Hank Haney announced last night that he had resigned as Tiger Woods swing coach. To many, this came as no surprise, as speculation has been rampant that Tiger was ready to make this move. Personally, I did not speculate on such matters. However, I think Hank is somewhat relieved to be out of that professional relationship now. Hank gets virtually no credit for helping to improve Tiger's game, except from Tiger. So, when Tiger has played well, it's because of his greatness, when he plays bad, it's because he doesn't have the right swing coach.
It is funny how many of the pundits who think they know how Hank teaches really have no clue. Johnny Miller thinks the way Hank teaches requires too much hand action. A commentator on Golf Channel thought Hank was a bad match with Tiger since Tiger is a natural fader of the ball and Hank likes to teach the draw.
The fact is that Tiger was always more of a hooker of the ball when he first came out on tour. Does anyone remember the position of his swing at the top back then? It was way across the line, pointing to the right, a sure sign of someone who will fight a hook much of the time. The way Hank teaches, he wants you to have the ability to hit all 9 shots...low, medium, high straight; low, medium, high fade; and low, medium, high draw. And, he wants you to be able to do that without having to manipulate the hands, but rather with the shape of your swing. That was one reason why Tiger got together with Hank in 2004.
The bottom line is that Tiger needs to get his life in order before he can start focusing on golf again. News was out today that he and Elin are pursuing a quiet divorce. Anyone who has been through that knows it is a huge distraction, especially when young children are involved.
I won't speculate on the reasons behind the parting of ways, but those of us in his instructor training program were notified that he wants to devote more of his energy to the program. For those of us in the program, that is great news and I look forward to the opportunity to continue working with Hank and his staff.
Scott Cole
www.powergolftraining.net
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com
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