Butch Harmon has put together a two-DVD instructional set. (Courtesy of Butch Harmon-About Golf)

Butch Harmon's new golf instruction DVDs: Not an end-all, but a pretty fair guide

By Mike Bailey,
Senior Staff Writer

One of the keys to Butch Harmon's tremendous success as a teacher is that he's always been able to tailor his teaching methods individually to his immensely talented students. And he's learned from them as well.

Unfortunately, Harmon can't give you feedback, but his instruction and tips can provide a solid foundation for anyone trying to learn the game or get better. After all, Harmon knows his stuff, thanks to a lifetime of experience around the very best in the game.

This comprehensive golf instructional two-DVD set, titled "Butch Harmon About Golf presented by Titleist," features 57 chapters containing more than 250 specific tips, totaling more than four hours of consecutive years. He covers everything from setup to full swing to short game, then addresses faults and cures. There's really no stone unturned in this instructional set.

"I have worked with some of the greatest players in golf, and I am proud of the success they have had while working with me. However, I created this DVD for the thousands of golfers that I will never have a chance to try and help," Harmon said. "This is my legacy to the high school golfer trying to make the team, the golfer trying to win his Saturday Nassau, or the lady golfer taking up the game."

Butch Harmon About Golf presented by Titleist: The breakdown

As you might expect from an instructional DVD package that costs $79.95, production quality is very high. While there isn't a lot of flash, the camera work combined with audio is well done; Harmon's instruction is communicated clearly.

The two DVDs are broken down into six sections, and it's very well organized. Need a refresher on bunker play? Just go to Section 5 on the first DVD and Harmon has it covered. Need help with putting? Check out Section 6 on DVD 2 and so forth.

There's also a section that covers all the players Harmon has worked with, and the list is impressive. There was Tiger Woods, of course, as well as Greg Norman, but it also includes Natalie Gulbis, Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Fred Couples, Nick Watney, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson.

He also talks about observing elite players on the range and practice greens, picking their brains about how they hit certain shots. For example, he shares a pitching tip from Angel Cabrera that makes a lot of sense.

There's also a section on choosing the right equipment, fitness and kids, women and seniors.

One of the best features of this package is the 18-page companion booklet, sort of a Cliff Notes version of the series that you can put in your golf bag. It's great for review or for finding a particular section to review.

Butch Harmon About Golf presented by Titleist: The verdict

Supposedly, Norman learned to play golf by reading Jack Nicklaus' "Golf My Way." Larry Nelson picked up the game in his early 20s by following Ben Hogan's "Five Fundamentals." Those are the exceptions -- most people need supervised instruction because, quite frankly, we can't see ourselves. And even if we could, most of us really don't know what we're doing.

The bottom line is that live lessons from a good teacher are always better.

But if you're going to learn to play or improve your game on your own, Harmon's About Golf is about as good as it gets. Harmon comes from golf's first family of instruction. His father, Claude, was the 1948 Masters champion, and his brothers are also nationally renowned teachers. Since his early experience with Norman, Harmon has worked with more than 100 PGA, LPGA, and European Tour players, including 21 major winners.

The "Butch Harmon About Golf presented by Titleist" DVD set is available at www.butchharmondvd.com.

April 24, 2012

Mike Bailey is a senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. Before accepting his current position in 2008, he was on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.