Named Teacher of the Year in the United States in 1993 and coach to Mark O'Meara and later Tiger Woods, Hank Haney teaches every golfer how to read the flight of their ball so they can become their own coach.
Hank Haney is one of the most renowned golf instructors in the United States: PGA Teacher of the Year in 1993, coach to Mark O’Meara and later to Tiger Woods, and a member of the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame. Here’s an overview of who he is, his method—which focuses on ball flight and the swing plane—and a summary of his lessons.
Who is Hank Haney?
Hank Haney is an American golf instructor who was born on August 24, 1955, in Lake Forest, Illinois, and graduated from the University of Tulsa. He has been teaching for over forty years: as early as 1984, he was named Instructor of the Year by the PGA’s Gulf Coast Chapter and received the Harvey Penick Award, which recognizes excellence in teaching.
His fame began with Mark O’Meara. In 1985, the player told *Golf Digest* that Haney had changed his swing plane “by a good foot and a half.” The work paid off over the long term: in 1998, O’Meara won the Masters and then The Open. From 2004 to 2010, Hank Haney coached Tiger Woods, who won 31 PGA Tour tournaments during that period, including six majors.
Hank Haney has also built a veritable golf school: the Hank Haney Golf Centers in Texas, where his teams teach both amateurs and professionals, and the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina, a full-time program for young golfers. On television, he has hosted The Haney Project on the Golf Channel, where he has helped celebrities such as Charles Barkley, Ray Romano, and Michael Phelps improve their game. He is the author of several instructional books, including The Only Golf Lesson You’ll Ever Need (1999) and How to Play Better Golf Today: Lessons for a Lifetime (2020), anime The Hank Haney Podcast and, in partnership with Performance Golf, offers an online program dedicated to correcting the slice.
Hank Haney's List of Achievements
According to his official website, his students have won all the major championships—at the professional, amateur, and junior levels. Here are his most notable students and his teaching accolades.
| Student or Award | Year(s) | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Mark O’Meara | 1998 | The Masters and The Open |
| Tiger Woods | 2004-2010 | 6 majors: 2005 Masters, 2005 and 2006 Open Championships, 2006 and 2007 PGA Championships, 2008 U.S. Open |
| Harvey Penick Award (PGA) | 1984 | Educational Excellence |
| Teacher of the Year, North Texas PGA Chapter | 1989–1993 | Five years in a row |
| PGA National Teacher of the Year | 1993 | Teacher of the Year in the United States |
| Golf Digest Rankings | 1993 to 2009 | Top 10 from 1993 to 1999, No. 2 in 2009 |
| Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers | Since 1984 | Member of the GOLF Top 100 Teachers Hall of Fame |
| Texas Golf Hall of Fame | 2014 | Induction |
| World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame | 2019 | Induction |
Hank Haney's Teaching Method
Become Your Own Teacher
Hank Haney's philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: teaching his students to become their own best teachers. To do this, he starts with the ball theft. Understanding why the ball goes to the right, left, up, or down helps you figure out what’s happening with your swing, and thus allows you to correct your form on your own, whether on the course or at the driving range.
The swing plane
The second pillar of his method is the swing plane: Swing the club along the swing plane that suits each golfer, eliminating unnecessary movements. This is what transformed Mark O’Meara’s swing. For more information, see the topic Swing and Swing Plane.
The clubface in relation to the fairway: the key to a slice
In the lesson How to get the clubface square at impact and direct the swing to the right, Hank Haney offers a simple explanation: you slice when the clubface is open relative to the club path, even by just one degree. His correction, demonstrated live with a beginner: a slightly firmer grip, the “V” formed by both hands pointing toward the right shoulder, gentle pressure like a handshake, a flatter swing directed to the right, and the back of the left hand rotating before the ball, not after. A ball that goes left is already progress. Find more tips in the topics section Slice (correction of the…), Grip and Draw or Fade.
A Comprehensive Education
At his centers, Hank Haney and his team use digital video analysis during one-on-one lessons. The short game (chipping, pitching, bunker shots, and putting) plays a major role, as do mental toughness and course management: each student learns how to practice, analyze their game to identify what will save them the most strokes, and think like a champion. See also the topics Range Practice and Course Management.
Hank Haney's Lessons on Best Golf Tips
A summary of our lesson from Hank Haney: How to get the clubface square at impact and direct the swing to the right, a live session in which he helps a beginner make his first draw. More lessons will be added to this page.
To learn more, check out the profile of his former student Tiger Woods, as well as those of two other renowned instructors ranked among the best by Golf Digest: Butch Harmon and David Leadbetter.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hank Haney: Method, Students, and Golf Lessons on Video
Who is Hank Haney?
An American golf instructor, born in 1955 in Lake Forest, Illinois, and named PGA Teacher of the Year in 1993. He is known for having coached Mark O'Meara and Tiger Woods.
How long did Hank Haney coach Tiger Woods?
From 2004 to 2010. During that period, Tiger Woods won 31 PGA Tour tournaments, including six majors.
Which majors did Mark O'Meara win with Hank Haney?
The Masters and The Open, both in 1998.
What is Hank Haney's teaching philosophy?
Teach each student to become their own coach by understanding the flight of their ball and what it reveals about their swing, and to rotate the club along the correct swing plane.
Why do we slice, according to Hank Haney?
Because the clubface is open relative to the swing path, even by just one degree. He first corrects the clubface (grip, rotating the left hand before the ball), then directs the swing to the right.
Is Hank Haney in the Hall of Fame?
Yes: He was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 2014 and into the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame in 2019.
What is The Haney Project?
A Golf Channel show in which Hank Haney coached a celebrity as they learned to play golf, such as Charles Barkley (2008), Ray Romano (2010), and Michael Phelps.
