Playing Through: Straight Talk on Hard Work, Big Dreams, and Adventures with Tiger

By Earl Woods and Fred Mitchell

At the heart of Tiger Woods' accomplishments is the special bond he shares with his father, mentor and first goal coach, Earl Woods. In Playing Through, Tiger's dad shares the never-before-told story of the Woods family. Part autobiography and part ultimate insider's biography of Tiger, Playing Through is Earl Woods' opportunity to have his say and pass on lessons he has learned along the way. For the first time, Earl faces the critics and cynics, addressing head-on the controversies and rumors that have grabbed headlines. In this brutally honest account of life with Tiger, Earl reveals how Tiger struggled to adapt to life as a pro, the racial attacks and hate mail, the painful sacrifices the family made throughout the years and the real reasons Tiger left Stanford after just two years. He also tells the untold story of what happened the night before Tiger's Masters' victory and the unique philosophy behind all of Tiger's actions, professional and personal. Earl also shares his own stunning story. Raised by his sister after losing both of his parents by the time he was 13, he chose the military over a promising baseball career. He reveals the racial barriers that tortured him throughout his Army days, how he found his calling in the Green Berets and shocking details about his two tours of duty in Vietnam, where he met and befriended the original "Tiger," for whom his famous son is named. Woven throughout his recollections is the legacy of his mother and the lessons she imparted to him about family, faith and hard work -- all of which helped Earl to nurture and guide his son's talent. A tribute to Tiger, to the powerful role of family and the bonds between fathers and sons and to the sport that has made so much possible for the Woods family, Earl's words will inspire all of us to work hard, dream big and "play through" life's challenges.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006270222X
• ISBN13: 9780062702227
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

my review paper for english class

(...) 9th English 24 March 2006 "Playing Through" In the book "Playing Through" written by Earl Woods telling how to play through life's challenges, to dream big, and to work hard. "Playing Through means getting down to business, not letting anything get in your way, dealing with the task at hand, and accomplishing your goals." Tiger had to go through lots of racial discrimination when he first became a pro golfer. His father Earl Woods went through some of the same things when he was a young man. His father was the first African-American to play in the Big Eight Conference, Which is a Baseball League. So he also had to play through all of the racial discrimination. Dream Big, that is what Tiger Woods has been doing seen he was a little boy. Earl wanted him to be a baseball player like himself, but Tiger had other plans. Tiger wanted to be a golfer; he has been playing golf since he was around the age of three, when he was hitting balls in his garage. Then at the age of eleven he beat his dad for the first time 71 to 72. Work Hard, even though Tiger is a pro at what he does he still has to practice at his game. He really had to work hard at his game when he was younger or he would not be as good as he is now. Working hard also goes into playing through if he could not focus on his own game he could not play as good as he does.