Who The F**k Is Tyson Lamb
Walk into just about any pro shop and show someone a Tyson Lamb ball marker, divot tool, or – if you’re fortunate enough – putter, nine times out of ten you’ll be met with some variation of “who?”. Where the Lambcrafted brand lacks in notoriety (relatively speaking), they make up for in one of the fiercest core groups of brand ambassadors that you are likely to meet in any industry.
I had the distinct pleasure of participating in my first Lamb event this past weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona. Three days in the desert with almost forty guys that ranged from 15+ handicaps to an aspiring Tour player (remember the name Tate Oakley) were nothing short of a chaotic adventure executed with near surgical precision. Having followed the brand for several years, I shouldn’t have expected anything less. However, I couldn’t have possibly anticipated how dozens of strangers could have made a new guy feel like a part of the Lamb Fam so effortlessly.
Spend some time scrolling through Tyson’s Instagram page and you’ll be surprised at how many times you can mutter “holy shiiiiiiit” in less than an hour. The awe-inspiring designs produced with microscopic precision may be what the Lamb brand is best known for, but I would argue that his legacy will be rooted in the community he has facilitated.
While I’m not an introvert, I am shy and struggle with inserting myself into large groups. It could have been easy for the core ensemble of attendees that have hundreds of stories spread across years of gatherings make me feel like a guest at their party. That couldn’t have been farther from my experience. I was welcomed immediately with a pick-up from the airport by a giant man with the most fantastic mustache I have ever seen. I was offered a neon tiger track suit by a Chevy driving quad god so I could fully participate in dinner festivities that evening. The hospitality was overwhelming, and with every handshake, joke, and pat on the back, I felt less like an awkward tag along, and more like I belonged.
I first learned about the Lambcrafted brand in 2017 after reading an article about an up-and-coming machinist that made SICK putters and knew it. Since then, I’ve had a difficult time articulating exactly what it is about the product that Tyson crafts that separates it from every other boutique golf brand. There are dozens of custom putter and golf accessories manufacturers out there that create amazing things every day. But there is something different about Tyson’s product that I couldn’t put my finger on until now.
Now, it could be the quality of materials, design proportions, scarcity factor, or any number of minute technical details that put Tyson in a league of his own. I don’t consider myself a spiritual person, but after 40 days and nights in the desert (give or take a few), I have a different theory. Perhaps the countless human connections that the brand has played a key role in creating is forged into every piece that leaves his bench. The loving energy of every message thread, surprise care package, and anticipation of the next group gathering somehow inserts itself between the molecules that make up the steel, brass, and copper that is shaped by sharp tools spinning at unfathomable speeds. The secret ingredient isn’t a tool or a steady hand; it is an unconditional dedication to the human spirit… never to be replicated, only imitated. It’s a working theory.
I learned a few things in the desert this past weekend. I learned that there isn’t enough water in the Southwest United States to make me feel like I’ve had enough. I learned that desert golf is hard. But most importantly, I learned who the fuck Tyson Lamb is. Tyson Lamb is a family man, and it’s a BIG family.