Tiger Woods and Sean Foley Part 2

Ok, for the second time in a couple weeks I've read some remarks online from Sean Foley, trashing Hank Haney's teaching philosophy. He indicates that Tiger was not happy with how he was hitting the ball the last couple years.

Well, let's look at the record. After dumping Butch Harmon in 2002, Woods started under Haney in 2004. In 2005, he wins The Masters and the Open Championship. In 2006, his dad dies, so he misses the cut at the U.S. Open, then wins the Open Championship and PGA. In 2007 he finishes 2nd at Augusta and the U.S. Open, then wins the PGA. In 2008, playing on a bum leg, he wins the U.S. Open. After the win, he does not return to the tour until March 2009. He wins 7 tournaments in 19 starts, won the Fedex Cup, but blew a 54 hole lead for the first time in a major at the PGA. He won all these tournaments in 2009 while learning how to play with a solid knee for the first time in years.

Now, I have seen some good commentary about Sean Foley, but I don't see other instructors publicly dissing another instructor like Foley has with Haney. With that in mind, I can't say I have much respect for the guy.

As for Hank Haney, I have tremendous respect for him. He consistently acknowledges the instructors who helped get him where he is, particularly John Jacobs and Jim Hardy. His senior instructors are extremely loyal to him. Some have been with Hank for over 20 years. And, while he has had success teaching professional golfers, I have seen him work magic with average golfers in as little as 5 minutes. And, I personally have a much greater understanding of the golf swing due to my own lesson with Hank, and due to his instructor program.

Bottom line is Sean Foley should keep his mouth shut. When he has coached two players to major championships like Hank Haney has (Mark O'Meara won two in 1998), then he can start talking. All he has now are a few good young players under his wing, but they have still only won a handful of tournaments among them...about as many as Tiger won in 2009!

Foley should give Hank his due, and Butch Harmon for that matter. Coaching the best player in the world is no easy task, yet both succeeded.

As for Tiger, I really don't understand his need for an active coach anyway. The legends of the game didn't have a coach at their side all season long. The best players grooved their swings on their own, with maybe the occasional review of fundamentals from a mentor or help from a friend. Tiger has said he wants to own his swing like Hogan did. Well, doesn't seem like he has taken those steps yet.

For many of today's tour players, I think having an active coach is just a crutch. As much as they play and practice, they should all be able to get things figured out on their own, with maybe a second pair of eyes helping once in a while. The bottom line is winning, not how pretty your swing looks. But, in this age of huge paychecks, most of them are just comfortable making a living. While there may be many more good players on tour compared to 30 years ago, there aren't as many that know how to win.

Just my two cents.

Scott Cole
www.scottcolegolf.com
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com