The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods

Hank Haney

Mar 2012 · Sold by Crown Archetype

About this ebook

The Big Miss is Hank Haney’s candid and surprisingly insightful account of his tumultuous six-year journey with Tiger Woods, during which the supremely gifted golfer collected six major championships and rewrote golf history. Hank was one of the very few people allowed behind the curtain. He was with Tiger 110 days a year, spoke to him over 200 days a year, and stayed at his home up to 30 days a year, observing him in nearly every circumstance: at tournaments, on the practice range, over meals, with his wife, Elin, and relaxing with friends.
 
The relationship between the two men began in March 2004 when Hank received a call from Tiger in which the golf champion asked him to be his coach. It was a call that would change both men’s lives.
 
Tiger—only 28 at the time—was by then already an icon, judged by the sporting press as not only one of the best golfers ever, but possibly the best athlete ever. Already he was among the world’s highest paid celebrities. There was an air of mystery surrounding him, an aura of invincibility. Unique among athletes, Tiger seemed to be able to shrug off any level of pressure and find a way to win.
 
But Tiger was always looking to improve, and he wanted Hank’s help.
 
What Hank soon came to appreciate was that Tiger was one of the most complicated individuals he’d ever met, let alone coached. Although Hank had worked with hundreds of elite golfers and was not easily impressed, there were days watching Tiger on the range when Hank couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. On those days, it was impossible to imagine another human playing golf so perfectly.
 
And yet Tiger is human—and Hank’s expert eye was adept at spotting where Tiger’s perfection ended and an opportunity for improvement existed. Always haunting Tiger was his fear of “the big miss”—the wildly inaccurate golf shot that can ruin an otherwise solid round—and it was because that type of blunder was sometimes part of Tiger’s game that Hank carefully redesigned his swing mechanics.
 
Hank’s most formidable coaching challenge, though, would be solving the riddle of Tiger’s personality. Wary of the emotional distractions that might diminish his game and put him further from his goals, Tiger had developed a variety of tactics to keep people from getting too close, and not even Hank—or Tiger’s family and friends, for that matter—was spared “the treatment.”
 
Toward the end of Tiger and Hank’s time together, the champion’s laser-like focus began to blur and he became less willing to put in punishing hours practicing—a disappointment to Hank, who saw in Tiger’s behavior signs that his pupil had developed a conflicted relationship with the game. Hints that Tiger hungered to reinvent himself were present in his bizarre infatuation with elite military training, and—in a development Hank didn’t see coming—in the scandal that would make headlines in late 2009. It all added up to a big miss that Hank, try as he might, couldn’t save Tiger from.
 
There’s never been a book about Tiger Woods that is as intimate and revealing—or one so wise about what it takes to coach a superstar athlete.

Ratings and reviews

The bias expressed by Hank is clear. He was trying to create the perfect golfer, and expected Tiger to be a perfect student. What got in the way was reality, which seems to have upset Hank's personal project and made him quit with a bad taste in his memory. Also, the the book lacks illustrations to help describe the swing paths being discussed here.

This is a compilation of recollections by Tigers coach. The earth did not move when I was done. Like other high skilled and accomplished people, Tiger has his nuances. Most recognized "geniuses" in history each had their peculiarities. No person is perfect. Tiger is a focused, dedicated professional who works hard at his craft. I was not surprised to see his personal life was not interesting. I was enthralled by his dedication and hard work. Despite media claims to the contrary, there was no huge reveal or breach of confidence here. It was OK for Hank to write this. Tigers agent made this a much bigger deal than it needed to be, as did the sycophants of mainstream media. This is a peek at the inner workings of a golf champion working to perfect his game. Hank finding Tigers captivation with the SEAL's and physical challenges strange, is merely his opinion. Many accomplished athletes, CEO's and thinkers seek out physical and mental challenges outside of their known skill sets. That is what drives them. Good read. Timely with Tigers comeback. Golf is interesting & exciting again. This book too, shall pass. Tiger will still be a great golfer. Just not a perfect person.

For the record, I'm not for or against Hank Haney. My comment is on these reviews. It is rather disturbing that people can make comments on a book that they didn't even read (I'm assuming that they didn't read it yet). Please help me understand how you can make a comment on this without reading the book. It's rather disturbing that people can comment on a book that they didn't read yet. Reading comments or parts of the book isn't enough to make a fair review. Please read the book and than make your reviews. I will comment after reading the book.

About the author

HANK HANEY coached Tiger Woods from early 2004 to the spring of 2010 and is considered by many to be the world’s number one golf instructor. He has tutored more than 200 touring professionals and runs several teaching facilities around the world. In addition to hosting the top-rated Golf Channel show The Haney Project, Hank also contributes to numerous publications and has appeared on the cover of Golf Digest seven times.