Butch Harmon floats bold 9-club idea to tackle golf's distance debate
March 10, 2012 - Doral, Fla, USA - Instructor Butch Harmon during the third round of the World Golf Championship Cadillac Championship on the TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort And Spa on March 10, 2012 in Doral, Fla. ..ZUMA PRESS/ Scott A. Miller. Copyright: xScottxA.xMillerx
March 10, 2012 - Doral, Fla, USA - Instructor Butch Harmon during the third round of the World Golf Championship Cadillac Championship on the TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort And Spa on March 10, 2012 in Doral, Fla. ..ZUMA PRESS/ Scott A. Miller. Copyright: xScottxA.xMillerx
Legendary golf coach Butch Harmon believes the golf world has already missed its chance to solve the distance issue through a golf ball rollback.
The USGA & R&A’s rollback policy has been met with a lot of scrutiny, but Harmon has a different solution in mind. While the governing bodies initially planned to implement the policy in 2028 to address the distance issue through changes to the golf ball, Harmon believes the time for that approach has already passed.
“Unfortunately, I think we passed the time for that to happen. The manufacturers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing these clubs,” said Harmon on The Smylie Show on YouTube.
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Bildnummer: 04560162 Datum: 17.06.2009 Copyright: imago/Icon SMI Fahnen der United States Golf Association (USGA) wehen im Wind - PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY (Icon4390906175446); Vdig, quer, Schriftzug o0 Golfverband US Open 2009, PGA Tour Bethpage / Farmingdale Golf Herren Einzel USA Totale Randmotiv Objekte Image number 04560162 date 17 06 2009 Copyright imago Icon Smi Flags the United States Golf Association USGA blow in Wind PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY Icon4390906175446 Vdig horizontal emblem o0 Golf Association U.S. Open 2009 PGA Tour Bethpage Farmingdale Golf men Singles USA long shot Rand motive Objects
The USGA & R&A recently delayed the implementation of the policy until at least 2030. Now, alternative methods will be welcomed by the governing bodies, and that’s what Harmon provided while speaking to former Masters champion José María Olazábal.
The veteran, alongside the Spaniard, suggested the reduction of clubs from 14 to 9 for professionals on the show.
“You know, I’m thinking to myself, well, I don’t know how we ever got to 14 anyway,” Harmon said on the podcast.
“I don’t know where that came from. Wouldn’t it be great to be a tournament where you could only use nine clubs? And if you got a putter and now you only got eight clubs.”
Olazábal also agreed with the 82-year-old, believing that reducing the number of clubs would create more challenging conditions for players and help address the distance issue.
"And like he [Olazabal] says, 'Oh, you have to hit golf shots. You can't bomb the thing out there and wedge it out of the — you have to play golf.' It would be interesting," he added.
While the governing bodies have not yet provided any updates, it remains to be seen how the distance issue will be addressed.
Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his discontent with the rollback policy.
Trump calls the rollback policy ‘a ridiculous idea’
Trump has never showcased his support for the rollback policy and has often criticized it.
“It was a ridiculous idea, that nobody wanted, especially PGA Tour Players, and people that don’t want to go to a Course to be told that their drives will be going 20 yards shorter. What the USGA should do is agree that, far into the future, they will not allow the current ball to go further,” Trump said, according to a post by @NUCLRGOLF on X.
The USGA & R&A delayed the policy’s implementation after meeting with PGA Tour leadership, DP World Tour leadership, and the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council, but how the governing bodies will ultimately address the distance issue remains to be seen.
What are your thoughts on Harmon’s idea? Share them in the comments.
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Written by
Avishek Sarkar
Edited by
Pulkit Prabhav