When we heard that Callaway was announcing three new irons for better players (or those who aspire to be) we knew it was time for a giveaway.
From the close-to 1000 qualified entries we received, it was apparent the prospect of winning a complimentary "Callaway Distance Fitting" and set of irons was appealing. Interest in the third part of the grand prize package -- appearing on the Callaway Fitting Room podcast -- was the part that surprised us the most.
Many of the entrants seemed more excited about that part than the free irons. Many took the time to tell us that they were very photogenic, perhaps forgetting that podcasts are, umm, audio-only.
The stories were amazing -- it seems like this game, and the equipment we play, provide some of the most vivid and lasting memories of our lives. So before we announce the winners, we want to thank every one of you for entering and sharing your stories.
And the winner is - Nathan Lee of Nashville, TN.
We called him on "Masters Friday" with the good news, and once he knew it wasn't a robo-call, his voice dropped a bit, before he blurted out: "No way, I won? I've never won anything in my life!"
Lee is a former hockey player whose prospects of being drafted to play in the NHL were dashed by a shoulder injury. Here is how he described it in his contest entry:
"I was medically prescribed golf after my rehabilitation period. And to say that the “prescription” to golf changed my life would be an understatement. I met some of my best friends to this day on the golf course and met countless number of strangers just talking about golf in a public place. My dad and I were really never close but with golf finally had something to do with each other and now we play together 2-3 times a week and not to mention the lessons learned from golfing."
When we read Nathan's story (and inclusion of an Arnold Palmer quote for extra points) our committee knew he should be one of the finalists. We found five other worthy entries for a total of six, and then realized we had a problem.
How are we going to break the news to the five runners-up that they were "oh so close?" We decided to kick in an extra $2,500 from our marketing budget, so the call would be almost as good as the one we made to Nathan. Some of the winners listed below will be buying irons, while others are going for a driver or set of wedges.
RUNNER-UP WINNERS - $500 CALLAWAY GIFT CARD
- Ahmed Jabali-Nash - Reston, Virginia
- Ashleigh Mead - Beaufort, South Carolina
- Garrett Danielson - Salt Lake City, Utah
- Alexandra Papell - Boca Raton, Florida
- Padden Nelson - Houston, Texas
As for Nathan, his "Distance Fitting" is now complete, and his irons are being made. Here is how he described it.
"The Callaway Distance Fitting experience was phenomenal. I was honored to be selected and my fitters, Nate and John could not have been better. They really knew what to ask and how to best fit me with the data I had.
I will say having the data at hand really helped the selection process and the clubs I was able to test were P, 7, 4. I was also able to try a couple different shafts as well and settled on the DG X100 Tour Issue. From there we talked about which head would fit best for me.
After some talking and understanding what I wanted we settled on the new Callaway X-Forged CB’s, 1 degree strong to help lower my spin. We also got to talk about gapping and they ended up hooking me up with a new hybrid as well to help bridge that gap from my 4 iron to 3 wood. Overall it was an amazing experience and again I want to thank Pete and the Amateurgolf.com organization for putting together something awesome.
We enjoyed it so much, that we will be planning another contest soon. Stay tuned!
