ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 7, 2021) – Bill Harmon possesses a treasure trove of golf instruction knowledge that has made the Harmon family kings among golf instruction royalty. On Tuesday, Dec. 7, he’ll start sharing that wealth inside a new original series, titled Golf’s Top Instructors, streaming exclusively on GolfPass.
Bill Harmon is the youngest son of Claude Harmon Sr., the only club pro to ever win the Masters and swing coach to major champions, including Jackie Burke Jr. and Dave Marr. And as a friend and frequent playing partner with the likes of Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, the elder Harmon also traded his share of swing tips from golfing legends over the years. Bill’s brothers Butch, Craig and Dick also found success of their own in teaching, and Bill forged a similar career as both a swing coach and professional caddy on the PGA Tour. He has been the Director of Instruction at Toscana Country Club in Palm Springs, Calif., for the past 19 years.
Golf’s Top Instructors was conceived as a show franchise designed to tap into the wealth of knowledge from some of the best instructors in the game – past and present. This premiere season sets itself apart from typical instruction fare through the captivating stories Harmon connects to his instruction, which prove to be just as powerful as his swing tips. He doles out sage advice drawn from his father’s lessons, his days caddying on Tour, his brothers and from a host of players with whom he has worked or played over the years.
A humorous element offered by producers of the series are the “Bill-o-sophy” features, which are sprinkled throughout and signal a piece of must-hear advice recounted from a life spent around the game.
The series will be presented in three parts – all available for streaming on Tuesday – focusing on the stages of Harmon’s life that influenced him the most. He’ll recount days as a boy hanging out while his father taught the future titans of the game; times with his brothers as they all learned the nuances of instruction and the golf swing; and his experiences as a caddy on Tour, including all the interactions he had with the touring professionals.
“To be a good teacher, you have to have a desire to help another human. You have it or you don’t,” Harmon said. “The Harmon brothers have a love for teaching.”
Having grown up before the advent of technology, Harmon said the ball in the air became his teacher and he relied on the fundamentals of grip, stance, and ball position to serve as foundations for sound instruction. He says it may sound “old school,” but the results speak for themselves and cross generations. “Impact is all that matters,” he said.
Chris Como, a prominent instructor in his own right and a true student of the game, serves as series host. Como also hosts his own popular instruction series on GolfPass, including Build a Better Game, Swing Expedition, and Como Concepts. Top Instructors was produced on location at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Fla.
GOLFPASS HELPS GOLFERS PLAY MORE AND BETTER GOLF: GolfPass is designed for today’s golfer and is the only digital golf membership that delivers exclusive content and comprehensive benefits designed to help every type of golfer – from beginner to expert – play more and better golf. Developed in partnership between global golf superstar Rory McIlroy and NBC Sports Next, GolfPass is a first-of-its-kind, direct-to-consumer subscription program, which offers opportunities to play more golf, comprehensive tools to improve any golfer’s game and high-quality video content. Members can learn from some of the game’s top instructors, including Chris Como, Martin Hall and Devan Bonebrake. Original Golfpass series are featured within the vast library of video content available exclusively as part of a GolfPass membership, which also includes The Conor Moore Show, My Roots, Breaking into the Game: Juniors with Michael Bannon, My Daily Routine, and more. Members also have access to a vast library covering over 20 years of GOLF Channel programming. A GolfPass membership is available in North America at GolfPass.com, in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland at GolfPass.co.uk, and in Australia at www.GolfPass.com.au. The GolfPass membership also is available via connected TV, iOS and Android apps.
-NBC Sports Next-
Dan Higgins
NBC Sports Next
Dan.Higgins@nbcuni.com
407-496-8107