Butch Harmons Playing Lessons

TIGER WOODS TURNS TO HIM FOR ADVICE. SHOULDN'T YOU?

In the knowing eyes of Butch Harmon, every golf course -- every golf hole -- presents a unique challenge that is different for every golfer. For some, with no fear of sand and power to burn, the course is a castle to be stormed, a hurdle to soar over on the way to glory. For others, the course is a minefield, to be tiptoed through with caution and care. The questions posed by every hole are, Who are you today? And how will you meet my challenges?

For most amateurs, course management is the most overlooked part of becoming a golfer. They think it's a subject only for the great players, and that their own energy and effort should be directed toward improving their swings -- that strategy can wait. But it's the average golfers who will benefit most from learning how to play the course, because they're the ones who pay most heavily for their mistakes; pros get into less trouble, and they recover from it better when they do.

The best route to learning course management is a playing lesson with a great golf pro. And now, for the first time, one of the world's greatest teachers has put a playing lesson in book form. Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons takes three golfers on three different levels of the game -- a low-, a mid-, and a high-handicapper -- out onto the golf course of their dreams, and walks them through all the elements of how to approach playing each hole. Using eighteen of the greatest holes from the finest American courses, public and private, Harmon shows each player how to think about the setup of the hole from the vantage of the tee, picking up clues from the terrain to guide you to proper club selection and choice landing area. He shows how to pick a target that minimizes the damage from a poor shot, and gives techniques for getting out of trouble as expeditiously as possible. (He also recommends drills that will correct the fault that got you into trouble in the first place.) And he carries this approach through all the way to the hole, with advice on the all-important short game and tips to make you a better and smarter putter.

In his decades of experience as a teaching professional, Harmon has worked with the full range of golfers, from the weekend player hoping to break 100 for the first time to his most famous pupil, Tiger Woods. He's seen every mistake there is to make, and he's helped thousands of golfers correct those mistakes and have fun doing it. He believes that course management is one of the four cornerstones of winning golf -- every bit as important as the swing, the short game, and your physical condition. Moreover, good course management is the fastest route to improving your score, because you don't have to make any big physical changes to try it. You just have to get used to playing smart and playing golf according to your game, not your partner's, your friend's -- or Tiger Woods's.

For every golfer, no matter their level, Butch Harmon's Playing Lessons is a fun book to read, a great tour of some of the country's finest courses, and the fastest route to lowering your score. Short of having Butch walk the course with you every time out, it's your best ticket to being a better, smarter, and happier golfer.

I don't think the scores his imaginary players shot are very realistic either. As someone who can relate to the "A" player, even 8 handicaps can hit some VERY bad shots. Their 8 handicap is usually a display of ability to recover from bad shots, and a better shortgame than the average player. But for an 8 to shoot a 76 on the hall of fame course that he designed is pretty far fetched. That's only +4, and probably about 5 shots better than the player's handicap. For the player to do that, the odds are VERY low (see USGA website for info on odds for a player to shoot a certain score).

That said, I do think his decision making is something everybody needs to learn. I DO think he loose credibility when he suggests to one player to plumb bob to get the line of a putt, though! I can't believe Harmon actually believes in plumb-bobbing!


"Reading" a round of golf   May 23, 2004
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

In this volume, you are taken through 18 holes selected form courses across the US. Some are wildly famous, like the 12th at Augusta National, others are more likely to be known by long-time golf fans. The field is made up of 3 "types" of golfers, all ametures: a low, mid, and high handicapper. The rounds are played out, seeming from the imagination of the author, who has no doubt seen people play these or similar holes in precicely the fashion he describes. He offers advice, which the players choose to heed or ignore, either to their benifit or disaster.

The book, once read, shows itself to being a collection of common and a few not so common faults that different levels of golfers are prone to make. They are made easier to read and study through the format of a round at a variety of courses in several situations (windy, wet, calm, etc.).

Where the color photos of the courses and illustrations of how the ball progressed across the holes makes the book visually appealing, and where it does offer a great deal in terms of instruction and practical playing advice, it would have helped to have illustrations or photos of what people did wrong with their swings, etc., at times. Remebering how to do it the right way and not thinking about what went wrong is probably the right attitude to have entry level players follow, but if this book was meant for more advanced players as well, it leaves a bit to be desired.

Another unfortunate impression the book leaves is the idea that there is only one way for each person to play a particular hole, and that way is the one the author suggests. This book being his world, I suppose this is to be expected. However, a few more options per hole would have made for more interesting reading.


junk   July 29, 2001
 5 out of 30 found this review helpful

the most useless piece of junk i have ever wasted my money on!


Playing Lesson from Tiger's Coach   January 30, 2001
 4 out of 7 found this review helpful

Harmon takes eighteen of golf's best holes and then proceeds to play them from the reference point of the mind of three levels of player --- A shot a 76, B a 84 and C a 89. He replays their shots and gives suggestions on what they might have did differently.

Only way likely most of us will play these holes. Excellent advice given by one of the best. This with Watson's "Strategic Golf" are the two best in this neglected category.


The best course management book out there   January 8, 2001
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

When I first started golfing I didn't realize how important course management was. I was really just interested in hitting the ball far and straight. And to be honest, that is what a beginner should concentrate on. But after hitting that first plateau, this book was really a breakthrough. Not only does it teach you how to manage a course to lower your score, it adds a very intriguing dynamic to the game itself. It is much like watching a football game without knowing the rules and strategies - laborious and dull. But once you know the rules and the intricate strategies developed to acheive your best score, you are infinitely more pleased with what you see.

Though I love that we get a guided tour of America's most storied golf holes, the fact that Harmon read my mind half of the time is what impressed me most. He lays out three separate strategies for three different levels of players. It is astonishing how he contrasts the different thought patterns of the lower v. higher handicappers. There are times where he makes high handicappers feel like idiots, but if you want to get better, hearing the truth about your game is the best way. I recommend this book very highly for all those tired of "reading" golf books with nothing but pictures and tips in them. While Butch does give a few tips, it is his golf mentality that is so fresh. And while the book is graphically impeccable, it isn't overcrowded with a bunch of confusing graphics and diagrams. Not your run-of-the-mill golf instruction book.