The Rules of Golf and the Rules of Amateur Status is published every four years by the governing bodies of golf (R&A/USGA) to define how the game is to be played. The Rules have been published jointly in this manner since 1952, although the code was not completely uniform until 2000 (with mostly minor revisions to Appendix I). The Rules Committee of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) has responsibility for upkeep and application of the rules worldwide except in the United States and Mexico, which are (Click here to read the article in full)

Claude “Butch” Harmon, Jr. (born August 28, 1943) is one of the world’s best known golf instructors. He is the son of 1948 Masters champion Claude Harmon, Sr. and has been in the golf industry since 1965. Harmon briefly attended the University of Houston, and served in the U.S. Army for three years, seeing duty in the Vietnam War (The Pro, by Butch Harmon, 2006). Harmon was a PGA Tour player from 1969 to 1971, with one win to his name on the Tour, the 1971 Broome County Open. He lived in Morocco for several years in the 1970s, serving as the personal instructor to King Hassan II (The Pro, by Butch Harmon, 2006).

Harmon is best known for having been Tiger Woods’ golf coach early in the great champion’s career, though they have since gone their separate ways. In April of 2007, it was announced that Harmon would start working with Phil Mickelson. He has also worked with other major champions such as Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard, and with younger stars such as Adam Scott and Natalie Gulbis. In 2003 he was ranked the top golf teacher in the United States in a poll of his peers organized by Golf Digest magazine, and has repeated as winner of this honour each year since. He runs the Butch Harmon School of Golf at the Rio Secco Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada in the U.S. He also gives golf clinics around the world and appears regularly in the media, including work for Britain’s Sky Sports. Commentating for Sky sports at the 1997 Ryder cup Harmon was asked about the negative press Nick Faldo was receiving from the media in the build up to the event “How can you not like Nick Faldo? He’s one of the greatest golfers of all time and he’s also one hell of a nice guy”.

Butch Harmon was raised in a house on Stratton Road in New Rochelle, New York when his father was the head pro at Winged Foot Golf Club in nearby Mamaroneck. During his childhood, he also lived in south Florida, when his father worked as the winter professional at the Seminole Golf Club. He graduated from Iona Grammar School and then New Rochelle High School. He excelled in all sports and was a star halfback on the 1961 New Rochelle High School football team that compiled a 5-2-1 record.

Harmon’s brothers Craig and Bill are both top golf coaches who have made Golf Digest’s Top 50 teachers list. His other brother Dick, who was also a top golf coach, died in February, 2006, at age 58. Butch Harmon wrote the 2006 book The Pro, describing his life in golf with his father, brothers, friends, and the top players he has coached.

In golf, the yips is a movement disorder known to interfere with putting. The term yips is said to have been popularized by Tommy Armour — a golf champion and later golf teacher — to explain the difficulties that led him to abandon tournament play. In describing the yips, golfers have used terms such as twitches, staggers, jitters and jerks.

The yips affects between one-quarter and one-half of all mature golfers. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that 33 percent to 48 percent of all serious golfers have experienced the yips. Golfers who have played for more than 25 years appear to be most prone to the condition.

Although the exact cause of the yips has yet to be determined, one possibility is that, in some golfers, the condition may result from biochemical changes in the brain that accompany aging. Excessive use of the involved muscles and intense demands of coordination and concentration may make the problem worse. Focal dystonia is mentioned as another possibility for the real cause of yips.

The yips are most commonly associated with putting, and renowned golf coach Hank Haney has written a book specific to the subject in his 2007 “Fix the yips forever”. He is best known as the current coach of world number one player Tiger Woods. Haney goes on to explain in his book that the yips are not restricted to putting but are also a common, although often undiagnosed, problem amongst advanced players for putting as well as chipping yips and full swing yips.

The yips also affects other sports, mainly cricket and tennis, and Australian rules football. Guillermo Coria, tennis player from Argentina, who was number three in the world ranking, appears to suffer yips in his service. Nick Riewoldt, a StKilda AFL player also suffers from the kicking yips. In cricket, bowlers who suffer from yips are those who have trouble releasing the ball at the end of their action, such as bowler Keith Medlycott.

One of the top five golf instructors in the world, Jim McLean has worked for 20 years with top touring professionals such as Ben Crenshaw and Cristie Kerr as well as beginning golfers to improve their skills. The Jim McLean Golf School was created with this in mind to provide a place where amateurs and pros can go to work on their golf skills.

The schools include state-of-the-art practice and instructional facilities. They have become the #1 golf school in the United States. It is also the only place you can learn the Eight Step Swing System. The Jim McLean golf school employs 6 of Golf Digest’s “Top 50 Teachers” in America.

There are currently 6 schools located in the United States: Doral Golf Resort & Spa, PGA West, La Quinta Resort & Club, Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Wigwam Golf Resort and Jim McLean Golf Center. A 7th school is being built at Red Ledges.

Outside of the U.S.
In addition to schools in the U.S., there are also schools in Canada and there will soon be schools in Spain. Currently there is only one school in Candada: Legends on the Niagra. There is no word yet on where the schools will be in Spain.

Curriculum
The schools focus on several things including:

Biodynamics
This is a new addition to the schools and the Jim McLean Golf Schools are the only schools of their kind to offer biodynamics. They hook the golfer up to some electronical devices that will then analyze their golf swing and allow a 3-D analysis by the golf experts at the school. It also offers biofeedback capabilities.

Teaching Lessons
Golfers can train with a Lead Master Instructor in a private lesson or a 3 hour “Train Like the Pros” session.

Club Fitting
Certified fitting professional will examine you and your golf equipment making sure it fits you and making adjustments or recommendations where appropriate.

Past Students
Bill Murray
Ben Crenshaw
Brad Faxon
Christie Kerr
Angel Cabrera

About Jim McLean
Jim is probably best known for his work on The X Factor which became the all-time best-selling video on The Golf Channel and the #1 golf DVD in America.