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Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is not a perfect golfer

2 comments
Topics: Articles

by Cameron

Tiger Woods has came and conquered the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath. He now has a win on Melbourne’s famous sandbelt and can tick off another achievement in his long list of accomplishments.

But Tiger is not the perfect golfer.

He does not hit the ball perfectly all of the time. He makes mistakes and at times looks like his game is coming apart. But it doesn’t.

Tiger Woods plays golf automatically. And it’s this ability that separates him from the pack. Here’s a few examples.

For the most part he gets the ball between the trees from the tee. He resists the urge to hit driver on every hole. Tiger selects a club he knows he can get in play and then backs himself to play a longer club into the green.

When he does hit some poor shots (and Tiger hits his fair share) he doesn’t panic. He seems never to change his approach, get defensive or change his style. He keeps trucking no matter what the situation. I liked the fact he called Saturday, “a bad day”. He wasn’t about to rebuild his swing or change his game plan. He knew that he was more than likely to play better the next day.

This ability allows for remarkable to happen. His free flowing mentality gives him the ability to hit remarkable golf shots. If you saw his three-wood into 12 or his five-iron into sixteen yesterday you’ll know what I’m talking about. Remarkable doesn’t just happen. It comes from the ability to swing without fear and concern for a long period of time.

Deals with distractions better than most. And he needs to. With 25,000 screaming golf fans following his every move this week, Tiger is able to focus on what he needs to do. He doesn’t get caught up in the pandemonium or let it affect his game.

And most impressive: He doesn’t tell stories. Imagine what could be going through Tiger’s head? “Shit, I’ve been paid 3 million bucks this week, I better perform or else everyone will be unhappy”. “I can’t lose to these guys, I’m supposed to be the best player in the world”. “I’ve never played this course before, it wouldn’t be too bad if I only played average”.

But Tiger doesn’t tell stories. He stays in the moment and deals with reality. He is all business – to play the best golf he can, stick to his routine and hopefully win the tournament (by following this formula he wins a lot).

Tiger is not a perfect golfer. But he does play the game perfectly. If you’re going to copy him forget about mimicking his swing, but do copy his attitude and mindset. It his his strongest asset and what separates him from his competitors.

I’d like to hear your thoughts.

I put this post in because of its relevancy for us Aussies. In the next post I’ll continue with the Club Championship series.

Update on Playing Golf like Tiger

4 comments
Topics: Articles,Golf Instruction

by Cameron

After Tiger won this year’s US Open I wrote about why I think he’s so dominant. Briefly, I believe that he is the most automated and natural athlete in the world. It seems he never plays safe. He lets go, and hits every shot like it’s his last. There appears to be little self-doubt, confusion or worry. He decides what he wants to do and then executes the shot to his best ability.

This process sounds easy to do but it is deceptively difficult. This is one reason I believe that Tiger his head and shoulders above the rest, and why you may not be playing your best golf. I challenged you to take this approach for three rounds of golf. I believe this exercise will teach you more about your golf then any other lesson will. Below are my results of taking the challenge…

Round #1: I made an effort to trust my swing and let go. I realised early on that I had a tendency to think too much about the score and the results. My process for staying automatic helped the cause. I had two putts on 17 to get to five under (my best score in a while). I did everything correctly (I think) and hit the best putt I could. It narrowly missed the hole and traveled 1.5 metres past the hole. Again, I cleared my mind as best as I could and let the putt go. It missed but I felt that I didn’t flinch or steer the putt in any way.

The last hole was a similar story. I three putted after playing two good shots into the green. If I’m honest, I hit the wrong club into the green and let the previous miss (on 17) distract me. The end result was my second putt on 18 was a poor one. I was disappointed but manged to shoot 69 (3 under). It was a good score but it could have been better.

Round #2: This game was played under appalling conditions. It was tough going but I refused to change my approach. I didn’t worry about the wind, my swing or the score. This potentially was one of the best rounds I’ve played. My ball striking was good and I was able to negotiate the tough holes quite well. The last two holes were straight into the wind – I hit two low boring approach shots that finished on the green and was able to make par. It was fantastic to finish the round off so well. Score: 70

Round #3: This game was also the second and final round of my Club’s Winter Trophy. I hadn’t won this event before, and after my first good round (69 – see above) I was in contention and keen to do well. The temptation was to think about my score and worry about what everyone else was doing. I resisted the urge and focussed on playing golf.

The round started well but I couldn’t find a birdie over the first four holes . On the 5th (a par 5) I played a nice second shot and had two putts for birdie. I made a tricky two metre putt for birdie on the 6th and when I birdied the 7th my round was alight!

For some reason I started feeling tight on the 10th tee. I backed off the tee shot and recommitted to the job at hand. I completely let go and had no thought of concern. My three wood found the middle of the fairway and the approach was a good one. By this time the nerves had settled and I was feeling good. The putt for birdie was struck without a worry in the world and found the middle of the hole.

The 10th hole was a revelation for me. I realised that previously I had played too cautiously and safe when having a good round- that I would play to protect my score rather than continuing to shoot the best score possible.

I birdied the 15th hole to get to five under and when I hit my second into the 17th (a par 5) to three metres (my best shot of the day) I was on track for my best score in a long time. Determined to keep the process going I refused to play safe on the last. A good tee shot left me a six iron to a back pin position. The easy shot was to aim for the front tier and leave a difficult putt. I opted for the harder shot and play for the back tier and give myself a shot at a closing birdie. Playing on autopilot I hit a low iron shot that had eyes for the flag. The ball landed past the pin, leaving a quick downhill putt. The putt for a sixty-five narrowly missed and I tapped in for a six under score.

I was thrilled with the round and pleased how I was able to play the last few holes. I didn’t choke or play safe. I had chances to shoot a better score and it was fun to play great shots under pressure.

The three-round challenge was the best thing I’ve done in golf for some time and I’m glad I gave it another go. Here’s what I learned;

  • I’m prone to playing too carefully when on track for a good score
  • I think too much of the outcome – worried about score and the consequences of hitting a poor shot
  • If I let go and not think too much I play better. At first this was uncomfortable but it became easier to do
  • Good rounds become great rounds and the possibility for remarkable play is increased
  • Much more fun
  • Golf is such a silly game and we ALL worry too much
  • The difference from average golf to great golf is a fine line. The difference is in attitude rather than skill level

Despite having a good understanding of the learning process and automatic golf I still have plenty to learn. Playing without fear and approaching each shot automatically is easy to talk about but not easy to do. It takes a level of courage and discipline that can’t be bought or borrowed – and one reason why technology will never be the determining factor in golf.

If you want to have a breakthrough in your golf game then I strongly urge you to take the three-round challenge. It is a small commitment but can completely revolutionise your golf game and open your eyes to what’s possible. If you have given it a go I would love to hear about it.

Good golfing,

Cameron

P.S. I managed to win the Winter Trophy which was a nice bonus ;)

What You Can Learn From Tiger

5 comments
Topics: Articles,Golf Instruction

by Cameron

OK, so Tiger has done it again. It was an enthralling US Open that was action and drama packed right to the end. Who would have thought it would take 91 holes for Tiger to beat Rocco Mediate, the 157th ranked player in the world?

My hat goes off to Mediate. If my memory serves me correctly the last time I heard from him (before this week) was when he was commentating on the PGA Tour last year. I think he was injured and provided some special comments to assist those regular commentators who have long ago forgotten anything useful and interesting to say.

Anyway, bad luck to Rocco, he certainly provided some entertainment and I hope it’s not the last time we hear from him. If this week’s form is anything to go by the old boy has plenty to offer.

I’ve been asked many times why Tiger is so good and what separates him from the rest. Before I do that I would like to give you my opinion on the areas I think are myths as to why he is the best player in the world.

He is the hardest worker: This one annoys me. I don’t believe Tiger is the hardest worker on tour. Sure, he practices hard but so do most of the tour players. Vijay Singh is renowned for spending hours beating balls. I’m sure there are others too that would give Tiger a run for his money in terms of hours spent practicing. I don’t think Tiger’s work ethic hurts him, but I don’t think it’s the primary reason why he is at number one.

If practicing long hours was the only requirement for achieving success the world be full of people hitting golf balls all day.

He is the fittest (strongest) athlete: Again, Tiger is fit and strong but is he really the fittest? And if so is that the reason he keeps winning? I don’t think so.

This fittest tag gets thrown around by the media from time to time when they run out of things to say. It’s a bit of a cop out if you ask me. The PGA Tour is full of extremely fit and strong athletes. John Daly is definitely the exception. The fitness trailer get far more action than the 19th hole!

Things certainly have changed from a few years ago. I know amateur golfers here in Melbourne that workout each day and have the build of elite football players.

Again, being fit and strong can’t hurt Tiger’s game, but I don’t think it’s the reason why he’s number one. Also it seems Tiger can know win on one leg. I’d bet that Tiger could beat these guys if he was twice the size, with a sizable beer gut.

He wants “it”more than any other player: This line is a complete cop out. You can’t tell me that Rocco Mediate wanted the US Open any less than Tiger. Every player that’s competing out there wants to win and win badly. Tiger likes to win, but his competitive nature is not the reason why he is able to win so often.

So why is Tiger so good?

My strong opinion is that he is the most automatic and natural sportsman in the world.

Tiger plays every round the same way. He has grooved his thought process so that every shot is treated like the one before it. The more pressure he is put under the more instinctively he plays.

Tiger never plays safe! Never.

My definition of playing safe is being careful, using too much conscious control and letting the pressure of any situation change your natural style. It can seem like the right thing to do, but playing safe almost always leads to failure.

Through years of experience Tiger plays each shot like it was his last. Sounds easy to do but it isn’t. I think it’s human nature to be careful and play safe when put under pressure. Tiger has the ability to play without fear or results of the consequences. This I believe is what makes him so special. The average golfer has trouble letting go and trusting himself to hit his opening tee shot – much easier to tighten up and steer the ball down the fairway. This is something that I’ve never seen Tiger do. Every swing, chip and putt is a flowing action that is free of self-doubt or worry.
The ability to do this cannot be underestimated. Not only does it help him play those incredible shots, it allows him to grind out those rounds where things aren’t going so well. To keep swinging freely when you’re not feeling great and the ball keeps missing the target takes more courage than anything golf can throw at you.

If you want to learn from Tiger Woods then take this three round challenge:

Hit every shot with a free flowing swing. Hit the ball (including putts) without fear or concern of where it’s going. Sure, plan the shot and choose the appropriate club, but once you’re over the ball you can’t worry yourself with self-doubt and fear. Let go and enjoy the experience.

This means that if you have a testing three footer for par you have to walk up and stroke it with confidence. Or, if there’s a difficult tee shot with out of bounds down the left you can’t aim at the right trees and play safe. You must aim for the fairway and pull the trigger. It also means that if you hit your first three tee shots into the trees you can’t analyse and start changing your swing and try and get the ball on the fairway. That’s cheating and isn’t in the rules. You have to hit the fourth tee shot with you most natural swing you can muster.

This sounds easy to do but I can tell you it takes some work. It takes courage, trust and a strong will. Make the decision to take the three round challenge and you won’t be disappointed. I’m willing to bet that you’ll learn more about your game (and character) than any lesson you’ve had in the past. And quite possibly you’ll experience your own version of remarkable golf. Surely you don’t think you can play exactly like Tiger Woods do you? :)

If you lean to adopt this “free from fear” method of playing you can then take better advantage of any fitness gains and competitive spirit that you may possess. You can only get an advantage from these “one percenters” if you can swing (play) without fear.

And finally, I’ve just heard that Tiger is taking the rest of the year off to recover from injury. I’m sure this won’t stop him and he’ll be back next year in the same way that he finished this one. I can’t wait!

Good golfing and good luck. Let me know if you decide to give the challenge a shot.

Cameron

Thoughts on Tiger

2 comments
Topics: Articles

by Cameron

Dear golfer,

I’ve been asked quite a bit lately about Tiger Woods, and specifically why he is so good.

Not an easy question to answer. I would place him in the ‘freak’ or ‘one in a billion’ category. He is so good that he makes everyone else look like they’re second rate. Not many sports people have been able to do that. Calling him a ‘freak’ is probably a cop out on my part, but I’m not sure how else one could describe him.

I strongly believe that he plays the game entirely instinctively. Sure, he practices hard and spends time working on his swing etc, but when he plays golf he lets his subconscious take over for him. It also seems that the more pressure he is under the more he lets go and allows nature lead the way. With my understanding of learning and performing under pressure, this is the only way to explain his extraordinary ability to keep pulling out those big shots when he needs them most.

Tiger has incredible natural ability, he mixes this with a strong work ethic and ties it all together with a super human ability to play on auto pilot. Unlike many of his competitors, Tiger is able to get into auto mode more often than not and rarely plays a poor round (for Tiger a poor round would be something around par). This ability allows him to play remarkable golf. Remarkable golf for Tiger is something mere mortals can only dream of. Best just to enjoy “Tiger Remarkable” from the lounge room.

So can we learn anything from Tiger?

I wouldn’t try and copy his swing. To me copying anyone’s swing is a disaster waiting to happen, Tiger’s swing is mission impossible. I’m sure many golfers (PGA Tour stars) have tried to copy aspects but they’re not even getting close. I don’t think the average golfer stands a chance.

My opinion is to set yourself to play your own kind of remarkable golf. Learn to trust your swing and perform it on auto pilot under the pressure of competition. Remarkable golf takes more courage than you’d think. It can feel uncomfortable and even scary. When you break through the fear you can come out the other side a different player, a player with the ability to perform his best more of the time.

You might not be able to beat Tiger Woods, but you will become a better player and have the propensity for something special. This makes the game fun and opens a whole new world of possibility.

Y es, Tiger Woods is special, but we can all be special in our own unique way.

Go Tiger! And long live remarkable golf.

Good golfing,

Cameron