A LIVING LEGEND

Whenever Ben Hogan’s schedule allowed it, he would visit Winged Foot Golf Club in New York to play 18 with his old friend Claude Harmon, who was club pro there from 1945 until 1978.

Harmon’s oldest son, Butch, would often carry his dad’s bag for these friendly games with Hogan, or with the other tour stars who would often stop by: Sam Snead, Jimmy Demaret and Craig Wood, while the great Tommy Armour was a Winged Foot member.

This was how Butch Harmon and his three younger brothers, Craig, Bill and Dick, grew up – watching, listening to and learning from America’s finest golfers up close. Unsurprisingly, all four brothers would become PGA professionals.

“He said, ‘Get on up here. You didn’t make me miss that putt, it was my fault!’”

“I really learned the game by caddying for my dad in the summertime, every day from the age of around 13,” starts Butch, now 77.

“The 8th hole on the West course at Winged Foot was a long par 4, dogleg to the right. Mr Hogan once hit his tee shot into the rough, and I watched as he took his 4-wood, opened