The Big Miss

My Years Coaching Tiger Woods

By: Hank Haney

Narrated by: Hank Haney

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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's 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.

©2012 Hank Haney (P)2012 Random House

Great Book! Good insights

What did you love best about The Big Miss?

Loved hearing about the inside world of Tiger.

What did you like best about this story?

Loved to get an insiders view on Tigers world

What about Hank Haney’s performance did you like?

It was nice to hear it directly from him

Great book but a bad move from Hank!

Great audible especially that it is read by Hank Haney himself that gives great insight into Tiger Woods career during the Hank era.

Awesome listen

Not a big reader but a big golf fan. Listened over 3 days. Would gladly re listen.

Great inside view...

This book is not about Tiger and it is not supposed to be. It is a great behind the scenes view of what it takes to coach a very egocentric athlete. Tiger has done redeeming qualities, but they are few and far between. Hank writes about what it took to work with Tiger despite that. My complaints about the book would be that Hank is not the proper person to narrate the story. He doesn't place emphasis where he needs to - h is reading is very choppy. Also, the audio sucks at many points. You can all to easily tell when lines have been dubbed in place - no part of the sound quality matches the rest of the book. Still - a good read.

Haney Wrote a Great Read, but can't Read Great

If you could sum up The Big Miss in three words, what would they be?

Good not great

What other book might you compare The Big Miss to and why?

A Good Walk Spoiled

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Hank Haney?

Anyone - Edward Hermann, Scott Brick, Dan Hicks, David Feherty

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was best broken up into sections

Any additional comments?

Writers should write, Narrators should narrate

A greater understanding of a legend

I fully expected to dislike Tiger after reading this book. The opposite is true. He is actually quite pitiful, but so much like all of us. Full of mistakes and confusion. Yet so gifted. This is boring narration, extensive swing language and tedious at times. But you won't have a solid understanding of Tiger without it.

interesting story

great story about Tiger and Hanks relationship. I felt bad for Hank when he thought he needed to defend his coaching and swing changes compared to Butch's training of Tiger. The stat comparisons of the two were boring and a bit too much. Overall I really liked the book though.

Very good listen!

It was very interesting to hear some of the stories you wouldn't normally hear about.

Love golf? Like Tiger? Give it a listen

What made the experience of listening to The Big Miss the most enjoyable?

Insight into TW is incredible..

What other book might you compare The Big Miss to and why?

Slaying the Tiger

Would you be willing to try another one of Hank Haney’s performances?

nah

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

more incredulous about some of the s*** Tiger said and did.

Any additional comments?

At points in the middle of the book, a random voice will take over Haney's and it's really distracting.

Grrrrrreat!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Not only gives you insight into Hank and Tiger's type of relationship, but goes in depth into the types of swing changes Tiger made with Hank.

What about Hank Haney’s performance did you like?

Liked that he commentated the book himself.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. Nearly 9 hours of book went quickly when it's all I wanted to listen to.

Any additional comments?

I am a huge Tiger fan as a golfer. I was afraid I would lose some of that with the insinuation of the title and as Hank pointed out his faults as a person in society, but I actually sided more with Tiger when Hank and him split. Really enjoyed it.