October 3, 2024 • 33 mins
It's a workshop on wheels servicing Team PING and the best players in the world. Adam Harding and Jack Ulrich are joined by Shane Bacon inside the PING Tour Truck to discuss life on the road as part of PING's Player Development team. They discuss the logistics involved in getting the truck to Tour stops week-to-week, PGA Tour equipment insights, and a few of the most interesting build requests they've received.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The guys from paying They've kind of showed me how
much the equipment matters.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I just love that I can hit any shot. I
kind of want we're gonna be able to tell some
fun stories about what goes on here to help golfers
play better golf. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Pinging
Proving Grounds Podcast. I'm Shane Baker. This is either gonna
be the best episode we've ever done or the worst
episode we've ever done, and there's no middle ground. We
are on the Pinging Tour truck with two of the
men that run the show throughout the year, Adam and Jack. Jack.
(00:26):
I want to start with you because I think people
come to golf tournaments they see these trucks, you know,
across the range, by the driving range wee get in
week out. I don't think they totally understand the process
of what goes on. So can you give us an
idea of like weeks on the road is what does
the week look like day in day out? How does
the truck process work when you're kind of in charge
(00:48):
of this whole thing.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, I think most weeks over the years they kind
of run together a lot of times, but over the
years you get to know kind of each place, each setup.
You're very familiar as time goes on and his experience, right,
so you get more comfortable and you kind of know
what to expect. Sometimes you can prepare weeks ahead of time,
but for us, we function. I kind of always describe
it as like a NASCAR pit crew for a PGA
(01:11):
tour player or whatever tour or college that we might
be at with our truck.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
And are you showing up, Like are you driving in
on Sunday of a tournament Sunday before and then you
guys normally exit on Wednesday mornings. Is that kind of
the plan.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes, So typically we'll roll in on a Sunday. Every
truck from every manufacturer has a similar setup like we do,
and our jobs are to support ping staff players or
any non staff player that might use our equipment whatever
they need. Monday Tuesday Wednesday the practice round days, usually Sundays,
we're setting up. If a player happens to be on
site Sunday afternoon, which is rare. It usually happens more
(01:47):
at major championships that players might need a little tweak
here there on a Sunday, But typically we're setting up
Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon, and then we'll tear down
Wednesday afternoon before the tournament starts Thursday. Then hopefully we've
done our job, whether that's regripping their clubs, checking off
and lies, building fourteen brand new golf clubs, and getting
them a staff bag and hats if their clubs got
(02:09):
lost in transit, or if they just want to start
all over. So we do anything and everything, and it's
sometimes it's kind of unpredictable. You kind of never know
what's going to happen once the door opens, or who
might walk in the door. You might hear some clubs
rattling outside. A few clubs got broken and transit UF
had that happened a few times, and you kind of.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Poke your head out the door. You're like, what the
heck is going on?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Then you see a caddie pulling about four or five
six broken clubs out. Well, we got work to do
some events. Let us set up early, which is great.
In between we can kind of go home and then
come back on a Sunday and get ready to go.
But typically it's mostly a Sunday setup and then a
Wednesday tear down, and then there's a couple of reasons
that we leave Wednesdays. A lot of people ask us
(02:52):
why were not what do you do? Why are the
whole turn why we're not there.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
The whole time?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Well, for example, like at bay Hill, we used to
in the parking lot there, and these trucks there might
be ten to fourteen of them on a given week.
We take up a lot of space. Most trailers are
forty two feet long, they're sixteen feet wide once you
pop them all out, so they take up a lot
of room. So they want us out of there because
they can use that space that we take up for
(03:16):
parking for the rest of the week for family or
whoever else might be coming to watch the tournament.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
And then the.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Best reason is we only have one trailer, so we
have to get from wherever it may be to the
next event in time to set up and be ready
to go Monday morning. So some of the drives are shorter,
some are longer. But those are the two main reasons
why we leave Wednesdays.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Adam, are you guys driving the truck? I mean you guys.
Are you guys are the ones in charge of the equipment?
I mean you guys, I know you guys are a
couple more people involved in the truck on a weekend
and week out, but you're driving the truck as well,
so you've got to fit in an iron for Victor Hovlin, right,
and you've also got to be able to kind of
like man this thing down the ninety five.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, we anyone who drivess has to have a Class
A CDL.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
This is sixty five thousand pounds they do. Yeah about that.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yeah, it's quite a challenge, let me tell you. But no,
it's eventually, like anything, the more you do it, the
more you get comfortable.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
We do say forty to fifty thousand miles on this
a year, which actually isn't a lot for an over
the road type truck.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
I mean, this is a full eighteen wheeler.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
We have to follow all the regulations for hours driving
also working.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
So yeah, it's it's a full on eighteen wheelers.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So we do drive it, but then also have to
build and like Jack was saying, you know, as we
go and we do a week in and week out,
a lot of times we go to the same venues
and sometimes it's super challenging.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
We'll be say Detroit, we have to get them literally
within a couple inches of each.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
Other, Like every one will be in a row.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Within a few inches. That's the only way we can
fit in that parking lot. Other Times it's single file.
Other times it's an open field, and it's really easy
to get in and out. So you have to really
be able to do all those different places because most
of these country clubs aren't built to hold twelve to
thirteen eighteen wheelers. So that's part of the logistics of
getting this week in week out.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Are you guys both Like if you're driving from Vinue
to venue, so you'll leave in Wednesday, obviously you got
to get it to where if you need to get
it too. Sometime, as you mentioned Jack, sometimes you're going
Texas the Texas. Sometimes you might be going, you know,
over a few states. Are you guys both in the truck.
Are you guys both involved in that? Or do you
guys take time I'm gonna I'm gonna drive after riv
and you're gonna take it after Pebble. Is that kind
of how it goes?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, I mean we took turns there was we usually
take turns. We'll kind of do a leap frog if
you will. I think when the PJA was Okill, we
had the Byron Nelson in Dallas, the PGA at o'kill,
and the week after was in Fort Worth. So those
golf courses are maybe thirty miles apart, and we drove
whatever it was, three thousand or so miles.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
For three events.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, is everybody good with their clubs at Rochester. I
don't think we want to get it all the way.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Up there, and so the nice thing is like I
took it there work the event, and Jack took.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
It down to Fort Worth.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I was able to get home. And that's typically how
it works with our team. We do that kind of thing.
There was one time though, that we tandem drove, which
is when two people drive at the same time, and
that was we had to do PGA pedals and he
was wheel or yeah, right, yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
It was actually twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
It was the PGA, which was at Harding Park that
year in August. COVID schedule kind of got adjusted right
due to COVID. But I took it up to Harding
Park from Phoenix and then I drove to Flagstaff after
working Harding Park, picked up Adam and Flagstaff. Then we
high tailed it together. To Greensboro to get it there
(06:27):
in time for with the window. So yeah, ironically, we
were actually the first truck there and we had to
travel the farthest distance because we were the only one
that went from Harding Park to Greensboro. So that's definitely
one of the longest drives, so that one we had
to do together together.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
That's do you guys like have seniority on who gets
to pick the music or the podcast or do you
guys kind of one of you naps in one of
your drives.
Speaker 5 (06:48):
If it was up to me, I'd be napping the
whole time.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
It's hard to nap and drive.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
But yes, yeah, true, No, usually it's the guy who's driving.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Like if you're driving, you're on the radio.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
And you can do the pods. We talked a lot too,
and we've known each other for a really long time,
so you know, we get along well, I think, and
sometimes we so yeah, it's usually the guy who's driving,
But that doesn't happen very often.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
That's pretty rare, and it's because of the hours.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Like I was telling you, we have federal hours that
mandate how long we can drive when there's two of
us in the car and in the truck. Now we
can go much further because we can take turns.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Jack, you were talking a little bit about scheduling and
you mentioned there's just one Ping Tour truck, so you
could be at the Solheim Cup. You might have to
go to PJ Tour events. How do you lay the
schedule out and if you're let's say you're not at
a pg Tour event for a week because there's something
else going on, what do those players do if the
ping truck's not there?
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Typically, if the truck isn't most typically our trailer goes
to most PGA Tour events and at least all the
ones that we can feasibly get to. If there are
the things that are come up in the schedule, it's
kind of our job to figure out how to get
it there between the two of us, and then we
kind of manage, you know, who's going to work the
event and what rep's going to be on site as well,
because typically with this trailer, we have five people that
(07:58):
travel with it every week. So I always describe, say
Adam and my role we were like the pharmacists in
the trailer. Then you have Kenton, Spencer Dylan, they're like
the doctor so they go, they spend more time on
the range or on the course with the players, and
then they write a prescription whether it's an order for
a new club, and we fill it out. That'd be
a good analogy to use kind of how we do
(08:18):
our roles. But we've all known each other for a
really long time. We all started it paying around the
same time and then worked our way through customer service,
went to the fitting apartment, so we all have fitting knowledge,
so we can wear many hats if we need to,
which is nice. Some weeks not everybody's there. You ask
specifically if there's a week where the truck's not there,
(08:40):
say Kent or Spencer or Dylan has to go to
an event on their own, then they take a club
love of stuff. And then we're also very friendly with
the other manufacturers out here as well, So even though
people might consider us competing brands, and it does get
competitive at times, we see each other every week, so
we are in a sense cowork, so we show up
(09:01):
at the events at the same time. Especially from the
text standpoint, we play tetris parking these trailers every week,
right getting them, you know, within inches of each other.
So if we need to say, pack a club love
of stuff. We know the truck's not going to be
at a certain event, we can throw it on, go.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
To another truck and see if they'll take it for us.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
And then they might let us work off of their
van for that week. Help our players.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Adam, I'm sure a question you guys get a lot
is what happens to a player's club after Wednesday? So
let's say the truck leaves. And there have been plenty
of instances over the years. I mean, you think about
Tiger back of the day at the Masters. You know
he hits that four and against the tree and the
fore iron snaps. I believe that's the third round. I mean,
all of a sudden, he's gonna need that thing repaired.
What a players do when something's tweaked within a tournament
(09:42):
round or they just want something to look different and
the truck has left Wednesday afternoon, Because it's not just
the pink truck that leaves. All the trucks. Everything's gone
on Wednesday. So what does a player do within a
tournament to get something fixed or tweaked.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah, a lot of them have backups for some of
those clubs that tend to break. You know a driver
because of how hard they swimm, putters, sometimes wedges, sometimes
out of anger.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So they might travel with twenty clubs in the bag.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
You will have a.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Backup of some of those, but occasionally that doesn't happen,
and they sometimes we've had guys have to go to
like if we'll have a club area where they'll do
an adjustment, or if it's Thursday or Friday, we can
actually build a club in Phoenix, have it overnighted and
here and there on time, but if it's Saturday Sunday,
there's really not a whole lot of options. We have
had a few situations where we've had to actually pop
(10:29):
the trailer out wherever we were and fix something for
them so that they can do it if we were
close by.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I mean this is literally like pulling over on the
side of the road in theory, pop the side out,
regrip a club, ship it. However, you can ship it
close to the shipping center. I mean, it's really kind
of that adaptive if you will.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Basically, yeah, if we're close by, it's possible. Like Jack said,
sometimes the drives two days away, or like I just
was telling you with PGA, you know, it could be
in Ohio. By the time a club breaks, that's kind
of impossible. But we've had a few scenarios where we've
been close enough, and one where even Jack I think,
drove back to the venue to get a club for
the player because they were in contention and we definitely
wanted them to have their club.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So that does happen, yes, Jack, I want to transition
to kind of some of the stuff you've built and
some of the strange things you've seen over the years.
What event do you see players coming in needing tweaks
to their equipment the most? Because obviously this truck is
not going to be an Open championship. I mean, you're
not flying this thing across the pond. But in terms
of kind of domesticated you know, US venue golf courses,
(11:27):
is there one that stands out versus some of the
other ones in terms of players coming in early in
the week knowing I need new edges, I need you know,
something grinded down differently.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Yeah, And I think again, over the years, you kind
of learn what those events are, so a lot of
times we can prepare in advance for that. I would
say the tournament where we get the most tweaks is
probably the US Open, just because they do play it
one of the events that's at a different venue every year,
and the US Open is always one of the toughest
tests in golf, or at least considered that way. So
(11:55):
there's a lot of times where the course might be
you're trying to figure it out, but trying to figure
out what might help them on a certain place. For example,
like Wingfoot, you have had a lot of high loft
of fairy woods request that week. Tory Pine is the
same thing that year, so we actually built some nine
woods that got requested. Oakmont was another one that comes
to memory. I had a couple of players want to
(12:17):
try not a high loft affair with that week as
well British Open. We do have a European Tour vent
as well.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
So.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
There are weeks where you can anticipate certain things. So
sometimes we'll build ahead of time and then other times
the golf course dictates a lot, so once the players
actually see it, then maybe on Tuesday Wednesday they'll come
and ask like, hey, actually I think I might need
this for this week, whether that's a higher loft of
fairywood or a stronger driving iron type club, a little
(12:46):
extra distance, so try to build a longer link driver
with lower lofts something like that. So we do a
lot of that kind of thing. But i'd say US
Open or PGA just because those are your high profile
events that change venues quite.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, the golf course gens. I mean you go to
riv you kind of know what your prayer prayer for
risk era to Augusta. You know, you said something interesting
about the like the lofted woods and preparing or getting
yourself set up. How many clubs travel in the truck
because let's say twenty players come in and want nine woods.
I mean you have to have twenty nine wood heads.
So what are we talking in terms of volume of
(13:17):
golf clubs within the truck?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Oh gosh, I could probably give a ballpark number.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Maybe I know our inventory, it's probably about our online inventory.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
We have nineteen hundred close to two.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Thousand, almost two thousand clubs.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Yeah, club that's just heads and that's okay, irons, and
that actually does include.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Putters so drivers through loboage. So we have nineteen hundred.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Two thousand clubs. I mean, I mean travel around in
this truck, and I mean, you know, we've talked about
it before. You know, you've got to have lefty clubs
for you know, certain players, right, come in, not just
ping players, by the way, I think that's something maybe
people don't quite understand, is you'll build clubs for any
pro that comes in and asks us help, right, I mean,
this isn't just ping staffers that come in and get built,
that's right. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
And we we've seen our drivers, who especially drive specifically,
do really really well with the people that.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Are non staff players.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
So for example, most weeks this year, it feels like
we would have twelve to fourteen staff players in the field,
but we would have thirty drivers in play, So that
means more people are playing our driver that are non
staff And we'll do if you're in the field, we're
going to work with you. And there's a little bit
of a you know, an ecosystem, if you will, out
here where if a staff player from another manufacturer is
(14:25):
coming to us, like there's a little it can get
a little you know, hectic there because there's some personalities,
but also there's some contracts involved, and so you have
to be careful when that happens. But with those non staffers,
like if you're here, we're here to help you, and
we want you to get in our clubs.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
All right, Adam, let's get in the weeds. Which player
kind of currently on tour and you can go across
both tours if you want. Is the let's say, easiest
to build clubs for. They don't necessarily care too hardy
on like the specs and things like that. And let's say,
who is the most particular about their golf clubs being built? Wow?
Speaker 5 (15:02):
Right now, easiest?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I mean it's hard with not to say Saw I
mean Sahit Thigala. He's just so easy going out there
when we work with him. Obviously just an incredible player.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
He's in a great place with his game.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
And when when you see that, those guys are very
very easy to work with. And nice thing is about
when you're fitting or watching these guys play guys and girls,
you'll see you make these small changes, and those changes
you can see right away, Like if you guys like, hey,
I'm hitting a little bit too low, we had a
little half to reel off. Bang, it starts hitting their
window And that just makes it your life so much
(15:35):
easier because how consistent they are as far as the
most particular, I don't know, Jack, you might have to
jump in on this one.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Well, I think about it.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
I mean, somebody that's i mean really you know that
really knows the specs.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Like well a team Bubba Watson is that way.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
So with his lob wedge and his driver, he's most particular, okay,
and because he has his all the raps he has
under under his club. So it's it's fifteen thirteen driver, right,
fifteen thirteen under every other club except loboys is eleven
and thirteen. What that means is, yeah, fifteen under under
his bottom hand, fifteen extra wraps of tape under his
(16:13):
bottom hand, fifteen thirteen under the top.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Now, most tour players are doing a rap or two.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
One maybe plus one, maybe plus two.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I mean, I'm sure I'd be surprised if there's somebody
else on tour that does four raps. Yeah, under a grip.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Feno does four and three, but he has big hands
and all that. Fifteen, but fifteen and thirteen on a
midsized grip, and he wants it a certain way so
that the rib actually goes through his hand in a
certain position. And a lot of people will tell you, like,
there's no chance that he knows that that if that
that's wrong, or they're like, when you do a driver him,
(16:46):
you have to you have to mark down when you're
doing fifteen raps, so I literally have to tally it because.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
You'll do eight raps. So come and ask you a question.
You're like, oh, man, where am I?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I don't want to start again?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
No, And so if you miss a rap, and he'll
tell you every single time. And because we have calipers,
like I get a little stubborn, and when a player
says something, you know, like they'll say this is wrong,
and I'm like, I know I built that right. And
with Bubba though, if you go in there you get
the calibers, he's right every time. Like you cannot pull
a fast one on him. His feel is unmatched to
anybody that we've ever worked with that I've ever worked with.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
What does he do with the lob wedge? You said,
particularly with the driver of the lobotch? What's the loboardge do.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
The same with its? Same for the grip.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
He likes it in a certain orientation and he also
just likes it. We a lot of times we have
to build it, built three or four of them. Then
he'll find one that he really, really likes and hits
were Jack, you work with a lot more than I have,
but those are the two that he's very, very very
particular about.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
So let's say Bubba is one of the players that
kind of likes to watch you and what you're doing,
can make sure kind of looks over your shoulder. So
the first time, you know, it's very nerve wracking as well.
So oh yeah, then you kind of get used to it.
And there's some players that like to know what's going
on and other players kind of just you know, you
earn that trust over time as well, hopefully that they
can kind of drop their bag off. We'll check it
(18:02):
off on lies, we'll break up your clubs and send
you on your way.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
You know, Ping has this very big family environment feel
to it, and I think about you guys a lot
and the whole team that travels a week to week
because you think about a player and they talk a
lot about their team, and you know, you know, I
think if you're at home you're watching, you're like, okay, caddy, manager, coach,
whatever the case may be. But on a week to
week basis, I mean, you guys are as involved in
(18:27):
terms of what's going on in the bag and the
dependence they have to have on you guys as well.
Is that does those relationships grow? I mean if the
players understand who you guys are and how important y'all
are to what they're doing out on the golf course.
I mean, is that something that you find very cool
within the job?
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Oh, without a doubt, And that's one of the I
think the coolest, most special parts about the job is
that you know, obviously we're not the ones out there
hitting the golf shots they are, but you do feel
like you have a small part in somebody's success. And
when they're in contention on a Sunday, you may have
built say the driver that they're using that week, or
the new way edge or new iron or new high
lofted would and they hit a great shot with it.
(19:03):
You know, that's a very rewarding feeling. And we are
very much a family oriented company, and I think one
thing is that one of the things that sets separates
Peing from everybody else, no matter who you are, like,
genuinely to the core, whether that's an engineer to out
here on tour, to our sales team, we genuinely want
to help you play better golf. And that speaks through
(19:24):
our product and through our people, and we love to
see you have success and enjoy golf.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Yeah, so from us, from our.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Standpoint, see somebody win hoist a trophy on Sunday. That's
as good as it can get.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
And I'm assuming players will come in at them and say, yo,
I love this nine wood or man, you know, either
the tweak of the driver's been great, Like the feedback
from them has got to be rewarding as well.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Yeah, absolutely, Like like he said, seeing you know, Victor
Hoven go out and hoist a trophy back to back weeks,
FedEx Cup all that, Like it's just nothing better than
the feeling. And obviously yeah they're hitting the shots, but
we do, you know, get to build them. And yeah,
the clubs that we built went on to win the
FedEx Cup. Like and we're grinding over it, like we're
not the type that leaves on Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
We don't have.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Golf on Like we are golf nuts, all of them.
We have a group text with everyone in our on
our team, with our boss Christian and I remember specifically
one of our I remember what tournament was, but there
was a guy in contention and I was driving to
the venue, and you can't text and drive, especially in
this thing, which I don't do. Just what everyone knows.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Everybody at home, do not text and drive. Don't text
him when he's driving.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
Take the pledge, don't text and drive.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I don't do that. So I got to arrest stop,
went to go to the bathroom. I look at my phone.
I have two hundred text messages and I'm like, what
is going on here? And I saw it was one
of our guys in contention. That just shows like we
very much care, Like we are watching all of our
guys and girls and we are just grinding over their
success because that's why we do what we do. We
obviously we get paid to do it, but we love
(20:49):
doing it. It is so great getting to watch all
the success we have out there.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
It's just such a so rewarding Adam, I know you are.
You're a great player. I mean, you can go out
there and win golf tournaments, something we've talked a lot
about before the podcast. Going on a recent play at Papago,
No big deal, big winners broke seventy. You had a
moment at the PGA. I believe it was either this
year or come to here. You don't always get to
hit golf shots at a golf tournament, but there was
(21:13):
an opportunity for you to hit a drive at the
PGA Championship. How did that go? Did that go? Well?
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Look, I was I worked all day, I mean just
backbreaking work. So we're gonna start with excuse yeah, that's right,
that's right. That's how it works. We were building clubs.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Is o kill a lot of a lot of demand
for our product because it's so good, obviously.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
And so I'm tired, I'm sore. It's late in the day.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
I go out to see player Seamus is out there,
great friend of the of the tour trailer Seamus and
as caddie Simon. But we I had a driver that
we were testing with another player similar to my spec
and Seamus is like, you should tee one up here
right now, and.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Like, ah, I can't do I can't do that.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
And one of the volunteers is behind me. He goes
and he's a PGA guy.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
I'll give you fifty bucks to to hit a t shot.
You know what I would do?
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Fifty bucks. It's a free fifty bucks. I mean, come
on one on a range at a major fine big deal.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
So I peg it and uh took a swing and
it went all of about twenty yards right into the
tall grass and probably rolled out to about twenty three yards.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
So didn't get the like the nod for maybe the
marker that week, not the PGA. They were not to
bite you in there.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
They were not.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
And that volunteer you know who you are, did not
pay me the fifty dollars. So if you're out there,
I'm still waiting for it.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
We'll throw his Venmo in the notes. Yeah, show and
please so people can get a can get a feel
for that. What's the what's the strangest club you've built
over your years of deal with tour players? Is there
a club that comes to mind that you mentioned nine Woods?
And I feel like maybe two years ago to hear
nine Wood on the podcast might have been a bit shocking.
I feel like they're more in play now you're seeing one.
I just got a nine Wood bill built me one,
(22:51):
loving it. I'm loving the lofted Woods by the way.
I'm sorry into that right now. But is there a
club that stands out that was weird, strange, unique, different
than what you typically build for tour players?
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Um, it should be an easy question, but there's been
several over the years.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
I'm trying to think of one that's really stuck out.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
I kind of always go back to my first year
on the van when you were that the US Open
at Chambers Bay.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
So it's two fifteen, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
And we had a player come in on Monday morning
and decided that this is Monday of the US Open.
They wanted fourteen new golf clubs an inch shorter than
what they currently played. Okay, so that's a little off
the wall. I kind of not what you would typically expect,
especially in a major championship. And ended up playing very
very well that week. But that was kind of when
(23:36):
we were a whole it's a whole new bag, and
it's a whole, completely different setup than what he had.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
How many iterations of that did you have to go
through un till he was comfortable playing those? I mean,
was that build it? Give it to him he went
out there and was happy or was that he was
good to go?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
It was one of those things that he had an
idea in his mind. It was done the research, He
researched it himself. He's like committed before he even showed
up and this is what I want to do. And
it literally driver through plutter an inch shorter than what
he currently was playing and went out and played great.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Crazy. I mean, Adam, do you have one? Do you
have one that comes to mind in terms of a
weird club you've kind of takered with or weird questions
from a player.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
That was similar Louis's nine wood I think we built
for him was like thirty nine inches maybe, like I
called it, this little baby nine wood. The other one,
it's not for a pink player, but it was for Hideki.
It was a swing trainer.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
This guy came in.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
He's got a guy who does all his clubs, and
he had like a steel shaft with a grip on it,
and we and he was their trailer wasn't here, so
we needed help building this swing trainer. It was like
a ball, like a key chain ball kind of thing
you put on your keys, attached to a large like
screw and we had to basically we had to epoxy
it into the tip of the shaft and let it cure.
(24:48):
And he was doing some drill with this ball and
this steel shaft, and I was like, I mean it's Hideki.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
I mean he Master champion.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
One of the Sure, let's do it.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
How am I? Who am I to say?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Is that a right? Is that a priority thing? Though?
I mean if somebody comes in that's not a ping
staffer and they ask for something off the wall, like
can you get a can you do a trainer? Golf club? Yeah?
I mean is that sure? Go down the priority list
in terms of what you need to build or do
you kind of just like take the request and run
with them.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I mean it depends on how we're doing that day,
you know, if we have a big cue.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
But yeah, in general, we'll we'll do it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Well, like I said, we're here to help them play,
and if they need a swing trainer or some sort
of device. We put putter grips on seven irons for players,
not not small ones, you know, big like those big
flat cats we've had, put them on there.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
We'll do it. Yeah, whatever they need.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Jack, if the entire crew that runs the tour truck
played a seventy two hole golf tournament, who's who's running
out victorious? Oh, who's the who's the betting favorite? Let's
say that?
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Oh boy, tread here.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
I think we're all pretty competitive bunch some more.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
You can say, you if you want to okay with it.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Some more hourly than others. I would say, but uh.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Well, I mean I think you've talked about his win twelve.
That's true, and Adams the most, the most vocal about it.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I think, honestly, it would be you put us all
on a tee, we had to play seventy two holes,
it would be very close at the end.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
You guys ever do it?
Speaker 1 (26:11):
No, we we played like nine after work on occasion. Yeah,
but Jack's being very modest. And I've said this a
million times. Jack played Division one golf. If we were
all playing, because like I've been playing a lot, that's
the only reason.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
I'm I'm right decent, were aware.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, thank you, But Jack played Division one golf. He
Jack is the most naturally talented golfer of all of us.
And I think everyone on the trailer will will say that.
I remember when we, like he said, we've known each
other for twelve years when we worked in fitting, we
had little money games on Saturdays we'd go out and play,
and I remember the first time I played with Jack
literally shooting the most casual sixty six I've ever seen,
(26:47):
and it was just like it could have been sixty
two easy, and I was just like, this guy can play.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
So Jack would be probably the paper favorite. That's what
you're saying.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
If we were all playing like let's say too much
an hour, all gonna play in Jack.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
He had a new baby.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
He's got it, you know, not even to life in
a way, not a lot of play as much. I
just have two cats, So very easy for me to play.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Uh not on the truck.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
That's right now on the truck.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
And so if you put on the calendar, my money's
on Jack.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
Does that feel good?
Speaker 5 (27:17):
Jack?
Speaker 4 (27:18):
It's very nice to me to say.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
But yeah, those sixty six is were a long long
time ago.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I don't know, dude, you I mean, do you guys
play much on the road? I mean we've talked kind
of about the system and the process and in the
in the time range you have, you also got to
go home at some point, see the family and all that.
Do you get to play much golf on the road
doing this?
Speaker 3 (27:36):
Uh in the summer months? Yeah, there's there's definitely tournaments.
You kind of have spots where some courses are very
friendly and they'll let you come out after work play
nine holes. Obviously when we go kind of in the
northern part of the country, it stays light later, so
we can sneak out play maybe sneak in eighteen after work,
depending what's going on. There's a spot where a lot
of the trucks would go in Pennsylvania and is a
(27:59):
very fun golf course talk about a kind of a
fun experiences in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, But we haven't been up there,
I don't think in a while. But usually if the
events were in the northeast, there was a good chance
in the Hazelton area you would see about fourteen trucks parked, yeah,
and tour trailers parked in the parking lot of the
spring Hill suits.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
And Haileton, Pennsylvania a.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Golf course like NASCAR, yeah, oh yeah, and then yeah,
we'd have a big match, you know with all the
manufacturer texts amongst ourselves and the head pro Valley Country
Club was always very very gracious to us. So there's
a few spots around like that around the country. But
to be honest, uh, it's not a ton no. But
occasionally one of the questions we always get asked to
(28:42):
is you get to play the courses.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
That you work at.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
People always ask ask that question.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
I wish is the answer.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
We wish, we wish, but we get to see a
lot of awfully beautiful places.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
So yeah, adam uh as we kind of wind down,
you've got to drive this thing. This is not small,
it's not easy to drive. I'm assuming you guys feel
comfortable at this point driving it around. Do you get
recognized on the road? Do people honk, wave, do weird
stuff like that? I mean it says being pretty loudly
along the side, as most of them do. And what's
(29:13):
maybe your scariest moment with the truck? Have you had
anything that's been if he's scary, whatever the case may be.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Yes, it happens. I mean when you're on the road
as much as you have, you see some ugly accidents.
You see Amazon trucks turned over with packages everywhere.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
And I wonder what any of my packages that? Right? Yeah,
so you see that, I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I had a couple in going down from Donner Pass
down from the Reno area down into Sacramento. Actually two
truck accidents. I didn't see them, but the aftermath of
them within about a five mile stretch and both of
those times, I was on the highway for at least
another hour. The second one happened minutes before we got there,
(29:56):
and they closed the whole road, and I just had
to basically set the brakes, roll away windows down, and
just watch golf because I wasn't going anywhere for a
few hours. And so thankfully, when I got past it,
the driver was okay in that situation. But you see
that more often than not. And I think the thing
that people that shocked me the most is how little
(30:17):
cars respect the size of this trailer. When you're going
down the road, you get cut off a lot, you
get pulled out in front of the lot. And so
I say, if you see any semi, or especially our semi, just.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Give us a little room, slightly more room.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
We are professionals.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
We can we can maneuver it, we can stop it.
But you'd be surprised that some of the things you
see out on the road.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
It's shocking.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
And do you get noticed, do you get that? Do
you get waves? Do you get your waves? Do you
get people kind of sticking their driver out the windows?
Speaker 1 (30:43):
No?
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Way, that happened a few times.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
Usually if we're passing a golf course, I always try
to make it a habit.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Blow air.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Yeah, usually when nobody's swinging that Instagram guy with exactly
waving or yelling at the pink truck, So.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
I do I wait right for the swing.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
You're looking at that like a ping. No, give this
ale loud one. As well as this has been great,
I did one. I had one more question. I wanted
to ask time, how long does it take you to
regrip a club build a club? Like, are we talking
you could regrip a club in a minute or less.
I mean, obviously you want it to be efficient, you
want do a good job, But I mean you guys
(31:22):
are pros, Like, what's the time it takes you to
to clean up a golf club and put a new
grip on it?
Speaker 3 (31:27):
I think I would start the answer to that question
by saying, there's a lot of really smart people in
Phoenix that make our job very, very easy. So to
build a complete set of golf clubs, for example, if
we had to do that, we had nothing else going on,
the two of us could probably knock out Driver through
plutter if we had to in forty five minutes.
Speaker 4 (31:47):
Yeah, thirty forty.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Full set of club, forty five minutes. That shaft, that's yeah,
that's head, that's grip everything.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
We were challenged to get a set of irons out
in less.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Than thirty and we got it done on like twenty five,
the two of us.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Yeah, and that's because, like you said, we have some
machinery here that helps us really speed those builds up.
And that that's been really and our process is very
much around quality but also getting.
Speaker 5 (32:06):
Things out quickly.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Have we done that? That feels like a video we
should shoot like like kind of like a like we
need to see how fast we can grip one. Let's
see who can build a club the fastest. Let's see
how how quick you can get one out to the range.
It's like, I feel like this could be kind of
like the Olympics for the truck. And I mean to
get Olympics be tough man, yeah, really good shape. I
mean he'd be out there pretty quick.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
He'd be the sprinter from the truck to the range.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Yeah. Or or we challenge like the other manufacturers.
Speaker 4 (32:34):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
You're like, all right, we're starting here with the grip.
Then you got to do the club. Then you got
to get in the back. Then you got to get
to the range and see you win.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Keo would run the anchor leg, that's for sure.
Speaker 6 (32:42):
I'm not running that. We all know that you're a
truck guy exactly. You know, you're you're you're giving us chemistry,
getting people excited.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Awesome fellas. Great chatting with you obviously. I mean, I
feel like the truck is such a part of golf
and such a part of pro golf specifically. But nice
to get a little bit of insight because I'm not
sure he will totally understand it. So thank you guys
so much.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Thanks thanks for having us on.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Thank you. This is the Ping Proving Grounds Podcast
Speaker 1 (33:11):
M HM.
The guys from paying They've kind of showed me how
much the equipment matters.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I just love that I can hit any shot. I
kind of want we're gonna be able to tell some
fun stories about what goes on here to help golfers
play better golf. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Pinging
Proving Grounds Podcast. I'm Shane Baker. This is either gonna
be the best episode we've ever done or the worst
episode we've ever done, and there's no middle ground. We
are on the Pinging Tour truck with two of the
men that run the show throughout the year, Adam and Jack. Jack.
(00:26):
I want to start with you because I think people
come to golf tournaments they see these trucks, you know,
across the range, by the driving range wee get in
week out. I don't think they totally understand the process
of what goes on. So can you give us an
idea of like weeks on the road is what does
the week look like day in day out? How does
the truck process work when you're kind of in charge
(00:48):
of this whole thing.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
Yeah, I think most weeks over the years they kind
of run together a lot of times, but over the
years you get to know kind of each place, each setup.
You're very familiar as time goes on and his experience, right,
so you get more comfortable and you kind of know
what to expect. Sometimes you can prepare weeks ahead of time,
but for us, we function. I kind of always describe
it as like a NASCAR pit crew for a PGA
(01:11):
tour player or whatever tour or college that we might
be at with our truck.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
And are you showing up, Like are you driving in
on Sunday of a tournament Sunday before and then you
guys normally exit on Wednesday mornings. Is that kind of
the plan.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes, So typically we'll roll in on a Sunday. Every
truck from every manufacturer has a similar setup like we do,
and our jobs are to support ping staff players or
any non staff player that might use our equipment whatever
they need. Monday Tuesday Wednesday the practice round days, usually Sundays,
we're setting up. If a player happens to be on
site Sunday afternoon, which is rare. It usually happens more
(01:47):
at major championships that players might need a little tweak
here there on a Sunday, But typically we're setting up
Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon, and then we'll tear down
Wednesday afternoon before the tournament starts Thursday. Then hopefully we've
done our job, whether that's regripping their clubs, checking off
and lies, building fourteen brand new golf clubs, and getting
them a staff bag and hats if their clubs got
(02:09):
lost in transit, or if they just want to start
all over. So we do anything and everything, and it's
sometimes it's kind of unpredictable. You kind of never know
what's going to happen once the door opens, or who
might walk in the door. You might hear some clubs
rattling outside. A few clubs got broken and transit UF
had that happened a few times, and you kind of.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Poke your head out the door. You're like, what the
heck is going on?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Then you see a caddie pulling about four or five
six broken clubs out. Well, we got work to do
some events. Let us set up early, which is great.
In between we can kind of go home and then
come back on a Sunday and get ready to go.
But typically it's mostly a Sunday setup and then a
Wednesday tear down, and then there's a couple of reasons
that we leave Wednesdays. A lot of people ask us
(02:52):
why were not what do you do? Why are the
whole turn why we're not there.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
The whole time?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Well, for example, like at bay Hill, we used to
in the parking lot there, and these trucks there might
be ten to fourteen of them on a given week.
We take up a lot of space. Most trailers are
forty two feet long, they're sixteen feet wide once you
pop them all out, so they take up a lot
of room. So they want us out of there because
they can use that space that we take up for
(03:16):
parking for the rest of the week for family or
whoever else might be coming to watch the tournament.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
And then the.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Best reason is we only have one trailer, so we
have to get from wherever it may be to the
next event in time to set up and be ready
to go Monday morning. So some of the drives are shorter,
some are longer. But those are the two main reasons
why we leave Wednesdays.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Adam, are you guys driving the truck? I mean you guys.
Are you guys are the ones in charge of the equipment?
I mean you guys, I know you guys are a
couple more people involved in the truck on a weekend
and week out, but you're driving the truck as well,
so you've got to fit in an iron for Victor Hovlin, right,
and you've also got to be able to kind of
like man this thing down the ninety five.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, we anyone who drivess has to have a Class
A CDL.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
This is sixty five thousand pounds they do. Yeah about that.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yeah, it's quite a challenge, let me tell you. But no,
it's eventually, like anything, the more you do it, the
more you get comfortable.
Speaker 5 (04:07):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
We do say forty to fifty thousand miles on this
a year, which actually isn't a lot for an over
the road type truck.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
I mean, this is a full eighteen wheeler.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
We have to follow all the regulations for hours driving
also working.
Speaker 5 (04:19):
So yeah, it's it's a full on eighteen wheelers.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
So we do drive it, but then also have to
build and like Jack was saying, you know, as we
go and we do a week in and week out,
a lot of times we go to the same venues
and sometimes it's super challenging.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
We'll be say Detroit, we have to get them literally
within a couple inches of each.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
Other, Like every one will be in a row.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Within a few inches. That's the only way we can
fit in that parking lot. Other Times it's single file.
Other times it's an open field, and it's really easy
to get in and out. So you have to really
be able to do all those different places because most
of these country clubs aren't built to hold twelve to
thirteen eighteen wheelers. So that's part of the logistics of
getting this week in week out.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Are you guys both Like if you're driving from Vinue
to venue, so you'll leave in Wednesday, obviously you got
to get it to where if you need to get
it too. Sometime, as you mentioned Jack, sometimes you're going
Texas the Texas. Sometimes you might be going, you know,
over a few states. Are you guys both in the truck.
Are you guys both involved in that? Or do you
guys take time I'm gonna I'm gonna drive after riv
and you're gonna take it after Pebble. Is that kind
of how it goes?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, I mean we took turns there was we usually
take turns. We'll kind of do a leap frog if
you will. I think when the PJA was Okill, we
had the Byron Nelson in Dallas, the PGA at o'kill,
and the week after was in Fort Worth. So those
golf courses are maybe thirty miles apart, and we drove
whatever it was, three thousand or so miles.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
For three events.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, is everybody good with their clubs at Rochester. I
don't think we want to get it all the way.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Up there, and so the nice thing is like I
took it there work the event, and Jack took.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
It down to Fort Worth.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I was able to get home. And that's typically how
it works with our team. We do that kind of thing.
There was one time though, that we tandem drove, which
is when two people drive at the same time, and
that was we had to do PGA pedals and he
was wheel or yeah, right, yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
It was actually twenty twenty.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
It was the PGA, which was at Harding Park that
year in August. COVID schedule kind of got adjusted right
due to COVID. But I took it up to Harding
Park from Phoenix and then I drove to Flagstaff after
working Harding Park, picked up Adam and Flagstaff. Then we
high tailed it together. To Greensboro to get it there
(06:27):
in time for with the window. So yeah, ironically, we
were actually the first truck there and we had to
travel the farthest distance because we were the only one
that went from Harding Park to Greensboro. So that's definitely
one of the longest drives, so that one we had
to do together together.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
That's do you guys like have seniority on who gets
to pick the music or the podcast or do you
guys kind of one of you naps in one of
your drives.
Speaker 5 (06:48):
If it was up to me, I'd be napping the
whole time.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
It's hard to nap and drive.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
But yes, yeah, true, No, usually it's the guy who's driving.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Like if you're driving, you're on the radio.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
And you can do the pods. We talked a lot too,
and we've known each other for a really long time,
so you know, we get along well, I think, and
sometimes we so yeah, it's usually the guy who's driving,
But that doesn't happen very often.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
That's pretty rare, and it's because of the hours.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Like I was telling you, we have federal hours that
mandate how long we can drive when there's two of
us in the car and in the truck. Now we
can go much further because we can take turns.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Jack, you were talking a little bit about scheduling and
you mentioned there's just one Ping Tour truck, so you
could be at the Solheim Cup. You might have to
go to PJ Tour events. How do you lay the
schedule out and if you're let's say you're not at
a pg Tour event for a week because there's something
else going on, what do those players do if the
ping truck's not there?
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Typically, if the truck isn't most typically our trailer goes
to most PGA Tour events and at least all the
ones that we can feasibly get to. If there are
the things that are come up in the schedule, it's
kind of our job to figure out how to get
it there between the two of us, and then we
kind of manage, you know, who's going to work the
event and what rep's going to be on site as well,
because typically with this trailer, we have five people that
(07:58):
travel with it every week. So I always describe, say
Adam and my role we were like the pharmacists in
the trailer. Then you have Kenton, Spencer Dylan, they're like
the doctor so they go, they spend more time on
the range or on the course with the players, and
then they write a prescription whether it's an order for
a new club, and we fill it out. That'd be
a good analogy to use kind of how we do
(08:18):
our roles. But we've all known each other for a
really long time. We all started it paying around the
same time and then worked our way through customer service,
went to the fitting apartment, so we all have fitting knowledge,
so we can wear many hats if we need to,
which is nice. Some weeks not everybody's there. You ask
specifically if there's a week where the truck's not there,
(08:40):
say Kent or Spencer or Dylan has to go to
an event on their own, then they take a club
love of stuff. And then we're also very friendly with
the other manufacturers out here as well, So even though
people might consider us competing brands, and it does get
competitive at times, we see each other every week, so
we are in a sense cowork, so we show up
(09:01):
at the events at the same time. Especially from the
text standpoint, we play tetris parking these trailers every week,
right getting them, you know, within inches of each other.
So if we need to say, pack a club love
of stuff. We know the truck's not going to be
at a certain event, we can throw it on, go.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
To another truck and see if they'll take it for us.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
And then they might let us work off of their
van for that week. Help our players.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Adam, I'm sure a question you guys get a lot
is what happens to a player's club after Wednesday? So
let's say the truck leaves. And there have been plenty
of instances over the years. I mean, you think about
Tiger back of the day at the Masters. You know
he hits that four and against the tree and the
fore iron snaps. I believe that's the third round. I mean,
all of a sudden, he's gonna need that thing repaired.
What a players do when something's tweaked within a tournament
(09:42):
round or they just want something to look different and
the truck has left Wednesday afternoon, Because it's not just
the pink truck that leaves. All the trucks. Everything's gone
on Wednesday. So what does a player do within a
tournament to get something fixed or tweaked.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Yeah, a lot of them have backups for some of
those clubs that tend to break. You know a driver
because of how hard they swimm, putters, sometimes wedges, sometimes
out of anger.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
So they might travel with twenty clubs in the bag.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
You will have a.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Backup of some of those, but occasionally that doesn't happen,
and they sometimes we've had guys have to go to
like if we'll have a club area where they'll do
an adjustment, or if it's Thursday or Friday, we can
actually build a club in Phoenix, have it overnighted and
here and there on time, but if it's Saturday Sunday,
there's really not a whole lot of options. We have
had a few situations where we've had to actually pop
(10:29):
the trailer out wherever we were and fix something for
them so that they can do it if we were
close by.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I mean this is literally like pulling over on the
side of the road in theory, pop the side out,
regrip a club, ship it. However, you can ship it
close to the shipping center. I mean, it's really kind
of that adaptive if you will.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Basically, yeah, if we're close by, it's possible. Like Jack said,
sometimes the drives two days away, or like I just
was telling you with PGA, you know, it could be
in Ohio. By the time a club breaks, that's kind
of impossible. But we've had a few scenarios where we've
been close enough, and one where even Jack I think,
drove back to the venue to get a club for
the player because they were in contention and we definitely
wanted them to have their club.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So that does happen, yes, Jack, I want to transition
to kind of some of the stuff you've built and
some of the strange things you've seen over the years.
What event do you see players coming in needing tweaks
to their equipment the most? Because obviously this truck is
not going to be an Open championship. I mean, you're
not flying this thing across the pond. But in terms
of kind of domesticated you know, US venue golf courses,
(11:27):
is there one that stands out versus some of the
other ones in terms of players coming in early in
the week knowing I need new edges, I need you know,
something grinded down differently.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Yeah, And I think again, over the years, you kind
of learn what those events are, so a lot of
times we can prepare in advance for that. I would
say the tournament where we get the most tweaks is
probably the US Open, just because they do play it
one of the events that's at a different venue every year,
and the US Open is always one of the toughest
tests in golf, or at least considered that way. So
(11:55):
there's a lot of times where the course might be
you're trying to figure it out, but trying to figure
out what might help them on a certain place. For example,
like Wingfoot, you have had a lot of high loft
of fairy woods request that week. Tory Pine is the
same thing that year, so we actually built some nine
woods that got requested. Oakmont was another one that comes
to memory. I had a couple of players want to
(12:17):
try not a high loft affair with that week as
well British Open. We do have a European Tour vent
as well.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
So.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
There are weeks where you can anticipate certain things. So
sometimes we'll build ahead of time and then other times
the golf course dictates a lot, so once the players
actually see it, then maybe on Tuesday Wednesday they'll come
and ask like, hey, actually I think I might need
this for this week, whether that's a higher loft of
fairywood or a stronger driving iron type club, a little
(12:46):
extra distance, so try to build a longer link driver
with lower lofts something like that. So we do a
lot of that kind of thing. But i'd say US
Open or PGA just because those are your high profile
events that change venues quite.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, the golf course gens. I mean you go to
riv you kind of know what your prayer prayer for
risk era to Augusta. You know, you said something interesting
about the like the lofted woods and preparing or getting
yourself set up. How many clubs travel in the truck
because let's say twenty players come in and want nine woods.
I mean you have to have twenty nine wood heads.
So what are we talking in terms of volume of
(13:17):
golf clubs within the truck?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Oh gosh, I could probably give a ballpark number.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Maybe I know our inventory, it's probably about our online inventory.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
We have nineteen hundred close to two.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Thousand, almost two thousand clubs.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Yeah, club that's just heads and that's okay, irons, and
that actually does include.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Putters so drivers through loboage. So we have nineteen hundred.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Two thousand clubs. I mean, I mean travel around in
this truck, and I mean, you know, we've talked about
it before. You know, you've got to have lefty clubs
for you know, certain players, right, come in, not just
ping players, by the way, I think that's something maybe
people don't quite understand, is you'll build clubs for any
pro that comes in and asks us help, right, I mean,
this isn't just ping staffers that come in and get built,
that's right. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
And we we've seen our drivers, who especially drive specifically,
do really really well with the people that.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Are non staff players.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
So for example, most weeks this year, it feels like
we would have twelve to fourteen staff players in the field,
but we would have thirty drivers in play, So that
means more people are playing our driver that are non
staff And we'll do if you're in the field, we're
going to work with you. And there's a little bit
of a you know, an ecosystem, if you will, out
here where if a staff player from another manufacturer is
(14:25):
coming to us, like there's a little it can get
a little you know, hectic there because there's some personalities,
but also there's some contracts involved, and so you have
to be careful when that happens. But with those non staffers,
like if you're here, we're here to help you, and
we want you to get in our clubs.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
All right, Adam, let's get in the weeds. Which player
kind of currently on tour and you can go across
both tours if you want. Is the let's say, easiest
to build clubs for. They don't necessarily care too hardy
on like the specs and things like that. And let's say,
who is the most particular about their golf clubs being built? Wow?
Speaker 5 (15:02):
Right now, easiest?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I mean it's hard with not to say Saw I
mean Sahit Thigala. He's just so easy going out there
when we work with him. Obviously just an incredible player.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
He's in a great place with his game.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
And when when you see that, those guys are very
very easy to work with. And nice thing is about
when you're fitting or watching these guys play guys and girls,
you'll see you make these small changes, and those changes
you can see right away, Like if you guys like, hey,
I'm hitting a little bit too low, we had a
little half to reel off. Bang, it starts hitting their
window And that just makes it your life so much
(15:35):
easier because how consistent they are as far as the
most particular, I don't know, Jack, you might have to
jump in on this one.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Well, I think about it.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
I mean, somebody that's i mean really you know that
really knows the specs.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
Like well a team Bubba Watson is that way.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
So with his lob wedge and his driver, he's most particular, okay,
and because he has his all the raps he has
under under his club. So it's it's fifteen thirteen driver, right,
fifteen thirteen under every other club except loboys is eleven
and thirteen. What that means is, yeah, fifteen under under
his bottom hand, fifteen extra wraps of tape under his
(16:13):
bottom hand, fifteen thirteen under the top.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Now, most tour players are doing a rap or two.
Speaker 5 (16:18):
One maybe plus one, maybe plus two.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
I mean, I'm sure I'd be surprised if there's somebody
else on tour that does four raps. Yeah, under a grip.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Feno does four and three, but he has big hands
and all that. Fifteen, but fifteen and thirteen on a
midsized grip, and he wants it a certain way so
that the rib actually goes through his hand in a
certain position. And a lot of people will tell you, like,
there's no chance that he knows that that if that
that's wrong, or they're like, when you do a driver him,
(16:46):
you have to you have to mark down when you're
doing fifteen raps, so I literally have to tally it because.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
You'll do eight raps. So come and ask you a question.
You're like, oh, man, where am I?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
I don't want to start again?
Speaker 1 (16:57):
No, And so if you miss a rap, and he'll
tell you every single time. And because we have calipers,
like I get a little stubborn, and when a player
says something, you know, like they'll say this is wrong,
and I'm like, I know I built that right. And
with Bubba though, if you go in there you get
the calibers, he's right every time. Like you cannot pull
a fast one on him. His feel is unmatched to
anybody that we've ever worked with that I've ever worked with.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
What does he do with the lob wedge? You said,
particularly with the driver of the lobotch? What's the loboardge do.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
The same with its? Same for the grip.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
He likes it in a certain orientation and he also
just likes it. We a lot of times we have
to build it, built three or four of them. Then
he'll find one that he really, really likes and hits
were Jack, you work with a lot more than I have,
but those are the two that he's very, very very
particular about.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
So let's say Bubba is one of the players that
kind of likes to watch you and what you're doing,
can make sure kind of looks over your shoulder. So
the first time, you know, it's very nerve wracking as well.
So oh yeah, then you kind of get used to it.
And there's some players that like to know what's going
on and other players kind of just you know, you
earn that trust over time as well, hopefully that they
can kind of drop their bag off. We'll check it
(18:02):
off on lies, we'll break up your clubs and send
you on your way.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
You know, Ping has this very big family environment feel
to it, and I think about you guys a lot
and the whole team that travels a week to week
because you think about a player and they talk a
lot about their team, and you know, you know, I
think if you're at home you're watching, you're like, okay, caddy, manager, coach,
whatever the case may be. But on a week to
week basis, I mean, you guys are as involved in
(18:27):
terms of what's going on in the bag and the
dependence they have to have on you guys as well.
Is that does those relationships grow? I mean if the
players understand who you guys are and how important y'all
are to what they're doing out on the golf course.
I mean, is that something that you find very cool
within the job?
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Oh, without a doubt, And that's one of the I
think the coolest, most special parts about the job is
that you know, obviously we're not the ones out there
hitting the golf shots they are, but you do feel
like you have a small part in somebody's success. And
when they're in contention on a Sunday, you may have
built say the driver that they're using that week, or
the new way edge or new iron or new high
lofted would and they hit a great shot with it.
(19:03):
You know, that's a very rewarding feeling. And we are
very much a family oriented company, and I think one
thing is that one of the things that sets separates
Peing from everybody else, no matter who you are, like,
genuinely to the core, whether that's an engineer to out
here on tour, to our sales team, we genuinely want
to help you play better golf. And that speaks through
(19:24):
our product and through our people, and we love to
see you have success and enjoy golf.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Yeah, so from us, from our.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Standpoint, see somebody win hoist a trophy on Sunday. That's
as good as it can get.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
And I'm assuming players will come in at them and say, yo,
I love this nine wood or man, you know, either
the tweak of the driver's been great, Like the feedback
from them has got to be rewarding as well.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Yeah, absolutely, Like like he said, seeing you know, Victor
Hoven go out and hoist a trophy back to back weeks,
FedEx Cup all that, Like it's just nothing better than
the feeling. And obviously yeah they're hitting the shots, but
we do, you know, get to build them. And yeah,
the clubs that we built went on to win the
FedEx Cup. Like and we're grinding over it, like we're
not the type that leaves on Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
We don't have.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Golf on Like we are golf nuts, all of them.
We have a group text with everyone in our on
our team, with our boss Christian and I remember specifically
one of our I remember what tournament was, but there
was a guy in contention and I was driving to
the venue, and you can't text and drive, especially in
this thing, which I don't do. Just what everyone knows.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Everybody at home, do not text and drive. Don't text
him when he's driving.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
That's right.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
Take the pledge, don't text and drive.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I don't do that. So I got to arrest stop,
went to go to the bathroom. I look at my phone.
I have two hundred text messages and I'm like, what
is going on here? And I saw it was one
of our guys in contention. That just shows like we
very much care, Like we are watching all of our
guys and girls and we are just grinding over their
success because that's why we do what we do. We
obviously we get paid to do it, but we love
(20:49):
doing it. It is so great getting to watch all
the success we have out there.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
It's just such a so rewarding Adam, I know you are.
You're a great player. I mean, you can go out
there and win golf tournaments, something we've talked a lot
about before the podcast. Going on a recent play at Papago,
No big deal, big winners broke seventy. You had a
moment at the PGA. I believe it was either this
year or come to here. You don't always get to
hit golf shots at a golf tournament, but there was
(21:13):
an opportunity for you to hit a drive at the
PGA Championship. How did that go? Did that go? Well?
Speaker 5 (21:18):
Look, I was I worked all day, I mean just
backbreaking work. So we're gonna start with excuse yeah, that's right,
that's right. That's how it works. We were building clubs.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Is o kill a lot of a lot of demand
for our product because it's so good, obviously.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
And so I'm tired, I'm sore. It's late in the day.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
I go out to see player Seamus is out there,
great friend of the of the tour trailer Seamus and
as caddie Simon. But we I had a driver that
we were testing with another player similar to my spec
and Seamus is like, you should tee one up here
right now, and.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Like, ah, I can't do I can't do that.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
And one of the volunteers is behind me. He goes
and he's a PGA guy.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
I'll give you fifty bucks to to hit a t shot.
You know what I would do?
Speaker 6 (22:02):
Fifty bucks. It's a free fifty bucks. I mean, come
on one on a range at a major fine big deal.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
So I peg it and uh took a swing and
it went all of about twenty yards right into the
tall grass and probably rolled out to about twenty three yards.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
So didn't get the like the nod for maybe the
marker that week, not the PGA. They were not to
bite you in there.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
They were not.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
And that volunteer you know who you are, did not
pay me the fifty dollars. So if you're out there,
I'm still waiting for it.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
We'll throw his Venmo in the notes. Yeah, show and
please so people can get a can get a feel
for that. What's the what's the strangest club you've built
over your years of deal with tour players? Is there
a club that comes to mind that you mentioned nine Woods?
And I feel like maybe two years ago to hear
nine Wood on the podcast might have been a bit shocking.
I feel like they're more in play now you're seeing one.
I just got a nine Wood bill built me one,
(22:51):
loving it. I'm loving the lofted Woods by the way.
I'm sorry into that right now. But is there a
club that stands out that was weird, strange, unique, different
than what you typically build for tour players?
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Um, it should be an easy question, but there's been
several over the years.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
I'm trying to think of one that's really stuck out.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
I kind of always go back to my first year
on the van when you were that the US Open
at Chambers Bay.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
So it's two fifteen, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
And we had a player come in on Monday morning
and decided that this is Monday of the US Open.
They wanted fourteen new golf clubs an inch shorter than
what they currently played. Okay, so that's a little off
the wall. I kind of not what you would typically expect,
especially in a major championship. And ended up playing very
very well that week. But that was kind of when
(23:36):
we were a whole it's a whole new bag, and
it's a whole, completely different setup than what he had.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
How many iterations of that did you have to go
through un till he was comfortable playing those? I mean,
was that build it? Give it to him he went
out there and was happy or was that he was
good to go?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
It was one of those things that he had an
idea in his mind. It was done the research, He
researched it himself. He's like committed before he even showed
up and this is what I want to do. And
it literally driver through plutter an inch shorter than what
he currently was playing and went out and played great.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Crazy. I mean, Adam, do you have one? Do you
have one that comes to mind in terms of a
weird club you've kind of takered with or weird questions
from a player.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
That was similar Louis's nine wood I think we built
for him was like thirty nine inches maybe, like I
called it, this little baby nine wood. The other one,
it's not for a pink player, but it was for Hideki.
It was a swing trainer.
Speaker 5 (24:25):
This guy came in.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
He's got a guy who does all his clubs, and
he had like a steel shaft with a grip on it,
and we and he was their trailer wasn't here, so
we needed help building this swing trainer. It was like
a ball, like a key chain ball kind of thing
you put on your keys, attached to a large like
screw and we had to basically we had to epoxy
it into the tip of the shaft and let it cure.
(24:48):
And he was doing some drill with this ball and
this steel shaft, and I was like, I mean it's Hideki.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
I mean he Master champion.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
One of the Sure, let's do it.
Speaker 5 (24:58):
How am I? Who am I to say?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Is that a right? Is that a priority thing? Though?
I mean if somebody comes in that's not a ping
staffer and they ask for something off the wall, like
can you get a can you do a trainer? Golf club? Yeah?
I mean is that sure? Go down the priority list
in terms of what you need to build or do
you kind of just like take the request and run
with them.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
I mean it depends on how we're doing that day,
you know, if we have a big cue.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
But yeah, in general, we'll we'll do it. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Well, like I said, we're here to help them play,
and if they need a swing trainer or some sort
of device. We put putter grips on seven irons for players,
not not small ones, you know, big like those big
flat cats we've had, put them on there.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
We'll do it. Yeah, whatever they need.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Jack, if the entire crew that runs the tour truck
played a seventy two hole golf tournament, who's who's running
out victorious? Oh, who's the who's the betting favorite? Let's
say that?
Speaker 5 (25:45):
Oh boy, tread here.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
I think we're all pretty competitive bunch some more.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
You can say, you if you want to okay with it.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Some more hourly than others. I would say, but uh.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Well, I mean I think you've talked about his win twelve.
That's true, and Adams the most, the most vocal about it.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
I think, honestly, it would be you put us all
on a tee, we had to play seventy two holes,
it would be very close at the end.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
You guys ever do it?
Speaker 1 (26:11):
No, we we played like nine after work on occasion. Yeah,
but Jack's being very modest. And I've said this a
million times. Jack played Division one golf. If we were
all playing, because like I've been playing a lot, that's
the only reason.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
I'm I'm right decent, were aware.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Yeah, thank you, But Jack played Division one golf. He
Jack is the most naturally talented golfer of all of us.
And I think everyone on the trailer will will say that.
I remember when we, like he said, we've known each
other for twelve years when we worked in fitting, we
had little money games on Saturdays we'd go out and play,
and I remember the first time I played with Jack
literally shooting the most casual sixty six I've ever seen,
(26:47):
and it was just like it could have been sixty
two easy, and I was just like, this guy can play.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
So Jack would be probably the paper favorite. That's what
you're saying.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
If we were all playing like let's say too much
an hour, all gonna play in Jack.
Speaker 5 (27:01):
He had a new baby.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
He's got it, you know, not even to life in
a way, not a lot of play as much. I
just have two cats, So very easy for me to play.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Uh not on the truck.
Speaker 5 (27:10):
That's right now on the truck.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
And so if you put on the calendar, my money's
on Jack.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
Does that feel good?
Speaker 5 (27:17):
Jack?
Speaker 4 (27:18):
It's very nice to me to say.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
But yeah, those sixty six is were a long long
time ago.
Speaker 4 (27:22):
So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
I don't know, dude, you I mean, do you guys
play much on the road? I mean we've talked kind
of about the system and the process and in the
in the time range you have, you also got to
go home at some point, see the family and all that.
Do you get to play much golf on the road
doing this?
Speaker 3 (27:36):
Uh in the summer months? Yeah, there's there's definitely tournaments.
You kind of have spots where some courses are very
friendly and they'll let you come out after work play
nine holes. Obviously when we go kind of in the
northern part of the country, it stays light later, so
we can sneak out play maybe sneak in eighteen after work,
depending what's going on. There's a spot where a lot
of the trucks would go in Pennsylvania and is a
(27:59):
very fun golf course talk about a kind of a
fun experiences in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, But we haven't been up there,
I don't think in a while. But usually if the
events were in the northeast, there was a good chance
in the Hazelton area you would see about fourteen trucks parked, yeah,
and tour trailers parked in the parking lot of the
spring Hill suits.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
And Haileton, Pennsylvania a.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Golf course like NASCAR, yeah, oh yeah, and then yeah,
we'd have a big match, you know with all the
manufacturer texts amongst ourselves and the head pro Valley Country
Club was always very very gracious to us. So there's
a few spots around like that around the country. But
to be honest, uh, it's not a ton no. But
occasionally one of the questions we always get asked to
(28:42):
is you get to play the courses.
Speaker 4 (28:44):
That you work at.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
People always ask ask that question.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
I wish is the answer.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
We wish, we wish, but we get to see a
lot of awfully beautiful places.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
So yeah, adam uh as we kind of wind down,
you've got to drive this thing. This is not small,
it's not easy to drive. I'm assuming you guys feel
comfortable at this point driving it around. Do you get
recognized on the road? Do people honk, wave, do weird
stuff like that? I mean it says being pretty loudly
along the side, as most of them do. And what's
(29:13):
maybe your scariest moment with the truck? Have you had
anything that's been if he's scary, whatever the case may be.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Yes, it happens. I mean when you're on the road
as much as you have, you see some ugly accidents.
You see Amazon trucks turned over with packages everywhere.
Speaker 5 (29:29):
And I wonder what any of my packages that? Right? Yeah,
so you see that, I've seen it.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I had a couple in going down from Donner Pass
down from the Reno area down into Sacramento. Actually two
truck accidents. I didn't see them, but the aftermath of
them within about a five mile stretch and both of
those times, I was on the highway for at least
another hour. The second one happened minutes before we got there,
(29:56):
and they closed the whole road, and I just had
to basically set the brakes, roll away windows down, and
just watch golf because I wasn't going anywhere for a
few hours. And so thankfully, when I got past it,
the driver was okay in that situation. But you see
that more often than not. And I think the thing
that people that shocked me the most is how little
(30:17):
cars respect the size of this trailer. When you're going
down the road, you get cut off a lot, you
get pulled out in front of the lot. And so
I say, if you see any semi, or especially our semi, just.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Give us a little room, slightly more room.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
We are professionals.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
We can we can maneuver it, we can stop it.
But you'd be surprised that some of the things you
see out on the road.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
It's shocking.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
And do you get noticed, do you get that? Do
you get waves? Do you get your waves? Do you
get people kind of sticking their driver out the windows?
Speaker 1 (30:43):
No?
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Way, that happened a few times.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
Usually if we're passing a golf course, I always try
to make it a habit.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
Blow air.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Yeah, usually when nobody's swinging that Instagram guy with exactly
waving or yelling at the pink truck, So.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
I do I wait right for the swing.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
You're looking at that like a ping. No, give this
ale loud one. As well as this has been great,
I did one. I had one more question. I wanted
to ask time, how long does it take you to
regrip a club build a club? Like, are we talking
you could regrip a club in a minute or less.
I mean, obviously you want it to be efficient, you
want do a good job, But I mean you guys
(31:22):
are pros, Like, what's the time it takes you to
to clean up a golf club and put a new
grip on it?
Speaker 3 (31:27):
I think I would start the answer to that question
by saying, there's a lot of really smart people in
Phoenix that make our job very, very easy. So to
build a complete set of golf clubs, for example, if
we had to do that, we had nothing else going on,
the two of us could probably knock out Driver through
plutter if we had to in forty five minutes.
Speaker 4 (31:47):
Yeah, thirty forty.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Full set of club, forty five minutes. That shaft, that's yeah,
that's head, that's grip everything.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
We were challenged to get a set of irons out
in less.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Than thirty and we got it done on like twenty five,
the two of us.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Yeah, and that's because, like you said, we have some
machinery here that helps us really speed those builds up.
And that that's been really and our process is very
much around quality but also getting.
Speaker 5 (32:06):
Things out quickly.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Have we done that? That feels like a video we
should shoot like like kind of like a like we
need to see how fast we can grip one. Let's
see who can build a club the fastest. Let's see
how how quick you can get one out to the range.
It's like, I feel like this could be kind of
like the Olympics for the truck. And I mean to
get Olympics be tough man, yeah, really good shape. I
mean he'd be out there pretty quick.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
He'd be the sprinter from the truck to the range.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
Yeah. Or or we challenge like the other manufacturers.
Speaker 4 (32:34):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
You're like, all right, we're starting here with the grip.
Then you got to do the club. Then you got
to get in the back. Then you got to get
to the range and see you win.
Speaker 5 (32:40):
Keo would run the anchor leg, that's for sure.
Speaker 6 (32:42):
I'm not running that. We all know that you're a
truck guy exactly. You know, you're you're you're giving us chemistry,
getting people excited.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Awesome fellas. Great chatting with you obviously. I mean, I
feel like the truck is such a part of golf
and such a part of pro golf specifically. But nice
to get a little bit of insight because I'm not
sure he will totally understand it. So thank you guys
so much.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Thanks thanks for having us on.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Thank you. This is the Ping Proving Grounds Podcast
Speaker 1 (33:11):
M HM.
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