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| BUTCH HARMON |
ATLANTA - During the Golf Channel's telecast of The Player's Championship there was a segment where famous golf teacher Butch Harmon described a swing flaw of PGA player Dustin Johnson. Butch is a golf instruction guru. I don't keep up with the pro golfers and their statistics all that much. Dustin, I believe, is one of the longest hitters on tour and a rising star, but his clubface is "shut" at the top according to Mr. Harmon. But when asked whether he'd try to correct this flaw he responded "You never take away from what someone does naturally. You try to make it better."
It was an illuminating statement. It is also the exact same thing I have been telling you for the last year and a half. Yes, folks, Butch inadvertently proved me right, or did he? Upon further examination it's obvious that his reference was to a closed clubface while mine is to the over the top swing most golfers have. Would Mr. Harmon concede that swinging over the top qualifies as one of those things that some golfers (most, actually) do naturally and that an instructor should "try to make it better?"
An email to the Butch Harmon Golf School asking whether any of their teachers would be willing to work with a student who wanted to keep his or her over the top swing has produced no response so far. I will write an informative post about it if one is received. Surely someone besides me offers common sense golf lessons.
If you aren't satisfied with the current state of your game, with your current golf swing, why not take Butch's and my advice and build upon your strengths, whatever they are, good or bad? Common sense golf instruction. The thing I did best (or worst, depending on who you talk to) was swing over the top so I built upon it and now I kill the ball. Dustin Johnson built upon a flaw or two and now he kills the ball. Get the correlation? We all have that potential but if you try to do things you see PGA golfers doing on TV (or even some of what pros try to teach), forget it. It's not going to happen.
start killing the ball
5 COMMENTS:
Your posting is a great illustration of how overtaught we are as golfers. I still play a slice and it works pretty well but I'm ordering your instruction video. It sounds like a perfect fit for me.
John Ackerman
If one of Butch's teachers gets back to you to say that they will be happy to teach around an over the top swing I'll eat my carry bag.
Nice to see you giving credit to old Butch. He deserves it.
Seriously, since Tiger hurt himself and has fired Hank Haney, why not ask if he'd like you to coach him, Frankie C? If Over The Top Golf improves him as much as it did me then Jack's majors record is in reach again.
Even though your article promotes Over the Top Golf, I think that Butch Harmon would have to agree with the content.
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