Sean Foley interview - from SCOREGolf

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Hi - check out below link or text. Interesting. (I could not find the link to part II but below is intro and part I)

 

http://scoregolf.com/blog/rick-young/2014/november/foley-fired-up

 

Sean Foley is now 40. For me, processing that dose of reality is difficult having known him since his days at Glen Abbey GC when he was an aspiring swing coach/assistant golf professional. Since then his ascent to golf instruction’s mountain top has an almost Hollywood movie-script quality to it. The ‘Sean Foley Story’ might not be on the ESPN docket but could make for a fascinating 30 for 30 profile.

For the potential subject it’s been the proverbial dream career turned reality.

“I’ve had an unbelievable run,” Foley said during our lengthy interview from LaGuardia Airport in New York last week. “I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do in my profession. And I’m 40 years old. Not only have I been blessed but I’ve been extremely lucky. I met a guy the other day and we talked about success. Not even once did he mention luck as an aspect of it which is why he had a total absence of humility. If Stephen Ames doesn’t call me who knows what I’m doing right now. That is someone I didn’t know very well who picked up a phone one day and reached out. It was an incredible opportunity that came my way. From the deal with Stephen, Sean (O’Hair) comes along, then Justin (Rose), then Hunter (Mahan), then Tiger (Woods), Westy (Lee Westwood), (Matt) Every and another 30 different guys who aren’t so much on a full-time basis. I mean, are you kidding? It’s only nine years out here for me and I’ve loved almost every minute. Sure there have been a couple tough days but there have never been tough times. I try and keep it all in the right perspective. No matter what happens, I never lose sight of my good fortune.”

While some of Foley’s harshest critics, among them Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, couldn’t wait to get out in front of the camera with varying degrees of ‘I told you so’ commentary when Woods announced he would no longer be working with his Canadian swing coach on August 25th, Foley took the high road. Refusing to fire back, he went about his usual business while (politely) declining interview requests. According to Foley the parting was merely the end of a chapter, not the end of his story.

“Tiger called me and we had this very heartfelt discussion. We know what we went through together. I know the state I found him in and so does he,” Foley said. “We came to a point where we weren’t communicating as well as we needed to anymore and we didn’t want to jeopardizeour friendship. I love TW. We still talk back and forth. That’s one thing I’m very proud of. We handled the situation in a very classy way. That’s the only way we would.”

When asked about challenging Chamblee or anyone else on his four-year run with Woods, surprisingly, Foley doesn’t bite. Instead he portrays the situation in more general terms relating to his take on the realities of high-profile teacher- PGA Tour player relationships.

“Any perception of a swing coach is tied to how his or her players perform. I don’t tell my guys much different the weeks they’re winning or the weeks they’re not. It’s kind of funny you have pundits out there who have this idea that if your guy’s playing well it’s in spite of you and if they play poorly it’s because of you. We know it’s not that way but it’s perceived that way sometimes. That’s fine. This is a big boy world and you know at the end of the day it’s an honour to be criticized. That’s a position you’d do anything for when you first start out in this business.”

But as Foley stayed silent in the aftermath of the Tiger layoff some of his clients did not. One of the first to come out in his support was Hunter Mahan.

“It’s comical. It frustrates me and kind of angers me a little bit,” he told Golf Channel’s Jason Sobel about the critic’s comments. “But you know that’s the world we live in and that’s just kind of the way things are, and Foley is better for it because he can handle a guy like Tiger – and a lot comes with that but I think he’s done a pretty good job containing himself and not letting it bother him. He just does his job every day and does it better than anyone.”

Mahan and Rose have been coached by Foley the past six and seven years, respectively. Each has attained a lofty status during that time along with an extensive resume of successes. That includes a U.S Open win for Rose in 2013 at Merion GC. Going forward Foley’s priority is not to add multiple new clients but rather to focus on moving his current players to even greater heights on the world stage. He says both deserve nothing less.

“Justin and Hunter have been like 50 per cent of my revenue for the last seven years so when you have great clients like that you have to take care of them. Honestly, I don’t have the endurance to take on three more guys full-time while still giving them the attention they should get. We’ve established something special. We have great relationships. I mean were practically family at this point. I’ve watched their kids grow up, watched them grow as husbands and men and dads. It’s been fantastic. I think we’re a bit spoiled by our chemistry and our ability to communicate. I would love to see them both win majors over these next couple of years. Long term I really want both of them to get into the Hall of Fame. Both have a blueprint we’ve worked on. Right now it’s about staying the course and not having to search for new solutions to old problems. It’s about staying consistent with what we talk about and what we work on. I already see and am hoping for the same things with Matt (Every).”

When the subject of Nike Golf re-emerges the direction it takes proves interesting. Foley mentions the admiration and respect he has for outgoing Nike Golf president Cindy Davis; how he believes the Swoosh brand’s current products reflect the company’s commitment and dedication to the golf space and how bullish he is on Nike’s future prospects with arguably the two greatest players in the game as lead brand ambassadors.

“Nike is in such a good position moving forward especially with the way Rory is playing. I found it amusing how many people blamed Rory’s new equipment for that slide he was on. Well, he’s using the same brand of equipment now and shooting five or six-under every day. At the time he had lawsuits happening and business stuff going on. As a young man his world was shaken up. That’s why he played poorly. It had nothing to do with his equipment. You knew as soon as he got through some of that stuff it was going to turn. The guy is tremendous. He hits those products so far and so well. As far as Tiger, you know, whenever I think of him I always see a Swoosh. I see that red shirt with a Swoosh on it. Tiger has been and is Nike Golf. When you have the greatest player of all time and currently the greatest player of his generation it’s an impressive thing,” Foley said.

As partings go the one between Woods and Foley seems about as mutual and amicable as they come. Not a hint of animosity or bitterness seemingly exists, at least from the Foley camp. In fact, just the opposite appears to apply. If Woods wants or needs an ally, Foley is still that.

“When I first started with Tiger his life was in a difficult place. To be there and be supportive of him and build our relationship I’m grateful for that,” he said. “To hang out and pick his brain and watch and listen to him the past four years you’d pay a million to have that experience. To actually get paid to do it? That’s a dream.”

Foley believes too a Woods comeback is imminent. While it’s pointed out to him that he might not have ever had a fully healthy Tiger Woods in the four years they worked together he finally brings up what his then-client accomplished, especially during his banner 2013 season.

“Tiger was Player of the Year at 37. That’s with Achilles surgery and four knee surgeries. He won five times in eight weeks and he was in contention in three majors,” Foley explained. “In 2012 and 2013 the critics can say what they want but he was still in the top two of strokes gained tee to green. All the experts at that time had nothing but criticism for what we were working on yet he was still top two in that category. That’s equivalent to his best years out there. Michael Jordan wasn’t the player he was at 36 that he was at 25 but he was still the best player in the NBA at 36. MJ adapted. He changed some things. Gretzky did the same. That’s what Tiger did. Look, me probably more than anyone wants to see him win five more majors. He’s done so much for the game of golf and yet he continues to get torn down by all this bullxxxx. Let’s hope 20 years from now they’re talking about all the kids he’s helped, about him raising millions and millions of dollars through his foundation and sending kids to college instead of how doesn’t tip – which by the way is more bullxxxx.”

With Dan Jenkins’ parody column ‘My (Fake) Interview with Tiger’ from this month’s issue of Golf Digest, Tiger’ssubsequent reaction to it and the fallout from both, questions about the piece were clearly requisite. And with the so-called fifth anniversary of Woods’s fire hydrant episode back in the news, Foley did not pull many punches.

“It’s a classless article,” he said, “and I didn’t even think it was funny. I used to read Dan Jenkins’ stuff. He’s a brilliant writer and a Hall of Famer but maybe its time for him to move on. If he does this in 2010 at least it’s timelier but it’s the end of 2014. It’s obvious to everyone Tiger’s never given you an interview and everyone in golf history before him has. That’s Tiger’s prerogative. It seemed personal. Jenkins is a beautiful writer, a legend in this game, but what good does this article do? I mean really, what purpose is it?”

Asked specifically about Tiger’s apparent lack of decorum for tipping, Foley laughed.

“They can talk about how he doesn’t tip or whatever but it’s just more bullxxxx. I’ve seen him tip caddies at local clubs $400 so I don’t know where that comes from,” he said. “Seriously, saying he doesn’t tip? How come he (Jenkins) doesn’t mention Tiger raising $300 million for kids? Tiger is the epitome of the double-edged sword. Anything he does great doesn’t get mentioned. Anything he doesn’t it’s all over the place. Can you even imagine what the fallout would be if it was him and not Mickelson who called out Tom Watson at the Ryder Cup?”

Named in the piece as one of the people ‘Tiger likes to fire,’ Foley once again takes Jenkins to task. He does so through his own form of comparative analytics.

“If you think about it he really hasn’t fired that many people,” Foley said. He’s been playing the PGA Tour for 20 years. He has the same agent; he’s had three caddies and three swing coaches. Look at other players who have been out there for 20 years. Some of them have been through 17 caddies, 14 managers and 30 coaches. Look I’m about inclusion, and I’m about love and I’m about lifting people up. All stuff like this does is tear people down. It serves zero purpose. The golf industry in North America is hurting right now so why do more things to tear it down when you could write about positive stuff and lift people up. I’m not saying anyone has to be a cheerleader. But at least be fair, have some respect. I think when he came on the tour the purse was about $70 million and this year it’s $297 million. That escalation over 20 years is attributable to one person’s influence.”

As the subject moves from the Jenkins article to January’s PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit in Orlando, Foley’s comments echo his opinions on the current state of the golf industry. He’s looking forward to being a presenter at the Orange County Convention Center but would prefer a slightly alternative agenda.

“They want me to talk about the golf swing but there are so many great teachers there already,” he explained. “What I really want to discuss is being moderate as a coach, how you can use technology but still recognize the greatness of Harvey Penick. I want to bring some attention to life, passion and inclusion. We don’t need in-house fighting in the teaching community when people aren’t taking lessons. People are leaving the game in numbers we haven’t seen before and it’s not just economically driven. We need to be lifting each other up and helping each other out and not bashing each other.”

With his flight home close to boarding, a final question to Sean Foley about what he sees for himself going forward begins with a pause. It’s followed by a thoughtful response, one without a clear path but certainly a desired vision.

“Someone the other day told me I’d reached the pinnacle of my career. I told him, ‘No, this isn’t the pinnacle, this is just the vehicle. The pinnacle for me is to do something much, much greater than help myself,’” he said. “I’ve always tried to let things come to me in an organic way. I had a vision for part one of my life and career and it went almost exactly as I imagined it. Part two is about to take place. I have a vision for that too. There are a lot of things you have no control over that have to go your way for all that to occur. All I can do is control what I can and touch people on a daily basis by trying to be a better person everyday.”

Part I

When my cell phone rang last Thursday morning Sean Foley’s number showed up on call display. Justin Rose and Hunter Mahan’s swing coach was in New York the previous evening meeting and greeting the members of Golf & Body NYC, the private Manhattan club for golfers seeking ultimate game enhancement in an indoor setting.

Chris Armstrong, Foley’s Toronto-based Wasserman Media Group agent, had brokered a deal back in the summer for his client to become an endorsement partner of Golf & Body NYC. This was the first opportunity for that relationship to be showcased.

“Normally, what happens with Chris is he has these things on the go then he brings me in at the last minute,” said Foley, who was at New York’s LaGuardia Airport waiting to board his return flight home to Orlando. “I didn’t even really know the deal was happening. That’s how I want it. Brokering deals is not my profession. That’s why Chris is one of the best agents anywhere in sports. He’s basically an extension of me in the boardroom. He knows and understands my character and my integrity. What he also knows is I’m not a sell-out. It’s not about fame and riches. Just about building good partnerships and about the experience and the relationship. When Chris told me about this it was a no-brainer.”

Foley likes the obvious synergies that exist between the two sides. He’s been engaged in a holistic approach to golf since he partnered with Canadian anatomy and golf fitness expert Dr. Craig Davies in 2001. Foley’s new arrangement with Golf & Body immediately gives him a presence in a place that shares a similar philosophy and in a city he admires and in which he’s longed to do more business.

“The environment is fantastic. It really is. A guy named Tom Schiff started Golf & Body and he’s built something pretty amazing. It’s got four simulators, a state-of-the-art gym, treatment rooms. It’s something to experience. It’s also right there in midtown. Wall Street is close. Over the last few years a lot of people from NYC, including Fortune 500 CEOs and COOs, have expressed interest in working with me but they didn’t have the time to come to Orlando. I remember saying to Kate (Foley’s wife) one day not that long ago, ‘It’s unfortunate I lose this business because they can’t come down there.’ Now I’ll have a New York City connection. The people at Golf & Body like my philosophy, they like my approach and Chris (Armstrong) felt working with them would be good for their business and good for mine.”

It’s not like the CEO of Sean Foley Inc. has all that many other clients to consider anyway. Despite his celebrity status in the game, appearances on Golf Channel and the high-profile players he coaches or has coached, the Burlington, Ont., native’s endorsement portfolio is sparse compared to some of his peers. Currently, Foley has business deals in place with Nike Golf, Breitling Watches, and an affiliation with launch monitor TrackMan. He also has an instructional DVD he did with his brother Kevin Foley who produced, The Next Generation with Sean Foley. The partnership with Golf & Body offers him a chance to diversify his business affairs somewhat.

“The glue is still golf instruction. Golf swing has been a part of my life since I was 10 years old but I’m trying to branch out now and build business in different ways,” he said. “I look at the model of Jay-Z. He’s known first and foremost as a hip-hop artist but if you look at how he’s branched out and used his influence and what he’s learned, he’s involved in five to six different businesses now. But he’s still Jay-Z. He’s there because of his hip-hop career. That said I’d like to keep challenging myself. I need to get out of my comfort zone every so often and try to become a little uncomfortable by trying to start things and build them up and get them going. Golf & Body is a perfect opportunity to do that.”

His deal with Nike Golf continues to be a source of great pride. What started as a random meeting with Nike Golf Canada’s Vity Gomes on the range at Glen Abbey in 2008 has morphed into Foley becoming a key Swoosh staff ambassador who greatly respects the brand for not only its gear and brand presence worldwide abut also for allowing him to be an individual.

“He told me I needed to get into Swoosh, tossed out a couple of funny remarks and gave me his card,” said Foley. “I’m thinking, ‘Who is this guy?’ But I struck a deal and been with them ever since. My relationship with Nike has grown over the years. I’ve always tried to be a very respectful brand ambassador for them and I’m grateful for the trust and belief they’ve had in me.Nike has always had that insight for partnering with people who are able to shift paradigms, be different and who are mavericks so to speak. In many ways that was the mentality of (founder) Phil Knight. The cool part about Nike, too, is they let you be who you are. I’ve got tattoos all over the place. They’ve never brought that up, never asked to discuss it.”

Foley has, by his own admission, not done any kind of significant interview since August. Late that month he and Tiger Woods parted ways having worked together for most of four seasons. The amicable separation, according to Foley, is arguably one of the three most famous player-swing coach splits in modern golf history. Woods is the focal point. Previously the former No. 1 player in the world has handed pink slips out to Butch Harmon and Hank Haney. As fate would have it within hours of our conversation (but unbeknownst to Foley at that point) Woods hired his fourth swing coach, Chris Como of Plano, Texas, a teacher well-schooled in bio-mechanics who was introduced to Woods by friend Notah Begay. Interestingly, Como and Foley are both scheduled to appear at the PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit January 18-19 in Orlando.

With Woods no longer a client, room opened up on his schedule. Foley mentioned that while it had not been made public as yet he is now officially working with PGA Tour winner Matt Every. The Callaway tour staff member and the Canadian swing coach have been working together the past few weeks.

“I’m very private when it comes to stuff like that. Such an unbelievable thing working with Tiger but all of a sudden everything you do is tracked, everything you say is analyzed, paid attention to, so now working with Matt there’s a whole new dynamic,” Foley said. “Craig (Davies) actually started working with Matt at the end of the year. I like Matt a lot, I know his caddie, Derek Mason. He was a good fit for me because Matt doesn’t depend on someone on the road too much and he lives in Jacksonville so he’s only two hours away by car. To be honest I didn’t want to take on a player in California where I have to fly to L.A. a bunch to work with him. I’d rather be at soccer practice or home for dinner. I’ve grinded a lot for the past 20 years. My main responsibility at this point is to my wife and sons. I don’t want to be one of these people searching for success and then next thing I know I’m at high school graduation and I don’t know my kids. That happens all the time. And to me, anyway, that’s not success and it’s not worth it. Fame is mostly an illusion anyway.”

In Part II of this exclusive interview Sean Foley talks about his relationships, including the ones he has on tour with Rose, Mahan and Every, the one he had with Woods and why, though they no longer work together, Foley wants the 14-time major winner to get five more and pass Jack Nicklaus.

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we're in this thread on it

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1106775-tigers-tipping-foley-has-different-perspective/"]"Tiger's tipping. Foley has different perspective"[/url]