Butch Harmon: John O'Sullivan meets the guru of teaching - theman who helped Tiger hone his skills

Perched behind a small desk, a glass of lager half-drained, Butch Harmon appears smaller, television suggesting a bigger frame. His handshake is firm, the greeting warm as he settles back, the social chitchat condensed into a 30 second inquiry as to how debilitating his flight from the United States was. He's chipper after taking a sleeping pill to ease the rigours of travel.

Harmon, coach to Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke, Adam Scott, Fred Couples, Mark Calcavecchia amongst others, has journeyed to Celtic Manor, near Newport in Wales, home of the 2010 Ryder Cup, to take part in a coaching seminar. Selected professionals from Ireland and Britain, including former Golfing Union of Ireland national coach Howard Bennett join Butch and his brothers, Dick and Bill, successful tutors in their own right, through the auspices of Red Bull, the financial underwriters for the week.

Later in the day when the written media has been satisfied, a BBC camera crew arrives, their specific request to capture Butch Harmon giving a putting lesson to his would-be interviewer.

The young BBC reporter grabs the putter, half strangles it trying not to appear nervous as Harmon looks on. The American makes a few adjustments to grip and stance. The crew are now ready, so too Harmon having slipped on his mike. Once the cameras are rolling Harmon's transformation is appreciable, laughing, joking, handshakes and putting his arm around his newest 'pupil.'

The segment having been filmed, Harmon disengages from the mike and retreats to the clubhouse within seconds. It's a cameo that captures his professionalism. He knows the value of good publicity.

His ability to fully appreciate his current status comes from a time, 20 years ago or so, when as a young professional he didn't have the temperament to match his ability. The eldest of six children to E Claude Harmon, club golf professional (Winged Foot and Seminole) and winner of the 1948 US Masters, and Alice, E Claude Harmon Jnr, or Butch as he became known proved a hot-headed youngster.

Butch served in Vietnam, something which he'll not talk about and then tried to make it first as a tour and then as a club pro, with limited success. Twenty years ago he was broke, living on his brother Dick's couch, driving tractors on Texas golf courses under construction.

Over the next decade he was a tractor driver, a club pro at a rough-and-tumble Texas municipal course where he ran the buggies, worked the snack bar, sold golf balls and did trick-shot exhibitions. Finally, at the end of the decade, he became the director of golf at Lochinvar, a well heeled club in Houston.

He demonstrated character in arresting his spiralling fortunes, receiving his gilt edged invitation to golf's elite when taking over as coach to Davis Love in 1991. Soon Greg Norman knocked on the door and the Australian would go on to became the world number one golfer. In 1993 a 17-year-old Tiger Woods was next to seek his expertise. Others have come and gone, notably Norman after a row in 1996, but Woods despite a diminished role for Harmon - the world number one no longer needs the same level of molly coddling feeding to demystify his swing - is still a pupil. So too Ireland's Darren Clarke, restored to Harmon's critical gaze after a few years apart.

Harmon is effusive in his praise of Clarke's new attitude and willingness to embrace his coach's doctrine in trying to deliver consistently on his great natural ability.

"Darren is a great student. He had to have a year like he did last year in my view, when he hit rock bottom as far as his capabilities are concerned. Certainly in relation to how good he really is and how poorly he was performing.

"He realised he needed to make some changes and was willing to spend the time and work hard to make the changes. I think we're now seeing the results of the changes he's made.

"He can be top five in the world. God gave him the talent and ability to do it and now he has the desire to do it. I'm not sure he had the desire in the past. Everything came very easy for Darren, he was a good player, made a lot of money, had a nice life but didn't work as hard as he probably should have.

"Now Darren is working extremely hard. He wants to get in that winner's circle, he wants to win a major championship. He has all the tools to do it and I see no reason why he shouldn't."

When asked as to which is the ethic more cherished by golf coaches, natural ability or fierce desire and commitment to hard work, Harmon draws on an Irish analogy, using Clarke and Padraig Harrington to illustrate his thoughts.

"Darren has a tremendous amount of natural ability. Padraig Harrington is an over achiever, he doesn't have that natural ability. He's had to work his tail off to get where he is. Clarkey on the other hand didn't have to work as hard. Darren realises that to get the level he should be and one that I see for him, which is to be one of the best players in the world he'll have to work his tail off. He's got to work on his golf game, work on his physical fitness, work on the mental side of his game.

"You've got a good parallel in those two kids. Padraig is really an over achiever when you look at his natural ability; beating balls and beating balls. Bob Torrance has done a great job with him getting his golf swing better and better."

Harmon saw a silver lining in Clarke's performance at the US Masters. "Obviously he was playing the best he's ever played in his life going in and he proved that in the first round in shooting a 66 that could have been a 62 or 63. I think the endurance factor got to him because he's not as physically strong as he should be. "

Golf tuition, a bond between coach and player formed in adversity, while initially strong can prove brittle when the cheques dry up. So what makes a good coach and one that will last among the notoriously fickle tour professionals.

Harmon suggests: "You have to have a lot of patience, a good eye. By that I mean you have to be able to see a lot of things at the one time, be willing to change with times and I think you have to keep learning.

"I read just about every book that comes out; I watch the videos. I like to go to seminars to listen to other teachers, whether I agree with them or not. If you learn one thing that makes you better than you were when you walked in the door, it's brilliant."

So what does he look for in his charges: "A person that's open minded, has a desire to improve and is willing to change, realising that takes time. Sometimes you regress a little before you go forward and a student has to understand that.

"You have to know the individual, his capabilities and what he's willing to do. I have on occasion told people they're wasting their time and they're wasting my time and they're both precious.

"We might as well just cease to do this. I'm going to give you 150 per cent of my effort and I expect you to give me that. It's the one thing that I demand from the tour player especially. If they're not going to work hard then I'm wasting my time."

Given his high profile clients the assumption is that Harmon spends most of his time globe trotting with his professional charges an incorrect assertion.

He devotes 75 per cent of his time to his teaching school based at the Rio Secco GC in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Being a little part of seeing people get better is the reward any teacher or professor at college has.

"To see your students improve is what makes it all worthwhile. Then they pay us (about $600 per hour and no shortage of takers) on top of that so it gets even better," he laughs.

One final question. Physician heal thyself, how's your golf game. "I enjoy it. I have no chance to practice and I don't play competitions, just the joy of hitting good shots. I very seldom if ever keep score; couldn't even tell you what I shoot.

"I just try and hit the right shot for the right situation, occasionally pull it off and that's the fun I have." A smile, a handshake and a quick sip before his next assignment.

Name: E Claude Harmon Jnr (Butch).

Age: 60.

Married: Three times, twice to Lil. All three have ended in divorce.

Children: Two. His son E Claude Harmon (CH) works with him at the academy .

Family: Parents, E Claude and Alice Harmon, both deceased; brothers Dick, Craig and Bill; sisters, Claudia and Allyson.

Teaching Academy: The Butch Harmon School of Golf, Rio Secco GC, Las Vegas, Neveda.

Current coaching stable includes: Tiger Woods (pictured left), Darren Clarke, Fred Couples, Adam Scott.

Famous Past students: Davis Love, Greg Norman.

Cost of a lesson at his academy: About $600 per hour.