Good morning.
Took us three issues to find some drama, but we got it right here thanks to our good buddy Harold Varner. The kind of drama every public-course golfer can relate to. Also got an unexpected bunker shot fix and a shaft comparison that surprised me a little. Let's get into it.
The Grind
This tip isn't for when your ball's sitting up in the sand — for those I will assume you know the drill (open face, normal swing, take some sand, let the bounce do the work like you've always heard).
But if it's plugged — buried, sitting in its own little crater — try closing the face. Yep, you read it right. Hood it at address, hands ahead of the ball, and swing down sharply about an inch behind it. The closed face acts like a shovel instead of a scoop — it digs the ball out with a soft little pop, sending it on a low line that behaves like a nice full chip shot. Loosen your grip through impact and let the club release; don't try to finish the swing, just get the club buried and let the explosion do the work.
Different shot, different technique. Give it a try next time you're practicing your bunker shots.
In the Bag
Followed up issue #1's Ventus Black talk by testing the Ventus TR Blue with Velacore+ paired with my Tour Edge C725 driver. I made it out to Goose Pond Lake Course in Scottsboro, AL to play a friendly round with a few buddies. I subbed in the Ventus Blue for the back 9 and all I can say is I was pleasantly surprised.
Compared to the Black, the Blue is a different animal — way more responsive, with an incredible sense of control and club-face awareness through the swing. Launch was a perfect mid-high trajectory, with enough spin to carry the ball but not so much that dispersion opened up left or right. It stayed tight.
One real difference from the Black, though, was swing speed. The Blue's just easier to swing fast — less "boardy" feeling — without giving up any control to get there. Same category, just a genuinely different feel. Since I was playing 18, I didn't get a chance to record any swing data, so I'll revisit this comparison in a few weeks to see how the numbers match up. Stay tuned, more to come.
Around the Green
Harold, what the heck were you thinking, man?
LIV pro Harold Varner III got kicked off a public course in Indiana this week, and honestly, the details of who said what barely matter. The club says his six-man group ignored three separate warnings that sixsomes weren't allowed. Varner's side says the club's story is full of "inaccuracies." Doesn't matter — pick either version, and the answer's the same: follow the rules, or leave when you're asked to. That's it. That's the whole thing.
And the timing here is rough. LIV's already dealing with a canceled season finale and a funding crisis that's got people questioning whether the league even makes it to next year in its current form. This is exactly the kind of story that shows up in every "is LIV a mess?" article for the next month — not because it's a big deal on its own, but because it didn't need to happen. A tour pro getting sideways with a public course over a group size is the definition of an unforced error.
Rules are rules whether you're a scratch golfer or a guy on tour. Respect the course, respect the people running it, and this whole thing never gets written about.
Reader of the Week
This week it's all about Rick Brandon and the commandeering of the big dog — the driver. If you've played with Rick over the last three years like I have, you know he's the guy in the group navigating the course with stingers on almost every shot. Whether by design or just playing the hand the golf gods dealt that day, he knew there was more he could get out of his swing.
He'd been leaning hard on low, running long irons off the tee for years — the classic "keep it in play" strategy for a guy who didn't fully trust his driver. For the missing piece, Rick sought pro-level advice from the fitters at Club Champion in Cool Springs, TN. The result was a custom Titleist driver with the Oban Isawa Red shaft.
Watched him play it this week at Goose Pond Lake Course and — wow. New setup launches a piercing low-mid trajectory with a tight little draw that runs. And runs. Still running. Real distance, real consistency, tee shot after tee shot.
That's the thing about a proper fitting — it doesn't just add yards, it changes how a guy actually plays the game. Rick's building a driver-first strategy now instead of avoiding the big stick. I like his chances of some lower scores and some skins money coming real soon.
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See you next Sunday.
— Trent