Following up from another interesting Instagram live interview with Claude Harmon and ex Dubai golf coach sensation Justin Parsons, the two discussed life as a successful golf coach from working with average joes to the best players the game has to offer…
“There’s a great art to taking someone from a point where they don’t know what a golf club is to getting them to hit it into the air.” – said Parsons.
FEATURE: Justin Parsons and Jamie McConnell reflect on time at Butch Harmon
The pair set up the Claude Harmon Academy in Dubai when Claude reached out to Justin in the summer of 2008. The Academy has proved to be a success over the past 12 years – but it wasn’t all fun and games when they first started in the coaching industry.
“I spent years teaching people that didn’t know how to play golf and people who had never seen a golf club,” said Harmon. “Beginners who couldn’t get the ball air born – I’ve just reached 50 years old and this is finally the icing on the cake.
“I’m now working with Brooks Koepka who has been World No.1 and Dustin Johnson who was also World No.1.”
Claude, who grew up coaching underneath his father Butch Harmon, came up with an analogy on what he believes a golf coach on Tour’s lifestyle is similar to.
“I’m like a stand-up comedian,” he said. “If you look at guys like Jerry Seinfield and all of the comedians, the majority of them are still on tour, even if they’re on sitcoms or romantic comedies doing big movies. Look at Kevin Heart, still doing movies with The Rock, he’s travelling on tour doing comedy because that’s what he does – he’s a stand-up comedian.”
“The Tour is a big budget romantic comedy that I got a role in as a comedian, with some hot actress and I’m supposed to make it funny.”
“I play the comedian and when I’m not on tour I get off a plane on a Sunday night or Wednesday night and my wife will complain that I get up at 6am, take a shower and teach for 8 hours of a day.”
