Archives for March, 2010


Design-a-Hole 2009: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Part 1 of 3)

By "Duffer" Dan Schrementi | March 26th, 2010

“I’ve never seen so many men wasted so badly…”

"Vote for me, or I'll Shoot!"

Clint Eastwood grumbled these words while surveying Civil War carnage in the classic film this blog is so subtly themed after.  And while sitting here at Golden Tee HQ surmising the Design-a-Hole carnage from last year’s contest, The Man With No Name’s words reign true.  There were so many good men wasted in the Design-a-Hole archives of 2009… And probably, so many wasted men too, for that matter.  Thankfully today, through the power of the GTB, we can give those men our tip of the cap in this – part one of the three-part, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

The Design-a-Hole Archive: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly series began last year as a way that I, “Duffer” Dan Schrementi, could take my crack at choosing the best and the worst designs of the year.  You see, while everything at IT is a team effort, let’s just say the Design-a-Hole project is sort of my baby.  And ironically, “my baby” was challenged last year by none other than my other baby – my real baby son – who was born precisely on the day that DAH presentation was to be made to judges Jim Zielinski and Larry Hodgson.  As I smoked cigars and drank scotch in the waiting room of the nursery, Jim and Larry pined over the 100+ design submissions back at Golden Tee HQ.  Helplessly giddy at the hospital, my opinions on the designs were no where near the office.

Jim and Larry are Golden Tee Gods which is why they choose the finalist in the contest.  But Jim and Larry do not get the luxury of watching the DAH entries stream through their inbox for 30 straight days.  That’s a perk bestowed upon only the most *ahem* respected and talented “duffers” in the company.  And until young GTB’er Adam Kramer can defeat me 47 rounds of dizzy bat baseball – and note: he’s got a hell of a way to go – I have remained the DAH chairman.

As a marketing professional, a design hack and a true fan of Golden Tee, I truly love checking my inbox each morning the contest is open.  And over time, like a  biased Simon Cowell, I begin to secretly root for and against certain entries.  (secretly being the key word – this is exactly why I am NOT a judge!)  It’s that time again and we’ve received more entries so far this year than ever before at this point.  In fact, there’s a virtual cornucopia of crayon and marker mastery that awaits in my inbox as I type!  All this means that now is the time when I get the opportunity to present the best and worst entries that you never saw last year.  And in order to get your creative juices flowing, today we’re going to kick it off with The Good!

Press play – if you’re a real man…

THE GOOD

Here’s what you’re not going to see in the GTB’s The Good list: Dave Hollingshead, Jim Little, last year’s finalist entries or bacon-cheese-fries.  These items go into the category of “assumed awesome” and have no place in The Good. No, instead what you’re about to see are the finest assets that just fell short of awesome and are – in my opinion – still worthy showing off to the world.  These designs are great and they should show you 2010 DAH participants what you’re up against.  One last thing, if it’s “Pants On The Ground” mockery that you’re in to, tune back next week for the BAD and subsequent UGLY parts of this series. Until then, without further ado, I offer you loyalists of the GTB The Good Design-a-Hole submissions from the 2009 contest.  Enjoy~

If the name "Jason Thomason" rings a bell, it should. Jason had horse in the finals with "X Marks the Spot". But to me, you're looking at what very well could have been a winner last year. I give Jason huge props for putting this level of work into the Design-a-Hole Contest. Yes, it's true, if this design was handed to us as a pencil sketch it may have been glossed over, but his added level of effort made the judges notice. And not only that, there was a video too! I'm not sure what Jason does for a living, but he probably could "quit his day job"

Here, you're looking at another entry from another finalist, Jeff "Dank" Epperson. Yes, this hole is gimmicky as hell, but I am in awe of its creativity. It's not likely that you'd ever see a hole like this in Golden Tee Golf but it's hard to deny that you'd love to play it at least once.

We didn't call them "Finalists" for nothing. Chris Rice is the last of The Good finalists from last year - but come on? Look at this design and tell me you wouldn't want to play it. Kudos, Chris.

We didn't call them finalists for nothing! Chris Rice represents another DAH finalist with a second design to make The Good list. Again, here's a great example of a design that received extra attention because of it's level of quality. Chris did a great job here and Ocean Spray would have been great fun on Tahiti Cove, in my opinion.

Shipwreck Cove is proof that you don’t need a design degree to come up with a great idea. I thought Kyle’s idea of “playing through the ship” would have been loads of fun in Golden Tee. Perhaps it was a bit “over themed” which is why it didn’t make the final cut but I applaud the creativity that Kyle put fourth. Besides, I don’t know if we recorded Peter Jacobsen saying, “Yarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!”

Call me a sucker for gimmicks but I still think that Steve "Maestro" Snyder's Heartbreak Ridge was one of the most creative and fun-spirited designs received last year. The shape of the green forces you to control the ball and the "risk/reward" shot is as enticing as it could be. Well played, Maestro.... Well played.

Sean Dockry's "Lone Tree Harbor" is another example of the talents we saw in last year's event. I chose this hole for its level of quality in presentation but I can tell you, it suffered from what many DAH entries do - the inclusion of an always-played shortcut. A few tweaks to this layout and I think Sean would have been another one of the finalists. But rest easy, friend, you made it on the GTB.

Keith, I don't know what the hell I am looking at but you, my friend, get the award for best name. Ok, you're crayon lines are pretty nice too!

Before I bid you all farewell, I’d like to leave you with a final gallery of OH-SO-CLOSE-TO-GOOD designs.  Why?  Because missing the cut as a DAH finalist the first time wasn’t demoralizing enough…

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Coming Up on the GTB Next Week: THE BAD

WERE YOU BAD ENOUGH?

Design-a-Hole 2010

Submit Your Design Today for a Chance to Leave Your Golden Tee Legacy and Host the 2011 Launch Party at YOUR BAR!

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Posted in Design-a-Hole Contest, Posts by "Duffer" Dan Schrementi | 5 Comments »


Advice From a Design-AHOLE Insider

By Adam Kramer | March 18th, 2010

It’s that glorious time again. The time where 35-year-old men steal their sons Crayola Crayons and go bonkers drawing up imaginary golf holes. As weird as that may sound, this action is nothing short of awesome in my book.

The Design-a-Hole contest is back and the submission period is underway. This means many of you are likely brainstorming ground-breaking ideas right now, wondering what sort of hole design you can submit into the contest that will attract the attention of our prestigious DAH judges.

ENTER: Marketing associate and Design-a-Hole informant Adam Kramer

While the decision portion of this contest is a little above my pay grade, I do have the luxury of sitting in on these meetings and hearing what the judges pick and more importantly why they pick what they do. In the process, I have been able to pick up some very important but simple information that can really help you get your design into the finals.

The next time you use your puce green crayon to fill in a fairway on your design, (all the while your son is crying in the background because you won’t share), use these tips to help guide you to the 2011 Design-a-Hole crown.

When Keepin’ It Real Goes Wrong

As sweet as a cave-centric hole might sound, I can guarantee you that this will not fit in any of the courses in Golden Tee 2011. SPOILER ALERT: There are no courses that take place in a cave next year so for the love of Jim Z, hold back the urge.

The reason I bring this up is because we had a ton of cave-like submissions last year. While some of the ideas weren’t half bad in terms of design, they just aren’t going to make it into the finals because they don’t have a spot in Golden Tee.

And it’s not just the cave holes we’re talking about. Unrealistic holes in general – aka absurd elevations, unreal settings, and just flat out ridiculous and impossible ideas are also thrown out pretty quickly.

Before you submit, look down at your drawing, close your eyes, and imagine yourself playing that exact hole and what clubs and/or strategy you would use. Is it impossible? Do you have a green that has a right-18 break? Does it require 3 full-fulls to even get to the hole? If so, you might want to rethink things a bit.

Many will play the “Golden Tee isn’t real golf” argument when they hear this, but work with me here, people. I know you’re trying to separate yourself from the rest of the pack, but you need to do this without jumping the shark GT-style.

Instead, Try This!

You all know the game and have a feel for what works and what doesn’t when it comes to GT. With this being the 3rd Design-a-Hole contest, you also now have an idea of what our Design-a-Hole judges are looking for. Combine these two important factors and sprinkle in your creative and vast GT experience, and PRESTO! You’ve got yourself a DAH contender. Sounds easy right? Well, kind of.

Example: I, for one, have always been fond of drivable par-4s because of the decision-making process that is involved when deciding how and when to try and drive the green. I also like water hazards, a bit of elevation, different tee boxes, and long walks on the beach. (Scratch the last part, but you see what I’m getting at). Because this is what I LIKE, I would try and create a unique, drivable par-4 with a few different ways to get screwed if you miss the green.

While my concept won’t lead to an automatic spot in the finals, using your own likes and dislikes and combining it into this thought process could help get you going. If you like extremely short, intricately crafted par-3s then go that route. If you’re a fan of 700+ yard par-5s, design away. Don’t feel like you have to pick a certain mold. Just do what you’d like to see in the game.

OR… You can send your Golden Tee buddy a couple of crisp Franklins and get fast-tracked into the finals. No, wait, I can’t. MUST….NOT….ACCEPT…BRIBES…

And Finally, Show Us Somethin’

While I stressed avoiding tomfoolery in your hole designs, I am going to encourage it from this point on.

Presentation is %^&*ing huge in this contest, you have to trust me on this. While I don’t have any say on what holes make it into the finals – I can tell you that creative submissions will get looked at much closer than the run-of-the-mill drawing. Last year we had YouTube videos, ransom notes, architectural builds, and other cool ideas. While none of these ideas ended up taking the DAH crown, they did receive extra attention for being unique.

This is the spot to really separate your design from everyone else – be it your description or overall presentation. I guarantee your chances will increase greatly if you are able to surprise the judges with something they haven’t seen. Easier said than done, but if you are going to focus your time on one area of this contest, THIS HAS TO BE IT.

Have fun with this – and don’t take it (or us) too seriously. If your hole is good and your design is intriguing, we just might be coming to your home town to throw the kick ass GT 2011 World Premiere in your home bar. Hopefully, you are from Miami or Hawaii – but we certainly won’t discriminate against locations that don’t carry the same pizzazz. (As much as I’ve pushed for it).

The GTB will be all about Design-a-Hole over the next few months. Check back next week for Duffer Dan’s brilliant 3-part feature: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly – a look at some of last year’s DAH entries that, well, caught our attention for better or worse.

Until then good luck, Design-a-holers.

-AK signing off (still thinking about bribes and sweet bar locations)

Posted in Design-a-Hole Contest, Posts by Adam Kramer | 5 Comments »