“Most people practice putting from around the green from 10 to 25 feet,” says Harlan, a PGA teaching professional for over 15 years. “They might do this for two hours and hit anywhere from 200 to 300 putts. How many do they usually make? Maybe 30, tops. So essentially, they just practiced how to MISS putts for two hours.”

“The only way to improve any part of your game is to learn what success is and how to practice it,” adds Harlan. “This means when you practice, you need to be successful at least 51% percent of the time, for example, learning how to make MORE putts than you miss.” Harlan first asks many of his new students a tough question: out of the last 10,000 putts you may have attempted in either play or practice, how many do you think you’ve made? For many, the answer is less than 10%, so he points out that this is why they’re not getting better, not matter how many putts they hit.

“The next time you go out to practice,” advises Harlan, “count the number of straight shots you hit in a bucket of 100 balls. Or, count how many putts you make out of 100. Once you understand what success is and how to practice it, you will be on the road to MUCH better golf…guaranteed!”

Harlan has worked with players of all abilities over the years, but no matter what level player he’s teaching, he always focuses on the fundamentals first. According to Harlan, the basics are the most important factor when trying to improve; posture, alignment, grip and finish are elements of  the swing you could address continuously with the same student over a long period of time. “Neary every swing flaw can be traced back to set-up or follow-through,” says Harlan, who teaches a method called “A-B golf.” Also referred to as Destination Driven Path, this method follows that if your set-up is aligned and well-balanced, then you can also produce a repeating, well-balanced finish.

While Harlan has met thousands of golfers who understand set-up, back swing and even the actual swing motion, he has known very few who can show him exactly what their finish looks like. “Few people are taught the finish,” says Harlan. “It’s always ‘backswing, back swing, back swing.’ But the finish is like follow-through when you throw. You know your arm has to follow through to a target in order for the ball to go there. Great golfers don’t think about their finish, they think about where they want the ball to go and follow through.”

When Harlan’s out on the course, he attempts every shot as though it were a picture for future use. If he’s struggling, he tries to make good shots so he can refer to those when he’s playing well again. He never quits. “I like Nick Price, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods and Bernard Langer,” says Harlan. “Those guys ‘grind’ when they play – they never give up.” A self-proclaimed ‘grinder,’ Harlan loves to make solid 12-footers for birdie, and he believes the best part of his game is inside 100 yards. Harlan has the most  confidence in his chipping and putting. He’s not bad with a 7-iron, either, from 175 yards on either side of the ball. Harlan once flushed one of a tree root left-handed during the second round of PGA Qualifying School to put himself in position to make the cut.

Winner of over 30 professional events, Harlan has set eight course records, with two of those being 10 under (62). He once shot a 61, but surprisingly, it didn’t beat the course record. From 1991-1993, Harlan competed in PGA Tour Qualifying twice, and he has teed it up for almost every Mini Tour “on the planet.” An avid tennis, basketball and hockey player, Harlan pursued golf because it meant “less stitches.”

“It’s the best overall game on earth,” says Harlan, “both mentally and physically.”

Students of Harlan find him easy to understand and willing to make minimal changes toward meeting their personal goals. Harlan recalls working with one student in particular who had a difficult time learning the game. This student had read all the books and magazines he could find, but still struggled, so he took a series of five lessons from a local instructor. Inside of a week, the student had already worn four different training aids and was given multiple drills. After three weeks, the student had so much in his head that he began to get cold sweats and said he couldn’t move, literally.

In the middle of his fourth lesson, he dropped the club and walked away. He couldn’t even explain to the instructor what was happening – he just walked away and never went back. From time to time, in the next two years, he would visit the range, but found having people look at him while he practiced made him too nervous, and the cold sweats came again. Harlan flew to San Diego to work with the student for five days.

“After spending time with him describing a more natural swing and mental approach to the game, he responded by breaking 90 by the end of the week,” smiles Harlan. “He is now a member of a private club in Los Angeles and enjoys playing three to four times a week. That’s a great feeling!”