Butch Harmon
Encyclopedia
Claude "Butch" Harmon, Jr. (born August 28, 1943) is an American golf
instructor and former professional player. He is the son of 1948 Masters Tournament
champion Claude Harmon, Sr.
and has been in the golf industry since 1965.
; his father was the head pro at the nearby Winged Foot Golf Club
. The family also lived part of the year in Florida
, when Butch's father served as the winter professional at the Seminole Golf Club
. Butch began playing golf from an early age, as did his three younger brothers, Craig, Bill, and Dick, who also all became golf professionals. Butch graduated from Iona Grammar School (1958) and then New Rochelle High School
(1962). Butch excelled at all sports, and was a star halfback on the 1961 New Rochelle High School football team that compiled a 5-2-1 record.
, and served in the U.S. Army for three years, seeing duty in the Vietnam War
. Harmon was a PGA Tour
player from 1970 to 1971, with one win to his name on the Tour, the 1971 Broome County Open, a satellite event. He lived in Morocco
for several years in the 1970s, serving as the personal instructor to King Hassan II. He was a club professional in the United States, and became well-known through his work with Greg Norman
, beginning in the early 1990s.
' golf coach from 1993 to 2004, though they have since gone their separate ways. In April 2007, it was announced that Harmon would start working with Phil Mickelson
. He has also worked with other major champions such as Ernie Els
, Stewart Cink
, Greg Norman
, Davis Love III
, Fred Couples
and Justin Leonard
, and with younger stars such as Nick Watney
, Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson
, and Natalie Gulbis
.
In 2003 Harmon was ranked the top golf teacher in the United States in a poll of his peers organized by Golf Digest
magazine, and has repeated as winner of this honour each year since. He runs the Butch Harmon School of Golf at the Rio Secco Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada
. He also gives golf clinics around the world.
On April 8, 2008, Ernie Els
officially announced that he was switching swing coaches from David Leadbetter
(whom Els had worked with since 1990) to Butch Harmon. During Els' 2008 Masters press conference, Els said the change was made to try to shorten and tighten his swing, as well as get a fresh perspective.
Harmon's brothers Craig and Bill are also both top golf coaches, who have made the top 50 Instructors' list compiled by Golf Digest
on several occasions. Butch's other brother Dick
was the golf professional at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas
from 1977 to 2001. After leaving that position, he established two teaching centers in Houston. Dick died February 10, 2006 at age 58.
. Commentating for Sky Sports at the 1997 Ryder cup, Harmon was asked about the negative press Nick Faldo
was receiving from the media in the build up to the event. Harmon replied, "How can you not like Nick Faldo? He's one of the greatest golfers of all time and he's also one hell of a nice guy."
Butch Harmon wrote the 2006 book The Pro, describing his life in golf with his father, brothers, friends, and the top players he has coached.
Harmon has written golf instructional books under the titles Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf and Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons. He also worked with Greg Norman
on his multi-media learning system Greg Norman's Better Golf, which consists of three videos, a book, skill guide cards, and an audio tape; as well as on Greg Norman's book Advanced Golf. Harmon writes a regular monthly instructional column in Golf Digest
magazine.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
instructor and former professional player. He is the son of 1948 Masters Tournament
1948 Masters Tournament
The 1948 Masters Tournament was contested from April 8 to April 11 at Augusta National Golf Club. It was the 12th Masters Tournament. The purse was $10,000.Claude Harmon defeated Cary Middlecoff by five strokes. It was Harmon's only professional tour victory....
champion Claude Harmon, Sr.
Claude Harmon
Eugene Claude Harmon, Sr. was an American golfer.Harmon was born in Savannah, Georgia, and spent much of his boyhood in the Orlando area. A youthful prodigy, Harmon qualified for the U.S. Amateur at age 15 in 1931...
and has been in the golf industry since 1965.
Early life
Butch Harmon was raised in New Rochelle, New YorkNew Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
; his father was the head pro at the nearby Winged Foot Golf Club
Winged Foot Golf Club
Winged Foot Golf Club is a 36-hole golf course located in Mamaroneck, New York. The course architect is A. W. Tillinghast, who also designed Baltusrol , Bethpage Black, Shackamaxon Country Club, San Francisco Golf Club, Cedar Crest Park, and nearby Quaker Ridge Golf Club and Wykagyl Country Club...
. The family also lived part of the year in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, when Butch's father served as the winter professional at the Seminole Golf Club
Seminole Golf Club
Seminole Golf Club is a private golf club located in Juno Beach, Florida. Designed by Donald Ross in 1929, it is consistently ranked as one of the Top 10 courses in the United States....
. Butch began playing golf from an early age, as did his three younger brothers, Craig, Bill, and Dick, who also all became golf professionals. Butch graduated from Iona Grammar School (1958) and then New Rochelle High School
New Rochelle High School
New Rochelle High School is a public high school, comprising grades 9 through 12, in New Rochelle, New York, operated by the City School District of New Rochelle. NRHS serves over 3,300 students; offering more than 240 courses, including honors, research and advanced placement courses.NRHS...
(1962). Butch excelled at all sports, and was a star halfback on the 1961 New Rochelle High School football team that compiled a 5-2-1 record.
Tour and club professional
Harmon attended the University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, and served in the U.S. Army for three years, seeing duty in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Harmon was a PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
player from 1970 to 1971, with one win to his name on the Tour, the 1971 Broome County Open, a satellite event. He lived in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
for several years in the 1970s, serving as the personal instructor to King Hassan II. He was a club professional in the United States, and became well-known through his work with Greg Norman
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
, beginning in the early 1990s.
Instructor to Tour stars
Harmon is best known for having been Tiger WoodsTiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
' golf coach from 1993 to 2004, though they have since gone their separate ways. In April 2007, it was announced that Harmon would start working with Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
. He has also worked with other major champions such as Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
, Stewart Cink
Stewart Cink
Stewart Ernest Cink is an American professional golfer who won the 2009 Open Championship. He has spent over 40 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings from 2004 to 2009.-Early years and education:...
, Greg Norman
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
, Davis Love III
Davis Love III
Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
, Fred Couples
Fred Couples
Frederick Steven Couples is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament. In August 2011 he won his maiden senior major at the Senior Players Championship...
and Justin Leonard
Justin Leonard
Justin Charles Garrett Leonard is an American professional golfer.Leonard was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He attended Lake Highlands High School and graduated in 1990. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and was the individual NCAA champion in 1994. He was a two-time All-American...
, and with younger stars such as Nick Watney
Nick Watney
Nicholas Alan Watney is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. The highlight of Watney's career to date is his victory at the 2011 WGC-Cadillac Championship....
, Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson
Dustin Hunter Johnson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour having been third in the driving distance stats for three consecutive years between 2009-2011....
, and Natalie Gulbis
Natalie Gulbis
Natalie Anne Gulbis is an American professional golfer of Latvian descent who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.-Golf career:...
.
In 2003 Harmon was ranked the top golf teacher in the United States in a poll of his peers organized by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
magazine, and has repeated as winner of this honour each year since. He runs the Butch Harmon School of Golf at the Rio Secco Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. He also gives golf clinics around the world.
On April 8, 2008, Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
officially announced that he was switching swing coaches from David Leadbetter
David Leadbetter (golf instructor)
David Leadbetter is a leading golf instructor, originally from Worthing in England. He began his career on the European and Southern African tours, but had little success as a player...
(whom Els had worked with since 1990) to Butch Harmon. During Els' 2008 Masters press conference, Els said the change was made to try to shorten and tighten his swing, as well as get a fresh perspective.
Harmon's brothers Craig and Bill are also both top golf coaches, who have made the top 50 Instructors' list compiled by Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
on several occasions. Butch's other brother Dick
Dick Harmon
Dick Harmon was one of America's top golf instructors with clients including Fred Couples, Jay Haas, Craig Stadler, Lanny Wadkins, Steve Elkington and 2009 U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover....
was the golf professional at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
from 1977 to 2001. After leaving that position, he established two teaching centers in Houston. Dick died February 10, 2006 at age 58.
Author, broadcaster
Harmon appears regularly in the media, including work for Britain's Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. Commentating for Sky Sports at the 1997 Ryder cup, Harmon was asked about the negative press Nick Faldo
Nick Faldo
Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...
was receiving from the media in the build up to the event. Harmon replied, "How can you not like Nick Faldo? He's one of the greatest golfers of all time and he's also one hell of a nice guy."
Butch Harmon wrote the 2006 book The Pro, describing his life in golf with his father, brothers, friends, and the top players he has coached.
Harmon has written golf instructional books under the titles Four Cornerstones of Winning Golf and Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons. He also worked with Greg Norman
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s...
on his multi-media learning system Greg Norman's Better Golf, which consists of three videos, a book, skill guide cards, and an audio tape; as well as on Greg Norman's book Advanced Golf. Harmon writes a regular monthly instructional column in Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
magazine.