Monday, May 18, 2009

My World Series of Golf Experience


The World Series of Golf (WSOG) is a high stakes game that combines gambling techniques of poker and the sport of golf. The greatest part of the WSOG is that it is literally any golfers game to win.
My WSOG experience began a year ago when I caught some coverage of the 2008 second round on tv. I called my buddy Keith and said "you can do this". Keith and I have been golfing together for about 16 years and I felt his game is solid enough to do some damage at this competition. We also run an annual golf tournament together, Madison's Wish Charity Golf Tournament (www.madisonswish.com), and we thought it would be a great opportunity to gain more exposure for our cause. Keith sent in his application and the next thing we knew, he was 1 of 125 golfers selected to play and I was to be his caddy/financial advisor.
We got busy on a game plan as to how we were going to win this thing. Keith flew out for a few practice rounds and played the course well and beat the competitors he was paired up with.
Then came tournament time. We gathered up the peanut gallery, decked out in Madison's Wish shirts and hats, and flew out to Las Vegas. It was definitely more than just a golf outing. From the arrival at the Mirage seeing the big WSOG window display in the lobby to the check in at the hospitality room, it was all around first class. The course, Paiute, was in immaculate condition and the staff made everything perfect.
Before anything kicked off there was a player/caddy meeting to go over the rules and regs ran by the President & Founder of the WSOG, Terry Leiweke. Terry really made it great for everyone from the high roller to the average Joe.
Following the meeting was the Opening Reception White Party. This was by far one of the coolest parties because the venue was the Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. While there was music playing, drinks flowing and great food we were watching a dolphin show. I was sipping my Capt & Coke while looking into the eyes of a White Tiger. All the competitors are cool people and even though they would be slugging it out for the $300k the very next day they all get along great.
On the opening day we were lucky enough to get the 11:15am tee time. This would give us plenty of time to get warmed up after a decent nights sleep (kind of). Keith was dead on accurate with his chipping. His putting was looking solid and his swing was smooth and consistent. WE WERE READY!!!!!So we thought.


As we approached the tee box for our group's time the tension built up. There were cameras and people all around. The pres kept yelling "This is for HD baby" which did not help the nerves. Keith wanted to do a dedication trick shot off the first tee to try to get the nerves out. That didn't go so well, but it was better than shanking a legitimate drive. There was no possible way to prepare for this format of play unless you have played it before. There would be times that you won't swing a club for 20 minutes.
It was definitely a long and tough day. Keith did, however, win 2 holes and split another one. This kept him in until the 16th hole. Looking across the field of players and their scores, lasting until the 16th hole was not too shabby. When he stuck the green on the par 3, this took a huge amount of pressure off and he drained a 35 foot putt. It really is amazing what a crowd of people and TV cameras can do to your mind (and your golf game). All in all, I was very proud of my friend for accepting this challenge and honored to be his caddy and part of this awesome event.
To read more about the results of the tournament go to http://www.worldseriesofgolf.com/default.aspx.
I feel that the experience of doing it once has prepared Keith and he will really make a bang at next year's tournament.