMA OPEN OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://golf.puma.com/pumaopen/
OFFICIAL PUMA OPEN VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrdt8mm2KkI&feature=related
PUMA OPEN MASHUPS: All clips were shot with the RCA Small Wonder Camcorder
THE BAD ACTORS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLpBmqIWIM8&feature=related
CELTIC FANS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_baup8dDK0&feature=related
BOGEY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oJOJ0wmo_4&feature=related
LUCKY 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtkMeStmE7Q&feature=related
HACKERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pF4X5EBH10&feature=related
ACTION BOYS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfsA_mQg8s8&feature=related
FROTHERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PneKhaU8QlE&feature=related
BONEHEADS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taRdsuk5J68&feature=related
WHITE BOY COMEDY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKl0x0XzZig&feature=related
TEAM COBRA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFwA9eQwKo8&feature=related
SPANKIN' THAT ASS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBAbt6_-ecg&feature=related
UNDULABLE MAKERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY76FupsIH4&feature=related
EXCELLENTE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_UNN_ypdjY&feature=related
BALTA CHASERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_NpYPPPS0o&feature=related
COBRA KAI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-REKnpJ5UKs&feature=related
BACHALOR PARTY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9kOBTm-ylY&feature=related
SOUTH PARK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBcJ95jSMvs&feature=related
THE ENTOURAGE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XUW2z0TO8&feature=related
THE HEADS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvgFQL8-wHk&feature=related
MAKIN' IT THE HARD WAY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWUcfwzv9UM&feature=related
Learn more about other new ways to play golf, urbangolf, streetgolf, cross golf, the almostGolf College Campus Tour and How to play golf...almost>
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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: 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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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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 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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HOW TO CREATE A SPECTATOR FRIENDLY 'GOLF TOURNAMENT': The LMU almostGOLF Open was our first attempt at true almostGolf art direction and 'player flow'. As a result it was a blast to create. We went a completely different direction from the first LMU event we produced a few years ago. That event wandered through the campus. This event took 'Golf' to a whole new level of spectator involvement by tightening up the course into the 'sunken garden' area of campus (4 acres) and creating what we like to call a 'Stadium Golf' course where all the action takes place within a pretty confined 'stadium' environment and central clubhouse. In fact, we sandwiched the clubhouse with two incoming holes (7&13) and three outgoing holes (1,5,10) so it was kind the 'control central' hub of a wheel. You really can't do this with real golf balls because they are massively dangerous and go way too far. But with an off-course safe golf ball, everything changes.
There are several strengths to creating a tight stadium golf model:
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THE INVENTION OF THE SYNTHETIC WATER HAZARD: USC:
The USC Open is our first legit tournament on a college campus using our ball. The recreation director, Mike Munson even played. We played two rounds of 9 holes. The holes consisted of targets and greens. Of course all water hazard and Cup-O-Sand hazards were strictly enforced. It turns out the winner Mark Maier was an special walk on guest of our long standing almostGolf National Champion, Kevin Conroy. Sorry to say, Kevin did not fair as well coming in somewhere around the middle of the pack. Second place went to a youthful Perri Wright. What is amazing about this isn’t that he’s a mear 12 years old, or that he scored a blazing -15 under for the second round, (special secret scoring we aren't telling anyone about yet) but that he had practice. Perri and his four man crew have two 18 hole AG courses through their condo development in Manhatten beach. What is even cooler is that Wednesday we get to shoot the first one. Cross your fingers. His dad says it’s pretty awesome.
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THE DEFINITION OF NEIGHBORHOOD GOLF: THE MESCHEWSKI OPEN: This is a great example of a neighborhood golf tournament using the almostGolf ball. John Meschewski found us on line and tested our balls. They'd been putting on the event for several years with everything from bean bags to tennis balls. He said our ball changed everything. John and his family live outside Chicago. Every year they have a 36 hole tournie played through their neighborhood. they get hundreds of people to come and they raise a bunch of cash to help their charity.
I was luck enough to be able to fly out and shoot the event. It was off the hook. They had shots over a pond, over their pool. We had a killer trampoline hazard where kids were jumping up trying to catch your shots. They even had their own almost-driving range. Of course it was a one club tournament under a 8 iron. (Note: I am a big fan of one club golf tournaments. Multiple clubs make the event cumbersome and the courses have to be really long. It's better to make courses about accuracy, not distance.)
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THE FIRST ALMOSTGOLF EVENT... EVER!
This is to give a bit of a history lesson for anyone wondering where the almostGOLF ball was originated. The LMU almostGOLF Invitational was our first tournament ever! We played it with a blown practice ball that we injected with foam insulation and then dipped in tool handle rubber. Needless to say, it kind of stank...but people really got into it. We did the event to raise money for 9/11 fund, which gives you an idea of how long ago it was. The attention we received from sponsors and players ended up launching our ball company and forcing me (RP) to go from event promoter/producer to polymer engineer.(ouch)
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Event Highlights 
