Brandt Snedeker Gets New Instructor: Butch Harmon

[mvmac]

Good move for Snedeker?

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/snedeker-joins-harmons-stable-ahead-british-open/

Quote:

Butch Harmon is expanding his staff of PGA Tour players, adding 2012 FedEx Cupchampion Brandt Snedeker to a group that already includes Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Jimmy Walker.

Snedeker – who has worked with Sea Island (Ga.) Resort-based Todd Anderson since joining the PGA Tour in 2007 – met with Harmon the week before the U.S. Open where he tied for ninth, and flew out to Las Vegas on Tuesday to solidify his relationship with the legendary swing coach.

“I feel like I’ve been with one of the top two or three teachers in the world the last eight years and now I feel I am transitioning to one of the top teachers of all time,” Brandt Snedeker said.

“Now my main goal is to win major championships and over the past year my game has plateaued and I want to make sure I give myself the best chance to win a major going forward.”

Harmon said Snedeker called him about 10 days ago to ask if the two could work together permanently and after running it by the other members of his stable Harmon said it was an easy decision.

“You know me I don’t make overhauls, but he had gotten into some bad habits and I just showed him the way we could fix it,” Harmon said. “The big work as far as the changes is there. We did some work today on his ball flight going into the British and he took to it very easily.”

Over the last year, Snedeker’s ballstriking had fallen off and he’d slipped to 125th on Tour in that category and his greens-in-regulation ranking had also fallen from 79th last year to 134th in 2014.

Before meeting with Harmon prior to the U.S. Open, Snedeker talked to Anderson, whose Tour clients include Billy Horschel, and the six-time Tour winner said it was a difficult decision to ultimately split with his longtime instructor.

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Todd and his family. They have always been behind me and I am very grateful for everything he has done for me,” Snedeker said.

[isukgolf]

I think it is ... Sometimes just a different perspective helps ... Butch has a good resume .... Time will tell ... Proof will be on the course ...

[boogielicious]

Good move for Snedeker?

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/snedeker-joins-harmons-stable-ahead-british-open/

When will Todd Anderson be writing his "tell all" book about Brandt?  Oh wait, that's Haney who does that.

[3putter]

When will Todd Anderson be writing his "tell all" book about Brandt?  Oh wait, that's Haney who does that.

Haha!

[Infamous 273]

He had to do something. I can't believe he's fallen to 33rd in the OWGR - way too much talent to be that low.

[phan52]

Snedeker was never one of the leaders in distance, driving accuracy or GIR and he never will be. But when he led the tour in putting he was ranked in the top five in the world. Maybe his answers lie there.

[iacas]

Snedeker was never one of the leaders in distance, driving accuracy or GIR and he never will be. But when he led the tour in putting he was ranked in the top five in the world. Maybe his answers lie there.

If I'm reading you correctly, that's precisely backward.

Assuming everything you said is true (I think it is, so that's good)… you can't rely on being a top-five player in a category year in and year out, especially something as fickle as putting. The answer is to improve his driving and GIR (his full swing).

[phan52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phan52

Snedeker was never one of the leaders in distance, driving accuracy or GIR and he never will be. But when he led the tour in putting he was ranked in the top five in the world. Maybe his answers lie there.

Originally Posted by iacas

If I'm reading you correctly, that's precisely backward.

Assuming everything you said is true (I think it is, so that's good)… you can't rely on being a top-five player in a category year in and year out, especially something as fickle as putting. The answer is to improve his driving and GIR (his full swing).

Snedeker has a distinct putting style that served him well for a while. I haven't seen enough of him lately to see if he has changed anything but I don't know that being a good putter is "fickle". He was a pretty consistent putter for about 3-4 years and that has dropped off lately (the rankings say so), so I think it would follow that his problem in staying near the top of the World Rankings is his putting. That is not to say that he shouldn't work on the full swing, and he can't be working with anyone better, IMO.

[iacas]

Snedeker has a distinct putting style that served him well for a while. I haven't seen enough of him lately to see if he has changed anything but I don't know that being a good putter is "fickle". He was a pretty consistent putter for about 3-4 years and that has dropped off lately (the rankings say so), so I think it would follow that his problem in staying near the top of the World Rankings is his putting. That is not to say that he shouldn't work on the full swing, and he can't be working with anyone better, IMO.

Putting is fickle.

Graeme McDowell leads in strokes gained putting this year.

Last year he was 71st.

The year before he was 160th.

The top three in 2012 were Brandt, Luke, and Jonas Blixt.

None were in the top three in 2013 and Jonas Blixt went from 2 to 41.

This year Brandt is 21 and Blixt is 60th.

You don't have to be a great putter to play on the PGA Tour. They're on the tour for their ball striking. Brandt should improve his ball striking - it's far more important than his putting. So long as you're not a TERRIBLE putter (Boo Weekley), you can get by on the PGA Tour on ballstriking.

These aren't really opinions. Lots of facts in all of this…

[phan52]

Putting is fickle.

Graeme McDowell leads in strokes gained putting this year.

Last year he was 71st.

The year before he was 160th.

The top three in 2012 were Brandt, Luke, and Jonas Blixt.

None were in the top three in 2013 and Jonas Blixt went from 2 to 41.

This year Brandt is 21 and Blixt is 60th.

You don't have to be a great putter to play on the PGA Tour. They're on the tour for their ball striking. Brandt should improve his ball striking - it's far more important than his putting. So long as you're not a TERRIBLE putter (Boo Weekley), you can get by on the PGA Tour on ballstriking.

These aren't really opinions. Lots of facts in all of this…

Well, Brandt has never been anywhere near the top in ball striking stats but, when he was one of the leaders in strokes-gained-putting, he wasn't just getting by. He was ranked in the top ten WGR, won the FedEx Cup and was one of the leading money winners on tour. Anomaly? Maybe, but that's not an opinion, that is a fact.

[iacas]

Well, Brandt has never been anywhere near the top in ball striking stats but, when he was one of the leaders in strokes-gained-putting, he wasn't just getting by. He was ranked in the top ten WGR, won the FedEx Cup and was one of the leading money winners on tour. Anomaly? Maybe, but that's not an opinion, that is a fact.

Also a fact: the idea that you can't rely on consistently being one of the best putters on the PGA Tour. Or to put it another way: trying to rely so heavily on your putting is a great way to struggle on the PGA Tour.

PGA Tour players are there because they're great ballstrikers.

[Abu3baid]

I have a feeling he didn't change his coach to work on putting either.. It most Likely has to do with his ball striking.. Not sure anyone will argue that!

[phan52]

I have a feeling he didn't change his coach to work on putting either.. It most Likely has to do with his ball striking.. Not sure anyone will argue that!

And he is trying to improve it by working with one of the best in the game, as he should. But he was in the top ten of the WGR when he led the Tour in strokes gained putting. He has fallen off that pinnacle as his putting fell off. His ball-striking stats are about the same, but his strokes gained putting is his worst since 2008 and now he is out of the top 30 in the WGR.

[Phil McGleno]

:doh: [quote name="phan52" url="/t/75696/brandt-snedeker-gets-new-instructor-butch-harmon#post_1020201"] And he is trying to improve it by working with one of the best in the game, as he should. But he was in the top ten of the WGR when he led the Tour in strokes gained putting. He has fallen off that pinnacle as his putting fell off. His ball-striking stats are about the same, but his strokes gained putting is his worst since 2008 and now he is out of the top 30 in the WGR. [/quote]

[Abu3baid]

[QUOTE name="Abu3baid" url="/t/75696/brandt-snedeker-gets-new-instructor-butch-harmon#post_1020121"] I have a feeling he didn't change his coach to work on putting either.. It most Likely has to do with his ball striking .. Not sure anyone will argue that![/QUOTE] And he is trying to improve it by working with one of the best in the game, as he should. But he was in the top ten of the WGR when he led the Tour in strokes gained putting. He has fallen off that pinnacle as his putting fell off. His ball-striking stats are about the same, but his strokes gained putting is his worst since 2008 and now he is out of the top 30 in the WGR.

That is a very interesting statistic! It will be interesting to see how his numbers improve as his ball striking does? If it does that is! Also, in the mean time his putting could come back at any moment and we can see that impact as well! One thing for sure is that he is probably on the upper end of putters on the PGA.

[jbishop15]

Is Butch Harmon any good? I mean, I know he's had an impressive stable of students but in terms of teaching ideas he seems a little dated.

[Hammer 4]

Is Butch Harmon any good? I mean, I know he's had an impressive stable of students but in terms of teaching ideas he seems a little dated.

Since Butch has been working with Ricky Fowler he's been doing Much better. I think he tied for 8th at the Scottish open, and previous tourney's he's done pretty well. So yeah, I'd say Butch is good at what he does.

[jbishop15]

Since Butch has been working with Ricky Fowler he's been doing Much better. I think he tied for 8th at the Scottish open, and previous tourney's he's done pretty well. So yeah, I'd say Butch is good at what he does.

I guess. I'm pretty sure that Butch teaches off the old ball flight laws and if I'm correct, that seems like a really big impediment for his students to get over.