Mizuno Workshop at Byron Nelson

[sdrem]

My visit with pictures

On Monday I was invited to stop by the Mizuno Workshop tour van at the Byron Nelson (thanks to Mike Slipko, Mizuno Territory Mgr.). Being a club repair guy I was interested in the equipment and being able to ask a few questions. The club tech Mike was very friendly and very open about what goes on with the tour players and other tour vans. This new Workshop is less than a year old and much nicer than their previous unit. It is very compact but there is plenty of room to get the job done. This trailer is really impressive with the quality on workmanship, and Mike had a lot to do with the layout and design. He was in the process of building a set of irons for a player to test, but none of the regular Mizuno staff players are playing this week, so he won't be as busy as usual. I also got to poke my nose into the Callaway van, which is much larger. I may post some pictures of that also, with some other random bag pics. There are not many players out yet, not a lot of big names playing this week, but I saw Boo Weekley and Charlie Hoffman practicing. Hope you find the pics interesting. Someone else was getting ready to do a video of the van (Fit2Score) as I was leaving, so maybe I will be able to find a link to that if it becomes available. Thank you to Jeff Cook and Mike Sowerby.

Here is the link to the video being shot that day:
http://devotedgolfer...ideo/17/?ref=-1

[Fenix]

I love how super clean these tour trailers are. I would definitely feel at home working in there. Great pics. Thanks.

[Sinclair]

Wow that's incredible. What a great space to work in!

[pdaero]

Thanks for the pics! I drove by all the vans on Sunday when I was at the Pro-Am. Pretty awesome, and the course is in GREAT shape!

[jerryo]

Cool pics! That van is there for three players right, assuming Luke is there? Howell, Byrd and Donald.

[Hrlyrdr22]

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

[tonster]

Cool pics, thanks for sharing.

I like how in the second to last pic there is a shaft with a TM tip.

[freddyottawa]

great pictures, thanks for sharing.

[jg6925]

great pics..thanks for sharing

[youngwaldo]

You didn't get a set of clubs built for you? What a bummer.

Wk

[floyd]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing, I bet that was cool being in there.

[uscspur11]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!!

[SodFather]

That's nothing compared to the European van, but they could still park it in my driveway anytime they want!

[sdrem]

None of those players are there this week, but any one with Mizuno irons might want something done or someone might want a wedge. The trailers are there until Wednesday and then head to Colonial for next Week. That drawer of iron heads were all MP62's, I wouldn't mind a set of those but I'm better suited for my JPX-800's.

Oops, just saw that Howell is there this week.

[mozgolf]

Does anyone other than Luke play Mizuno?

[sdrem]

Charles Howell and Jonathon Byrd are their other staff players. Stacy Lewis on LPGA.

[Jbird33]

Thanks for sharing. I assume it's just pulled by a pickup truck? That is an efficient usage of space. Be nice to get a set of irons built up while you were there.

[epmonies]

So jealous man. Have fun out there.. looks like you already are though

[sdrem]

Looks like C. H. III is playing this week. Mickelson, Adam Scott & Ernie Els are playing together, that will be the marquee group. I will have to get there early, 7:30 off #10.

[whatshannenin]

[quote name='tonster' timestamp='1337105725' post='4919410']
Cool pics, thanks for sharing.

I like how in the second to last pic there is a shaft with a TM tip.
[/quote]

Not that big of a deal since they don't contract their players to play the driver or fairways usually. Jonathan Byrd, Luke Donald and Charles Howell all play or have played Taylormade woods. (Howell changes a lot though, so who knows....) You'd be surprised, just because it says Company A on the outside, doesn't mean the guys on the inside don't work on other companies stuff for a player too.

[Sean25rp]

Super nice pics! Thanks for those. Loved that drawer full of 62's.

[ron lefthanded holmes]

[quote name='jerryo' timestamp='1337101583' post='4918944']
Cool pics! That van is there for three players right, assuming Luke is there? Howell, Byrd and Donald.
[/quote]


i bet they dont have to do much then with only 3 players in the field,but thanks for posting

[SwingLikeElk]

There are a couple guys playing Mizuno irons that aren't Mizzy staffers...like Brian Gay. I guess if he needed his irons tweaked he could stroll in there, right?

[whatshannenin]

[quote name='SwingLikeElk' timestamp='1337377063' post='4939640']
There are a couple guys playing Mizuno irons that aren't Mizzy staffers...like Brian Gay. I guess if he needed his irons tweaked he could stroll in there, right?
[/quote]

It's the PGA Tour, "No!" is next to never used! Those guys have it so good it's insane. Perfect courses with Tour vans stocked with everything imaginable every week, spectators to deflect shots and drops from places that wouldn't normally be granted had there not been massive grandstands or TV towers. The PGA Tour is truly the promise land in all aspects of professional sports IMO. Getting there is next to impossible, but staying there is pretty easy (IMO....) as you have everything handed to you and the hard stuff like getting equipment spec'd 100%, travelling (PGA Tour has their own travel agency for players) and money to get to places is completely covered. I'm envious, yes!!!

[5 O'Clock Charlie]

[quote name='whatshannenin' timestamp='1337390405' post='4940434']
[quote name='SwingLikeElk' timestamp='1337377063' post='4939640']
There are a couple guys playing Mizuno irons that aren't Mizzy staffers...like Brian Gay. I guess if he needed his irons tweaked he could stroll in there, right?
[/quote]

It's the PGA Tour, "No!" is next to never used! Those guys have it so good it's insane. Perfect courses with Tour vans stocked with everything imaginable every week, spectators to deflect shots and drops from places that wouldn't normally be granted had there not been massive grandstands or TV towers. The PGA Tour is truly the promise land in all aspects of professional sports IMO. Getting there is next to impossible, [b]but staying there is pretty easy[/b] (IMO....) as you have everything handed to you and the hard stuff like getting equipment spec'd 100%, travelling (PGA Tour has their own travel agency for players) and money to get to places is completely covered. I'm envious, yes!!!
[/quote]

I'd ask half the guys on the Nationwide tour right now how easy they think it is to stay on the PGA Tour. I agree with you they have it good, but they are not "set" once they get there.

[Golfnole3]

Wow that looks extremely nice, a bit small but really nice! I love how clean it is and how all of the space is utilized!

[sdrem]

I can tell you that the irons he was building were for a non-Mizuno staff player to test (and whose endorsement contract is up at the end of the year).

[whatshannenin]

[quote name='5 O'Clock Charlie' timestamp='1337390823' post='4940468']
[quote name='whatshannenin' timestamp='1337390405' post='4940434']
[quote name='SwingLikeElk' timestamp='1337377063' post='4939640']
There are a couple guys playing Mizuno irons that aren't Mizzy staffers...like Brian Gay. I guess if he needed his irons tweaked he could stroll in there, right?
[/quote]

It's the PGA Tour, "No!" is next to never used! Those guys have it so good it's insane. Perfect courses with Tour vans stocked with everything imaginable every week, spectators to deflect shots and drops from places that wouldn't normally be granted had there not been massive grandstands or TV towers. The PGA Tour is truly the promise land in all aspects of professional sports IMO. Getting there is next to impossible, [b]but staying there is pretty easy[/b] (IMO....) as you have everything handed to you and the hard stuff like getting equipment spec'd 100%, travelling (PGA Tour has their own travel agency for players) and money to get to places is completely covered. I'm envious, yes!!!
[/quote]

I'd ask half the guys on the Nationwide tour right now how easy they think it is to stay on the PGA Tour. I agree with you they have it good, but they are not "set" once they get there.
[/quote]


It is easy to stay there if you are good enough to get there. I don't care what anyone says, the PGA Tour is not designed to keep players from losing their cards. Now, do you have to play well? Yes. But clearly they are good enough so they have one responsibility and that's to play decent to good golf. With the money each week and not every week being a top level event with the world's best, I'd say it's pretty easy, IMO. It's harder to get onto the PGA Tour from the Nationwide, than it is to keep your card on the PGA Tour.

[Cameron Circle T]

LOL, that's a huge overestimation. Even the non big-time events are pretty tough. Tell the guys that finish 126+ on the money list that it's easy to stay there once you get there. They clearly got there, but aren't staying for the next year. Just to keep your card last year, you had to make 750k., lotta guys that have been on the tour that lost their cards.

Look at a guy like Mark Wilson, 5 time winner, went to q-school a nuuumber of times.

[whatshannenin]

[quote name='Cameron Circle T' timestamp='1337468108' post='4943296']
LOL, that's a huge overestimation. Even the non big-time events are pretty tough. Tell the guys that finish 126+ on the money list that it's easy to stay there once you get there. They clearly got there, but aren't staying for the next year. Just to keep your card last year, you had to make 750k., lotta guys that have been on the tour that lost their cards.

Look at a guy like Mark Wilson, 5 time winner, went to q-school a nuuumber of times.
[/quote]

Don't want to threadjack anymore new thread topic started regarding this [url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/662326-how-hard-is-it-to-keep-your-pga-tour-card/"]HERE[/url]