Butch Harmon: PGA Tour needs "its own rules" on golf balls

Tiger Woods' former golf coach Butch Harmon believes golf ball technology should change on the PGA Tour and European Tour with the world's best golfers having "its own rules."

Harmon, who was speaking to his son and Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson's golf coach Claude Harmon III on Instagram this week, considers golf to be the only sport where the professional players are governed by amateur rules.

"It’s the only sport in the world other than bowling – which I don’t count as sport; that’s just an excuse to drink beer – that you bring your own ball to the competition," said Harmon. 

"Every other sport, the ball is provided for you.

"I think technology should be for the average player and not the Tour player. I think the Tour should have its own rules."

Harmon's thoughts come off the back of a recent Distance Insights Project that was released by golf's governing bodies, the USGA and R&A, in February that revealed "continuing increases in overall hitting distances will not make golf a better game as whole."

However, they did claim they do not want bifurcation - the idea of pros playing with a different set of rules governing their equipment. 

Harmon, who has also worked with the likes of Rickie Fowler in the past, feels a one-ball rule on the PGA Tour and European Tour is what is required to stop players from making "some great courses obsolete."

"Technology should be for the guys at the country clubs," said Harmon. "They’re the ones that need the help."

He added: "I would love to see the PGA Tour, the European Tour come up with their own set of rules. They could change the length of the club; they could change the velocity the ball comes off.

"If you went to the one-ball rule, the longest hitters are still going to be the longest hitters. They’re still going to be the best players."