So Ernie got pissed and let a few people know about it. He later apologized like the gentleman he is, and even made a “substantial donation” to some fund where donations were needed, apparently. So what’s the big deal?

Frankly, I feel professional golfers shouldn’t have to apologize for complaining about the condition of a course or for calling out people who aren’t doing their jobs. I wasn’t at the BMW Championship at Wentworth, nor am I a professional greenskeeper; but is it too much to ask that a golf course can play similarly one day to the next, at least in terms of what conditions can be controlled (green conditions, rough height, fairway length, etc.)?

With all the variables in nature that can change the way a course plays from one day to the next, watering greens should be as simple as… well, pouring water onto grass. I feel Ernie had a point.

As a means to help more golfers take advantage of their different makes and grip styles, Lamkin has also just finished installing the last of its new custom Grip Fitting Centers at GolfSmith Stores nationwide, which finally standardizes the way golfers find their ideal fitting grip.  Lamkin’s new universal sizing system works similarly to a shoe store’s familiar foot measuring device.  By matching up critical points on the hand, Lamkin is able to direct golfers to the optimal grip size to maximize comfort and performance.  And because Lamkin offers the industry’s widest selection of golf grip styles and sizes, golfers are assured a perfect match.

What I liked most about the grip lines were the wide range of colors and texture options available. Personally, I prefer to play a velvet-feeling smooth grip as opposed to the cord models, but that’s just me. Lamkin’s new REAL 3GEN line of grips hits to all fields and player preferences, including different styles for putter and wedge grips. Speaking of wedge grips, Lamkin even offers an option that helps the golfer “choke-down” on the club for half-shots by way of two thumb markers on the grip’s surface. Such a simple idea, yet an important product enhancement. Brilliant.

If you’re looking to change your grips this summer or simply looking for a different feel on your clubs, I strongly recommend Lamkin’s REAL 3GEN product line for any club in your bag.

First and foremost, the course was in great shape and played every bit of it’s 70.8 rating from the blue tees. I have never played on faster greens in my life, which is saying a lot since I’ve played many different courses in 30 years. Neither I or my playing partner could hold an approach shot into any green, often needed to choose a club less to allow for the ball to release after landing. Putting was also a chore at times due to the firmness 0f the putting surface, but perhaps that is to be expected on a challenging course like Prairie Bluff.

Luckily for us the surrounding heather mixed in between fairways and the rough was still relatively low, so even the most errant tee shots were easily located after a couple minutes of searching. I anticipate that by mid-summer, however, the tall grass will be waist-level and much more unforgiving than what we saw last weekend.

Having only been my second time playing the course, I was impressed by the conditions overall. The golf staff also seemed friendly and responsive to any requests we had, and the driving range was large and serviceable for all your pre-round warm up needs. While we played early in the day (7:26am tee time), a beverage cart was out on the course by the time we reached our back nine. The course is also well watered, featuring many water coolers throughout the layout (which came in handy on our 90-degree day).

The only negative regarding the course that I could point out – as mentioned above – were the extremely challenging greens. Trust me; I am all for difficult golf courses when the situation calls for it. But when greens won’t hold a simple 100-yard pitch shot? That seems a bit excessive to me, as it probably would for most amateur golfers. Difficulty is one thing. Unfairness is another.

You can read the interview here: http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2012/5/17/3026274/ryan-moore-interview-pga-tour

This week I will focus on a few videos that helped recently with my downswing. Click the link to read on.

I have lately been struggling a great deal with my downswing into impact, especially with my long-to-mid iron shots. Golf balls would end up in places on the course that boggled my mind despite having pretty sound fundamentals getting my hands to the top of my swing. I needed a simple tip to help me visualize the proper transition from the top of my swing to impact, and the following video was one that helped provide what I was looking for.

This is another video that focuses on the same hip-first movement to help drop your hands into the proper position:

The course itself was in great shape. Broken Arrow has 27 holes on its property and my group played the South-to-East layout Saturday morning. The two nine’s are almost completely different courses and both are challenging in their own right. Throw in the fact that we played from the tips and the entire course was soaked (thanks to weekend rains), your’s truly was in for a long, rough day (Slope was a whopping 74.3 from the back tees).

My final score for the day? 96. Ninety-effing-six! Needless to say I am less-than-pleased in the result, so I will be contacting one of my golf instructor friends to work on my game a bit before I go back out. Or maybe I should go see a doctor instead? Perhaps a priest?

Anyway, Broken Arrow is a great course for the money if you are a resident of Lockport (I’m not, but I was able to take advantage of the cheaper rates since I’m cool and a member of the Windy City Golf League). The following is a description from the course’s website: