In ‘Let’s Pile on Tiger’ news of the week, ex-swing coach Hank Haney recently did an interview with Golf Digest’s Guy Yocom. In it, Haney portrays Woods as an inconsiderate tightwad.
Yocom asked about the nature of their relationship:
Golf Digest: What were the demands that came with being Tiger’s coach that the average person might not be aware of?
Haney: One example is, he didn’t plan ahead a lot, and therefore I didn’t plan ahead because I didn’t want people to know his schedule. I would guess when he would be playing, and I’d block my schedule out in case he would call. I never wanted to say I wasn’t available. And in the six years I was with him, I never did say that. Whenever he called me, I was there within 24 hours.
Golf Digest: Did Tiger pay you well?
Haney: I don’t want to answer that. There’s no reason for me to go there.
Golf Digest: It’s been said that Tiger views any association with him as helping that person out. Do you go along with that?
Haney: You said it, I didn’t.
The rest of the interview can be read here:
Haney doesn’t come off as bitter during the interview, but brutally honest. Let’s be real; none of the things said by Haney really come across as shocking. Tiger is a very focused and competitive individual and possesses extreme athletic ability. He doesn’t sound that different from other athletes of today that are at the top of their game (i.e. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant). These people have a VERY small circle of those that can see the ‘real’ person behind the public persona. Others are often treated as inferior, especially ‘the help.’ Haney sounds like a guy that knew that going in, accepted it, and made of the best of it.
Something tells me that when Elin gets her chance, it definitely won’t be this nice.
Erikka is the newest voice of BSO and the resident female voice. You can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Flannypants