It’s perhaps evidence that I am guilty of being initially insensitive, but let me confess that when the story involving Tripp Isenhour and the migratory bird surfaced, there were two thoughts that came to mind.
   
One, if ever there was irrefutable proof that we long ago reached the saturation point on golf instruction, it is the knowledge that even Tripp Isenhour is involved. Oh, yeah, when I think golf instruction, I think Claude Harmon, Harvey Penick, Henry Picard, Tommy Armour, Jack Grout, and Tripp Isenhour.

Two, if ever there was irrefutable proof that maybe I should spend a little less time with my head immersed in the world of golf, it is the fact that while I’m not sure who the secretary of state is, I do know Tripp Isenhour is a former winner of the Trinidad Open.
   
Those thoughts, however, were quickly accompanied by the understanding that something terribly unfortunate happened during that Dec. 12 filming of an instructional video at the Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, Fla. A bird that is on the federally protected list, the red-shouldered hawk, was killed after being struck by one of the more than dozen golf balls Isenhour fired at it as it sat in a tree and did what it is known for: Making a lot of noise.
   
“I can’t deny that the accident did happen,” Isenhour said during an interview on the Golf Channel. He said he was simply trying to hit the tree and make the bird “fly away” and that he was “very upset” when he realized that one of his shots killed the bird.
   
Isenhour has been charged with cruelty to an animal and killing a migratory bird — misdemeanors that carry maximum penalties of jail time and or a fine — but there are others who think that more needs to be done. Animal rights groups want PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to come down hard on Isenhour and the Orlando Sentinel editorialized that a year’s suspension from competition is warranted. Since Isenhour earned $471,980 while finishing 152nd on the PGA Tour money list in 2007, one could make the argument that that would amount to a half-million dollar fine. It seems excessive, but there are no worries here if it puts Finchem on the hot seat, because that’s why they pay him the big, big bucks, to handle sensitive situations that cross his desk.
   
(Frankly, the fiasco that continues to be John Daly is a far more compelling one for the PGA Tour and you can’t tell me that Finchem doesn’t get heartburn over that one. On the one hand, he wishes Daly would go away. On the other hand, it’s the heart and soul of his empire, the sponsors, who trip over themselves to keep Daly from going away. As dilemmas go, it doesn’t come any stickier.)
   
Regarding the misdemeanors, Isenhour will get a chance to tell his side of the story to court officials and we’ll let that play out, too. (The thought does occur, however, that if the 39-year-old is truly as accurate as some would suggest he is, why in 2007 did Isenhour hit just 60.57 percent of his greens in regulation to rank 184th and average a mere 3.02 birdies per round to sit 177th?)
   
With this story still having shelf life, part of me just can’t get away from one angle that continues to amaze. That is, the endless stream of infomercials, books, videos, and gadgets which promise to make you a better golfer. I’m not sure any of them have made improvements upon “Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf,” that came out more than 50 years ago, but needless to say, the flow of money being poured into whatever quick fix is thrust into public view hasn’t evaporated.
   
“Practice Like a Pro” is a DVD collection offered for “3 easy payments of $29.98” — plus the infamous shipping and handling, of course — and if you Google it, whose face pops up but that of Tripp Isenhour. He’s there with a big grin on his face, so we assume the photo was taken before the red-shouldered hawk fell into his world with a resounding thud. Standing next to Isenhour is Dr. Bob Rotella, who knows a thing or two or three or 20 about books and videos that promise better golf. Isenhour is billed as a “PGA Tour pro,” which begs the question: Does anyone know of any “PGA Tour amateur?”
   
Reportedly, the Dec. 12 session was to film a video in the “Practice Like a Pro” series and you’d be wise to wager that there won’t be anything about a drill on taking aim at feathered creatures in trees. As to whether or not these videos are “revolutionary” or truly reveal “secrets of the short game,” as the advertisement states, that’s for you to decide.

This is America and thanks to our precious capitalism, Isenhour, for sure, is free to cash in on his status as a professional golfer and pitch products like the “Practice Like a Pro,” just as you are within your rights to purchase the Medicus dual-hinged Driver, the Brush-T, the Heavy Putter, the Swing Glove, or any magazine that announces on its cover that you can cure your slice or hit your drives 20 yards further.
   
Getting better at golf is a huge industry, but I guess it took the unfortunate death of a migratory bird to make me realize once again just how huge it is. I mean, Tripp Isenhour offering help with golf instruction? I hadn’t heard much of him since he won the Trinidad Open.