********** The Finals **********

And we’ve made it, folks. The 2010 PCC Finals. Mark Stenmark vs. Jeff Lannen. Stenmark will have to beat him twice. No easy task…

Sug It misses a putt on hole 2, and like that Jeff has an early lead.

Stenmark bogies the par-3 6thand Lannen takes an early 4-shot lead…. wow

At 9, Lannen -13, Stenmark -9

Lannen picks up another stroke through 15.

Suq It gets wet on 16, so does Lannen. Up 6.

Jeff Lannen is your 2010 PCC Champ shooting a -21 on Southen Oaks. Well done, Jeff!

Thor vs. Stenmark for the Finals

All tied at -15 through 11

Sug It takes the lead on hole 15

Both birdie the par-5 16th.

Thor down 1 going into 18

Stenmark laid up on 18 and was able to stick a tough 2nd shot. Thor came up short. Both ended up with birdies and Stenmark moves on to the finals.

Thor takes 3rd.

Reid wins Purple 

Reid Somori beat Dan Miser -21 to -16 to win the purple game.

4:30 – Tony vs. Thor

After a missed putt and a lava ball, Thor took a 3-shot lead and didn’t look back. Thor now moves on to play Stenmark.

Tony takes home 4th.

3:58 – King of the Hill Match

Sug It holes out early, up two shots on the front-nine.

Lannen got 2 back and they went into 18 -24, finished at -26. WOW.

In sudden death, Stenmark got wet on extra hole 2 and Jeff Lannen is your king of the hill.

3:52 – Stu Fox’s Run Comes to a Close

Tony Johnson bested Stu Fox on Tahiti Cove to reach the loser’s bracket finals and take on Thor. Nice run by Fox, though…

3:36 – Thor Moves On

Chris Thorbrogger took out Marc Muklewicz in extra holes to move into the loser’s bracket finals.

3:00 – Stenmark Moves on w/ Ace

Mark Stenmark is onto the winner’s bracket finals w/ an ace against Mouth on hole 3. Well done, Sug It. <—-Note: that is his player name not a knock on the kid. (Okay, it’s both)  : )

2:55 – Jeff Lannen takes out Tony Johnson in extras

On extra hole 5, Tony Johnson got wet and Lannen birdied to secure a top 3 finish.

2:49 – Lemon/Tony Puttin’ on a Show, Mouth/Stenmark doing the same

Tony and Lannen were all square through 18 throwing up -25s on Monument. Went to extras…

Mouth and Stenmark, also playing Monument, went into extras with -24s…

2:34 – Back-to-Back Aces

Tony Johnson and Jeff Lannen start off their match by each acing #3 on Monument.

SICK.

2:32 – On the other side…

Chris Thorbrogger just took out Andy Haas, ending his PCC.

Three spots remain on loser’s side.

2:26 – Winner’s Bracket Update

Your final four in the winner’s bracket is as follows…

Marc Muklewicz vs. Mark Stenmark

Jeff Lannen vs. Tony Johnson

2:16 – A Look at the Leaderboard

1:15 – Minnesota Makin’ a Statement

Tony Johnson, Chris Thorbrogger, Todd Penticoff, Mark Muklewicz all getting ready to play in the quarters.

Not too shabby, Minnesota. Not too shabby…

12:58 – Down Goes Haas

Todd Penticoff takes out Andy Haas in a surprising upset. Haas will now go to the loser’s bracket.

Notable winners from round 2 include:

Marc The Mouth Muklewicz

Chris Thorbrogger

Tony Johnson

12:14 AM – 1st Round Winners

First round winners were: Haas, Penticoff, Mouth, Dean L, Kinz, Andy Fox, Mark Stenmark, McCook, Welter, Thor, Tony Johnson, Evan G, Harlow, Rodney, Stu Fox, Jeff Lannen.

11:51 AM – Match o’ the day (so far)

Rodney “Hot Rod” Roberts and Ed Godfrey both shot -25 on Monumnet Valley to go into sudden death where they went through the first nine holes all square. On hole 13 in extras, however, Hot Rod prevailed.

Well done by both…

11:29 AM – Matches, matches, matches

Quick updates from round 1:

Haas beats Eric Ringeisen.

Andy Fox beats Matt Esteep

The Mouth beats Lance Harris

Mark Stenmark beats Eversole

Jeff Harlow beats Paul Tayloe

More to come…

10:56 AM – Well Done, Ya’ll

While matches are getting going, this seems like the ideal time to announce how much money was raised for Salute. At the big check presentation last night, Salute was given a check of $75,110.

That’s what this weekend is all about…

10:30 AM – Qualifying Scores/Matches Warming Up

What a day.

After a massive power outage that put a slight wrinkle in the qualifying, things are getting ready to go. Before we get into match play, here’s how the top qualifiers ended up.

We’ll we have power back, which is always a good thing. About an hour and change ago, all games in the front of the bar lost power and well, all hell broke loose.

After some caveman tactics and some fine Excel skills from the group here (yours truly included) we are back on track. HOLY #$%^

3:00 PM – 3rd Couse Underway

Qualifier moving along at blazing speed. Wait, we’re actually ahead of schedule? In any event, follow all the madness right here on the GTB.

2:03 PM – More Scores

More than halfway done with PCC qualifier. Still A LOT to be decided! Stay tuned OR check it out live HERE.

1:11 PM – Leaderboard Update!

Get all your scores HERE!

12:56 PM- Qualifying Mania

And we’re off! So much going on, it’s hard to report one thing. Some big scores being shot and setups seem pretty managable. AND for those that want to see who’s doing what, we’ve got the perfect tool.

Want to follow along? Check out the qualiying leaderboard here and see up-to-the-minute scores!

11:24 AM – Anthem Time

The entire bar just got chills as the National Anthem was sung to kick things off. While there will be a lot of fun had this weekend, perhaps nothing was more enjoyable than the past 2 minutes. Unreal job by Torran Crawford. Wow.

Now, LETS. GET. IT. ON.

National

10:47 AM – Qualifier Setup

The PCC qualifier will be played on Great Wall, Tahit Cove, and Monument Valley. In my opinion, these are the three courses that offer up the best chances to score in 2010. What that means for this GT marketing guy, well, I guess we shall see.

Great Wall coming up semi-soon.

10:17 AM – Warming Up

Good morning, GT fans. Splinters is starting to fill and players are warming up for the 3-course qualifier. Like this man, Mr. Skipper Horner who came to the PCC decked out in full camo – the same look as his vrtual golfer.

Oh hell yes.

Splinters is filling up and Ira Dean is in the building! After grabbing a bite and taking in the scene, Ira is now getting the full tour of IT with his trust tour guide Duffer Dan. No word yet on if Duffer has busted out his trust air guitar. #imleaningyes

All games are up and running and ready for business. Some of GT’s best players are already in town, and you should stop by if you can. I’ll be over there around 5 with beer in hand…

Cheers.

11:43 PM

It’s PCC eve, a day to rest up and get ready for the weekend!

Ira Dean is in town getting ready for his Salute Friday set, and PCC Player Cards are being printed as we speak.

Splinters is coming along nicely and you can expect a ton of action over there this afternoon and this evening. I’ll be headed over there later on to take it in.

Wednesday, August 25th: 4:07 PM

The sight above (apologies for the lack o’ quality from the camera phone) comes straight from Splinters Sports Pub in Palatine and is the Players Charity Championship taking shape. By taking shape, I mean there is still @#$% everywhere, but the games are in and boys are hard at work getting everything ready for this monster weekend. By tomorrow (aka Thursday) these games will be filled with early travelers starting their weekend off early with a little Tee.

From someone who will be logging PLENTY of hours inside Splinters over the next 96 hours, I couldn’t be more excited. This weekend isn’t just one of the largest and most competitive Golden Tee tournaments of the year, it’s also a celebration for a fantastic cause.

Thus far, close to $70,000 has been raised towards Salute and the GT community has kicked the fundraising into high gear the past few weeks. Now, it’s time to celebrate the charity, the hard work, and Golden Tee in a jam-packed weekend.

If you can’t make it out to Splinters at any point throughout the event, have no fear. We, and more specifically I, plan to cover any and all PCC action right here on the Golden Tee Blog as well as the Facebook and Twitter pages. What can I say? We like our social media…

We’ll have golf outing results, Salute Friday shots, random tidbits here and there, and tournament updates that’ll keep you informed perhaps more than you need.  All PCC happenings will be available right here on the GTB, and I’ll feed all info to you as things move along. I’ll even showcase how I do in the tournament qualifier and dazzle you with my scores compared to the nation’s best players. (I’m sorry, I can’t even write that with a straight face).

Grab a beer, pull up a chair if you can’t join us in person, and stay tuned. It’s almost PCC time, folks.

-ak

“Excuse me miss, can you take these and can I have a few more please.”

The flight attendant comes over looking somewhat appalled, grabs the empty mini-bottles of Belvedere, and reaches in her cart for more.

“It’s kind of a long flight, guys,” she kindly says to Duffer Dan and I. “Perhaps you should wait until after we take off before you drink anymore?”

Hey, what can I say? We’re excited to be heading stateside for the next course excursion. Plus, with a 12-hour flight ahead of us, what the #$%^ else are we going to do?

We had our own Euro Trip visiting Laurel Park and Alpine Run, but our next course takes us to the Pacific coast and more specifically Cape Arago, Oregon. Water, tress, waterfalls, streams, canyon walls and more – Timber Bay is 18-holes built for the golfer that wants to see a bit of everything.

With Golden Tee 2011 test games now out, I’m not the only golfer teeing it up on the beautiful Timber Bay.

Just look at this guy taking advantage of our new YouTube feature where players can upload any shot. This includes putts that take sharp left turns off hills that you shouldn’t be on in the first place.

Or this guy, who is celebrating 2011 by slamming into the closest pin as hard as he possibly can.

Let’s get this show on the road. With 6 or so mini-bottles consumed, I think we’re ready for takeoff. Here’s a bit more on Timber Bay and what you can expect to see come launch time.

Decisions, Decisions…

More so than any other course in 2011, Timber Bay gives you options. How you play off the tee will depend greatly on a variety of things – most noticeably, your tee box and the wind for that given setup.

Unlike a lot of situations, however, you won’t just have to select a 3 or a 5-wood, you’ll be scanning the course left and right, deciding which way to play.

Some holes have multiple fairways (like the shot above) that will provide different shots with obstacles that can be avoided easier with different routes. A few of the long par-5s can be tackled by taking multiple ways, and you’ll have to adjust on the fly when you’re given certain sets of conditions. The same can be said about a few of the drivable par-4s that will also push your creativity to the outer limits.

This will take a few times through to grasp which way best serves your game, but having choices is something most virtual golfers will absolutely love.

Hello, Design-a-Hole

Chris Woody’s creation, The Lighthouse, can be found on Timber Bay and more specifically hole 6. Although the actual lighthouse doesn’t really come into play, the hole looks, feels, and plays fantastic.

The alleys to the green are tight enough where trouble can be had if you aren’t careful, and this isn’t a slam-dunk eagle by any means. Even if you get through one of the openings to drive the green, you’re still not close to being home.

The green can be tough to stick in certain situations, particularly with an out wind. Certain pin placements will call for a much finer shot to secure eagle, and there’s no doubt this hole will serve as important early on in round. I really like what I see so far on our latest player-created design.

Two Thumbs up. Well done, Chris.

Hole 16… ‘Nough Said

We’ve featured a handful of holes already in our blog endeavors, but hole 16 on Timber Bay might be the most fascinating of them all. At times, this hole setup as a casual thumb shot into or against the wind and you’re outta there with birdie. At other times, well, not so much.

You can see from the picture above that the green is separated into three distinct areas. Depending on where the pin is located, you’ll likely have to aim for one of these areas if you’re looking at a manageable birdie putt.

On top of this, there are multiple tee boxes in front of and on the side of this green. This makes for some very different and sometimes challenging shots that can result in disaster if you aren’t careful. Setups and results will vary greatly on this hole, but mark it down as one to look for.

That’s all for now, GTers! Next week we pack up the jet, rack up miles and fly back across the big blue sea once again. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS IT.

In the meantime, enjoy a few more scenes from Timber Bay and get ready for GT 2011.

Cheers,

-ak

“Quick, pack up the bus and let’s get the #$%^ outta here!”

Duffer Dan and I sprint through an open field and jump into the GT bus parked directly under the Eiffel Tower. In the distance, French policeman are in pursuit yelling obscenities while sporting some of the finest hats ever made.

Pedal hits floor – and we are officially out of Laurel Park. Barely…

Well, that was fun! With course one in the books the GT bus is headed to location number two. Surprisingly enough, we’re only going to have to endure a 7-hour drive to get there.

Our next course, Alpine Run, is tucked away in the shadows of the Swiss Alps with the ginormous Matterhorn looming in the background. With mountains comes snow and elevation – more on that in a bit, but they also gives us perhaps the most glorious background we’ve ever had in Golden Tee.

I got my paws on Alpine for a handful of rounds and took very copious notes on some of the defining aspects of the course  I also did the following…

WARNING: BRAGGING, BOASTING, AND AVERAGE SHOT MAKING BELOW

Enough of that (feeling pretty good about self) – here is Alpine Run!

Let it Snow… Again

Snow returns to Golden Tee for only the second time, and for the first time since Summit Lakes in GT 2008! Crowd pauses, looks around, slowly works itself into a muted applause.

For those that have played on the surface before, you’ll likely recall that snow was the ultimate superglue when your ball even brushed up against it. These same features make its way into 2011, and snow is once again going to stop your ball dead in its tracks if you happen to even graze it with your shot. Unlike mud, however, snow can be conquered post entry and you can still get plenty of distance when you are forced to hit from it.

The snow on Alpine is also very strategically placed and while the course isn’t covered in it, the crafty GT crew certainly knew what they were doing when they dropped it in throughout the course.

Lots o’ Elevation – It is the Alps, folks

Because Alpine Run is tucked outside the Swiss Alps, you’d imagine that there would be a decent amount of elevation seen throughout the course. You can argue that this certainly is the case, but the elevation is different from most mountain/hilly courses we’ve played over the years.

Like the snow mentioned above, the elevation on the course is selective and comes into play when shots matter most. While none of these situations come close to some of the elevation we saw on Black Hills, (you can exhale now), there is enough of it to note before you take certain shots.

I found that if I focused on where not to be, aka down the backside of a hill that slopes into a giant pond, I avoided the dreaded blowup hole. While many of us want to play for a holeout at all times, enticing but dangerous pin placements will be more of a factor on Alpine than any other hole in 2011.

Hole 18 can be a Monster

The finishing hole is supposed to provide a challenge, damn it, and hole 18 on Alpine does just that.

The closing hole is a drivable par-4, it is lengthy, has a bit of drop off in elevation, there’s water, usually a lot of wind, and the green can make this one heck of a shot to stick. While all these factors contribute to the difficulty of the hole, the green really is where this hole separates itself in terms of difficulty. Certain pin placements will be very difficult to get at and spinning your ball properly is a must if you wish to bag an eagle.

Rounds will be decided on this challenging but fair design and you’ll likely think about laying up on occasion if the situation calls for it. With that said, this hole can be very managble with the right wind/pins. You’ll have to drastically adjust your strategy from round to round, but what else is new?

Great finishing hole where the game will be won or lost…

That’s all for this edition, folks! Check back soon for our third course, which I guarantee will fascinate you beyond your wildest imagination. Here are a few more shots of Alpine Run to tide you over before launch!

-AK

STOP IT RIGHT THERE. Take all thoughts, instincts, predispositions, and any other ghastly things you might have to say about the French and toss them out the window. We’ve packed up the Golden Tee Course Bus, crossed the big blue, and are pitching our tents just under the Eiffel Tower.

That’s right. Golden Tee is putting on their finest ensemble, eating cheese that smells like feet, and taking over Bois de Boulogne. Say that ten times fast after your 17^th glass of merlot.

I, marketing man by day and GT wannabe guru by night, have finally logged some quality 2011 hours and have some interesting thoughts about each course.

No need to spin the trackball. We’re starting at the far-left of the course selection screen to get things under way. Although I don’t want to spoil your experience of testing out the new courses by unveiling all the secrets, here are just a few of things to expect on Laurel Park – the first course in Golden Tee 2011.

La Fountaine Blue

Holy water. No, not Holy Water – I mean, “Wow, that’s A LOT of water.”

Almost every single hole on Laurel has water and tons of it. And this water isn’t just for show either. Your tee shots and approaches are going to be impacted by water in almost every scenario.

This water in a lot of instances also happens to be perfectly placed, particularly on some of the well-crafted drivable par-4s. There will be some decision making when it comes to crunch time, and certain tee boxes and wind combos will drastically impact if and when you go for the gusto.

Although certain courses have their share of “distinct” hazards, there’s no doubt that Laurel will be taking thousands of virtual balls come fall.

Say Concrete in French. SAY IT

A new surface has made its way into Laurel and it’s going to play a major role – perhaps for better and worse. This new concrete/cobblestone sidewalk surrounds greens, fairways, hazards, and serves as a pathway throughout much of the course.

This concrete path is like a cart path on steroids and the bounce you get will certainly impact where your ball ends up. In one instance, the path actually propelled my ball onto the green and three feet away from the cup. In another, I went over the green by a yard or so and the path sent my ball soaring into the water. (See: hazard above)

It’s hard to say how this will impact your round this early on, but it’s safe to say that it’ll impact it one way or another. I look forward to seeing if players use this launching pad to their advantage or if it becomes a beast of burden. We shall see…

Holes 16, 17, 18 are Fantastique

This is where the magic happens, or more often than not, when the round comes crumblin’ down.

Without giving too much away, I hereby proclaim these three holes Adam Kramer approved. The round finishes up with a par-3, par-4, and a par-5 although we won’t list them in any particular order. You’ll have to be creative to succeed here and the possibility to pick up strokes is ripe for the taking. Where there’s a chance to gain strokes, however, there’s also usually plenty of room to lose them as well. (shaking head, reaching into golf bag for more golf balls).

These three holes feature a little bit of everything and this all culminates with the sure-to-be-talked-about 18^th. Oh, the 18^th hole is something that players new and old are going to love, and I dumped plenty of balls in the water just giving it a little test drive. Bring. On. The. YouTubes.

‘Nough said.

I just touched the surface on what you can expect on Laurel Park. The rest you’ll find out soon enough. Thanks for playing along with my reindeer games and be sure to tune in for the other four courses. For now, here are a few more screens to bridge the gap between now and launch day.

-AK signing off

I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me if I can “hook them up” with the virtual paper bag hat. I even had one guy offer box seats at a Cubs game if I were to somehow get him the gorilla headwear before his buddies got it.

Come on now. I have morals. I tried to get him it but he never called back.

The point of all of this is that, for many, the clothing they wear is almost as important as what clubs they use. The fact that you can dress your golfer up like a giant disgrace, or play it cool if you so desire, is part of the fun in Golden Tee. This is your virtual freedom and millions of you take full advantage of it.

The process, however, of getting all these wacky clothing items into Golden Tee year after year is a much more complex process than you might think. We have artists at IT that are given this task and it requires months of time and thought. Have you ever thought about where that giant beekeeper headgear actually comes from? Well, I have. And if you haven’t by now than maybe the thought has just crossed your mind. Either that or you are LONG GONE from this blog.

I sat down and chatted with IT artist Mike Sanchez who was given Golden Tee clothing duties for the first time in GT 2011 just to find out much more about a process many of us really know nothing about. Here’s what Mike had to say about the design process, the clothing in GT 2011, and what promo codes you can expect to see in the coming months.

AK: Mike, thanks for taking this moment to fill in the GT public a bit more about the process of getting all the wacky clothing we all know and love into the game. So you are “the guy” when it comes to designing and implementing clothing into the game?

MS: No problem, Adam. Glad to do it. Well, in some ways I guess you could say I am the guy for 2011, but this is an enormous team effort.  The process begins when Brian (Jandula) and Jim (Zielinski) come to our team first with a list of ideas that they’d like to see in the next game. After that they pretty much give us the freedom to research and add some things we’d like to see in the next installment.

AK: For GT 2011, were there any particular ways you’ve decided to go that might be different from past years?

MS: I personally wanted to add in some shirts that kind of match the times. There are some designer tees in there along with some various clothing items that fit what people are wearing. With that being said, there still is a giant focus on adding in plenty of the crazy items people have grown to love over the years. That stuff is fun to make but also can require a lot more work on our end. Still, it’s well worth it.

AK: How long on average would you say it takes you to make a standard virtual shirt?

MS: On a good day, and we certainly have or fair share that don’t work out how we want, creating and getting a shirt ready for Golden Tee can take anywhere from a half-day to an entire day. Hats can take a lot more work, because the geometry usually has to be built into the game if it’s different from anything we’ve done before.

AK: Wow. Well, I’ll appreciate you guys much more when I wear my ridiculous gear now that I know what goes into the process. Speaking of the process, can you give us some more details of some of the ridiculous additions in 2011? What are a few of your favorites?

MS: We’ve added a mummy costume into the game this year which I have no doubt will be an absolute hit. On top of that there is some new hunting-type gear, a bunch of fun random items, and my personal favorite, a shirt with a pocket watch. I guess I’ll leave the rest of it up to the players to earn once the game comes out. We don’t want to spoil all the fun.

AK: The request I get on the Golden Tee Facebook Page more than any other is the clamoring for new giveaway clothing items. We did a handful of items a little while back, including some holiday gear. Please tell me we will be able to get some new items in Golden Tee 2011?

MS: Yes, giveaway clothing items are back in 2011. We’ve created more Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s stuff plus we’ve added Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day also into the mix. This on top of the virtual Salute shirt that is being featured now for those that donate to the PCC.

AK: Mike, thank you so much for the time. Can’t wait for 2011!

Golden Tee 2011 is in the air, and the development crew is now in the thick of their most chaotic time of the year. Trees, lakes, and other new hazards are being created, courses are taking shape, and new features are finding their way into the game. As a Golden Tee junkie I truly enjoy this time and it’s hard for me to look at 2011 with my corporate face. I’d say I feel like a kid in a candy store, but that really doesn’t do my excitement justice. Perhaps the picture below does.

I was given the keys to the Golden Tee 2011 mobile only for a quick test drive, and needless to say I walked away floored. Yes, I work for the company so I suppose you would expect me to say this, but the experiences I shared in only a short time behind the wheel gave me a feeling unlike any I’ve had playing Tee.

New features certainly make a lot of noise, but the courses are what everyone’s got their eye on. It’s only June. Meaning, we still have a few months till the game hits and a lot of time to discuss what to expect in Golden Tee’s latest installment. With that said, it’s about time we get the ball rolling on the 2011 era.

Last year we unveiled the first shots of Golden Tee 2010 on the Golden Tee Blog, and we’ve decided to keep up with this building tradition. Although many loved seeing and speculating what they were witnessing, others were certainly unhappy with the fact that they couldn’t see more. As a fanboy of the game I understand this sentiment.

I would love to show you everything and tell you about all the cool new #$%^ that will be in Golden Tee 2011, but I’d likely end up in the trunk of the same GT 2011 mobile.

In the coming weeks and months we’ll showcase names, locations, features, interviews, tons of screens, the 2011 trailer, and everything in between so we’ll be providing your ’11 fix in bunches. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and fire up questions on anything you see. We can’t guarantee we will answer all questions you fire at us, but we will certainly try.

Enjoy, everyone.

-ak

After laughing at that for a few seconds, the embarrassment of actually being the Great Shot database sets in, and I usually sheepishly explain that I, Adam Kramer, am actually the YouTube golden gopher. No GSP notifier, no GTP siren that sounds off, no programming methods in place (that costs money don’t ya know) – just a dude with a computer that spends entirely too much time looking up virtual golf happenings on GT’s expanding social media sites.

Let’s do some math here and get a few hilariously disturbing items on the table.

Golden Tee Great Shots debuted back in September of 2008. Using June 1st as our referencing date, this is approximately 641 days that people have been uploading Great Shots give or take.

I typically look for usable shots for let’s say… twenty minutes each day which is probably very accurate. Yes, I do look on the weekends – something my lovely new fiancé finds absolutely appalling and shares with me on a regular basis. This DOES NOT include monthly features, yearly features, etc. – just searching, posting, and sharing.

20 minutes x 641 days = 12,820 minutes (my eyes widen)

12,820 minutes / 60 minutes per hour = 213 hours (stomach becoming queasy)

213 hours / 24 hours per day = 8.90 days (Vomiting everywhere)

213 hours / 8 (average # of hours per business day) = 26.63 total business days

213 hours is more than two of Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France’s wins combined

12,820 minutes is 760,200 seconds spent.

(Cleaning vomit off self and wrapping cold towel around head.)

So as you can see, I’ve watched more Great Shots than anyone you know. Not something I necessarily want on my tombstone but what the hell there are worse stigmas, right?

(Silence, followed by MUCH more vomiting)

“What Do YOU Do Here?!”

Each and every morning I search YouTube, searching for Golden Tee Great Shots that separate themselves from the rest. This morning ritual goes well with a cup or two of coffee and a few low-fat Poptarts that really aren’t low-fat at all.

Because there have been more than 80,000 uploads, you simply cannot click on every single video. This means I have to be selective with my clicks, and this sad little selection process all starts with the thumbnail. Those of you who are GT nerds like myself know exactly what I’m talking about.

The thumbnail, aka small preview image given for each video, tells a lot about the course, hole, and etc. Some holes and courses are much more prone to providing good YouTube fodder. When these holes come up in recently posted items, it’s a no-brainer. It’s the other holes that somewhat simpler that can be tough to find.

Take this little gem for example. I found this a few weeks back while doing a daily search. Southern Oaks 12 isn’t exactly a Great Shot haven, in fact, this is the first ever shot from this hole I’ve ever showcased on the GT Facebook Page (more on that in a bit). Still, this horrendous effort was nothing short of awesome and is one of the few tree-aided holeouts we’ve actually seen.

Finding “The” Shot

Once in a great while I come across a shot that truly blows my mind. I relate it to an archeologist coming a cross a new species. That excitement of seeing something outstanding that you have never seen before is enjoyable, even if it’s a virtual golfing hole-in-one from someone you don’t know. The shot above is close to being jaw-dropping, but not quite on the level of other shots we’ve seen.

Because I really do see hundreds and hundreds of shots each week, when I do discover a shot that that has never been seen before, I immediately want to share it with the entire world. Or at least a few thousand trackball fans.

Perfect example below…

My pride and joy. I feel like the scout that discovered Michael Jordan even after he was cut by his high school coach. This shot has become the clear Shot of the Year favorite and I check everyday hoping to find something like this. Still, something like this doesn’t occur often. Shots like this make me wonder how we survived and thrived before the YouTube era even existed on Tee. Consider the previous blather a small taste of something that really is my job.

I’m not alone in my video posts, either. Thousands of fans share their shots on Twitter, Facebook, Golden Tee forums and etc. It’s become somewhat expected of Facebook fans to post their holes-in-one, whether it’s a bounce of a coyote’s cranium or a basic par-3 ace.

And my (perhaps our) little world of Golden Tee on YouTube is only going to expand and become even greater. I got a sneak peak at the 2011 courses and all I could think about was the potential Golden Tee Great Shot implications. Needless to say, there are going to be significant opportunities in the next update to impress your buddies with your GT prowess or luck. Wow, I really am a nerd.

I suppose this blog was worth nothing more than to showcase a perceived intricate process that really isn’t intricate at all. Just a dude, a morning ritual, and a fascinating aspect of my job that really shouldn’t be qualified as work. While dealing with pissed off players at times can suck, having the freedom to search YouTube in hopes of entertaining the GT masses is important, entertaining, and fun as hell. After all, I got this job because of my passion for the game.

As long as you keep hitting aces, albatrosses, super albatrosses, and other worthwhile moments – I will find them, post them, and make a HUGE deal out of them if they are something special. This might not be the most impressive and technologically advanced database in the country, but it works. I’ll log more hours, spend days looking for “the” shot, and most likely piss off my fiance BIG TIME in the process.

But hey, it’s my job.