Hank Haney once shared the part of Tiger Woods’ golf game which was worse than any of the 200 other pros he taught

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If Tiger Woods was not the best player in the world in a certain area of the game, he was not far off the summit, with the 15-time major champion establishing himself as arguably the greatest golfer to have ever lived.

Tiger Woods completely changed the game when he came along in the 1990s. He won 14 major titles between 1997 and 2008, while he managed to set all kinds of records – including the longest run without missing a cut in a PGA Tour event.

Certainly, his 2000 season could arguably be highlighted as the greatest golf which has ever been played, with Woods winning three majors – including the US Open by 15 shots that year.

And had it not been for injuries, it is hard to imagine Woods not overtaking Jack Nicklaus‘ tally of 18 major titles at some stage. No-one has won more times on the PGA Tour meanwhile.

What Tiger Woods was worse at than any other player Hank Haney coached

But perhaps there is an argument that he did not even realise his full potential.

Hank Haney worked with Woods between 2004 and 2010. Woods won 21 events during their six years working together, while he won another six majors.

So imagine how disheartening it would be for all of his rivals from that time to hear that Woods could have been even better. Speaking to Subpar in 2020, Haney suggested that it was frightening just how much more impressive he could be on the practice ground.

“I would stand on that driving range and think there’s no way these guys can beat him, I’d just think there’s no possible way. Honestly, he wasn’t nearly as good on the golf course. Nobody is,” he said.

“I’ve told this to a few people. I’ve taught over 200 touring pros. The worst player at taking it from the driving range to the golf course that I’ve ever coached is Tiger Woods. I’m going to tell you what, the game he had, he won 45 percent of the time he teed it up when I helped him; on the driving range, you would’ve thought there’s no way this guy could ever lose.”

The best tournament Woods played while working with Haney

That is a remarkable statement. Woods was known for coming up with exactly the shot he needed at the perfect time throughout his career. He seemed to have such a psychological advantage over the rest of the PGA Tour simply due to the gears that the rest of the field knew he had.

Haney meanwhile, also picked out the best tournament Woods played during their time together, with Hoylake and the 2006 Open Championship getting the nod. Woods famously only hit one driver that week as he lifted the Claret Jug for a third time.

Woods knew his game inside and out – and that perhaps stems from his flawless ability in practice when he really could get stuck into what he was doing.