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I tried to get into the golf industry for a few reasons. First, golf was my passion and I knew I had to work in the industry somehow, someway. Second, I love watching Tour golf and followed the players and their stories like an old lady watching soap operas. Third, I spent so much money every year on golf equipment that I figured I needed to go work for a golf company or I would end up sleeping in a cardboard box (which actually didn’t sound that bad if I could put the box behind the fence at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where I am from).

I was obsessed. Every year, I was good for at least three new drivers, a new set of irons (except for the one “dark” year when I bought four), at least four new putters (they just never listen), three or four wedges, a couple of hybrids, three to four fairway woods, too many dozens of urethane Tour balls to admit to publicly, a couple of carry bags (one’s never enough), and Ben Hogan knows how much golf apparel and footwear. I don’t even want to add up the retail value of the addiction because it will be hard to look my daughters in the eye when I break the news to them that they will have to do their college work online… in Bolivia.

And did you notice I didn’t mention anything about exotic, after market shafts? Thank Byron Nelson I didn’t know much about them or you could add another $2k minimum to the above.

So finding a job for a golf equipment company was really my only salvation. And that dream came true in 2007.

So I always feel more like a possessed consumer than I do a golf company executive because I remember all too vividly (and sometimes my memory is aided by my wife when it suits her needs…I digress) what it was like to be pulled in by the pro shop’s tractor beam. And I want to share with consumers the sheer awesomeness of having my seat at Callaway. I want you all to live vicariously through me (and the rest of the ZooCrew, for that matter) and feel like you’re right there with us.

And that’s why I felt compelled to do the experiment that I always wanted to do back when I was ebay day-trading to get funds to fuel the addiction. I’ve always wanted to do this and now I will do it because…well…because I can….

My fingers are trembling as I type this because I’m so excited…Here it is…

I am going to get fit for all 14 clubs at the Ely Callaway Performance Center and allow the fitter to fit me into whatever produces the best numbers or results. Game improvement? #Bringit. Soft R Shaft? #Bringit (ok, maybe I’ll have them cover up the R so my ego won’t see it). Draw bias? #Bringit. 5-A with 3 hybrids? Reluctantly, #bringit. Whatever they recommend, I will do. No excuses. No whining (well, maybe a little if I can’t have my XForged golf erotica). No resistance. No doubt about it.

Randy-Peterson

Randy Peterson
Callaway Director of Fitting and Instruction

And then, I will get one of the best instructors in Southern California and owner of one of the funniest dry senses of humor, Randy Peterson, to give me a series of six (6!) lessons over a two-month period. Fortunately, Randy is also the director of instruction at our ECPC and will be forced to endure this process simply out of sheer company obligation.

And I will document my progress (yes, I am confident there will actually be progress) through the entire process. The good, the bad, and most certainly the often ugly.

And then here’s the kicker: at the end of my series of lessons with Randy, I will get fit AGAIN! Yeah, I said it. I’m going to do it again. Same thing, completely taking whatever produces the best results based on my newly reconstructed and no doubt extremely powerful and Luke List –like golf swing. I am curious to see if anything changes and how the equipment will adapt too with my new Tour swing

Callaway Performance Center

I will then take this new swing, powered by the newer of the new best equipment for me, and I will go play 18 holes at an historic location (location to be determined) and document the entire thing.

I’m excited. Hope you will be too.  And Sam Snead willing, I’ll be a better player in the process (okay, at least I think it will be informative and entertaining for us). And my wife will hopefully not notice the newest additions to the garage used rack.