According to several writers and swing gurus, Tiger’s got to be wondering what to do about Hank Haney. Should he stay of should he go?
This could be the biggest decision of his career, so he’d better choose wisely. And what better way than to use the Ben Franklin method – make a list of the positives and negatives. Then hopefully the winner will become clear.
The Case for Keeping Haney
Tiger is very picky and his trust cannot be won easily, so that reduces the list of potential candidates.
Tiger is very demanding, and it may not be that easy to find a super busy top talent who would drop what they are doing to become Tiger’s full time guy 120 days a year.
Tiger has been second guessed by the media before for changing his swing, so perhaps he doesn’t want to go through that again.
It could take too long to learn a new swing, and there is no guarantee that it would work as well as what he’s got.
He’s won six majors and recorded four seconds in his last 15 majors with the Haney model.
Haney is available for Tiger whenever he needs him.
Haney knows Tiger’s swing.
Tiger’s iron game has never been better.
The Case for Firing Haney
Tiger should fire him now while he’s in rehab.
Make ’09 a rebuilding year like 2004. Any win would be a bonus.
If his knee really is good for the long haul, then he’s got a long time to complete his work in the record book, so it’s time to gear up for the long haul.
The flat swing causes problems and it doesn’t fit with someone as tall as Woods, who is 6’,1”.
Woods drove it far better with the Harmon swing.
Tiger’s chewing Haney out at Augusta in public could be a sign that this relationship is growing stale.
A new swing would get him off the couch and back to the range.
If his driving costs him any more majors, he’ll be second guessed by the media as he was in 2004.
Staying with the Haney swing could be his biggest gamble of all.
The list of plusses and minuses are equally long. Let’s assume that Tiger fires Haney. He will then be faced with months of hard work on the range. He will also, like a good politician, get plenty of chances to hone his answers to questions like these:
After he Fires Haney
Why did you let Haney go?
Did you conclude that you’d never hit fairways with his swing?
Are you going to go it alone?
Stevie knows your game and is a fine player. Can or will he act as your coach?
Who’s on the short list of candidates?
What are you looking for?
And chance of reuniting with Butch? (No way, but they’ll ask.)
When will you announce the winner?
After He Selects a Coach
Why did you choose X?
Will he be with you exclusively as Haney was?
What changes are you going to make?
How will this swing be different?
How long before Ranger Rick can make it to the course?
How hard is it to trust a new swing on a rebuilt knee?
The ultra private Woods, who enjoys press conferences as much as a toothache, has already been down this road and he’d like to avoid a repeat performance.
On the other hand, Woods also likes to show up his critics, and he relished the chance to stick it in the media’s face in 2005 when he won two majors in 2005 with his new Haney swing.
So maybe a new coach, a new swing, and some added incentive from the media is what he needs to embark on the next big major winning phase of his career.
RSS
7 responses so far ↓
1 BD // Apr 25, 2009 at 9:45 am
Several of the “pros” for firing Haney ASSUME that a swing change is warranted (see nos. 1-3 plus the last one). The question really is, does the Haney swing impair Tiger’s skill with the driver to such an extent that it needs to be junked in order for him to win majors? However, seems like we already know the answer to that, since Tiger has already won a bunch of majors with Haney.
2 Phil // Apr 25, 2009 at 10:35 am
BD
It is a very intriguing decision/non-decision. But as we both mentioned, his record is better with the new model. So, all things considered, he will likely stick with what he’s got and work around the driver in competition as he tries to improve it and get all facets back to 100%. And who knows - perhaps he will eliminate the goblin that infects his driving and rise to new heights.
3 Erik Schneider // May 11, 2009 at 8:43 am
I dont think Tiger has a choice. The Haney swing does not suit someone as tall as Woods and its probably the reason that he keeps blowing out his knee. The Haney swing forces Tiger to absorb the force of his downward move first to the knee and second to the heel. If he keeps this swing, it will be the straw that breaks the knee for good.
4 Phil // May 11, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Erik
That his swing puts additional strain on his knee is an interesting theory. I wonder what the biomechanics experts would say about that. I think the contrast between the straight driving Stenson with an upright swing and Tiger, with his roundhouse move, is rather astounding.
5 mike // May 13, 2009 at 6:58 am
I tried to switch to the Hainey swing with one of his disciples. I’m a little over 6′3″ I couldn’t get it. I’m not Tiger but I remember an article by Greg Norman years ago when he tried to switch to a flatter swing and he said then it was taking his god given talent of being tall and throwing it away. Something to think about.
6 JD // Jul 17, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Now that Tiger has missed the cut in the British Open, the issue of his record with Haney is ripe for discussion. I don’t think you can say that his record with Haney is better than his record pre-Haney. He has missed more cuts (majors and not) while under Haney than before working with Haney. (For the record, I am going by the March 2004 as that time frame.) And I do think that maybe Tiger is too tall to be using Haney’s swing, although I don’t think that it caused his knee injury. Tiger has been snapping his left knee on the downswing for a long, long time.
7 Nate // Jul 19, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I believe that as long as Tiger has Haney as his coach, his performance will be feast or famine. I choose to believe Jim Hardy when it comes to swing planes, two swing plane (one plane & two plane) versus Haney’s notion of just one plane. As for Tiger being too tall for the Haney’s one plane (flatter) swing, not true. Peter Jacobsen is one inch taller than Tiger and can play both one plane and two plane swings. Tiger is the best scambler in golf, but he has to be because of his inconsistency from the tee box. I’m not sure what the answer is and I’m sure Tiger doesn’t know either.
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