Opinion & Analysis
4 things Tiger Woods needs to quit before he has to quit
I am a huge Tiger Woods fan, and I admire what he has done for the game and how he has impacted a new generation of golfers by making golf cool — but I have officially reached the end of my rope with him.
Like everyone else, I’m sick of hearing about his process, reps, release patterns and explosiveness right now, and I don’t know how much more I can take. I’m even more sick of watching the most dominant golfer of all time embarrass himself with three scores in the 80s in the past 15 rounds. That’s like watching an average golfer shoot 150 from the white tees.
Maybe better golf is right around the corner for Tiger Woods, but even as I write those words I’m shaking my head and thinking “It’s definitely not.” Tiger is so far off track, and that’s why he’d be better off to quit golf right now if he plans to carry on the way he has these past two years.
Before the Tiger fans come hunt me down and beat me up, let me explain my stance and why I feel the way I do. I have been a tournament player and a teacher for more than 22 years, and I have an understanding to some degree of what he is going through and the frustration he is feeling. His rapid decline is something that many professional golfers go through, and the ones who bounce back are those who can put their egos aside and accept that they are not working on the right things. They learn from the feedback golf always provides, tap back into their natural ability and almost always see their results improve.
But is Tiger Woods actually learning anything right now? His celebrity might eclipse more than the game of golf, but the golf gods have no sympathy for a golfer who won’t listen to what his scores are telling him.
Here are four things Tiger needs to do before he quits, and if he refuses to quit then it’s better that he quits the game right now.
Quit trying so hard and caring so much
There is a difference between trying “hard” and trying “too hard.” Few golfers have not worked themselves into a tizzy on the course. In this mode, golfers are trying so hard that they can’t even execute the simplest shots.
Think about putting: How many times have you practiced tirelessly on the putting green only to get on the course and let the pressure of a short putt cause you to miss most of them, if not all of them?
This is where Tiger is with his golf game right now, driver through putter.
At some point, golfers have to stop trying so hard and trust that the practice they’ve put in, along with their natural ability, will allow great shots to happen. Tiger has fallen into the trap of trying too hard and must allow himself some levity so he can enjoy the fruits of his labors again.
Quit being so hyper-focused on mechanics
Within the golf instruction world, we all know that Tiger is a hard player to teach, and it’s not a secret that he directs the teaching process where he wants it to go. All experienced teachers have gone through this with one or more players, but with Tiger it’s different.
How hard it must be to convince one of the greatest golfers of all time that working on his mechanics right now will only hinder his progress.
The type-A personality that Tiger possesses has served him well up to this point, but it’s clear that his focus is almost entirely on mechanical perfection, not winning golf tournaments.
Tiger’s previous coaches — Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, Sean Foley and now Chris Como — all know what they are doing, and I can say this because I know all of them personally. If asked, they would all say that Tiger needs to step back and remember that there has never been one perfect golf swing in golf history, and that all golfers possess idiosyncrasies that they have to work around.
Sure, golfers can always get better… but where would Jack Nicklaus have been if he’d have tried to “fix” his flying right elbow? Where would Lee Trevino and Fred Couples be if they tried to aim straight? What would have happened to Furyk if he refused to play with his non-conventional backswing? I guarantee that we would have never heard from them.
Tiger is in the wrong mode right now, trying to “fix” everything he sees and not letting Chris Como help him make his idiosyncrasies work for him.
Quit taking time off
Players of all levels know that there is a huge difference between working on your game on the range and on the course with your buddies and playing in tournaments where your score actually matters. There is no substitution for playing tournament golf, and even the best golfers in the world cannot exactly replicate the stress of a tournament. That’s why those who don’t play much tournament golf cannot improve their game as fast as those who do.
“Every bad tournament day you have is one day closer to you playing well again,” my father used to say. Sometimes time off is good for golfers, but Tiger has taken more time off for one reason or another than any of his peers since his last major victory, the 2008 U.S. Open. Clearly his current tournament schedule is not working. The last thing he needs to do is go back home to the range and worry about this and that with his body, setup and swing. He needs to get back into a tournament rhythm so he can start playing golf, not golf swing, for a change.
Quit forgetting that you have the best instincts on the PGA Tour
Tiger had (and probably still has) one of the best minds for the game of golf, and his instincts and feel for the shot at hand was in a league of its own. He has since lost that, allowing his mind to wander off on other tangents that have made things that used to come easy to him very difficult.
Let’s take Tiger’s chipping, for example. How can the the golfer who hit so many great flop shots under pressure on the final holes of major championships get the chipping yips? The only way a player loses the very best parts of his game is when they allow their instincts and feel to be compromised by something else, another more dominant thought. They starting thinking: “My club is out of position,” or “I need to do this or that on the way down” while they are playing.
Tiger has forgotten how to use his mind and experience to his advantage, and has morphed into a golfer who now hits cold tops from the fairway in major championships. The solution? Go back to hitting big hooks and slices, low shots and high shots, stingers and spinners in practice until you can begin to trust your talent again. When golfers vary their practice in this way, their mechanics almost always improve because they shift their focus from making a perfect swing to making a perfect shot.
As I said, I am a huge Tiger fan and think he’s great for our game, but if he does not quit what he is currently doing then he’s done as a threat to win major championships. No one can alter Tiger’s mindset and reverse the road he’s traveled except Tiger — not Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, Sean Foley or Chris Como.
Tiger’s problem is not his mechanics or the instruction he’s getting. It’s Tiger!
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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j
Aug 16, 2015 at 11:29 pm
I think it is simple
– Get out of the limelight
– Play more golf in Europe or any where else outside of the United States
– Stop thinking so much
– Stop trying to change your swing
– Get back to basics
Dr. Fitzgerald
Jul 22, 2015 at 11:44 am
honestly, he went into rehab at one point and likely they suggested some prescription medication to help him through the anxiety and depression. those medications can be powerful. then he is expected to go back on tour and hit a little white ball within millimeters of accuracy after starting a new medication that alters brain chemistry to some degree. that could be at play here.
shabby
Jul 10, 2015 at 11:45 am
Tiger should hold hands with bubbs and jump off a tall building
Speedy
Jul 3, 2015 at 10:15 pm
How ’bout, Quit being a jerk.
As much as some can't stand him....
Jul 1, 2015 at 3:17 pm
Tiger dominated for a long period of time. I don’t believe the players (greats) he is compared to played with as great of a field as he has had in his era. I just think the game is much more competitive then it was 30 years ago, and yes there have been some modern day great players, but none have done what tiger did for such a long period of time. How would ex. Jack play with the players on tour today? We will never know. But we do know tiger did it and crushed it for years. Whether people like him or not, what he did to the game and for the game will probably never be repeated. Will Speith or Ror’s stay on top for as long? Yet to be seen, but I have seen short periods of dominance out of players today, but nothing compared to what tiger has done for years. It’s sad, and I hope he doesn’t “jerry rice it”, but I think there were greats in the past, but in my opinion those greats wouldn’t fair as well as tiger did against the crop in past 15-20 years. Just my .02
Dennis Clark
Jun 30, 2015 at 5:05 pm
insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result
leo
Jun 29, 2015 at 4:50 pm
during tiger’s days of true dominance he was one of if not the longest player on tour. those days are gone he will never be the longest of the top players. while tiger has gotten shorter especially in relation to other players the courses have gotten longer.the stinger shot is mostly obsolete except in cases of very firm fast courses the same holds true for using exclusively less than driver off the tee.he can’t spot today’s tour players 20-30 yds off the tee and hope to win consistently.he must fix his problems with the driver first.Quit trying to move the ball so much off the tee.decide which shape he can regularly find the fairway at a distance he can be competitive and go with that 90% of the time,be it draw or fade.bubba watson just won hitting fades almost exclusively when hitting driver, patrick reed is having success with almost all draws off the tee.when tiger tries to hit those big fades off the tee it usually results in a double cross pull or a swipe to the right.if tiger could start finding some fairways while still hitting driver and be able to visualize a consistent shot shape i think he can win again and even sneak in 1 or 2 more majors. he still fares pretty well at the masters and the quirky courses in scotland with firm wide fairways are his best shot.i totally agree with points 3 and 4 in the article i guarantee tiger never shoots 80 in a practice round. as to plying more tiger always played a limited schedule and with his history of injuries playing a lot may not be an option
Tony Lynam
Jun 29, 2015 at 10:44 am
Great article Tom, the truth on so many levels. Also Tiger, more than anything, needs to find peace in his life and that peace will only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ and not some fat golden statue named Buddah.
Thaiger Woods
Jul 12, 2015 at 9:19 pm
@Tony Lynam
I have 2 words for you !!
Richard Dawkins
Artsontop
Jul 21, 2015 at 3:05 am
Amen, Tony!
It is so refreshing to see real men of real charachter and substance prosper in this game today. Zach Johnson, in winning The Open is humble and thankful for his God given talents and success.
Appreciative that he plays golf for a living! Jordan Spieth, a product of Dallas Jesuit, of the same mold. Did anyone notice Zach and Louis Oosthuizen share pleasantries as they walked 17 and 18 in the playoff? NEVER would you have seen the self absorbed, arrogant, ego filled Tiger Woods share such moments with his competitors…
Oldplayer
Jun 25, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Good article Tom. Relevant points well made.
Just remember one and all that golf is a tough game and that inside every great player is a bad player trying to get out!
PFTaylor
Jun 25, 2015 at 4:45 pm
To my eye, Tiger looks like a washed up ex-steroid juicing athlete. That explains a lot. Just take a look at those baseball players who no longer take steroids (Ryan Howard, et al). Their power numbers look “normal”, their bat is slow, and they are on their way out of the game.
Getting back to Tiger, since his name was on the list MLB uncovered from Biogenisis, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck…
Larry Fox
Jun 24, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Tiger was fine till he started playing golf with the President. I think government scientist found a way to swap his talents with the Presidents. When we hear about Obama shooting a 66 at the club we will
know i was right. You heard it here first.
talljohn777
Jun 24, 2015 at 4:09 pm
Pretty simple, Tiger needs to stop practicing and start playing lots and lots of tournament golf.
Tom Wishon
Jun 24, 2015 at 3:33 pm
Surfing channels last night I caught part of The Golf Channel’s “Golf Greatest Rounds” showing Tiger’s final round in the 2000 Open Championship at St Andrews when he shot 20 under and won by two miles. The replay made note of the fact between June 1999 and July 2000, he won 13 of the 23 tournaments he entered.
It only took seeing one swing during that replay to be shocked at his swing today vs then. No dip down and up, no right elbow outside the right hip, no getting jammed through the ball – he stayed level through the ball with a very consistent posture from back to follow through. Aggressive but very simple, stable and balanced. I could not help thinking, I wonder if he really looked at this 2000 round whether he could just go swing like that again.
Probably not since paralysis from over analysis seems to be approaching a fatal stage with him now. It’s too bad. While one certainly can criticize his behavior and demeanor over the years, solid playing Tiger was good for golf and good for increasing interest in the game.
Perhaps Jordan can achieve that so the game has a very strong ambassador to bring more people into the game.
Jimmy
Jun 24, 2015 at 1:10 pm
I am sick of hearing statements like……”most dominant golfer of all time”. For a while he was dominant but there are others that could be considered “most dominant golfer of all time”.
Lion Irons
Jun 24, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Who else has won a MAJOR by 15?
I’m not saying he’s the only ‘dominant’ golfer, but you say it like there are dozens of others. In reality, there are a select few that are even worth considering.
mike
Jun 25, 2015 at 12:01 am
In all seriousness, Tiger is the greatest golfer ever even if he hangs it up right now.
In the history of golf, there has never been any golfer considered the #1 athlete in the world. Tiger reigned supreme as not the best golfer but as the #1 athlete in the world for no less than 10 years following MJ’s final championship.
Think about it. A “GOLFER” being considered the greatest athlete in the world for over a decade. That is a monumental accomplishment to say the least.
Jason
Jun 24, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Precisely what I was thinking. Tiger needs to stop trying to find the perfect angles, plane, etc and just let his natural talents/instinct take over. This is like Michael Jordan worrying about his running mechanics instead of just getting the ball to go in the hoop anyway he can.
Ct
Jun 24, 2015 at 2:25 pm
Tiger needs more strange (p—y) in his life to get back to the top!!!
Steven Thomas
Jun 24, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Tom:
I just wonder if the desire is still there.
Tom
Jun 24, 2015 at 11:44 am
Tiger will be fun to watch a) continuing his down fall b) when he starts to come back. I am excited to watch golf with the game’s current greats. If Tiger can be part of it, wonderful. But if he continues to stink it up, pls keep the cameras off him and don’t let him be a story line. Right now he’s a 10 handicap.
Craig B
Jun 24, 2015 at 11:41 am
One Person who he should take a look at is Martin Ayers
Craig B
Jun 24, 2015 at 11:37 am
Having been a caddy on both sides of the pond in recent years, to which i have now retired and running a Golf Business day to day. The business that i now operate is to what people know as “Custom Fitting” but this is what all these big outlets call it but basically it’s trial and error and thats a FACT!! My business is that i optimise your equipment from Driver to putter none of this trial and error rubbish.
So to the point, Tiger’s equipment is all over the shop from when i last saw what he’s playing with theres no stability within in his shafts to what he’s playing. When i last saw his driver had a 60g shaft in it and his 3 wood was a 103, this is just complete bonkers!!! going from one club to the next he doesn’t know what feeling he has with his clubs, he needs to get this sorted first off as you can’t tell me its just down to what these so called Coaches are doing with him!! They’re all yes men and afraid to say anything as they’ll be off the payroll, go back to Butch that’s if he would have him back and start from there.
Hazen
Jun 24, 2015 at 11:30 am
Tiger needs to play a few rounds with Charles Barkley. That’ll make him feel better, a morale booster if you will. 😉
Jayw
Jun 24, 2015 at 5:03 am
Most of us are raised to be quitters. We are told that if we don’t succeed in certain areas then we will grow up to be failures. We are programmed to be fearful of failure. People are like animals in that when we see someone like Tiger struggling and hurting, to attack. People start laughing, heckling, put downs and whatever else, ( like to much advice), will finish him off. Tiger accomplished what he did because he was raised and told to go ahead and keep plugging away and to block out all of the mean and hateful things that people will throw at you. I believe that Tiger should do whatever he decides to do pertaining to his golf, since it’s his life and his golf game. If Tiger thought like everyone else he would be just like everyone else would have quit a long time ago. There is no one else that could stand up in front of the world and do what he’s doing and take all the meanness that the world has to offer. That shows what Tiger is really made of. It’s really like comparing us (mice) to a Tiger.
Nathan
Jun 24, 2015 at 1:01 am
Y’all got it wrong.
Tiger needs to do exactly what he used to do. Play golf, go back to hotel room think about what he had to do and just do it! Come out the next day relaxed as and play golf again.
Simple really
The stuff he would do in the hotel room with those ahh stars.
That’s the stuff missing from his game.
Bring it back tiger, you know it’s the only way
mike
Jun 23, 2015 at 10:57 pm
He needs a girlfriend. If you know what I mean…
There is one thing that is extremely important to men whether we would like to admit it or not.
This is the reason half of all commercials on the golf channel are about the blue pill or it’s counterparts.
The downfall started the day he got caught. Not sure why the public was so outraged about a personal matter. Not saying what he did was right but in all seriousness, it isn’t a big deal.
Tiger will play better or even dominate again if he stops trying to be like Jack Nicklaus and starts living free like Jack Nicholson.
Bruce Ferguson
Jun 23, 2015 at 5:56 pm
On top of those four things, I might add a fifth: be fan friendly. High-five the kids and sign some autographs, dialog a little with the gallery, loosen up. A player going through a bad patch needs fan empathy, and these days, I’d hate to hear some of the murmuring going on in the galleries when Tiger tops a shot or chokes on a putt.
other paul
Jun 23, 2015 at 9:09 am
This is the most I have ever disagreed with something you wrote Tom. Tiger needs to quit Chris Como and fly to Hawaii for a month or two and be with Kelvin Miyahira. Or at least talk to Lucas Wald. These guys are so far ahead of what everyone else is doing its silly.
Billy
Jun 23, 2015 at 4:51 am
I also sick of people blasting Tiger, it’s probably the lamest thing you can do right now, but we can certainly all learn from this article. Thats if you ever played a tournament, or tried to be competetive on any level.
Amado villanueva
Jun 23, 2015 at 4:06 am
KARMA PENDEJO
Tom Stickney
Jun 23, 2015 at 12:59 am
Jeff*– my thought was not to tear Tiger down but in fact help him understand what he needs to do to improve. I’m sick of the fact that he’s going about it the wrong way and robbing us of his great play from years past.
Stretch
Jun 24, 2015 at 12:57 pm
Great article! The readers have hovered around the root of Tiger’s problem. When he came out on tour his power created shots that demoralized his opponents. He created today’s bomb and gouge style of playing. His changing of coaches and styles is a need to get back to physical dominance which will not happen as the younger generations are bigger, stronger and faster. Technically he tries to create power and two problems arise. Too much energy in the transition lays the club down and back into the stuck position leading to hitting far right and left shots. Second the dipping of the head to create ground forces that can create some extra power leads to the thin and fat hits. Combining the two problems is creating all manor of havoc and seems to eliminate hitting the ball in position where his putting and short game superiority can create the winning game he still has lurking.
Jeff*
Jun 22, 2015 at 9:53 pm
Dude gave us the best golf we’ve ever seen, for a decade. Sorry to hear you’re sick of him, by winning the players in 2013, he’s qualified to play on tour 8 more years. Pretty sure he’s earned the right to tee it up.
You’re nobody. It doesn’t take courage to pile on. Congrats, you have readers. What I’m getting sick of is self-serving sentences that start with, “hey I’m a huge tiger fan”…BUT, pile on, pile on, profess to have solution, take a few more shots about how he should have been nicer all along and close it up with, “so I’m hoping he does get it back,” which you’re not, because nobody cares what Tom Stickney has to say about Tiger if he’s playing well.
So, you’ve got a lot of people to read what you wrote about Tigers slump. Slump working out pretty well for you, as it makes your information more important, certainly more urgent, being a golf teacher. The problem is I’ve read the same article a hundred times now. It’s not taking the high road or being a Tiger Woods fan, sorry. The high road means not highlighting the struggle of others for personal gain. See ya Tom.
I was alays a bit of a Tom Stickney fan, I respected him as a teacher, but as a golfer he just should have had the sense to not tear down someone who conquered golf, as a writer, just because it could get more people to view his work, so, I am SICK of Tom Stickney. I’ll watch Tiger play golf til the day I die.
Dan Nichele
Jun 23, 2015 at 3:31 am
Settle down fanboy! Gee dry your eyes princess
Jack
Jun 24, 2015 at 10:26 pm
He WAS the best golfer. Now he’s near the bottom. Everyone can see that he’s struggling. And most think that he is struggling because he keeps changing his swing. Not sure what was wrong with the one with Butch or Hank since he won plenty with them. Now he wants to change again. It didn’t work with his last coach and it’s not working with Como. Stop dicking around and just play what you body wants you to do. He’s fighting so much against his instincts.
Ilsompati
Jun 22, 2015 at 9:53 pm
Karma baby………it is simply karma.
Ryan K
Jun 22, 2015 at 9:17 pm
All I really got from that was apparently Jim Furyk has a bass ackwards swing. Thanks Tom! Ha
Mark
Jun 22, 2015 at 7:28 pm
Tiger needs to speak to Jack about course management. Nicklaus’s biggest weapon was his brain. He didn’t try to blast it if it didn’t need blasted. And as already said he must play more events. Try 3 or 4 on the bounce. Play some courses you haven’t before and be prepared to go out in non-marquee groups. And dare I say he needs to do a Phil and get a mini driver that he can shape and keep in play?
Mitch
Jun 22, 2015 at 7:22 pm
plus he seems to be injury free
Matto
Jun 22, 2015 at 6:55 pm
Just stop trying to hit the ball so godamn hard for christ’s sake!!!! Just peel it back to even 85-90% when the long sticks are in the hand. His swing (with that now huge head lowering move) has never looked more brutal and aggressive……but not in a good way. It just looks like it’s out of control and that it hurts!
Sacrifice 20 off the tee and hit the fairways for starters.
Hints
Jun 22, 2015 at 6:30 pm
I don’t think it has anything to do with his “mechanics” and you don’t become a great sportsman without great instincts. It has everything to do with his head and specifically his ego and self image. At his best he “knew absolutely” he could do anything. I mean on the course and also in his private life. He was at the pinnacle of sport and life. He was able to express himself entirely without the constraints that self doubt impose on normal human beings. His behaviour off the golf course mirrored this, he felt entitled, deserved and as with with shot making, he pushed the envelope to the limit. When he was exposed it cracked not only his personal life but his persona as well. His downfall was swift and complete. His grubby goings on were laid bare for the world to see and the people he relied on washed their hands of him. He was alone for the first time in years and it must have forced him to take a long hard look at himself and I think he didn’t like much what he saw.
I don’t believe he can get back to the top of the game. I think he thinks he can, and that is why he is so tough on himself but his inner image has been shattered and the voice in his head now says “I think I can” instead of “I KNOW I can.”
The next generation of golfers, some of whom would have been inspired by his bold, exciting style are now breaking through. Time to be easier on yourself Tiger. Try and smile a little and you may start to enjoy yourself a tiny bit more. Crowds can warm to a fading champ, but they don’t like Mr Grumpy, just ask Colin Montgomerie….
cody
Jun 22, 2015 at 6:08 pm
he for all intents and purposes is done. Start the na, na, na, na goodbyes.
Matt H
Jun 22, 2015 at 6:02 pm
Matt Hirshland
I think #2 is the most important. He needs to play more tournaments. He swings beautifully on the range and can hit any shot he wants. Get him on the course, and we all know what happens. If he truly believes in “more reps” then they need to be 18 holes at a time. Forget the range. Get on the course and get comfortable playing in tournaments again.
cb
Jun 22, 2015 at 6:02 pm
tom, from a mechanics perspective would you like to see tiger have his hands higher on the backswing? he’s always had this natural dropping on the downswing, and in the 2001 era swing his hands were higher and they would drop on plane. now his backswing is more on plane but then his hands often drop below and thats when he gets “stuck” and has to flip it or block it. just a thought, and always love your articles
Mitch
Jun 22, 2015 at 5:05 pm
why do people keep mentioning Butch? first of all, how much time is butch willing to commit to tiger? tiger needs to figure this sh$t out himself. he is totally lost right now. Case in point, Wednesday afternoon before the US Open, you see him on the range, he isn’t rehearsing any pattern or working on anything because he is hopelessly searching for that “feeling”, all the years I have watched him, he is either working on a particular shape or even something mechanical. Right now he can’t self correct on the range or on the course. He can’t differentiate why he is hitting a bad shot or worse yet why he hit a good shot. Historically even when he tore down his swing, he could at least hack it around and place top 40 at worst. I don’t know if his philosophical approach is not matching up with his new body, or if he has a lingering injury. Either way there is a major disconnect between what he wants to do vs what he is able to accomplish. This is arguably the greatest golfer and athlete we have ever seen yet he can’t even hit functional shots after all this time off? I would say whatever he has been doing the last few months, put a stop to it. Go play some tennis, call up Derek Jeter and learn to throw side arm. His hips and legs look strong and he seems to moving them in a sequence similar to Ben Hogan, but his hand path is so out of sync that he has no other option but to rely on impeccable timing to square up the face.
Tom – I thought Chris Como was big on how the arms and hands move during the transition? Surely they can see from video that Tiger’s hand path is dropping down rather than at the ball, its almost like he wants to reverse what him and Foley were working on?
Steve
Jun 22, 2015 at 4:50 pm
Its over guys, 25 year old Tiger is gone. What is left is a scrap heap of swing thoughts and over thinking. Alot of mental and physical scar tissue. When his kids are old enough and wonder why mom and dad got to divorced, all they do is google and find out of much of a jerk he was. All this has to weigh on his game. His dad passing, his divorce, swing coach after swing coach, different caddy. He is 205 in OWGR and sinking fast. Every hack in the world knows what is wrong with him, maybe this is how it ends. Epic flame out
Mitch
Jun 22, 2015 at 5:10 pm
From my perspective Tiger’s off course life is probably at one of the best times in his career. He is financially set for life and he is happy. his golf game just sucks right now.
Steve
Jun 22, 2015 at 5:14 pm
He has been fianacially set since he signed with Nike almost twenty years ago. Why do you think off course is the happiest in years?
Mitch
Jun 22, 2015 at 7:21 pm
He seems at ease when he arrives at tournaments. he isn’t stand offish in the past. He doesn’t have to deal with any off course distractions. he is after all a bachelor again, and he has the means and ability do whatever he wants outside the ropes. what more can a golfer ask for?
Steve
Jun 22, 2015 at 7:49 pm
You could be right, who knows what in his head. It is just hard for me to believe that the struggles on course are physical. Physically he is not capable of playing high level golf? Or mentality not capable?
Slimeone
Jun 23, 2015 at 4:34 am
I don’t think he’s at ease. I think he knows that he has no game to justify acting like a tool anymore. He’s also trying to be nice to the other players so they treat him gently. If only Sergio had some game he would punish Tiger but he’s about as inept as Tiger at the moment.
Freddie A. Davis
Jun 23, 2015 at 2:09 pm
I’m sure in your heart that’s the case but thank God your feelings or opinions don’t have any weight in his outcome. If he never wins again he’ll be fine. He is a great golf player, his tournament wins say so and he’s more than capable of righting his ship. As far as being a jerk I’m sure that’s some peoples view of you, it certainly is mine.
Dr Troy
Jun 22, 2015 at 4:10 pm
Totally agree with your article, Tom!
jgpl001
Jun 22, 2015 at 4:02 pm
Well written and spot on
We are sick of the Tiger nonsense now
A few more things he needs to do:
1. Eat humble pie and phone Butch
2. Just go out and play, loose the intensity
3. Don’t bag a driver, his current mechanics are a mess
4. Where is the stinger 2 iron gone? – he could have walked around Chambers Bay with this tee shot
Greg V
Jun 22, 2015 at 3:15 pm
I don’t particularly like Tiger – he comes off as a spoiled brat – but I would like to see him play well again. To me, he looks impatient at the end of his backswing, as if he can’t wait to get the shot over with. First hole, second round at Chambers Bay, Tiger hit a decent drive in the fairway. Then his swing looked impatient on the second shot, and it was all downhill from there. A good swing has sequencing. Jack Nicklaus knew this, and called it “collecting” at the top. You can’t hit it with your backswing. You also can’t hit it decently when you lurch at the ball from the top.
Unfortunately, to get from here to there, he probably needs a much greater sense of inner peace. And a more supple, less ripped, upper body.
Dunce
Jun 22, 2015 at 2:55 pm
how about the things he needs to start doing, smiling
Brian
Jun 22, 2015 at 2:07 pm
My teachers would say to just go at it 80% and get the ball in the fairway. No one ever told me to “be explosive.” Just saying. I bet he could shoot a 75.
Sideshow Rob
Jun 22, 2015 at 2:04 pm
I agree with all your points. Hopefully he reads your article and puts his ego aside. The great player he was is still in there somewhere…
JE
Jun 22, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Well said Tom.
Damone’s (modified) Five Point Plan:
1. Take driver out of bag and throw into lake. Big lake.
2. Always call the shots.
3. Act like wherever you are – that’s the place to be.
4. Make peace with who you are. It’s a classy move.
5. When it comes to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.
Relax Tiger. No one is going to ever do what you did for golf. You can take it easy now and have fun. We will still like you.
Winmac80
Jun 23, 2015 at 1:25 am
I think this is the best comment of all. Especially the last 2 lines.
Gubby
Jun 22, 2015 at 1:50 pm
Tiger is in a dark place right now. He is very caught up with mechanics. Guy has one of the best swings in the world and he keeps tinkering and building new ones, not sure why. He seem to almost have an obsessive compulsive personality even going back to his personal problems.
He needs to get out his own way and just start swinging again. I wish he and Butch could put egos aside and get start working again. They have a chance at history.
Pat M
Jun 22, 2015 at 2:04 pm
He or his sponsors need to pay Butch $4 million a year and Steve Williams $4 million a year to work with Tiger. Tiger needs to apologize to Butch and Stevie.
Adam Scott was in nowheres-ville until Stevie came back.
I think most of Tiger’s success had to do with Steve Williams. Tiger without Steve = no majors. Without Butch and Steve – there will be no way back for Tiger.
Patricknorm
Jun 22, 2015 at 4:16 pm
Your not wrong but it’s never going to happen. Tiger has burned so many bridges that there are many who are quietly enjoying this tragedy unfold. Professional golf is in a good place right now. We witnessed perhaps one of the best golfers of all time until his five win season in 2013.
Now after back surgery he’s playing catch up where the mind and body are not synchronized . Toms article is a start. Tiger is trying way too hard. He needs to try easy.
Quote attributed to former Yankees pitching coach Mel Stotylmeyer. Giving advice to wired, hyper son Todd who pitched for the Blue Jays in the mid ”90’s.
Pat M
Jun 22, 2015 at 8:22 pm
I agree about burning the bridges. A lot of people do not like him. He must dump the driver. Too many good players are playing now with no fear and no mental or injury issues. People like Spieth and the 21 year old Aussie kid who played very well.
Adam Scott’s turnaround once Stevie showed up was pretty incredible. It took a few days but Adam’s 64 on Sunday was pretty staggering.