One thing that did not succumb to pressure and heat at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont was the putter grip used by this year’s champion. It’s top secret right now, but this white putter grip made with proprietary 3GEN material is due to be in Lamkin’s product line-up next season. The good news is that in premier professional play it proved to be a winner. Look for it in the future!
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Blog
A winner at the U.S. Women’s OpenJuly 12th, 2010On the Road AgainApril 1st, 2010No one here racks up the frequent flyer mileage as much as Bob Lamkin, whether it’s checking out our factory in China, meeting with our OEM partners, or competing in tournaments. Last week Bob was in Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Not only did he meet with many of the Tour players who use our grips (including the winner of this year’s Transitions tournament) but he also played in the pro-am with the 2009 British Open champion. (Okay, Bob’s not one to brag but I will–he often looks like one of the pros out there and no, it’s not just because he dresses like one. You should have seen the crowd erupt at Bay Hill’s 18th when he finished with a birdie. Well, maybe it wasn’t a Sunday crowd, but there were at least 25 there!) The great thing about traveling is knowing that when you return, beautiful San Diego awaits. It’s not surprising that almost all of the golf equipment manufacturers are located here, although Lamkin is actually located a bit away from the pack. Our offices are in Otay Mesa (close to the border) rather than in Carlsbad. This actually makes it easy to check in on our factory in Mexico. Wow are they busy. The new N-DUR and Performance Plus with 3GEN grips are in such demand that they’re working overtime. A good problem to have! Lamkin N-DUR on the TourMarch 19th, 2010Being in the grip business, we are accustomed to looking closely at Tour players on TV and in photos to determine which golf grips they are playing. Granted, sometimes it’s a stretch to figure it out and we have to rely on our star Tour rep Mike Neal to give us a clue. Nonetheless, it doesn’t stop us from assuming that every golf fan has such similar viewing habits. Of course golfers notice the grips on a Tour player’s clubs! Well, maybe not. I must admit it’s a bit nerdy. (Don’t tell that to our sales team.) So, if you’re not one to meticulously decipher which golf grip a certain player is using, you’re probably not alone. To be sure, Lamkin grips, particularly Crossline, have always had great acceptance by Tour players. In fact, three of the top five European Tour money leaders use Lamkin, two of the top five Champions Tour money leaders use our grips, as do some of the top ten PGA Tour players. But here’s the exciting news. A few months ago, we introduced our new N-DUR grips with 3GEN synthetic rubber. As you can imagine, it often takes awhile to gain Tour acceptance with a brand new product because many players are pretty set in their ways. However, this past week at The Puerto Rico Open, the second place finisher used N-DUR grips, one shot behind the winner. It certainly gave us reason to smile…and hunt down any photos we could find featuring the grips in play! Pros, no Con, and GripsNovember 11th, 2009It seems like all the golf publications and websites are always listing what drivers, irons, putters, etc. the pros play, but rarely do they mention what grips they use. Yes, money talks–most pros have endorsement deals with the equipment manufacturers and therefore it’s easier for those companies to publicize their connections. However, not many pros have deals with the grip companies. So, while I can’t name names, I can say that some of the very best PGA players in the world use Lamkin grips, as do many of the top players on the LPGA and Champions Tours. In later blogs I’ll drop hints. In the meantime, one name that I can mention is Zack Adams. (No, we don’t pay him.) Zack just competed in the 2009 Remax Long Drive Championship finals using Lamkin grips. After the event he said he was extremely happy with them, and he emphasized how important grips are to his performance because he doesn’t use a glove. Just a thought, but perhaps if I took off my glove I could hit it 400 plus yards. Yeah, right! Anyhow, the event will be televised on ESPN in December. I’ll be watching. |
Anyway, it was a fun event and a great way to connect in person with many of the PGA players. Of course, a highlight was eating in the caddie van, thanks to our great “Tour Guide” Mike Neal. We are also privileged to have such a special relationship with Mr. Palmer. He certainly hosts a first class event. The course was in excellent condition and the pro-am was extremely well-organized. No wonder there’s a waiting list to play in it.