FORE! Team Flo at the Butch Harmon Floridian
Coach Ryan Crysler observes TeamFLO practicing on the range at Harmon Floridian within Floridian National Golf Club
An elite training facility and development program is precisely what you'll find at TeamFLO. Its home is the Butch Harmon Floridian, the practice and training facility at The Floridian National Golf Club. Its mission is an ambitious one that's not easy to master: develop and train golf athletes.
Golf—and especially teaching it—is full of chaos. You're playing on uneven terrain with infinite swing characteristics, incomparable human bodies, and a universe of complex emotions at every given millisecond. The idea of coaching someone else on how to do it might have your head spinning. And of course, you know the feeling if you've ever tried to figure out the game in your own ever-evolving body and mind.
Ryan Crysler, who runs the day-to-day program as the Game Coordinator, works with a mix of philosophies and strategies to simplify the game from the ground up. You won't find TeamFLO shouting loud on the internet or trying to funnel-hack their way into your brain. They stand on a trusted foundation—a quiet and professional reputation built on developing athletes with the experience they've accumulated over the years.
The coaching team is made up of a collective of the game's top development advisors. Claude Harmon III (son of Butch) is the Head Coach, whose teachings have contributed to 8 Major Championships, over 66 top tour wins, and a whole heap of college golf scholarships. TeamFLO athletes are chosen and discovered by the coaches, then set forth on a process of perpetual learning and skills tested under pressure as they uncover their potential in the game.
Josh Littel of TeamFLO focuses on the long-term development and athletics—the fitness aspect of the game. Influenced by systems like TPI and working in tandem with the TeamFLO team, he understands what it takes to get people on the right path of mobility to build an efficient golf swing.
For the players who arrive here, golf is a personal journey, but it's also about team spirit—working, pushing, competing, and inspiring each other's game to their limits.
I've had the joy of visiting this facility on a handful of occasions over the past few years, capturing what they do. Mainly I'm there with a camera (and a flying one) practicing those kinds of shots, but I've made sure to bring the clubs on occasion too, soaking up a few tips and working in a little time to feed my golf soul. Meeting and playing with some of the players on TeamFLO—and admittedly getting whooped in practice rounds by kids half my age—has been an oddly enjoyable and fun perk of the work.
Just behind the training facility is a striking short nine-hole practice course designed by Butch Harmon, Kelly Gibson, and Jon Schmenk called The Harmon. It's usually wide open for play and considered an all-access home for TeamFLO to sharpen their game.
The facility itself is state of the art, and worth noting—you'll literally find a priceless golf art collection inside. Artifacts like a framed course record on the wall from Seminole, a winning Masters scorecard from Claude Harmon (CH III's grandfather), along with no shortage of past and present pupils posing with PGA Tour trophies. Sure, there's an almost royal and charming history here, but not without a ferocious focus on the future of golf and game improvement.
Greatness flows through these halls.
Swing forces may start from the ground up, but inspiration must come from an elusive feeling within the heart. Beyond a swing theory or a way to defend your round against double bogeys, they teach self-belief and what separates good from great. They also teach that whoever golf legend or powerful figure might happen to be on the range that day hitting toward the green-roofed Floridian clubhouse is respectfully another golfing peer working on their game.
I asked Ryan what's most rewarding about developing a TeamFLO athlete:
"The most rewarding part working with the players on TeamFLO is seeing them support each other prior to big tournaments and then working through the wins and losses after the tournament in Round Defense."
And what separates a good player from a great one at this level?
"The number one difference between players that make it on tour and those that don't is life management. Many have the work ethic—that's just the pre-requisite—but many can't manage the new life challenges that present themselves as they work through the levels of professional golf. Playing great golf doesn't fix anything...it presents new challenges. And the ones that win majors? Those guys can adapt to and manage the chaos that the hardest courses and course setups present at the majors."
Perhaps what they do best is aiding past the fears and insecurities that arise when reaching for the pinnacle of success. There's nothing simple about that, and there are no shortcuts to it. Yet, TeamFLO has a way of developing players and helping them find their potential.
FORE! is a weekly series from From The Fringe highlighting the people and organizations shaping golf. From The Fringe also creates premium video content for golf courses, resorts, and brands. Interested in a feature or working together? Connect at johnny@fromthefringe.golf
