Butch Harmon is ready to hand over the reins of the golf instructional empire he built to his son, Claude Harmon III.
Harmon informed his PGA Tour players – Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Jimmy Walker, Gary Woodland, and Nick Watney – that this will be his last year teaching on Tour.
Per Golf Digest:
“I’m 75 years old. It’s time for me to work on my own game and just enjoy life,” said Harmon, who holed a chip on The Floridian’s 16th hole in front a squadron of spectator-filled carts to send one match to the next hole. “I’ve been traveling on tour for 35 years, and doing the majors for Sky TV for 23. That’s enough. I’m done. It was just the right time.”
Harmon, who has worked with just about everyone including Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, is ready for retirement.
His top clients, however, won’t be leaving the Harmon name behind as Butch’s son, Claude, has taken over the reigns. Claude has been spending more time with Fowler, DJ, Walker, as well as Brooks Koepka, who he has worked with since early in his career.
“This year has been very similar to what I’ve been doing. We’re trying to do the same things my dad did, but maybe do them in a little different way. We’ve teamed up to keep things simple. I use some more technology than he did, and that’s different, but it can also help them look at things a little differently.”
While some of these guys don’t really need much help at the moment, some, like Jimmy Walker, are working to regain the form that won him a major championship.
The Harmon family has been successful in the golf world since Claude Harmon won the Masters in 1948 before moving on to become the head pro at courses like Winged Foot and Seminole.
While Butch may be moving on, he’s still got modern technology in his hands and Claude can easily send him a video of any of these players if he needs additional thoughts from his father.
“They all have phones with cameras, so when they need a look they text me videos,” Butch said. “The bottom line is, the guys can always have my help. That will never change.”
Butch Harmon is a legend in the golf world, and while his appearances on the range during tournaments will likely be extremely limited from now on, his presence will always be felt.
[Image via Claude Harmon III / HT Golf Digest]