After months of planning, coordination, communications and logistics – the experience is over for us, and it’s where the hardwork begins. What we saw/experienced while aboard the USS John C. Stennis will be nearly impossible to put into words or film perfectly.  The people, the sites, the sounds and most importantly, the dedication these men and women have for our country.

To put it bluntly, I work for a company that makes video games and for one week I was a part of one of the most serious and prestigious pieces of the U.S. Military.  When you think about that, it’s downright incredible.

We were there through the dedication of one particular sailor (LTJG Mike Hall) and his ability to coordinate us with the MWR  department aboard the ship – this department is responsible for the morale, wellfare and recreation of over 5,000 sailors.  And I am honored that our Golden Tee game is now a part of that mission and yes, that one game is making a difference for all members aboard the ship.

In the coming weeks, we will begin to piece together our story as best we can, with the aid of hundreds of photos, hours of video footage and words from IT staff (like Sobe and I) who were aboard.  We have interviews with LTJG Mike Hall, we meet many of the hardworking men and women of the Stennis and learn more about their life/duties while underway.  We followed the journey of the game’s installation in the aft deck mess hall, we also kept a diary of our own experiences.  From little things like traversing the endless passage ways and hundreds of ladders on the ship, to poignant reflection on the dedication of the men and women aboard.

We left Chicago excited, yet aprehensive, about the experience – I mean come on, it’s not something we do everyday.  We knew we’d return with cool stories but we’ve returned with something way more.  It’s an overwhelming sense of patriotism, pride and awe.  I only hope that our stories can instill the same in you.  We can’t wait to see.

So tune back here and in the mean time you can read more on our official website www.goldentee.com.

And as I type this on a cold Chicago day, the Stennis is somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, working hard on the start of a long deployment, protecting our country and hopefully, sneaking in a tee time or two of Golden Tee Golf.

- Duffer Dan

Tags: Golden, Golf, Navy, Tee
Posted in Navy, Posts by "Duffer" Dan Schrementi | 4 Comments »

Well, it’s Sunday, and our departure for Seattle is only 18-hours away.  Over the weekend, I must have gotten the question “why” over dozen times.  And while the sarcastic side of me usually wanted to respond “WHY NOT!” (ala Belushi in Animal House), I resisted and explained the tale.

So for those of you I didn’t meet over beers this past weekend – here is “why!”

- Lt. Mike Hall of the US Navy sent a letter to Incredible Technologies expressing his passion for Golden Tee and his longing for the game when at sea on the USS John C Stennis Naval aircraft carrier.

- The coordination responsibilities fell to IT’s marketing/PR director, Gary Colabuono.

- The Navy invited us to install the game, meet the crew, see the ship, etc.  And duh – of course we would!

-  To get the full experience captured on video, we will do a civilian ride along from her port in Bremerton, WA, to San Diego, CA, where she’ll prepare her next deployment.

Wow.

Sobe (L) and Duffer (R) in Prior Podcast

- So, a video team consisting of Steve Sobe (3-time Golden Tee National Champion), Sean McMenemy (IT videographer/animator) and I, “Duffer” Dan Schrementi (mkth mgr, host of ITtv) have been given the honor of making the videos happen.  We’ll also be joined by Carol Anderson (purchasing director at IT) and Richard Ditton (co-owner of IT) .

There are dozens of people at IT that helped make this trip a reality.  Nick Frank (CSR Manager) who handled the logistics, to Ed Koeller and Matt Randazzo in game manufacturing, all the way to our graphic artist Christine Campana, who designed the custom wings for the game (with a John C Stennis  seal).  It was a an incredible team effort and I am honored to be able to tell the story.

So that’s it – the power of Golden Tee never ceases to amaze me time-and-time-again.  This game connects millions of people in lands across the world – and now we have our first game on an active Navy carrier.  Where will it end?

- Duffer Dan

Tags: Golden, Golf, Navy, Tee
Posted in Navy, Posts by "Duffer" Dan Schrementi | 4 Comments »