Opinion & Analysis
Is Tiger really tired, or just tired of his swing problems?
I am happy to be back to the world of golf after a lengthy medical hiatus in the city of Brotherly love! I spent the month of September in Philadelphia where I received the finest medical care imaginable. Anyway back to the game of golf.
After Round 2 of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, Tiger Woods told the media that he was tired. He had just shot 32-41 at East Lake, an implosion that seemed to support Woods’ claim of fatigue.
“I put everything I had into that start and didn’t have much at the end,” Woods said. “Just ran out of gas.”
Woods went on to say that his “legs were just tired,” which caused him problems rotating through shots on the back nine. That’s why so many of his shots “turned over,” or moved right to left, a ball flight that led to a double bogey on No. 14.
I agree with Woods that PGA Tour players are playing longer seasons than ever before, and the travel and media scrutiny can take its toll on even the best of players. But Woods is one of the fittest golfers on the PGA Tour, and plays less events than nearly any other world-class golfer. So what I’m wondering is why golfers like Boo Weekly and Jason Dufner don’t seem to be tired, but Tiger Woods does?
What I’m even more shocked by is that Tiger decided to blame his errant shots on fatigue.He has been fighting his driver for his entire career, and while his driving statistics have improved under swing coach Sean Foley, he’s still nowhere near as good with the driver as he could be.
The truth is that Tiger’s driving ability suffers not because of his lack of conditioning, but because of a swing flaw. It’s the same one he has battled his whole career — his downswing path comes too far from the inside and he gets “stuck,” as he termed it.
When Tiger first started working on Trackman, his path was as much as 8 degrees from in-to-out. The work he has done with Sean Foley has been focused on getting the path more from the “outside,” or at least straighter into the golf ball. And it’s obvious that’s he’s been working on this throughout 2013 when you watch his practice swings, where he practices an exaggerated over-the-top move with the club swinging well left of the target line.
When Woods played his best this year, he was able to work the ball both ways. But when he sets up for his current bread-and-butter shot, a fade, and drops the club too far to the inside, he hits hooks or blocks. We saw both at East Lake.
The lesson is this: Golfers cannot get the golf club to work more outside simply with a greater rotation of the hips (which is why Tiger’s claim of fatigue affecting his swing is bogus by the way). I teach plenty of talented golfers who open their body and still drop the club way inside and under the plane. When that happens, golfers hit the same bad shots as Tiger: hooks if the face is closed to the path and blocks if the face is square or open to the path.
Again, the correction for this is not necessarily more lower body rotation. And if it was, it would be more of a focus on upper body rotation to allow the club to get more to the outside.
Here’s what golfers have to remember: The ONLY thing that causes the ball to curve in flight is the relationship of the club face to the PATH of the swing, not the target line. If Tiger wants to improve his driving, he needs to get the golf club more out of front of him. He needs to be sure he can “cut across the ball” if he is going to play his coveted fade.
Woods shot 69-67 on the weekend because he’s Tiger Woods, and he’s the best golfer who ever lived at getting the ball into the hole. But his golf swing is still a work in progress. Until a more outside-in path becomes more habitual, he is going to struggle, particularly with the tee ball.
As always, feel free to send a swing video to my Facebook page and I will do my best to give you my feedback.
As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!
Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.
Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.
One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?
Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.
Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.
Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”
For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…
Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…
That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.
@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!
Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.
View this post on Instagram
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”
Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.
That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.
As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.
I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.
One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.
The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.
If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.
Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.
As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.
It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.
David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.
In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:
“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Eventually, though, something shifts.
We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.
Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.
Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.
Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.
So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.
I see someone evolving.
He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.
It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.
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Irishechoes
Oct 2, 2013 at 7:32 pm
Dennis, I really appreciated the article. Can you explain how a golfer can implement the mechanics to “get the club club more out in front of him.” What’s the secret to accomplishing this and avoiding the “stuck” that causes blocks and hooks?
Dennis Clark
Oct 3, 2013 at 8:29 am
Sure I have an article coming out soon that details this but briefly…The ARMS swing the club, not the body. The arms hang from the soldiers, so UPPER body rotation in the downswing is critical. Thinking of the hips and core only will not automatically swing the golf club back out in front of you. Also the torqueing of the club by rotating the arms is important. Dragging the handle (trying to “lag” the club) gets it stuck behind and under. I hope that helps.
christian
Oct 14, 2013 at 10:12 am
make sure you start the downswing with your arms, and not from the ground up = not stuck anymore. Especially important if you have fast hips.
Corrie-Lynn's dad
Sep 26, 2013 at 9:28 pm
I love how people are pretty much attacking Clark. Just a simple column, addressing a player attempting to correct his swing flaw, with what he determined through his experience in teaching, incorrectly.
I think tiger just jumps on the throttle a little too hard. His failed attempts to break the habit of in to out, I’m sure it’s not for the lack of practice, could be the one and only thing that is bigger than him.
nik
Sep 26, 2013 at 11:01 pm
Critique comes with the privilege of writing articles for WRX. As a master instructor with over 40000 lessons under his belt, I think he can handle it.
Ted McIntyre
Oct 2, 2013 at 3:03 pm
I agree with the “jumping on the throttle” suggestion. Tiger’s most violent swings are invariably his biggest misses; whereas his smoothest passes at the ball reflect the advantages of his swing changes. I can usually tell where the ball is going as quickly as he can simply by the nature of the swing leading to impact. I swear if he took a valium every nine holes, he would have won 12 times this year.
sam
Sep 26, 2013 at 5:27 pm
Glad to see you back Dennis and hope you are feeling well. Keep up the great contributions!!
nb1062
Sep 26, 2013 at 12:27 pm
I have to laugh at some of the comments on here. I think that Dennis may very well have something here but those of you who are Tiger apologists won’t see it because you perceive it as a personal attack on him. I’m a big Phil fan, but it’s plain to see that Phil has swing flaws and sometimes he just plain chokes. Phil more than readily admits those things. Tiger is human and he’s not perfect, do I think that being tired on top of his swing flaws is feasible? Yes. It can be one or the other at different times and both at the same time as well.
Alan
Sep 26, 2013 at 12:55 am
Dennis, after reading this article I had to post a comment or a little more than that. I find that what you wrote is purely based on your opinion and maybe even to stir some conversation which it has. I do believe Tiger when he says that he is tired and that is the reason why he plain out sucked. His explanation of why he was hitting left is his own and what he believes was causing his bad play. If you have ever played any other sports other then golf then you know that when your legs go everything else goes. When a NBA team plays back to back nights the 2nd night they usually look sluggish and miss shots. You can say their form is bad, but what is causing it? Oh what, fatigue? We all know Tiger is not great at driving the ball, but to say its because he is “stuck” or a couple of degrees closed open what ever is just silly. That is just stuff they see on a launch monitor but has no bearing in a real game because conditions are different, ball placement may be different or body position. When he has to drive it straight in the clutch you will see him come thru because that’s just sports. Jason Dufner comparison? Just silly. Duff man has just been on the scene for 2 years in the spot light and before that I dont think he was doing many interviews or had as many obligations as Tiger. Even tho they are similar in age, Tiger has had a lifetime of golf compared to Dufner on a whole different level. At the end of the season it can get tiring and it showed in the fedex tourney that’s it. Im pretty sure he will still win many tournaments next year with his “stuck” swing.
Dennis Clark
Sep 26, 2013 at 11:05 am
Actually much of what I said is based on observation. I have taught golf for 32 years to some 40,000+ players and when I see blocks and hooks, I don’t need radar to tell me the cause. Tiger played 16 events on the PGA Tour this year; many of the other top 10 players played over 20, so I’m surprised that the guys who played well in the end were not also tired? And as I mentioned, you are preaching to the choir. I’m a huge Tiger fan, happy to be alive during his prime. He is the best ever. He would be even better if he could get the ball in play more off the tee. That’s all I have said
Martin Chuck
Sep 25, 2013 at 11:08 pm
Dennis, glad you are feeling better. Good article and thanks for the contribution.
Dennis Clark
Sep 26, 2013 at 10:58 am
Thanks Martin; open heart surgery is NO fun!
Chris
Sep 25, 2013 at 9:42 pm
I do not know why people are busting this guys Balls. TW fanatics cannot stand anything critical about their man. This is not North Korea, you can be critical about the Dear Leader.
Ted Cole
Sep 27, 2013 at 8:16 am
Chris… I happen to believe you are correct. This Tiger-mania is ridiculous. Tiger wins on the same 7 courses every year. He might win 2 tourneys or 5 tourneys but they are all won at the same place. This is not a bad thing but it does require some examination. He hasn’t won a major in 5 years because his swing is just not up to snuff. Dufner handled himself the way I would love to be able to do under the extreme pressure of a major championship. His swing was honed and he was mentally prepared. Listen… if I were competing in a tournament that was being held at my home course I would be well-favored to win. Tiger is a great golfer… possibly the best ever. But all these sycophants that defend every little criticism seems ridiculous to me. Tiger has swing faults just like you and me… not as exaggerated but he has them. And I don’t think he is done winning major championships… but I think the point of the article is that Tiger’s issues relate more to a swing fault and less to being fatigued… and I think that is right on point.
Bob Zinna
Sep 25, 2013 at 8:17 pm
To be fair to Dennis even Hank Haney alluded to the fact that he thought Tiger had a case of the “driver yips.” That statement is really a pretty amazing statement though. Tiger on the range according to Hank is capable of streaks where he can do anything he wants for hours on end but Tiger shocked Hank when he took a 3-wood on a hole Tiger dominated with driver at his home course where the Tavistock Cup was being played. In other words even Tiger Woods like many of the greatest actors of the past is capable of “stage fright.” What left me cold was the way the article simply closed with the usual throw off line about Tiger going on to shoot two closing rounds in the 60s despite a “disappointing” week. The thing of it is players, even Tiger don’t shoot 60s by accident and nevertheless these players who shoot 60s are still human with all of the flaws that entails. The driver is different, hit with a peg and I have no doubt Tiger could dominate on tour hitting driver off the deck instead of teeing it up! The real criticism of Woods that hits home the most is not the technical criticism such as from Dennis here, it’s the fact that Tiger really should not be overdoing the analysis, as he along with Couples and Sam Snead were the greatest artistic golfers around. When you have that sort of artistic talent why ruin it by becoming robotic and mechanical.
Dennis Clark
Sep 27, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Thats an interesting Hank observation-From one who admittedly had driver yips so bad he had to focus on looking at the bill of his cap in the downswing! But I think I agree to some extent. Its difficult to hit up a ball from your left side! Thx, DC
nik
Sep 25, 2013 at 7:05 pm
You Tiger fans are something else.
The whole thing of him being gassed rang untrue to me as well. And, if he is indeed tired, whose fault is that? HIS OWN. He should be managing his time differently. Excuses, excuses.
And sorry, Dennis, but you giving tips to Tiger is like Sussmayr giving lessons to Mozart.
Jack
Sep 26, 2013 at 5:14 am
I think it’s more that they have played 4 out of 5 weeks or something like that. I don’t know about you, but that’s alot of rounds. 16 rounds in 5 weeks. Along with practice sessions etc. And he’s 36 or 37. How many other golfers his age are contending? Stricker and Furyk? I think Tiger could use some of that 5hr energy.
Peep
Sep 26, 2013 at 5:17 pm
Jim Furyk averages 33 events a year.
Tiger only plays an average of 17.
Do the maths. If he’s gassed, it’s not from golf.
Dennis Clark
Sep 26, 2013 at 11:40 am
SO Tiger is a better golfer than I so I should not offer him suggestions? Continuing that line of thinking, neither should Foley, Haney or anybody else on planet earth. But he’s had a coach his whole life. Hmmm…As a PGA Master Instructor with some 40,000 lessons experience, I feel confident offering suggestions to anyone. Thx
nik
Sep 26, 2013 at 10:58 pm
This is what I’m saying, yes. Tiger’s golf IQ is sooooo far above even exemplary instructors (such as yourself). We are talking about the best ever, are we not? The guy is a golfing supergenius, and I’m not sure what you’d have to offer him that he doesn’t already know.
Would you give Seve a short game lesson too?
Dennis Clark
Sep 27, 2013 at 4:37 pm
What Im saying is this: Regardless of Tiger’s skill level, which is obvious, he has a fundamental flaw that may keep him from jack’s record. I offered my opinion as to what that flaw is and what he might do to correct it. It matters not that he is Tiger Woods-swing flaws are swing flaws and EVERYONE has one. Would I give Seve a short game lesson? No because i don’t believe he ever struggled with that part of the game. God knows he needed a driver lesson! At the ebd of his brilliant career he couldn’t drive it in the ocean from the beach. But short game? Why mess with perfection? Just learn from it! I work with several people who could beat me 7 days a week (especially at 65 years old) but I help them and they keep coming back. You cannot confuse teaching with playing ability. If Tiger only took lessons from people his skill level, there would be no one on earth who could teach him. Could Jack Grout beat jack Nicklaus? Could Harvey Penick beat Tom Kite? As a player I was a middle of the pack club pro, as a teacher I am Master level instructor. That is why the best players in the world seek trained eyes on their swing. I appreciate your comments though and I always welcome other thoughts. DC
nik
Sep 27, 2013 at 7:49 pm
Seve most likely did struggle with his short game while learning to play. Left to his own devices he became the guru we all knew him to be. And that’s my point- Tiger has never truly needed a teacher. His OCD with technique and seeking out new instructors may very well be what keeps him from 19 majors.
nik
Sep 27, 2013 at 7:58 pm
And to further my Mozart analogy- he went from a child prodigy (much like Mr Woods) to a composer who wrote music that the best minds in the field had not yet conceived. Tiger could have done the same thing for golf if he could have left himself alone.
WES
Sep 25, 2013 at 6:46 pm
I liked it, good article. Tiger should never be physically tired with how hard he works at fitness, unless he’s hiding another injury (which he’s been known to do.)
La
Sep 25, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Yeah, she’s called Lindsey.
mwmilk123
Sep 25, 2013 at 4:22 pm
Don’t write an article around here lately, especially about tiger. You will hurt feelings. Thanks for taking your own time to contribute Dennis, its appreciated by most. Lets not forget your instruction contributions also, thank you.
Dennis Clark
Sep 25, 2013 at 9:15 pm
Thanks. The thing is I am a big Tiger fan. Met him, played golf with him; he’s a great dude. Just fights his driver now
Mike Riffice
Oct 1, 2013 at 6:20 am
Dennis…i thought the article was well conceived and written. I do not know enough about the technical aspects of the swing to comment, but its fair to see that we see more wayward shots from Tiger than we did before. I will say that the constant scrutiny, from the press to every babba-booey goof ball must be exhausting for Tiger. I realize he gets “paid” and helped generate the interest in him and his golf game, but that scrutiny (just think about getting reviewed by your peers…as well as those who have no real expertise) on a 24/7 basis takes a toll.
Ted McIntyre
Oct 2, 2013 at 2:58 pm
If he was struggling on the driving range and back at his home course in Florida, I’d say he needs to work on further changes, but in my experience he seems to be striping it all day long on the range—including the driver—which suggests to me that it’s in his head, not his swing.
J
Sep 25, 2013 at 4:04 pm
His energy expenditure in bed with Lindsey is what’s making his legs weak.
Jadon
Oct 2, 2013 at 2:09 pm
+1
naflack
Sep 25, 2013 at 2:23 pm
i bet jim hardy could help tiger significantly.
be more active with the upper body and accept the natural draw flight.
Payton
Sep 25, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Its unreal that someone can write something like this. Tiger Woods has more of a demanding golf schedule in general then anyone on tour or in golf. I don’t care if TIger is better off the tee Tigers true strength has always been his short game and ability to make the shots that win which Tiger can still go. Winning 5 times including WGC’s I wouldn’t call that a unsuccessful season by any means. Tiger Woods has many more years of dominant golf left including multiple majors.
naflack
Sep 25, 2013 at 2:25 pm
he wont win another major…
hey
Oct 11, 2013 at 11:28 pm
Yeah, they also said he would never win again.
big meech
Sep 25, 2013 at 1:25 pm
his swing direction is usually left, homie ain’t stuck!
Jack
Sep 26, 2013 at 5:10 am
It’s what I do with my inside out swing. Sometimes I close my clubface too much (and it has to so that the ball curves back) resulting in a hook to the left. Not saying I’m anywhere his level, but same general concept I believe.
Alex
Sep 26, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Bigmeech speaks the truth. His path problem is not from going too far left
Alex
Sep 26, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Sorry meant too far right
Axleinc
Sep 25, 2013 at 12:59 pm
Cause Dennis Clark has all the answers and insight to all of life’s questions…
And weather or not people are tired or not.
Dennis Clark
Sep 25, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Dennis Clark is a golf pro who writes a column for this site. Insight to all of life’s problems is not discussed that I know of. But thanks for your insights.
Cannon
Sep 25, 2013 at 3:27 pm
Hahahah nice comeback.
Scott F
Sep 27, 2013 at 1:24 pm
Tiger talked about getting stuck years ago I remember he was on some Golf Channel show back in late 90s early 2000s with Butch. He talked about that move of getting stuck and its not that hes too inside but more in that his hips are turning so fast his body cant keep up. He fought that his whole life. Interesting though that his misses are more pronounced with his driver but hes one of the best iron players ever. Wouldnt these same flaws show up as much in his iron play?
Frankly I think his problem is same as Phils youre older and still want to keep up distance wise with the young guns so you overswing with the driver. If Tiger and Phil both swung at 75% of effort with driver most if not all the time, Tiger wouldve beat Jack by now and Phil would have prob 10 majors or more. Ego gets in the way. Dont think it has much to do with swing path.
Matt
Sep 25, 2013 at 12:31 pm
He admitted in his press conference that he doesn’t play a lot outside of tournaments, but he does love to practice. Surely that’s part of the issue. It’s all well and good doing stuff on the range and gym but you need to be on the course. Until he does that, for me he won’t be ble to attack a course in a major and his game stand up to he pressure
Tim
Sep 25, 2013 at 12:17 pm
If Tiger is struggling so bad, then what the hell is the rest of the Tour doing? Why can’t people realize he’s never going to be Tiger of 2001. Tiger’s getting older and he’s now trying new things to keep winning on a very competitive PGA Tour. Guess what even with all these so called flaws Tiger’s winning again. Maybe he needs a little rest. No other golfer especially players you mentioned like Bo Weekly have half the Media obligation that Tiger has to deal with week in and week out. maybe they would be tired too if they had to deal with so much, maybe he’s mentally tired of answering the same freaking questions day in and day out. Tiger is only good in everyone’s eyes is if he wins every single time he plays, anything less then that requires so kind of ripping!
Dennis Clark
Sep 25, 2013 at 3:04 pm
In my opinion he’s the best player ever. Simple as that. The article does not say otherwise. It states that his driver gives him fits at times and suggests what he might think about to correct it.
BILL ELLIOTT
Sep 25, 2013 at 12:04 pm
While I am inclined to agree with this, he also hits more golf balls than probably most people on tour tryin to fix all these problems. He practices way more than he plays, this packaged with his busy schedule of appearences and children ect. I can see why he is tired.
Fred
Oct 17, 2013 at 1:11 am
Bill: one of the guys on the Golf Channel made an interesting comment the other day that is somewhat related to what you had to say. They said that Tiger no longer hits the driving range after a round of golf during a tournament like he used to. My gut feeling says he’ll win one of the majors next year. I’ve also read more than one statement by a professional that stated Tiger may have very well won the Masters this year if he hadn’t hit that pole.
Dennis Clark
Oct 23, 2013 at 2:29 pm
I agree with that! Cost him 3 or 4 shots really, he’s looking a kick-in for birdie and makes 7, not to mention the mental damage of the uproar by Brandel, the wannabe, Chamblee.
krddurham
Sep 25, 2013 at 11:28 am
He won five times this year…I wouldn’t exactly call that struggling.
Big_5_Hole
Sep 25, 2013 at 11:41 am
Also, who are you to say he’s not tired? I’d suggest that the demands on Tiger Woods far outweigh the demands on Boo Weekley throughout the year; it isn’t a fair comparison. Also, remind me how many surgeries Jason Day (what is he? 25 years old? Were you ever tired at 25?) has had? Again, unfair.
Lastly, if you’ve ever played golf, let alone competitive golf, you know that swing flaws get exaggerated significantly when you’re mentally and physically exhausted.
I’m a long way from a Woods apologist but this is a mediocre at best piece.
Big_5_Hole
Sep 25, 2013 at 11:43 am
When I say “If you’ve ever played golf” it is clearly not directed at a PGA professional; it is more of a “anyone who has played golf” statement. Just to be clear.
naflack
Sep 25, 2013 at 2:12 pm
jason dufner and jason day are 2 completely different people…dufner is roughly the same age as tiger and plays more events.
perry
Sep 26, 2013 at 10:17 pm
Tiger needs to get Brandel Chamblee on board for some swing help. Maybe Johnny Miller could get in there with some helpful tips, too.
Dennis Clark
Sep 25, 2013 at 3:13 pm
I’m just the guy who wrote the article to answer your question. And I’m a big Tiger Woods fan, I happen to think he’s the best player ever. The article merely suggests that regardless of how tired he or any of the tour pros are, swing flaws are not the result of the fatigue, they are bad habits to be dealt with. Tiger is so good he can win driving it crooked, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t win more if he drove it better.
Jack
Sep 26, 2013 at 5:07 am
I agree on this. He’s basically just too good in that he swings it so hard. And he can’t seem to get rid of the inside out swing path (which I’ve heard him talk about over and over in clinics on youtube). Funny thing is I have a similar problem. Too bad I’m not even close to being as good at golf. I’ve recently switched to hitting more of a fade on iron shots, and it’s producing some nice controlled fade shots as well as some shanks (killing me). Don’t have the confidence to apply it to driver or fairway wood yet, but I am loving the control (when it’s not shanking off the hosel).
Dennis Clark
Sep 25, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Jason Day? Is he mentioned in the article?
Big_5_Hole
Sep 27, 2013 at 4:27 pm
My bad, mis-read Dufner as Day.
Dennis Clark
Sep 25, 2013 at 3:06 pm
He could win left handed; that’s not the point of the article. I said he struggles off the tee. He is the best 13 club player in the word and has been for some time. He won five times, could have won more with better driving is all I’m saying. Thx