For the second time in his life, Claude Harmon III has decided to come out of his comfort zone and step into the unknown.

The first time was in 2001, when Claude answered the call of his soul, said goodbye to perhaps one of the cushiest jobs in the golf industry – working along with his father, Butch, the undisputed guru of coaching, at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in Las Vegas – and wandered around the world to find his own feet.

Claude also happens to be the grandson of 1948 Masters champion Claude, and nephew to Bill, Craig and the late Dick Harmon – three of the most respected golf instructors of modern times. At that point of time, Claude had a feeling that the world thought he was getting everything on a platter.

He needed to get out of his father's shadow and establish his own credentials. So, the 39-year-old left the glitz and glamour of Vegas and roughed it on the European Tour and in Asia for four years.

He worked with several established stars, including reigning Masters champion Trevor Immelman, whom he helped get into the US PGA Tour.

Mission accomplished, Claude returned to America. But instead of working with his father, he started out on his own, operating from the Trump National Golf Course in Los Angeles. Life was great. Along with various professionals, he even coached celebrities such as Hollywood stars Will Smith and Bruce Willis and cycling legend Lance Armstrong.

And then, it was time to move again.

This time, as Claude takes over the first-ever Butch Harmon School of Golf outside the United States – at the Els Club in Dubai Sports City – the reasons are very different. In 2001, Claude wanted to live up to the Harmon name. In 2008, he wants to enhance his family's reputation.

Sitting at his new office at the Els Club, Claude is like a bundle of photons let loose. It is apparent with his levels of energy that he just wants to get on with life and tackle new challenges. But Claude admits that the Harmon name has been a double-edged sword.

"Having the father, the grandfather and the uncles that I have, I think I have been incredibly lucky. It is the best part of what I do. My name does open many doors for me. I had Tiger Woods staying at our house from the time he was 16 to when he was winning almost every tournament he played. The kind of access I have to players, in tournaments, and to knowledge, I wouldn't have had if not for my father. But obviously, there are some negatives as well. People do say that I am Butch Harmon's son, and that anyone in my position can do the job," he says.

"I think the most important thing I did was quit as Director of Golf Instruction at my dad's school in Las Vegas. Eight years later, I am still doing the same thing, but leaving him then and trying to do things on my own was the best thing I did.

"It was a tough decision to make because I was making loads of money at that time. But I knew to develop myself, and to further my career and to learn more, I needed to be on my own. It was important for me to take all the things that I learnt from my dad and uncles, and see if I could use them on my own."

On opening the first-ever Butch Harmon School of Golf outside Las Vegas, Claude says: "My father has never been here, but I have come to Dubai a dozen times since 2002. I have always told him that if we ever plan to make the golf school global, Dubai was the only place to consider. We have been extremely lucky to have people like Khalid Zarooni and U Balasubramaniam from Sports City, who have been very accommodating and encouraging.

"I think we are coming in at the right time. There is so much happening with regards to the game in the next couple of years. We will open in September, which will be much before Tiger's course, or the Jumeirah Golf Estates courses open.

"More importantly, given the technology that we have to offer and my own experience of teaching Tour stars and corporate players all over the world, I think we have a very good and unique product to offer. Hopefully, we can raise the bar further."

Technology will be at the forefront when the Academy, complete with its own dedicated practice green and short game area, opens at the back-end of the driving range.

Claude says: "We had originally planned three studios. The first two were to have four cameras and the third one – designed specifically for putting – was to have eight cameras. But we are now extending the academy building to incorporate a 3-D studio, a gym and a reception and lounge area.

"The technology that is available now with the 3-D is just amazing. We have a 12-sensor system – almost similar to the technology used by EA Sports in developing video games. When hooked to a person, it will allow us to see what the various parts of the body, and the clubhead, are doing from any number of different angles. This is vastly different from video, which is just a two-dimensional image.

"The model, which was developed by the world famous Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) in San Diego, gives you various raw data of your body and swing. This tells us if you are swinging the golf club efficiently, whether your body is transferring the energy effectively. TPI developed a golf fitness certification programme and I have gone through all three levels of that, as well as their bio-mechanics programme.

"Now, if a 15-handicap golfer comes to us, we can put his golf swing through the video and 3-D tests. Based on the TPI model, we can give him a golf fitness handicap. For example, he can only rotate his shoulder by 15 degrees compared to the 45 degrees achieved by a PGA Tour player.

"So while his golf handicap is 15, his golf fitness handicap may be 25, which effectively limits his performance. We then give this person a series of physical exercises to increase flexibility and strength of certain body parts. And as his golf fitness handicap improves, he will be able to transfer the energy from his body and clubhead better to the ball."

This is a far cry from the earlier days when coaches just filmed a player's swing, showed him Tiger Woods' swing, and then ask him to follow suit. Claude is able to tell a player if he is physically able to have a better golf swing — a diagnostic approach to golf instructions.

Claude says:"A video is like an X-ray, 3-D technology is more like an MRI scan. It certainly takes out the guess work.

"This is now becoming a part of the golf culture in America, but certainly something very unique for Dubai, and this part of the world. It fits in very well with all the other world-class academies that Dubai Sports City will have in very near future."

One of Claude's goals is definitely to facilitate the emergence of a champion golfer from the emirates in the next few years.

"The technology we have is so cutting edge, we can actually take 15 kids who have never played golf, put them through the 3-D tests, and just by looking at their physical attributes and the way they transfer their energy, we can find out exactly how many of them will be natural at the game if taught the proper techniques. Most kids have the natural ability to play a certain sport, we just have to find them," adds Claude.

But the American is under no illusion, that despite being a Harmon, he has a long, tough road ahead of him.

"I know we have the reputation, product and facilities which are second to none in this market, but I don't want to be brash and say that we are here, so come to us. We know we have some tough times ahead of us.

"We want to be a part of the system already established and then try and take it ahead. We really want to become part of the golfing fabric of Dubai."