www.globalgolfpost.com
MARCH 12, 2012
B and he has an unusual looking swing.
He had such a phenomenal year last
year, I think he gets a tremendous
amount out of what he does and how he
plays. I think he gets the max out of it.
(On Bubba Watson): “I’d
have to say he’s got the
most phenomenal hands of
anyone I have ever seen.”
THE POST And then the flip side of the
question is, who’s getting the least out
of the most talent?
HARMON I think the biggest underachiever that I know is Darren Clarke,
and I say that affectionately. Darren is a
dear friend of mine. I love Clarkie and I
was so, so happy for him when he won
the Open Championship last year, but
this man is a tremendous talent and
I don’t think he has ever achieved the
status that those of us who know him,
those of us that have worked with him,
ever thought that he could because he
has so much talent. But you know, it’s
just his nature and personality but I
think he’s probably the biggest underachiever of all the players.
HARMON Of modern-day players,
it would have to be Bubba Watson.
When you look at his swing on film,
you wouldn’t think that he could break
80. Watch him play and he is a phenomenal player. He does it all with his
hands. From what I understand, he
learned how to play golf as a kid with
a whiffle ball. Where he would just
curve it around trees in the backyard
and around everything. And so I’d have
to say he’s got the most phenomenal
hands of anyone I have ever seen.
THE POST There are Seve fans who
would read that and cringe.
HARMON Well, but we’re not just talking
about the short game, we’re not talking
about hitting shots out of trouble, we’re
talking about every shot he hits.
THE POST Finally, your new video –
“Harmon About Golf.” It’s unique.
It’s almost like a reference library. A
player can come in after a round and
find the area that covers what he or
she was struggling with and watch that
part of the video.
HARMON It’s an accumulation of every-
thing I’ve tried to learn in my life, from
the golf swing to about how to play golf.
I’m very happy with how it turned out.
Normally, when you do videos, and I’ve
done a bunch of them, when you finally
get it out there, you always wish you
could have done this, or wish I could
have done that. I don’t think there’s
anything in there that I wished that we
could have done that we didn’t do. l Butch on Bubba: “You wouldn’t think he could break 80.”
simple. It’s probably the simplest swing
I’ve ever seen as far as someone could
copy it. The best swing that I’d ever seen
was Tiger Woods in 2000. Technically,
it was the most sound swing I think I’d
ever seen. If you watch it on film and
you watch the positions he was in, you
can’t find a flaw with it. Of the modern-day players, I’d say Adam Scott probably
fundamentally has as good a swing as
anybody in the game.
THE POST Couple of quick hitters: Who
has the best golf mind of anybody –
player or teacher – you’ve ever seen?
HARMON I would have to say my father
had the best. He was phenomenal. Not
only was he a phenomenal player, he
was a phenomenal teacher. He had the
ability to see and diagnose, teaching
faster than anyone I have ever seen and
he had the credibility. He would have to
be at the pinnacle for me.
THE POST Got it.
HARMON Yeah, I wouldn’t disagree
about Seve or Olazabal. You’d have to
put Seve and Olazabal on the same boat
there as far as the way their creativity
was, that was more when they were in
trouble or with the short game. Bubba
Watson does it on every swing. And with
modern equipment and these modern
balls, they don’t curve nearly as much
as they used to and he has the ability to
curve the heck out of them.
THE POST The best hands in golf that
you have ever seen?
THE POST Who has the best swing
in golf?
HARMON The swing that I like the most,
that if I could imitate it myself or of
anyone, is Jeff Sluman’s swing. It’s very
