Jim Lombardo - Head Golf Professional Erin Hills

Interview With Jim Lombardo Head Golf Professional Erin Hills

A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview

By Brian Weis

Below is an interview with Jim Lombardo, Head Golf Professional at Erin Hills. He is in his 7th season at Erin Hills and his 5th year in his current position. He has been with Erin Hills since before the course opened for play in 2006. Prior to being there he ran a small public facility in Oconomowoc, WI and worked as an Assistant Professional at The Ozaukee Country Club in Mequon, WI. He also worked at several courses in Scottsdale, AZ - The Desert Mountain Club, Troon North, and Eagle Mountain.

The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
I began taking golf seriously when I was 14 years old after a few Sunday rounds with my father. My first shot I ever took on a golf course I hit someone in the leg! I had no clue how to play so I just decided I was going to figure it out.

What is your current home course?
Erin Hills Golf Course, Erin, WI

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
In 1999, I won our section's Match Play Championship. Being able to say that you won a major state championship is always fun and I have fond memories of that week.

What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
Slow play! I'm certain that of everyone tried to play faster, they would have a better time.

What is your favorite club in your bag and why?
My putter. I have had basically the same putter for the past 25 years. Wilson 8802 style!

What is your favorite golf destination?
Phoenix/Scottsdale area. I love desert golf and there are so many great places to play there.

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
Aside from the obvious choices of Augusta and Pine Valley, I would like to play Sand Hills.

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play? F
orest Highlands in Flagstaff, AZ.

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
I do not think belly putters should be allowed. I am not a fan or anchoring a club to your body.

Dream foursome (living)?
My favorites...
Paula Creamer
Fred Couples
David Duval

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
The Greats...
Bobby Jones
Jack Nicklaus
Arnold Palmer

18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions

1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
Long Putt

2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
Round of my life

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
Twilight

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
Power Draw

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Halfway House

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
Bathroom

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Wrap

8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
Thick rough

9) Walking OR riding?
Walking

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
Yes

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Long par 5

12) Pants OR Shorts?
Pants

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
Nicklaus

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
Elvis

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
Fun

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
Flop shot

17) Lay up OR gamble?
Gamble

18) 18 holes OR 36?
18

Revised: 03/04/2012 - Article Viewed 38,203 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.