Butch Harmon has been around the very highest level of the game for more than six decades now.
Harmon has coached some of the greatest golfers ever to have graced the game, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman.
The 83-year-old is one of the most knowledgeable people in the game, and everything he says always carries real weight.
Butch Harmon obviously knows Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson inside out, but he is also a keen follower of emerging talents coming through the ranks on the PGA Tour.
And Harmon has highlighted one thing he believes the PGA Tour needs to do much more of regarding their promotion of the supremely talented batch of youngsters coming through.
Butch Harmon urges PGA Tour to make changes in the absence of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson
While speaking on the No Laying Up Podcast, Harmon was asked to give his opinion on the current state of the game.
“I think we have the best crop of young players we’ve ever had,“ Harmon suggested.
They’re unbelievable. That’s the plus side. The downside for TV is that nobody knows who these players are.
“They’ll turn on the TV, and if some of the stars aren’t up there, and they see these guys 20, 23, under, they go, I don’t know who that is, and they change the channel.
“So I don’t think the PGA Tour does a good enough job of promoting the younger players through special stuff where you can learn about their lives and stuff.
“If you look at young players on the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, the Asian Tour, they’re unbelievable these kids. There are a lot of them, and there are more of them coming.
“So the game is changing completely to what it used to be because the big stars are not there anymore. Tiger’s gone, Phil’s gone. All the other guys are gone. You know, all the ones you grew up with are all on the Champions Tour now.“
Harmon makes a great point. There are so many incredibly talented young players coming through the ranks on the PGA Tour right now.
And the tour really needs to make more of an effort to showcase them. Perhaps a series on The Golf Channel examining the personalities of these players and giving fans a behind the scenes look at their lives would do the trick.
This would enable golf fans to forge more of a connection with the young stars of the modern era and perhaps then the likes of Michael Brennan, Jackson Koivun and co. would become the next true superstars of the game.