The partnership between Tiger Woods and Hank Haney started with a phone call. Together, the duo saw Woods winning his 31 PGA Tour titles, including six major championships. Their six-year-long career wasn’t just about winning. The pair went through several ups and downs together. A notable period for them was when Hank Haney faced a controversy, thanks to the many swing changes Tiger Woods made in his career. So, what was it? We will be quick!

In 2004, Tiger Woods was dealing with his swing changes, even as he struggled with his performance. To clarify, he failed to win a tournament after February and ranked 182nd in driving accuracy on the tour. However, his swing adjustments, described by Haney as “on plane,” started taking effect. This resulted in one of his best performances in the coming years.

However, Brandel Chamblee isn’t convinced, given Haney’s lack of a distinguished golf career. He called this Tiger Woods move “the craziest thing in the history,” and Haney “is telling Tiger Woods how to change his golf swing from the greatest golf swing in the history of the game.” However, in the latest update, someone important from Tiger Woods’s career has come in Hank Haney’s defense. And it’s none other than the veteran caddie, Steve Williams.

On the No Laying Up Podcast, Soly asked if Steve Williams understood these changes. Williams replied that he knew about the comparisons between Hank Haney and Butch Harmon, however, he agreed that “his performance under both was pretty equal. He might have been a slightly better driver with Hank. And he might have been a slightly better short-game player with Butch. But there weren’t any glaring differences between them.” However, Williams reasoned that Tiger Woods’s move came with his desire to get better with his swings and in majors.

Williams also attributes this to Tiger Woods’s belief that by making many swing changes, he would eventually be able to switch between them smoothly when needed. Take a look at this Tiger Woods interview from 2004. Then, the golfer said, “Only two players have ever truly owned their swings: Moe Norman and Ben Hogan. I want to own mine. That’s where the satisfaction comes from.” His end goal? The same as Williams said.

In the present, Williams continues his argument, “He had some flaws in his swings under Butch, and he wanted to change that. Then, he went to Hank and rebuilt that. And he felt he had a couple flaws in.” Essentially, Williams adds that it may be hard to understand but it was all done to better Tiger Woods’s game. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the comparison between them has come up. Let’s take you two years back!

The Hank Haney vs Butch Harmon argument is old

In 2022, Steve Williams was asked to compare Tiger Woods under both of his two coaches, Hank Haney and Butch Harmon. After the comparisons, what did he think? Who was the better coach? “That’s a very difficult question because a couple of his very, very best tournaments, where I say he played the best he’s ever played, were under Butch. But I think consistently across the board I think his swing became more repetitive and more consistent under Hank.”

For a quick understanding of Tiger Woods’s success under both coaches, let’s look at his tenure with each. Under Butch Harmon, Woods achieved an impressive 8 major championship wins and five World Golf Championships. Additionally, Woods had a 26.8% win rate at regular PGA Tour events with Harmon.

So, how about Hank Haney? Well, the two worked together from 2004 to 2010. This resulted in 6 major wins and nine WGC titles. In addition, under Haney, Woods had a remarkable 33.33% win percentage at regular Tour events. Consequently, it was the highest of any coach in Woods’s career!

“You know, I think we’re talking very small margins here between Butch and Tiger, but like I said, my statistics would tell me that he drove the ball better with Hank, and I think because he probably confidently knew that he wasn’t going to hit the ball, that big left shot from time to time,” Williams added. 

To understand their coaching even better, let’s hear it from the statistician, Lou Stagner. In 2020, Stagner conducted research to support Williams’s choice by estimating Tiger Woods’s handicap throughout his career using course ratings and slopes to calculate a differential for each round.

The results? Woods had his best handicap in 2008 under Hank Haney’s care, with a +9.4 index (an estimate based on reconstructed data, not an official record). And what about the average throughout his career? Well, it was +6.7. Looking at this, what do you think of Hank Haney now? Let us know in the comments below.