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

Enjoyed

I genuinely enjoyed this one. It was hard not to come away with it being slightly annoyed. Hank does a pretty good job at patting himself on the back the entire book. At times it seems as though he was just looking for ways to be acknowledged as the most important aspect of Tigers success.

Great Insight

Hank Haney is an excellent narrator of a story about one of the worlds greatest challenges as a golf teacher with a student who wouldn’t come out of his cocoon to fly a beautiful flight because of his personality defects. Tiger Woods might have broken the Nicklaus record of Major victories by now if he could have been more humanist and figured out how to keep Hank happy.

very fun read. interesting inside view of tiger

very good insight of the world of tiger golf. good read for all sports fans.

Lifelong Tiger Fan

Growing up watching TW dominate golf gave me an appreciation of excellence far beyond what I could have otherwise obtained being too young to fully remember all of Jordan and when Brady’s time had not yet fully developed. Hank gives a wonderful account of his own experience coaching this type of excellence. Not only that, but to get to peer into the mind of the enigma of Tiger Woods is absolutely fascinating. Thinking you can understand the life that chose Tiger Woods will leave you thinking again. Judge not, just listen…

hmmm......

couldn't stop listening. I feel as if I like a book I'm not supposed to. I like it but feel super disappointed in Hank Haney for writing it. My conclusion is this is not a golf book. If your looking for tips on improving your golf swing this isn't the book. If your looking for the inside scoop on a tough and private time in Tiger Woods life this is it.

A must read if you have followed Tiger Woods

Thank you, Mr. Haney, for an insight into the world of one of the most misunderstood and complex sports ico. the world has ever known.

Self promoting

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

As a golfer and golf fan and Tiger fan, I found Haney's book somewhat interesting. If you aren't in these categories, don't bother. Haney's book is totally self promoting of Haney.

Would you recommend The Big Miss to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really.

What three words best describe Hank Haney’s voice?

Voice was fine.

Do you think The Big Miss needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No.

Any additional comments?

I question whether a personal coach should write such a book. It revealed more about Haney than Tiger.

If Hank Haney Is Your Coach

Would you consider the audio edition of The Big Miss to be better than the print version?

I suspect they are about equal.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Big Miss?

I was mainly interested in Hank as a coach since I have his books. "The Big Miss" gave me great insight into his objectives and methods. The information about Tiger was interesting but not my main interest. I can now work Hank's plan for golf development much more easily.

Have you listened to any of Hank Haney’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

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

It didn't make me laugh or cry but it sure helped my golf.

Any additional comments?

If you are a serious golfer, this book will show you how it's done, from beginner to Tiger.

Great behind the scene insights.

Brave story of the some of the goings on behind one of the greatest athletes to pick up a golf club. Clears up a lot of media speculation as to what transpired in Tigers rise and fall, as well providing a peek into his complex personality and his desire to win. Good read for anyone who enjoys golf and wants a deeper look into the enigma that is Tiger Woods.

The Final Chapter Explains the Reason for the Book

I can honestly say that, except for exceptionally poor editing where the voice changes so much it sounds like another person is reading the book, I enjoyed Hank's version of his interaction with Tiger Woods. Overall, I found his viewpoint balanced and quite complimentary towards his student.

During my listen, I considered this book a rendition of Mr. Haney's experience working with Tiger and the dificulties he had as his coach. But just as a suspense novel reaches it's conclusion in the final chapter, so does this book. In my view, this was not a book written to relate Hank's experiences with Tiger. The final chapter makes it obvious that Hank is very concerned about comparisons of his record with Tiger vs. that of Tiger's record when being taught by Butch Harmon.

The last chapter breaks down Tiger's records in numerous ways and detail just to show that Hank Haney's record with Tiger was just as good, or even bettter, than Tiger experienced with Butch Harmon. Being experienced in finance, I know there are many ways people manipulate information to make it show results the way the want it to. I came away feeling that was what Mr. Haney was doing in order to prove he is every bit as good a coach as Butch Harmon.

Why was this book written? For me, it was more to promote Mr. Haney's legacy as a coach than to relate what it is to work with one of the greatest athletes in history. It makes me wonder if Mr. Haney's coaching methods were less to do about making Tiger Woods the best golfer he could be and more about trying to beat Butch Harmon's records with Tiger. Essentially, just as Tiger Woods was trying to beat Jack Nicklaus's record in Majors, Hank Haney was trying to better Butch Harmon.

As an amateur athlete in baseball and tennis, I competed at levels that required lots of practice and dedication to my sport. Ultimately my success was based on Playing to Win rather than Playing Not to Lose (aka Avoiding the Big Miss). It seems like Hank Haney taught more of the latter and I am curious if that is why Tiger Woods is now struggling.