News
Butch Harmon bidding farewell to Tour life
Legendary golf instructor Butch Harmon is retiring from tour life according to a report from Golfweek.com
Per the report, sources say Harmon has told his players that he is “done on tour.” The 75-year-old will continue teaching in Las Vegas where he lives with his wife, Christy, but the man who currently coaches the likes of Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, and Gary Woodland will no longer be a regular on Tour with his stable of players.
Harmon will also be scaling back his appearances as an analyst on TV, after working extensively with Sky Sports UK over the last two decades.
The 75-year-old has coached an illustrious group of players throughout his career, including Tiger Woods between 1993 and 2004, Phil Mickelson, for eight years, and Greg Norman, for a period during the ’90s.
Harmon’s son Claude, who coaches Brooks Koepka, also works with Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler.
Butch has of yet not commented publicly on his decision.
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Bettinardi BB1 Wide putter review – Club Junkie Reviews
Bettinardi has long been known as one of the best putter manufacturers in golf. The BB line is considered the company’s flagship. This year, Bettinardi took more input from the tour in order to optimize CG placements and refine the feel in the lineup. To optimize the CG and ensure that the sweet sport is in the correct location, Bettinardi engineers reshaped the shoulders and bumpers on the back of the head for better weight placement. The face also features a brand new Perpetual Flymill milling that enhances feel and feedback as well as gets the ball rolling more consistently. You can check out all of the details on the 2024 Bettinardi BB line of putters in our launch report. For a full review check out the Club Junkie podcast on all platforms or on YouTube below.
I have been using a Bettinardi BB8 Wide for the past two years, both previous generations, and really loved those putters. They were the first blade putters I have actually gamed in well over 10 years, so you know I was excited to see the 2024 BB lineup.
The BB1 Wide jumped out to me immediately, because it is similar to the BB8 Wide, just a little softer and with more rounded edges. Out of the box, the BB1 Wide looks great, and I think the new Black Pearl PVD finish has a slight shine to it that looks a little nicer and more high quality than the matte grey from the last generation. The gloss black stepless shaft and bright blue Lamkin grip are solid editions to the whole package and give the putter a little glitz that doesn’t distract. Finally, Bettinardi updated the BB covers to magnetic closure, and I am way too happy about that!
Out on the green, the BB1 Wide frames the ball well and you can easily see that it has a shorter heel-to-toe measurement than the BB8 Wide. From face to back the putter is wide, but I think the stubbiness of the head makes it look a touch wider than it really is. The look from address also greets you with a softer and more rounded look from the bumpers and overall shape of the head. As you would expect the flange is longer and includes a single site line for alignment. I like this setup as a single, longer, site line tends to be what I line up the best. A thicker topline is slightly rolled for a softer and thinner look that blends in well with the profile of this putter head. If you like the larger mallets that have been trending lately then I think you will enjoy looking down at the BB1 Wide.
On the course and the putting green, the Bettinardi BB1 Wide offers a great soft feel at impact, softer to me than last year’s BB8 Wide. Bettinardi’s Perpetual Fly Mill face has deeper grooves that provide this softer feel while still putting a nice roll on the ball. The greens up here in the north are still long and bumpy, but the BB1 Wide provided as smooth of a roll as it could under the conditions. Some playing partners were dealing with big hops and jumps in the first foot of their putts, but I never had that problem with the BB1 Wide. The initial roll limited the hop and skip more than I expected, and I felt like it started the ball on line very well. Aiming the putter was simple and easy as I had the same single site line on my previous putter.
The sole of the BB1 Wide is a little unique as it has a sound slot that runs the length of the cavity from heel to toe. We don’t see a lot of sound slots on retail putters but they are used to fine-tune the sound of a putter at impact. The use of the sound slot on the BB1 Wide definitely increases the audible sound at impact and gives it a slightly more metallic sound. I was a little worried that the sound would have too much “ting” to it or be offensively loud, but I was impressed that it was much more dialed down. Feel off the face was soft, definitely softer than the previous BB line. Now while that softer face is great, it does reduce a little of the feedback on where you struck the shot. You can tell the misses are there but they are a little softer than you would expect from a fully milled putter.
Forgivness with this putter is pretty good, and it will allow you to get away with less-than-perfect strokes. The amount of mass out on the toe and heel make the putter much more stable than a lot of blades. While it isn’t high mallet MOI stable the putter will show you that shots off the toe or heel will stay online well and come to rest right next to the hole. Distance control is precise and you won’t be stunned by a ball that jumps off the face with too much speed or the opposite. Putts on the putting green from the same spot just consistently toll to the same finish line, if they don’t drop into the cup.
Ultimately, a new finish, face milling, and design keep things fresh and high-performance but in a very classic package. Bettinardi did a great job mixing those things to keep the traditionalist and the gear junkies both happy. While the lineup doesn’t feature a massive amount of head shapes, it nails some core designs and should be a big hit for Bettinardi.
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C
Mar 19, 2019 at 7:56 am
34 likes and 0 shanks on GolfWRX? Wow. Proves he really is a great guy.
john
Mar 20, 2019 at 2:06 am
had to throw a shank in just because…
ND Hickman
Mar 19, 2019 at 7:50 am
Hopefully he still makes an appearance at Augusta for sky … hopefully.
Mike Cleland
Mar 19, 2019 at 7:02 am
Great golf-meister. Got all his tapes & books. Should really be in the Hall of Fame. Will miss seeing you on the tube. Job well done, Mr. Harmon. Thanks for all your help, you are the best.
Jimmy
Mar 19, 2019 at 12:32 am
Job well done. One of the great guys in golf and maybe this world.
Gonna miss you Butch.
Buckle Chuck
Mar 18, 2019 at 11:54 pm
He has the Golden Touch! The Tour will surely miss your guidance and presence. Glad to hear he will still be available in Vegas!
Heck’uva career Butch!!