![Tiger Woods’ outdated coach on Woods — and vulnerability Tiger Woods’ outdated coach on Woods — and vulnerability](https://bunny-sports.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-166173631.jpg)
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![Sean Foley, Tiger Woods](https://golf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/GettyImages-166173631.jpg)
Sean Foley and Tiger Woods on the 2013 Masters.
Getty Photos
Tiger Woods is a human being, Sean Foley says.
“An extraordinary man who did extraordinary issues,” he provides.
Foley would know.
He was speaking on the newest No Laying Up podcast, which you’ll be able to — and will — take heed to in full right here. And a query from host Chris Solomon was whether or not Woods’ one-time coach had ever seen moments from the 15-time main winner that shocked him. Had been there moments the place he was “susceptible?” And naturally, there have been.
Woods is human.
And he’s Woods.
And we may be interested by our stars whom we see and listen to typically, however don’t actually know. What’s a phenom like after they’re not being phenomenal? Once they have *our* highs and lows? Foley, who labored with Woods from 2010 to 2014, shared a few of it on the podcast.
The back-and-forth was good.
“I’m curious,” Solomon began on the podcast, “you stated you bought to see up shut simply sort of what his life is like and what that sort of fame stage is. Something that stands out, when it comes to moments the place you have been like, wow, I don’t assume I actually realized that? Or moments you thought he was particularly susceptible on account of simply sort of response to issues and the way he was taking every part that was occurring in the mean time in his life?”
“Yeah, I imply, he was at all times very susceptible along with his youngsters,” Foley stated. “Very susceptible about his basis. He would give yearly at his match, he would give a speech about — a child would come up and they might spotlight this child and what this child has completed and the place he got here from, and T-dubs couldn’t get by a kind of speeches with out crying. He’s a human being, man. He’s an extraordinary man who did extraordinary issues.
“I believe that he needed to alter himself just a little bit to place this wall round him. You understand, lots of people did him improper. And so love is one thing I give everybody. However belief is one thing that you simply actually should earn from me. And I believe that’s good for everybody to grasp that. Individuals give belief earlier than they provide love. I’m going to provide love since you’re only a human being like me and we’re most likely doing our greatest from what we perceive to be our greatest and I’m OK with that. However belief is a special factor.
“So I bear in mind after we first began, like proper round that point, that’s when Hank Haney wrote the ebook, The Huge Miss [about Woods]. Now I’m the subsequent man, and I’m simply standing there on the vary, going like, holy s**t, that is f***ing difficult proper now. Like, oh my god. You understand, being on the vary and watching helicopters fly over and movie us and stuff. Justin Rose and Sean O’Hair and Hunter Mahan [former Foley students] are fairly well-known, however we received to a Prince-Michael Jackson stage, you already know. I’d think about 99 out of 100 individuals on this planet who’ve by no means touched a golf membership and even been on a golf course nonetheless know who Tiger Woods is, proper.”
Right here, Solomon puzzled about what that was like for Foley himself.
“Properly, there’s no ebook,” he stated on the podcast. “There’s nothing you may learn on it. Individuals’s recommendation doesn’t assist. You simply received to seek out your technique to do it. And for me, I used to be by no means going to let it change me. I’ve at all times been very social, very talkative. I’ve time for anyone, no matter whether or not you’re the CEO of a company otherwise you’re a janitor in the identical constructing; that doesn’t matter to me. There have been the followers of what we have been doing and the individuals who hated it, so I’d run into each of them within the airport.
“However look, I used to be the one who stated sure to doing it. And so mainly as a result of I selected to do it, I’m answerable for no matter occurred after that. All of it comes all the way down to me.”
Then there may be that technical aspect.
On the podcast, Foley talked of what they labored on. “Mainly we went to love this little child minimize off the tee and actually targeted on the iron play from 170 to 200 yards.”
Which tied in to a different notable query from Solomon:
How precisely does a coach coach Woods? When the 2 related, he had received 14 of his majors.
Foley’s reply was prolonged.
“Like I stated, it was a special time, for certain, 100%,” he stated on the podcast. “Finally, if it was at this time, I’d have went again to an 18-year-old Tiger Woods with some slight upgrades. So the rationale how I used to be in a position to not make that mistake once more, was that once I began with Lydia Ko, I went instantly again to her DNA after which simply put upgrades on it.
“So the factor about human motion is the one which we’ve made probably the most, we wrap probably the most protein round that neural pathway. So the issue with technically altering your swing is that outdated swing you could have isn’t going away. It’s wired. It’s utterly in there. What occurs is you may make a brand new sample that’s received its personal wiring. However when push involves shove, the mind goes to choose the neural pathway that it may switch thought down the quickest. I believe it might have been extra alongside these traces, simply whether or not or not with 4 knee surgical procedures and an Achilles surgical procedure if he might have completed that in any case.
“I’ve been most likely considered one of Tiger’s greatest followers ever and to have the ability to spend time with him like that and to get to know him and to only see the sheer issue of his life, that kind of fame, that kind of notoriety — you wouldn’t want it on anyone. The sport of golf, particularly the PGA Tour, they owe that man every part as a result of purses usually are not right here at this time due to the enterprise improvement features of the PGA Tour; it’s all on account of a Black child in a crimson shirt from Orange County, California. And I believe if anybody wouldn’t admit that, they’re clearly improper.
“So I believe that may be extra of it. It might have been simply sort of spending sufficient time with him, perhaps asking the precise questions and simply sort of guiding him to him discovering what it’s. And that’s one thing I really feel like I do very nicely now after that.”
Editor’s notice: To take heed to all the No Laying Up podcast with Foley, please click on right here.
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