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Product Description
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.
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was always going to read this book, because I'm a golf fanatic, and it involves Tiger Woods. I also follow the author on Twitter and find his views on golf deeply interesting. This book was therefore pre-ordered, and eagerly awaited.
It gives a stunning glimpse into what makes Tiger the greatest golfer that has lived, but it also points towards the reasons behind the swing changes and the fact that even Tiger, standing on the tee with a driver in his hand, had a shot that he feared (the book's title - The Big Miss). It points towards his motivations and his desire to continually be better. It tells some humorous stories about his life on tour, and relations with other golfers.
It doesn't delve into the scandals that put his career on hold. It does however give great insight into the injuries that have caused his career to stop-start. It talks (sometimes quite technically) about the golf swing, but the book is no less enjoyable for the reader whose head this will fly over.
This is not Hank Haney sticking the knife into Tiger. This is not a warts and all account. This genuinely is about the golf played by the world's greatest golfer, and the scandal, while mentioned, is pretty much glossed over.
Well worth a read.
It gives a stunning glimpse into what makes Tiger the greatest golfer that has lived, but it also points towards the reasons behind the swing changes and the fact that even Tiger, standing on the tee with a driver in his hand, had a shot that he feared (the book's title - The Big Miss). It points towards his motivations and his desire to continually be better. It tells some humorous stories about his life on tour, and relations with other golfers.
It doesn't delve into the scandals that put his career on hold. It does however give great insight into the injuries that have caused his career to stop-start. It talks (sometimes quite technically) about the golf swing, but the book is no less enjoyable for the reader whose head this will fly over.
This is not Hank Haney sticking the knife into Tiger. This is not a warts and all account. This genuinely is about the golf played by the world's greatest golfer, and the scandal, while mentioned, is pretty much glossed over.
Well worth a read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
OK, I'm a BIG Woods fan and as such will read everything I can get my hands on about him, but this is a review of Haneys book. I was surprised. I was expecting much sticking in of knives and slagging off of Woods but not a bit of it. Haney goes out of his way to express his admiration for him calling a "great athlete", the "best golfer in the history of the game" and lots more in the same vein. Sceptics will find this a bit rich but there's no doubting his sincerity. I was also impressed by Haney NOT making judgements about Wood's conduct in 2009 and the subsequent fallout in sharp contrast to every commentator who made cheap shots and this includes you Billy Payne!! He obviously has a lot of affection for Woods.
However Haney doesn't pull his punches when he shows the emails written to help Tiger and are not even replied to. He was hurt and I don't blame him, Tiger, you are inconsiderate and damned rude sometimes!! But he also describes the endless patience Woods shows when teaching young kids or talking to veterans, I know this is true I've seen it myself.
It seemed to me though that the main point Haney wanted to get across was to set the record straight as to how the relationship between them ended. I won't spoilt it but like the rest of the book it is riveting.
For anyone even mildly interested in Woods this is essential reading. I'm still a BIG Woods fan but I am also a BIG Haney fan as well. Good luck Sean Foley!!!!
However Haney doesn't pull his punches when he shows the emails written to help Tiger and are not even replied to. He was hurt and I don't blame him, Tiger, you are inconsiderate and damned rude sometimes!! But he also describes the endless patience Woods shows when teaching young kids or talking to veterans, I know this is true I've seen it myself.
It seemed to me though that the main point Haney wanted to get across was to set the record straight as to how the relationship between them ended. I won't spoilt it but like the rest of the book it is riveting.
For anyone even mildly interested in Woods this is essential reading. I'm still a BIG Woods fan but I am also a BIG Haney fan as well. Good luck Sean Foley!!!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Celebs come and celebs go while some are always top news, which is the case with tiger woods as evidenced by the interest in Hank Haney's book and Tiger's tourneys. Haney who has tutored more than 200 touring golf professionals and considered a topnotch golf instructor coached Tiger Woods from 2004 to 2010.
THE BIG MISS is a mix of golf and gossip. Haney relates that he was having dinner with his father the night he received a phone call from Woods. That call was received with a mixture of surprise, happiness, and the knowledge that his life was about to change - little did he know how much. Haney was one of the few in Woods' inner circle, privy to the golfer's moods, comments, and reactions. Hence, there's much new in Haney's story.
Haney devotes much of his story to Woods' swing, however for this listener and so-so golfer at best much of it was beyond my understanding. As for the revelation of comments made by Woods, his opinions of others, etc. - those are all too easily understood.
If you want another look at the life and times of Tiger Woods, The Big Miss is your book.
- Gail Cooke
THE BIG MISS is a mix of golf and gossip. Haney relates that he was having dinner with his father the night he received a phone call from Woods. That call was received with a mixture of surprise, happiness, and the knowledge that his life was about to change - little did he know how much. Haney was one of the few in Woods' inner circle, privy to the golfer's moods, comments, and reactions. Hence, there's much new in Haney's story.
Haney devotes much of his story to Woods' swing, however for this listener and so-so golfer at best much of it was beyond my understanding. As for the revelation of comments made by Woods, his opinions of others, etc. - those are all too easily understood.
If you want another look at the life and times of Tiger Woods, The Big Miss is your book.
- Gail Cooke
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
but it
a good read, hank really opens up about tiger and his trials and tribulations. he is very revealing and quite damning about his personal life. Read more
Published 16 days ago by nick
Ok book.
Bought the book expecting loads of revelations, although there were some and it does reveal about T's persona - it's not the big shocker I thought it would be. A fair read.
Published 17 days ago by Pierre
Don't believe the detractors
Really enjoyed the book. Don't believe the detractors who say that it is just salacious gossip. I found it to be a very interesting book and a great insight into the world and... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Paul Rafferty
Please, I wasn't such a disaster.....
Would I buy this again? No. Hank falls into the trap of starting to coach TW while thinking they were going to be close friends and everything would be hunky dory. Read more
Published 24 days ago by STEWART ADRIAN BONE
Strange friendship
It is an interesting book to read, no doubt. But it assumes a lot. It assumes you know a lot about golf already and you know everything about the scandal about Tiger already, too. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Monika Ziegler
Brilliant!
I usually prefer instruction books to biographies when it comes to golf books, but this book was just brilliant. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Greg Smith
Read it before judging it
A lot was said about this book. A lot of people claimed it was a breach of some non existent code of conduct.
But this book is a celebration of all things Tiger. Read more
But this book is a celebration of all things Tiger. Read more
Published 1 month ago by chrisw
tiger woods book
This was bought for a birthday gift, delivery was rapid from amazon as usual, thank you, as i am not a golf fan
i could not review the book as i have never read it
i could not review the book as i have never read it
Published 1 month ago by rubysmith
Tiger woods not a happy chappy
As I know hank personally, I must say even I was amazed at what was opened up in the book!, Hank is a very smart person and it must of taken a lot of guts to have opened up about... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gary Gilligan
Worth a look.
A compelling although sometimes somewhat jaundiced look into the (mostly) professional life of Tiger Woods. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ewen
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