Amazon.co.uk Review
The second in Butch Harmon's
Ultimate Golf series sees the man who's shaping the swing of Tiger Woods offer a few pointers on attaining the handicap golfer's dream--more power--and how to avoid a nightmare, with a refresher on the basics of course management. "We'd all like to be Tiger Woods," says Butch. But the key to his power fundamentals is to accept your physical limits and swing to 80 per cent. Hardly ground-breaking stuff, and if you're looking for the "secret" to 300-plus-yard drives, you won't find it here. Butch re-asserts the basics of "railroad" alignment, suggests you get "wide" on your turn, and short of running through set-up refinements for the long clubs in your bag, that's about it.
The course management section consists of Butch playing a hole with his son, analysing the mistakes they make, and offering tips on playing from difficult lies in the (US) rough or sand. The message is to focus on an honest understanding of your own abilities, and play accordingly. Rank beginners are going to feel they've missed a lesson or two; low handicappers will have heard this all before, but those in the 16-24 handicap group could find a couple of useful "game-thoughts" here. The programme comes in at just over an hour long--including some "my life in golf" filler--and the "lessons" could be reduced to a couple of minutes, but that would miss the point. Yes, Butch's charm carries some pretty thin material here, his less-is-more teaching philosophy translating less successfully than in Secrets of the Short Game, but this is a slick, watchable production, which does succeed in getting workable ideas across in an engaging way. --Alex Hankin
Synopsis
Coach to the golf majors, Butch Harmon, reveals his tips and techniques for success. Features hints on improving power play and managing the game.
