Tiger Woods' Former Coach: 'I'd Never Thought Of Tiger As Happy'

Radar Staff

March 28 2012, Published 4:00 a.m. ET

By Amber Goodhand - RadarOnline.com News Editor

Tiger Woods' former swing coach Hank Haney says he was "shocked" when he found out about the golfer's infidelities, but that he'd never really thought of the athlete as happy in his marriage — or in any aspect of his life.

In his new tell-all book, The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods, released on Tuesday and obtained by RadarOnline.com, Hank recalls the moment Tiger's cheating scandal hit the public.

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Hank says he never thought of Tiger as the 'player' type and aside from commenting on a pretty woman from time to time, he never imagined Tiger was cheating.

"He had, very occasionally, commented on how attractive a woman in our presence might be, but that was the extent of Tiger being a 'player' from my view," Hank wrote.

Tiger's coach described the relationship with his now ex-wife Elin Nordegren, as similar to most other marriages.

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"I'd noticed that while he and E had been playful in the early years of their relationship — competing against each other in tennis, Ping-Pong, skiing, or running — there was some distance between them as the years went on, a certain coolness. But a lot of marriages are like that. I hadn't jumped to any conclusions," he said.

"As I reflected back, I realized that I'd never thought of Tiger as happy. Whether with friends, business associates, other players, his mother, or his wife — indeed, with just about everyone except an audience of kids at one of his clinics — he seemed to keep the atmosphere around him emotionally arid.

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"Part of it was the insane drive that was vital to his greatness. It seemed the longer he was the best, the more isolated and lonely he became."

And once Tiger returned from seeking sex-addiction treatment, Hank said he didn't have good things to say about it.

"After Tiger got out of inpatient treatment in early February, he called me at home in Dallas. He sounded better and was more forthcoming. He described his therapy as 'horrible, the worst experience I've ever been through' and 'the hardest thing I've ever done,' but he didn't offer any details," Hank said.

Image of a woman with shocked expression

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