Listen, I’m a huge Tiger fan… at least his game. I literally get awestruck when Frank Nobilo breaks his swing down for us mere mortals, I think to myself, did he really just do that? I see a genius at work. He’s truly an enigma, one that comes around only a few times in a lifetime… if we are lucky. Comparing him to Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali would not be out of line. It may not be fair to compare sports in terms of pure athleticism, but Jordan, Ali, and Tiger are in my top 5 athletes of all-time nevertheless!
If he would have kept that squeaky clean “act” in check, there’s no doubt he would’ve blown by Jack. He’ll still beat Jack, but it will take a lot longer. When he self-imploded day-after Thanksgiving, 2009, his game was put on a respirator. Now we have to wait until he can piece meal his game back together to find that magic again. Which I think he will… eventually.
Even though I think 90% of his woes are psychological at this point, I still found this video on Tiger’s swing analysis by Somax Sports thought provoking!
They claim Tiger’s swing is “measurably worse than his old swing” and has developed a new problem in his putting… “Gripping and Yipping” are the result. Tiger has always fought centrifugal force big time. And why not, he’s Tiger! But has he taken it too far? Well, Bob Prichard thinks so.
Some of these points actually make sense to me, especially dropping his hands further at address may not be the best move for Tiger. After all, if you are fighting centrifugal force the way he does, why would you make it harder on yourself? Hell, I’d like to see Tiger use his 3-wood the rest of his career so we don’t have to watch him making saves 10 times a round. But on the other hand, that would take the fun out of it.
Take a look at this video and please give me your thoughts:
I think Tiger is using this swing change thing as an excuse to hide his problems with his public perception.He is out of control when it comes to women.Why would you change a swing when it was so good.He knows that most people think he is a total jerk for what he did.The PGA should just kick him out of golf. He is a very bad example. He should hang out with Lindsey Lohan.
Hey James,
I tend to agree with your point on his swing change.
In fact, I was thinking to myself the other day, why would he go through a swing change at this time? Why wouldn’t you take care of your family business, get back to golf with the swing that not only was a proven winner, it would be something he could depend on during an emotional roller coaster?
Anyway, good point, thanks for participating!
I’m not a pro nor a teacher of golf. This is what I see and have observed.
This year, his follow through is more rounded and continues more left after striking the ball rather than having the clubhead travel somewhat more downline after contact. It seems that it’s more accentuated than it should be.
Also, even when Haney was his coach, he would come out of the shot prior to impact, thus hitting his shot with the driver right of target. I didn’t even have to see where his ball was going when he did this. All that was needed was to see him come out of the shot. Of course, that’s normal with anyone.
With regards to putting, he should’ve never experimented with the Nike putter and left well enough alone. Why would anyone change putters with the success he had with the Titleist putter. Never, Never change what’s working, especially if you’re winning tournaments like he did.
Now I’m sure doubt has crept into the mind and we all know what happens when that happens. His comment of “one must trust the swing” is in a quandry.
If I was him, I’d drop the teachers and lose some strength and get back to just being natural. Think less and just let the natural talent take over. Kind of like just starting over.
Of course, I have my own problems to work on since I’m only a 5 hcp and these comments are only comments and are worth only the screen printed on.
Good luck,
Rod
I’m sure he wanted the strength to hit those shots out of the rough that were amazing. Not sure about how strong one must be but flexibility needs to be taken into account. I’m sure he’s well aware of where his is in that area.
I just keep thinking of where David Duval and John Daly once were and what happened to them, of course there were outside personal conflicts that affected them also.
Also with Bobby Clampett when he just lost his swing.
The swing can be here today and gone tomorrow. I guess that’s why we just keep coming back for more.
Spot on Rod with the putter change… didn’t even mention that! Here you are arguably one of the top 3 putters of all time, using the same putter since he was a kid, and he changes it… WTF?
Yeah, there’s a lot of doubt in his mind right now I suspect.
I’m going back and forth on the strength topic. I am an avid believer in total fitness, including weight training. But on the other hand, I do think it may hurt him at times. Aside from benefits he receives from strength training on the course, I think he was using it as an intimidation factor as well. What do you think?
I’m sure he wanted the strength to hit those shots out of the rough that were amazing. Not sure about how strong one must be but flexibility needs to be taken into account. I’m sure he’s well aware of where his is in that area.
I just keep thinking of where David Duval and John Daly once were and what happened to them, of course there were outside personal conflicts that affected them also.
Also with Bobby Clampett when he just lost his swing.
The swing can be here today and gone tomorrow. I guess that’s why we just keep coming back for more
Tiger doesn’t have a swing to critique at the moment. He is in the process of making changes and doesn’t have ANYTHING down yet. His putting problem is from lack of practice on the short game, as he has admitted. To suggest that the weightlifting he has done since 1997 suddenly is the cause of his problems is just silly. I guess he somehow fought thru it for the the previous 12 succesful years? It is amazing what people will do to attempt to validate their own theories.
I agree with your observations, however I would include two points that I observed in this weekends Dubai tournament. Putting: When he was 10 to 12 feet he would “flick” the putter at the ball. He never did that before. It was always a controlled “smooth push” even from considerably longer distances. Swing Speed: Several times, it appeared to me that he was and is “competing with someone” for the longest drive. Irons also. Since his eventfull year and half he has spent more time in seclusion lifting heavier weights. Quite often heavy weight lifters loose the ability transfer muscle coordination in a parallel plane vice their normal vertical lift plane.
With six (+) girl friends his testosterone level never reached the level it is now. Maybe it is now so high that what he needs is a means to release the normal male sexual drive without the media knowing about it. Just a thought.
Hi Ray,
Yeah, I noticed the “flick” as well… I also noticed he’s taking more of a “slouched” approach at address, getting over the ball more… not sure I like that. Again, not sure why he’d even think about changing his putting, but he’s been making massive changes since day one.
If I were him, I’d leave his entire game as-is and work strictly on hitting more fairways. I know this is over simplifying the problem, but if he were to find a way to hit 80+% of the fairways, who could stop him?
Hi
Interesting points being made on Tiger. However, a man as rich as he is must have best in medical, coaching indeed all aspects of the golf game.
My confusion is this continual trend to change swings…? Look at Padrig Harrington -You win three majors then decide to change your swing and he has done nothing since.
I live in Scotland and one of the best natural golfers I ever seen was Sandy Lyle – Untill he changed his swing, never did he content again.
Is the swing changes because if injury, Looking at Rory McIlroy – he cannot keep that swing up for more than a couple of years or his back will crumble…?
I often wonder that same thing William. If you have something that’s proven and nobody has beaten you with it, why change it? But let’s face it, Tiger lives in a different world/mindset that the average person/golfer.
My assumption [not being Tiger] is guys such as Tiger continually search for better ways, trying to find that one change that makes a huge difference. Let’s face it, Tiger is happy with a win but he’s elated when he can pulverize his opponents. Therefore, if he continually tweaks his swing, maybe, just maybe, he’ll land on that one change that will take him from beating Phil by 10 strokes instead of 5 (hypothetical of course:)… just a hunch.
I, too, find the theory of lifting weights to be silly – I’d even go so far as to suggest ignorant. As mentioned, the guy has been lifting and strength conditioning since he turned pro. Arguably, he single-handedly changed the way professional golfers approach the game. And to suggest that his winning ways are due to too much muscle? I almost thought that was a joke being stated. The guy is in his head – period. He used to play golf thinking, nay, KNOWING, he was the best (even if he might not have been on any given day). That mindset is gone, and in its place is a “tinkerer,” just like the rest of us hacks (and I actually used to be in the PGA program). Change clubs, change teachers, change swings. Whatever it takes to find the “solution.” The solution is in between the ears, son. If your father was still alive I’m sure he’d be the first to tell him just that. I hope he can get it together, as so many of the shots he was able to pull off made the game a lot more fun and interesting to watch (and we have TV ratings to prove this). Unfortunately I don’t know that it’s gonna happen anytime soon, as the swing I see now is no better than some of my lower-handicap golfing buddies.
Wow, a dose of some harsh reality! You make some great points John.
I too believe it’s mostly “in his head” [quoted in my post as 90%]. To Tiger’s defense however, he has been “tinkering” with his swing since the 90’s. He knows what he’s doing. But like you stated: “The guy is in his head – period. He used to play golf thinking, nay, KNOWING, he was the best (even if he might not have been on any given day). That mindset is gone…” holds a lot of merit IMO.
Interesting. My experience is that starting a swing with your hands as high as you suggest is unnatural and promotes too flat a swing plane, at least for me. However, the rest of your suggestions are outstanding, especially starting the downswing with your left knee. My biggest problem is getting too far over onto the outside of my left foot. I keep my left heel down thru the backswing and my swing coach advises to think of the ball joint below your left big toe as having a stake driven thru it into the ground and release into that. It works for me. The suggestion about the restricted neck flexibilty from fiber buildup is very helpful as well. I have problems in that area from old football injuries. Do you have specific exercizes for that problem?
Thanks for comment Tom.
Actually, the video in the post produced most of the initial commentary. Here is the site: http://www.somaxsports.com/
I am a firm believer in the Harvey Penick school of Swing.
It really doesn’t make sense to me why Tiger would even need a coach, he had an immaculate natural swing.
My feeling is every time you try to change something, a lot of muscles need to re-adjust. He should just wipe out all the noise that he is being told, and proceed with HIS GAME.
Some interesting points made here, about the weight lifting! I think that he has gone to far with it and has lost some flexibility which may be the cause of the hip swaying instead of rotating and it may also contribute to the rounding of his finish. I have observed that when he is on the practice range during warm up his swing is much smoother, spine angle remains constant, hips pivot rather that sway, and he does not do that big vertical head bobbing he does when in actual play which has not been mentioned here. In my humble opinion that is the main cause of his problems with his full swing, when in warm up mode he is not trying to swing at 100% and keeps control,hitting the ball straight with minimal loss in distance. The statements made here about it being in his head is spot on, in his golfing prime he was one of the most accurate long drivers on tour, not anymore the young bloods are hitting longer and straighter and he feels he has to give it all on every swing to keep up rather than relying on his better play to win. EGO took a big hit with his fall from grace and he is trying to get it back by hitting it bigger than he has to. 10 yards further = 20 yards wider the same trap the rest of us mortals fall into. Putting! yes well no comment from me! Regards John
Good point John B. How many tournaments, including majors, did Nicklaus win driving almost exclusively with his 3 wood and 1 iron? He never thought twice about keeping the driver in the bag if he wasn’t hitting it well.
Great points John, thanks!
Yep, he is no longer playing last in most of his pairings. Ah, not to say he’s still not one of the long hitters, but I believe that’s always been his downfall… he wants to be considered the longest, therefore he’ll pull the driver and “go after it” instead of hitting a controlled draw or fade. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if he were to play his 3-wood more often off the tee, hit his driver in a controlled state, and leave his game as-is, he’ll be contending for majors sooner rather than later!
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This video has just given me new life on my game. I use to address the ball like the video suggest, my hands slightly below. I started golf at age 21 and was a 0 hdcap in 16 months. Now I am 50 and still play off a 5 handicap, but due to “swing changes” as Pro’s told me to stand closer to the ball and drop my hands and change my grip, to hit the ball further, my consistancy has gone out the window. I have been back to the range working back my old swing, feel strange, but I will be back to 0 in a few months. There are very few pro’s today who are consistant off the tee. For Tiger, well, always admired his skill but I dont think he will come back, The likes of Gary Player was also big into fitness and strength and today still is, he never build bulk, but strength and endurance. There are few people that played better after a swing Chnage, Nick Faldo, but for the rest, David leadbetter must get the medal for stuffing up the most swings in the game, to name a few, Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman.
I am a certified and experienced teaching pro. I had to stop watching the video at around the 4 minute mark.
This EXTREMELY exaggerated over-analyzed version of Tiger’s game is somewhat entertaining for me, and will surely initiate water-cooler talk. However, Tiger’s issues are not excessive tissue in his forearms and neck but simply his mental approach to the process of creating golf shots.
The guy has taught us many times already that you don’t need an unbelievable golf swing to perform (Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson, etc.).
The Power of positive thinking is not present in Tiger’s heart at the moment. He is a confused/lost soul trying to deflect his past and move on. It is clear that he is not able to accept that he has failed…for once.
We will see a newer and better Tiger soon…hopefully.
Well said longballzz. Thanks for the comment.
The video promotes “single axis” à la Moe Norman and Natural Golf. Indeed Moe was incredible good at it. But I don’t think increasing the angle between forearms and shaft really fights centrifugal force, there are other forces involved. Overuse of hips? That might be a problem. Too much hip slide? Don’t think this is possible, look at Hogan or the very Moe: they shot their hips forward more than any other one.
I have spent some time on regaining my wrist angle at impact and found it was all lats and triceps that kept my arms closer to my body, and had nothing to do with my forearms and hands. The yips certainly arise from forearm and hand tension but maintaining wrist angle doesn’t build up forearm and muscle tissue which then causes yips.
Also having overcome the yips I think that bringing the swing that you use to hit the ball to your putting stroke definitely can cause the yips, especially as you get older. The solution? A different stroke for putting than for chipping and full swing. That goes against conventional wisdom but if all those great golfers couldn’t putt then what good is conventional wisdom?
If anyone is curious, if found that a grip very much in the palm of the hand with a sort of bowling motion with the palm going to the target eliminated the “hit” anxiety that I felt when I had the yips. (fast greens are a lot easier than slow ones) Jack Nicklaus has talked about putting with palm of his hand. Worked for him, works for me.
Neck injuries are bound to cause putting and swinging woes. but keeping wrist angle at impact as a cause for putting woes, I think, is way off the mark.