Sunday, September 20, 2009

The NorCal Puma Open 2009


Two days ago, Friday, September 18th, the boys and I drove all the way to Windsor, CA to be part of The Puma Open. It was a long drive from the east bay... with the traffic and a stop over for lunch, it took us 2 1/2 hours to get to the Windsor Golf Club. It was also a scorching 100+ degrees that day and I wasn't happy. I was pretty much in a foul mood because of heat exhaustion the first couple of hours. Registration was at 2:30pm and the tourney started at 4pm. Thank god it started to cool down when the tourney started...

During the registration, we were given instructions on how to play each hole (which I will share later on), and we were made to sign a waiver. Each player were also given 5 drink tickets which we can use throughout the day for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. We were also given credits valid for purchases made towards any Puma Golf collection at the pro-shop. After the registration, before leaving the tent area, a Puma model hands each player a bag with a few puma goodies inside.

Between the registration and the tourney, players were free to practice at the range where range balls were provided, or check out the tent by the practice area where they showcased Cobra golf equipment. Naturally, the boys went to the range and I just hung out at Charlie's, the club restaurant, where it was cool and comfortable.

There were a total of 36 teams. The golf carts were all lined up before the event started... all were labeled with team names. This was when I started to feel excited about the whole thing, especially when the signal was given to head to your respective hole assignments for the shotgun start and everyone were cheering. woohoooooo....

The event was a 9-hole, four person scramble with a "twist"...

Hole #1 - Putt the Tee, Drive the Green
Sunny brought an extra putter just for this hole, not knowing that a banged up putter will be provided to us upon teeing off. Marc and I didn't do well driving with the putter, Joe's was long and wrong (bloked it), while Sunny's was perfect. He managed to drive the ball using a putter 170++ yards! We didn't know he had this hidden talent all along.

Hole #2 - AlmostGOLF Hail Mary
Before teeing off, we had to pick one player on our team to chip 3 balls from a designated area to where the rest of us were situated. The object of the game was to catch all 3 balls for casino chips. We picked Joe to chip while the rest of us tried to catch the balls. We caught all 3! :)

Hole #3 - Lucky 7
Play the hole using only your 7-iron. This hole was a par-4 and we got a GIR, thanks to Joe.

Hole #4 - Function Drinks Longest Drive
We had to use a plastic bottle to tee up. We heard people did a lot of crazy things on this hole, from actually cutting the bottle in half to teeing the ball almost a foot high. We made it simple... we mashed the bottle flat and punched trough it with a tee and viola! Awesome idea but apparently not good enough to win the challenge... The guy who won the longest drive drove the ball 350 yards!

Hole #5 - Photo Op
Ah... before playing the hole, each team had to take a photo with a Puma model and be as creative as possible. The wackiest group photo wins a prize at the end of the day.

Hole #6 - On the Clock
A par 4 hole that you have to finish in the fastest time possible. The score is based on the total time you get upon sinking the putt. We were able to do it in less than 2 minutes which was an equivalent to a hole in one score.

Hole #7 - Golf Pong
Yeah, beer pong Puma style! Had to chip in to buckets before playing the hole. Each player gets 3 shots to get the balls in the buckets arranged in the shape of a pyramid.

Hole #8 - Mulligan
Each player may use a free mulligan on this hole. Add that to a scramble format... yes... birdie for the win!

Hole #9 - Draw!
We had to draw a card and the card indicated what golf club you can use for the entire hole. We got a 4iron/hybrid which is actually great since it was a Par5 hole. We birdied this one as well. I felt bad for the team ahead of us... they got a sand wedge.

After the tourney, dinner was served and we were given casino chips for the casino. Prizes were given away at the end of the night to the event winners. Overall, it was a fun experience. I am definitely up to doing this again next year!

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