Mizuno Play Famously Experience (CH3 on page 3, Luke Donald on page 4, Jonathan Byrd + Stacy Lewis o

[WVP]

[quote name='philsRHman' timestamp='1364864566' post='6740511']
This is excellent. Congrats.

Question: Does this affect your amateur status? Not sure where the cutoff is for gear and freebies before you lose it and I wonder if terms like "staff" will make this different than a simple contest win when you get a full bag of equipment, etc.
[/quote]

I'm not positive about that. This is from the contest rules:

[color=#484848]According to the United States Golf Association (the “[/color][u]USGA[/u][color=#484848]”), a winner of this Contest who is a golfer “of skill and reputation” will lose his/her amateur status during all such time that such winner is subject to the terms of the JPX Agreement and that Sponsor makes commercial use of such winner’s image; anyone concerned with maintaining his/her amateur status with the USGA should consult the USGA for an opinion prior to accepting any Contest prize. [/color]

[url="http://www.mizunousa.com/corporate/playfamously/official-rules"]http://www.mizunousa.com/corporate/playfamously/official-rules[/url]

[khuffman17]

i live in pittsburgh too we should meet up and play 18 soon

[WVP]

Early Tuesday morning at Doral was spent filming the “press conference” with Dick Lyons. Dick is the VP of Mizuno Golf - a great guy, very friendly (and a huge hockey fan). This was right when the Chicago Blackhawk’s winning streak was getting absurd and Dick (being from Chicago) was in his glory. In fact the whole trip I was surrounded by hardcore hockey fans which isn't all that common. The production team members from California were die-hard Kings and Ducks fans so it was nonstop hockey or golf talk for 3 days. Which is perfect for me!

We took probably 10 or so takes to get the conference filmed - Dick and I were both well out of our comfort zones acting in front of the cameras. I realized beforehand that I needed to push through any nervousness and try my best or else risk looking like a dumb*** in all of these videos, haha.... but I was still pretty nervous when we began. Thankfully it was a very relaxed environment so it was mostly painless. And really Dick had to do most of the talking for the press conference. From there we all headed over to the Mizuno Tour Van to pick up my new clubs and to do some filming with Charles Howell and Jeff Cook. Pretty amped at this point as you can imagine.

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[robengel]

awesome thread and contest, congrats, I'm glad it's a WRXer I've been seeing in those promos!

[WVP]

[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364910510' post='6743365']
i live in pittsburgh too we should meet up and play 18 soon
[/quote]

Do you happen to be a member at Oakmont?

[burniemac]

Very cool keep up the great work on the updates.

[khuffman17]

[quote name='WVP' timestamp='1364919206' post='6744393']
[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364910510' post='6743365']
i live in pittsburgh too we should meet up and play 18 soon
[/quote]

Do you happen to be a member at Oakmont?
[/quote]




i am not but i have a few buddies that are and i ply there 2 or 3 times a year

[robengel]

sorry to break discussion, but love the avatar burniemac!

[WVP]

[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364919906' post='6744477']
[quote name='WVP' timestamp='1364919206' post='6744393']
[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364910510' post='6743365']
i live in pittsburgh too we should meet up and play 18 soon
[/quote]

Do you happen to be a member at Oakmont?
[/quote]




i am not but i have a few buddies that are and i ply there 2 or 3 times a year
[/quote]

That's awesome. Where do you play most of the time?

[khuffman17]

[quote name='WVP' timestamp='1364920672' post='6744587']
[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364919906' post='6744477']
[quote name='WVP' timestamp='1364919206' post='6744393']
[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364910510' post='6743365']
i live in pittsburgh too we should meet up and play 18 soon
[/quote]

Do you happen to be a member at Oakmont?
[/quote]




i am not but i have a few buddies that are and i ply there 2 or 3 times a year
[/quote]

That's awesome. Where do you play most of the time?
[/quote]


i am a member @ southpointe country club & Hickory Heights Golf club

[burniemac]

[quote name='robengel' timestamp='1364920074' post='6744499']
sorry to break discussion, but love the avatar burniemac!
[/quote]
thanks, buddy sent that to me since I'm a Ku fan and wife is alum of WSU

[WVP]

OK, this is where things will get more exciting.

[attachment=1615081:IMG_2336.JPG]

Jeff Cook is the Director of Tour Operations for Mizuno. This includes all tours, so basically he works with anyone playing under a Mizuno sponsorship. If you recognize the name, well he was a professional for many years before joining Mizuno full time. Here’s a good recent article on him:

[url="http://www.golfchannel.com/news/john-feinstein/cook-relives-the-past-happy-with-the-present/"]http://www.golfchann...th-the-present/[/url]

Jeff was one of the nicest guys I met on this trip and is laid back and easy to talk to. He spent most of the two days with us as he was catching up with all of his staff as well, and I found myself talking to him a lot between takes. FYI Jeff is planning to be on site with the Mizuno Tour Van for the JPX Invitational in September, so anyone else that wins will be able to tour the van and meet Jeff as well.

I also met CHIII at this point. I had heard that he’s a great guy but honestly, that’s an understatement. After 10 seconds with him I didn’t feel nervous at all, he’s very conversational and has the ability to make anyone feel comfortable. In fact after the tour of the van, the entire group was heading back to the other side of the resort to film an interview with CHIII. I was behind a bit getting out of the van, and I see Charles standing by himself waiting for me to catch up so he could talk to me on the way over. That didn’t go unnoticed. He’s a pretty candid guy, we talked about[list]
[*]why he’s with Mizuno (basically he likes the attention from Mizuno having a small staff and he loves their irons. Also had some pretty interesting comments on the other OEM’s)
[*]how he chooses his equipment, equipment trends on tour and his grips
[*]talked about GolfWRX as well, CHIII is a fan and checks out the site
[/list]
After filming our interview and another clip where he gave me lessons on signing autographs (haha), we parted ways (he was going to play a practice round with Carl Pettersson, one of his good friends on tour). CHIII definitely gained a new fan based on my time with him. I really can’t say enough good things about his demeanor and the way I was treated.

We took some still photos for a bit before breaking for lunch. A random couple actually came over and asked if they could take a picture with me and wished me good luck for the tournament! Hahaha…. Mizuno must have had me looking the part. It’s funny, at this point I am almost getting used to being filmed and prepped, changing outfits and getting microphones installed. Also I really felt like I was part of the Mizuno team, working with everyone to make the footage as good as possible. That’s a credit to Mizuno and everyone there that made it a comfortable experience and made me feel welcome.

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgdjTwB5eh0[/media]

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[prorobo]

That's so wicked awesome! CHIII has a sick bag setup. And you have to rock that staff bag in your casual play from now on. It's too sweet not to!

[WVP]

Talking gear with CHIII:

[attachment=1615221:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513089.JPG]

[attachment=1615247:IMG_2369x.JPG]

[attachment=1615249:IMG_2368x.JPG]

[attachment=1615253:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513089.JPG]

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[attachment=1615261:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513095.JPG]

[attachment=1615257:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513096.JPG]

[attachment=1615263:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513103.JPG]

and my autograph lesson:

[attachment=1615267:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513113.JPG]

[attachment=1615269:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513114.JPG]

[attachment=1615265:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513115.JPG]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72j3nBTi9mA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72j3nBTi9mA[/url]

some more:

[attachment=1615273:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513120.JPG]

[attachment=1615271:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513121.JPG]

[MizunoJunky]

Congrats on being chosen for the opportunity! This is a great thread!

[WVP]

[attachment=1615285:IMG_2391.JPG]

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[attachment=1615305:Mizuno-Brand AMP Doral Shoot 030513145.JPG]

and I almost forgot my director/caddie:

[attachment=1615303:IMG_2426x.JPG]

[WVP]

[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364927326' post='6745461']
i am a member @ southpointe country club & Hickory Heights Golf club
[/quote]

Wow, that's pretty awesome. Hickory Heights is nice (maddeningly tight though), haven't had the chance to play Southpointe but I live right in that area.

[philsRHman]

[quote name='WVP' timestamp='1364909549' post='6743257']
[quote name='philsRHman' timestamp='1364864566' post='6740511']
This is excellent. Congrats.

Question: Does this affect your amateur status? Not sure where the cutoff is for gear and freebies before you lose it and I wonder if terms like "staff" will make this different than a simple contest win when you get a full bag of equipment, etc.
[/quote]

I'm not positive about that. This is from the contest rules:

[color=#484848]According to the United States Golf Association (the “[/color][u]USGA[/u][color=#484848]”), a winner of this Contest who is a golfer “of skill and reputation” will lose his/her amateur status during all such time that such winner is subject to the terms of the JPX Agreement and that Sponsor makes commercial use of such winner’s image; anyone concerned with maintaining his/her amateur status with the USGA should consult the USGA for an opinion prior to accepting any Contest prize. [/color]

[url="http://www.mizunousa.com/corporate/playfamously/official-rules"]http://www.mizunousa.../official-rules[/url]
[/quote]

Sounds like there might be some gray area depending on if you're being paid and how much. But I'd guess the US Open is out of the question for the next year or two LOL

[prorobo]

That's a seriously sweet setup you've got now too Lee! And wow Mizuno spared no expense on the production crew, shooting on Red cameras!

[Skaffa77]

WOW! Awesome! Sad to say that I would have ran off with Luke Donald's bag of MP64's.

Luke - "What happened to my bag?"
"oh...the [i]new[/i] [i]guy[/i] took them by mistake."

[Sidetracked]

This thread keeps getting better. Sounds like you are having the time of your life.

[pga43]

Lee great job on the write up & the photos. Super happy you had such a great time. Both CHIII & LD are great guys and glad that Mizuno took such good care of you.

It was my pleasure to meet you and thank you for all the nice things you said. Happy to be able to hook you up with your prize for winning my guess my Tour miles contest.

Enjoy your self.


Greg

[jokerusn]

I've had a huge man-crush on CH3 for a while now. I had never heard anything other than "he's a great guy" from anyone who's met him and he plays what works for him. Just awesome that you had 1-on-1 time with him. Totally jealous but glad the experience is going so well. BTW, how are the clubs? Have you had a chance to play with them yet?

[khuffman17]

[quote name='WVP' timestamp='1364950151' post='6747993']
[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1364927326' post='6745461']
i am a member @ southpointe country club & Hickory Heights Golf club
[/quote]

Wow, that's pretty awesome. Hickory Heights is nice (maddeningly tight though), haven't had the chance to play Southpointe but I live right in that area.
[/quote]

let me know when your free love to have you up for a round some time soon

[damnorcross]

Congrats, looks like you had a little bit of fun! I've played with CH3 twice (when he was 15-16 years old). I knew he'd be on tour, he was the best player I had ever played with - at 15 years old!

[OrangeCrush]

Lee I am starting to see why they picked you over me.. I am not as photogenic! LOL I have a face for radio! LOL Loving the follow up stories and pics!

[WVP]

[quote name='prorobo' timestamp='1364952899' post='6748299']
That's a seriously sweet setup you've got now too Lee! And wow Mizuno spared no expense on the production crew, shooting on Red cameras!
[/quote]

It's a dream setup. Like I said, I was about to pull the trigger on the JPX 825 irons and being able to get them fit and built like I did was amazing. The hybrids and woods are great as well. Really looking forward to playing this weekend.

And yeah, I don't know anything about cameras like that, but it was definitely impressive.

[WVP]

[quote name='OrangeCrush' timestamp='1365019909' post='6753251']
Lee I am starting to see why they picked you over me.. I am not as photogenic! LOL I have a face for radio! LOL Loving the follow up stories and pics!
[/quote]

Makeup and fancy cameras my friend.

[WVP]

[quote name='pga43' timestamp='1364962476' post='6749237']
Lee great job on the write up & the photos. Super happy you had such a great time. Both CHIII & LD are great guys and glad that Mizuno took such good care of you.

It was my pleasure to meet you and thank you for all the nice things you said. Happy to be able to hook you up with your prize for winning my guess my Tour miles contest.

Enjoy your self.


Greg
[/quote]

Thanks Greg. Wish I had a few more minutes to hang with everyone...

[quote name='jokerusn' timestamp='1364990414' post='6750069']
I've had a huge man-crush on CH3 for a while now. I had never heard anything other than "he's a great guy" from anyone who's met him and he plays what works for him. Just awesome that you had 1-on-1 time with him. Totally jealous but glad the experience is going so well. BTW, how are the clubs? Have you had a chance to play with them yet?
[/quote]

Yeah, I can't say enough about CHIII. Class act.

The clubs are awesome. Only really hit them at the range twice though so I'm looking forward to 50 degree weather this weekend.


[quote name='khuffman17' timestamp='1365008748' post='6751833']
let me know when your free love to have you up for a round some time soon
[/quote]

That's sounds great, thanks....

[TripleGrindSole]

Haha it keeps getting better. Autograph lesson was hilarious.


Some of us WRXers may still have a chance to join you out on "Tour"


Fingers crossed!