SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – As Kyle Stanley was busy staging the largest comeback in Phoenix Open history, a Full Swing golf simulator was lighting up the Mercedes Tent in the Albertson’s Fan Zone just yards away from the 18th hole.
A constant flow of participants each contributed $5 to the Thunderbird Charities as they took 2 shots in the daily Closest-to-the-Hole contest. Thunderbird has raised over 75 million dollars for Arizona charities, and the Full Swing Golf simulator added over $5,000 to that during the event last weekend.
Full Swing Golf recreated a virtual version of the infamous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale to challenge visitors in the Mercedes Tent, and players got into the spirit of the event by heckling other participants when they landed in one of the green-side bunkers. It’s all part of the typical camaraderie that takes place when a Full Swing sim shows up.
Participants competed in the contest for great prizes from Oakley and Ping. A hole in one would have landed the lucky player in a free one-year lease of a Mercedes M-class SUV.
As if a steady stream of eager competitors wasn’t enough, Friday afternoon a young Phoenix native by the name of Jamie Smith – possessing only one arm – stepped up to the tee box and knocked a tight shot 2’9” from the hole to win the contest for the day. Congratulations Jamie!