the interview
The
Master
of Macau
He might have reached retirement age but Butch Harmon, one of the most recognized names in golf over the last 15 years, shows no signs of hanging up his video cameras and training aids just yet INTERVIEW BY ALEX JENKINS
T
o say that Claude “Butch” Harmon has something of an outgoing personality is an understatement of epic proportions. I’ve just walked into the interview room at Caesars Golf Macau, the radically revamped club owned by casino giant Harrahs, and am introduced to the legendary swing guru, coach to some of the biggest names in golf, including the likes of Mickelson, Els, Scott and Couples. Gripping my hand with a strength that belies his 65 years, Harmon, a wide smile forming at his lips and a twitch in his eye, says, “So you’re the a**hole I was warned about,” before emitting a rich, hearty laugh, loud enough to cause a waitress carrying a trayful of drinks outside the door to buckle and nearly upend the whole lot. “I’m only kidding around,” he continues. “It’s great to meet you. Sit down and hit me with your best.” This is Harmon’s first visit to China, he cheerfully tells me, and he’s here to unveil his state-of-the-art teaching centre, the Butch Harmon School of Golf. But it isn’t his first visit to Asia. In the mid-1960s, after a falling out with his father, 1948 Masters winner Claude Harmon Sr, young Butch ran away to the army and spent the last six months of his three-year service in Vietnam. The twitch, indeed, is thought to be a legacy of the war, in which he led a mortar crew. Understandably, it’s not a topic he enjoys talking about, and I’m not feeling brave enough to bring myself to ask him, especially since he’s in such jovial 36
HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
mood. “This place is great,” he beams, wafting his hand in the direction of the course and the semi-construction site that is the Cotai strip beyond. “But what I’m really excited about is helping the young golfers of Macau. Who knows, the next Tiger Woods could be out there. It’s possible.” The reference to Tiger is hardly surprising. For a decade, from Woods’ junior golf days in 1993 until 2003, by which time he had collected eight major championship titles, Harmon and the world number one enjoyed arguably the most successful playercoach relationship in the history of the game. That came to an abrupt halt, it was reported, after Harmon disagreed with Woods’ wanting to implement yet further swing changes. The break-up, which the former says was “very amicable”, lead to Woods joining up with Texan Hank Haney while Harmon went on his merry way, coaching, commentating (Harmon has been a welcome addition to the Sky Sports broadcasting team in the UK) and writing (his autobiography, The Pro, came on the back of a veritable library’s worth of instruction manuals bearing his name). As luck would have it, Steve Williams, Tiger’s caddie, had made some rather unsavoury comments about Phil Mickelson at a charity golf day in New Zealand just two days previously, saying, “I wouldn’t call Mickelson a great player ‘cause I hate the p****.” Given Harmon’s involvement with both players this seemed like a good starting off point. And so it proved to be… www.hkga.com
Butch Harmon, Caesars Golf Macau, December 2008 www.hkga.com
HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
37
L e t me tel l you something else: Phil Mickelson is one of the most liked players on tour. Around the world, he’s maybe as popular as Tiger Woods. He hangs around for an hour after his round signing autographs for the fans while other players just blow everyone off. Phil is a bit different, but we’ve always got on very well. He’s very funny and articulate. He’s a great guy.
Classic Caesars: Harmon at his state-ofthe-art School of Golf; the course takes advantage of its unique setting on the Cotai Strip
What did you make of Steve Williams’ recent comments about Phil Mickelson? I was shocked and I was dismayed. I was the one who hired him for Tiger, so I know Steve well. In fact it was ‘Bones’ [Jim McKay, Mickelson’s caddie] who rang and told me what had been reported. I have no idea why he said it. Even if you believe that about someone, you don’t come out and say it. The great thing about our game is that it’s based upon integrity. You just don’t go and say those kind of things. But in any case, I really don’t know why he said it. It makes no sense to me. I’m sure Steve regrets what he said. Tiger won’t have been at all impressed by it at all. I’ll tell you something: Steve won’t have enjoyed the telephone call from Tiger once he found out about it, that’s for sure. It’s not the first time someone has said unflattering things about Mickelson though. GQ magazine ran a feature on the 10 most hated athletes in the world a while ago – and he came in at number eight…
“Tiger learned how to reach down inside himself and pull something out and get the job done. This is something you almost can’t teach. It’s his desire to compete and beat you. He does it in a nice way, but he just wants to cut your heart out.” 38
HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
Mickelson hired you in order to help sort out his driving. How ’s that going? The goal for Phil is to get his ball in play more often, because he was really wild off the tee. The stats don’t necessarily show that he’s improved – he’s still hitting about 55% of fairways – but the difference now is that’s only missing fairways by a little, which means he can play. He’ll tell you that his driving is as good as it’s ever been. He likes to take the right side of the course out of play, and he’s done a good job at that.
Starting from 2010, tour players will have to switch from playing with U-grooves to V-grooves on their irons because the USGA believes this will help combat players’ ability to spin the ball from the rough. What do you make of it? The groove issue isn’t going to affect the good players at all because they’re good. It’s going to affect the mediocre pros because they’re not going to be able to get away with shots out of the rough. In the old days, when I played, if I had a 160 yard shot over a lake I would have a big decision to make. 160 yards would have been a 7-iron for me from the fairway normally, but quite often from the rough it would be 9-iron. That’s because the ball would just ‘juice’ from the taller grass. It would fly a lot further, depending on the lie. The grooves the pros are using at the moment don’t allow that to happen. They can just hit the same club. When the new regulation comes into effect, the great players are still going to be great and the average players are going to have to get used to it. That’s good for golf. But is that enough? Do you think the technological advancements in the
game have gone too far? Equipment today – clubheads, balls, shafts – is incredible. But I’m of the belief it should be for the average player who needs the advantage of technology. The tour player is the best in the world – he doesn’t need those advantages. I’d rather see technology for average players. Look at sports in the United States – in American football, the football is fatter and longer in college football; in baseball, juniors and college players use aluminum bats, while the pros use wood; in basketball, the key is further out for the pros. In all other sports, the rules are a little different for amateurs and pros. I wouldn’t mind seeing pro golf worldwide getting much stricter on rules and regulations. Let the technology go to the amateurs. A great player is still going to be a great player, but it sure would be interesting to take them back 25 years and give them all wooden drivers and soft balls and see how they play. Are you, like Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, an advocate of a one-ball rule? Not really. Actually, I was having dinner with Jose Maria Olazabal the other week and he
What was the reasoning behind Mickelson not using his driver at last year’s US Open? He went from having two drivers in his bag at the Masters previously to not having one at all. I wasn’t privy to that [decision] until the Tuesday of the tournament. He and Dave Pelz [Mickelson’s short game coach] decided he needed to carry another wedge, which was the dumbest thing he’s ever done. It wasn’t smart. I mean, he’s one of the best wedge players in the history of the game – why does he need an extra wedge? I have a funny story about that. The week after the tournament I went down to see him in San Diego. We were out on the range and he was warming up with a few wedges. I went over to his bag and took out his driver, wandered over to him and said, ‘Phil, I want you to meet someone.’ Phil asks who and I replied, ‘Your driver. Don’t ever leave home without it.’ [Laughs]. His decision was so wrong because the course was the longest in US Open history and he was playing with Adam Scott and Tiger Woods, two of the longest hitters out there. You could tell he was trying to keep up with them with a 3-wood. That wasn’t going to work. www.hkga.com
www.hkga.com
HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
39
“The jury’s still out [on Tiger playing in the 2008 US Open]. It’s either going to be the most phenomenal feat in the history of the game or one of the dumbest things anyone has ever done in the history of golf.”
said the simplest way to bring shotmaking back to the game would be to restrict the number of clubs the pros can have in their bags. Have nine clubs instead of 14. If you had that, the pros have got to hit the same club different distances. Then you have to use imagination and creativity. Very few pros today don’t shape their shots – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson still do – but I thought that was a very interesting philosophy. It’s a great idea, but nobody apart from Jose has brought it up. The talent would rise to the top. This is what I do with the juniors I teach. I just get them out playing with odd number clubs. Taking you back to the early 1990s, how did you come to be Tiger Woods’ swing coach? I got a lot of publicity after Greg Norman won the British Open in 1993 because of my work in helping change him change his swing and Earl [Woods, Tiger’s late father] approached me. Tiger had already won three US Junior Amateurs but I had never met him. We all had lunch and I watched him hit some balls and I gave them my opinions. A week later, Earl calls me, ‘I’d like to turn my son over to you.’ How early on did you realize you had someone very special in your hands? Oh, from the start. The raw talent was unbelievable. I still have the films of him then, which Tiger hates to look at because he was only a skinny teenager. He probably hit the ball further then than he does now. The thing I admire about Tiger is his constant desire to get better. He’s like a sponge – he soaks up knowledge. He wants to learn, learn, learn. Think of his career: he changed his swing three times with me to make it better and he’s done it twice more with Hank [Haney, Tiger’s current coach]. And we’ll probably see a new swing when he gets back after injury. So his desire to get better is unlike anyone – and he was like that as a kid. He had the drive and ambition. He’s the greatest I’ve ever seen. And you spent time with Hogan… Yeah, my father and Hogan were great friends but Tiger is the best all-round golfer I’ve ever seen in my life. Human nature with the average player says that if there’s something they’re not very good at, they won’t practice it. They’ll only practice the things they’re good at. Tiger is the other way. He didn’t use to control the spin on his wedges very well – he had an ordinary wedge game and an ordinary bunker game. Now he’s one of the best wedge players in the world. He has so much control. He has the ability to turn a weakness into a strength by hard work and dedication.
40
HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
Is that the X-factor? Dedication? The thing that impressed me the most which is what we don’t see with Michelle Wie who a lot of people like to compare with Tiger – is his will to win. Michelle Wie never won anything. She isn’t used to winning. Tiger won 6 USGA events – three junior amateurs and three amateurs – in a row. No-one has ever done that. What people don’t realize is that in every one of those final matches it went down to the last hole or extra holes – and Tiger won every won of them. He learned how to reach down inside himself and pull something out and get the job done. This is something you almost can’t teach. It’s his desire to compete and beat you. He does it in a nice way, but he just wants to cut your heart out. All the great champions had that and he had it from a very young age. You could see it in his eyes. His work ethic is incredible, and not just with his golf swing. He has more talent than anyone, he’s fitter than anyone, he’s smarter than anyone, he prepares better than anyone. He’s figured out the whole thing. How disappointing was it when Tiger moved on to work with Hank Haney in 2003? I wasn’t disappointed at all. If you’re the type of person who gets disappointed because your student leaves you, you’re in the wrong business. The best coaches in football get fired all the time. Same with baseball. We had 10 great years together. He’s a great kid and the fun part was watching him grow from being a young man to becoming the world number one. He’s funny and he has a quick sense of humour in the locker room; the guys like to be around him. He helped my image and he helped my career; I would be a fool to say otherwise. Where do you think his performance at last year’s US Open – playing with a broken leg – ranks among his other major victories? Only time will tell. The jury’s still out. It’s either going to be the most phenomenal feat in the history of the game or one of the dumbest things anyone has ever done in the history of golf. I mean if Tiger doesn’t come back as healthy has he was, then it wasn’t a very smart thing. This is his fourth surgery on his knee and the most extensive surgery they’ve had to do. Hopefully he comes back stronger than ever, because the game needs him. But what he did at Torrey Pines was a phenomenal thing. You said he’s probably going to have to change his swing as a result of the injury. What do you think he’ll have to do? www.hkga.com
I’m of the opinion he’s going to have to change it a little – especially that snap into the left knee. He might have to go to an old school swing where the knees drive a little bit. Having said that, knowing Tiger how he is, he’s going to do whatever it takes to get back. We want him back better than ever, because golf sure is exciting when he’s playing.
pro. But John had a hard time doing that. Now that’s the reason why the average guy loves him – he’s been divorced numerous times, had bouts with alcohol and gambling. The average person, I think, sees John Daly as himself. John could be so much better and reach more people if he could get his own life in order. But until he can do that, it’s not going to be pretty.
You worked with John Daly for a while last season, but it didn’t work out. He played great in the final round of the Hong Kong Open but then got into a bit of trouble down in Australia [Daly missed three cuts and smashed a fan’s camera]. Where does he go from here? [Sighs] John is a wonderful young man that has a lot of troubles – and unless he addresses his problems and tries to do something about it, we’re going to continue to read the wrong things about John Daly. He’s a tremendous talent. I think he can still play very well, but he’s got to take care of his personal life. He doesn’t do anything in moderation, be it his drinking, his smoking, his gambling, his eating – he needs to learn how to control his life where he can really focus and not let outside things dictate his golf. He still has the ability and he’s a really nice guy – we all love John. But John’s got to take care of John a lot better.
Which player would you most like to work with that you haven’t done so already? [Chuckles] Before it was Ernie [Els] but now I have that. I always thought I could help Goosen with a couple of things in his swing. I don’t seek clients. People I work with come to me.
Helpful Harmon: Butch gives a few swing tips to Miss Macau 2008
Could you help Monty? Monty – his is more of a mental problem, not a physical problem. He gets in his own way mentally. His talent in unbelievable. He’s the greatest player to have never won a major, no question. That debacle at Winged Foot [2006 US Open] where Mickelson screwed up – Monty screwed up worse, quite honestly. Right side of the fairway, 7-iron in hand, pin on the right – as a fader he couldn’t get a better
Can he win again? He has to want to. At the present time I don’t think he feels he has a problem in any area, and that’s sad, really. I tried to help him with tough love. I told him I’d be happy to help him but he had to show me he was going to get his life together. I was quite stringent with him, on what was acceptable and what wasn’t. I wanted him to conduct himself as a professional – his appearance, the way he handles himself at tournaments. I told him that on his own time I don’t care what he does, but at events he has to conduct himself as a www.hkga.com
HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
41
2009 Season Preview: Major Picks
T
he 2008 majors went from the sublime (Tiger at Torrey Pines) to the ridiculous (Immelman at Augusta) but underscored that the predictability of results is as hard as ever. Who for instance could have foreseen Clever Trevor struggle to recover from a Fanling ditch in November 2007 – “Dad, you could have got it closer than that” – and only five months later pull off a composed, classy finish at the Masters? But a betting columnist has to start the year off with a few long-range tips – and fresh from a profitable Mission Hills Omega World Cup (See Archie’s prediction of a Swedish victory in Nov/Dec edition of HK Golfer), the following thoughts are offered for the 2009 season.
Winners
Public provider: Harmon with student 42
HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
scenario to win his first major. He just didn’t handle it. I’ll tell you a story about Monty. I was commentating for Sky Sports at the US Open at Pinehurst a while back and Monty was playing the 14th hole. He was in the middle of the fairway with probably a 5-iron to go and he was throwing his hands up in the air and getting frustrated because some people were moving in the grandstand behind the green. That’s 200 yards away! So I said, ‘This is the difference between him and other great players. Colin Montgomerie is seeing everyone in the stand move; David Duval doesn’t see anyone in the stand; and Tiger Woods doesn’t even know the stand is there, because he’s so focused.’ Monty can’t tone out anything. It’s like you have to stop airplanes and birds flying. He has gotten in his own way. Having said that, he is truly one of the best players in the history of European golf; his Ryder Cup record is wonderful; the number of Order of Merit’s he’s won. He needs mental help. He’s got a unique swing but hits the ball beautifully – you wouldn’t want to change anything there. But I'd sure like to get inside his head, shake it a little, and see good numbers when the dice came out.
Faldo? I’m a great Faldo fan. I think he’s one of the greatest players of all time. Six majors! He’s in his own world, which we saw at the Ryder Cup. He won’t go down as one of the better Ryder Cup captains. He does things his way. He never made a lot of friends on tour, which makes it difficult to be a captain, but he did it his way which is how he got to be who he is – and that’s why I admire him tremendously. When he changed his swing many years ago with David Leadbetter he went to a really modern swing, which I really liked. I have a lot of admiration for him. As a commentator he’s very knowledgeable but I think he tries to be too funny – and his personality isn’t to be funny. But six majors! C’mon! And you know what, he’ll never get credit for ’96 at the Masters because everyone will talk about Norman giving up the lead. But if Nick Faldo doesn’t shoot 67, then it doesn’t matter what Norman does. You were Norman’s coach at the time… [Laughs] You bet I was. It was the longest day I’ve ever had on a golf course in my life. But that’s another story for another time. www.hkga.com
Tiger Woods: Can he do it? YES HE CAN! The big question of whether Tiger can brush off almost a year away and a critical knee injury should be answered by mid-summer. I believe he will return in stunning form. The time away will have given him sustained rest, plenty of short-game practice and yet honed a sharpened sense of urgency and desire. What a killer combination. Prediction #1: Bionic Tiger will be back – stronger, faster and better than ever. Assuming his current timetable holds up, he will win the Open in July. (3/1) Sergio Garcia: Second in the last two majors with the best scoring average on the PGA Tour in 2008, he has the momentum. Resting in Switzerland this Christmas with his family, he displayed his growing maturity by resisting the temptation to ski / snowboard with his competitive sporty siblings. In short: he means business this year. All the majors are within his capabilities but his chances at Bethpage (US Open) look best. Prediction #2: Hungry and still fearless, Sergio will win a Major in 09 (4/1) Camilo Villegas: Hot on the course, even hotter off it, the Colombian stud with the Spiderman putting pose should smoke the fields this year. Following his victory in the PGA Tour Championship in 2008, his already granite-solid confidence will be sky-high. www.hkga.com
golf punting
BY ARCHIE ALBATROSS
Prediction #3: Look for Camilo to contend in the majors (8/1 for Top 5 finish in the Masters) and maybe pick up ‘other’ big tournies (Players, Bay Hill, Mercedes) along the way.
Losers
Padraig Harrington: How can he top 2008? The workaholic Irishman had a brilliant finish last year but must now be a clear ‘sell’ vs expectations. Paddy has a fine golfing temperament but cannot be expected to perform again like he did in those magical summer weeks at Birkdale and Oakland Hills. Prediction # 4: Padraig will disappoint this year. Short his finishing positions in the majors. Ernie Els: With the swing of a God, his graceful power and motion is wrapped up in a thoroughly nice fellow. But it seems the will has gone. Increasingly Ernie looks like a marginal contender. Maybe he has another run or two at his beloved Masters left in him, but in the ordinary events, Ernie will fade. Alas all things must pass. Prediction #5: Ernie to underwhelm in 2009 – unless confronted by rotten conditions at either the Masters or the Open where his calm can weather all storms. Colin Montgomerie: This columnist’s distaste is best explained via a vignette from the HKO. The new European Ryder Cup skipper arrives at the 13th green on Sunday to find his approach shot has not only missed the short stuff but also hit his playing partner’s ball. Face like a gargoyle, he barks for a rules official who arrives breathless after no more than two minutes. “Enjoyed your lunch did you?” asks Monty, rather cowardly muttering under his breath, before scuffing an indifferent chip towards the hole. Enough said. His whole demeanor belies his protestation of competitiveness. As a player, he is done. Prediction # 6: Monty misses more cuts than he makes.
Predictions Masters: Mickleson US Open: Garcia Open: Woods PGA: Villegas All : Stenson/Karlsson (Top 5 FPs)
Others: Phil Mickelson: At the HSBC Champions in November, I had the opportunity to ask Lefty which tournament HK Golfer punters should ‘do their maximum’ on him to win a PGA event. The response was that his whole year is geared towards the Masters. No hesitation. Readers of this column will know I believe Phil has precocious talent but a precious personality. He tightens up more than he toughs it out under pressure, but Augusta does bring out the best in him. It’s worth a crack at 10/1 ante post. HK Golfer・Jan/Feb 2009
43