Brian Manzella
Administrator
There will be much said this week (and beyond) about the passing of the man who raised and trained the best golfer of all-time. Here's a little more, from your humble host's point-of-view.
Earl Woods was on a mission. Mission: Build a Golfer to catch Big Jack. He was more than halfway there, 15 years ago, when I met him. It was at the home of Warren Davis, an African-American Dad of one of my star pupils, Nakia, who became the first African-American female to recieve an Full SEC Golf Scholarship (to Vanderbilt). Nakia and Tiger were both on the AJGA tour.
Warren had arranged for me to meet Earl, in an informal "interview," over dinner, about the possibility of my teaching his son Tiger. This was just a year or two from them winding up with Butch Harmon.
Earl started off by telling me the fairy tale of lil' Tiger, at age 4 breaking 50 and age 5 ro 6 breaking 40. I am pretty good at Math, and realized that Tiger would have had to average hitting it 150 yards, and one-putting and chipping in from everywhere. Earl really sounded like HE even believed it, but that wasn't the point.
The point was, TIGER thought it was true. And the Human brain can't tell real from imagined, and Tiger just knew he did it. Which IS the point.
Earl questioned me a bunch, and listened hard, but it was obvious to me that a guy with my ego and a guy with Earl's ego weren't going to do business, a fact I am thankful for, beleive it or not.
I probably would have sped Tiger along a bit at least, but in the process, I wouldn't have struggled as much becuase of it, and I wouldn't have learned half of what I learned in those 15 years. In other words, I'd be closer to being 'acknowledged' #1, but further from BEING #1, my two twin goals.
I will say this: Earl Woods KNEW I was serious when I said I wanted to be #1 at what I did, and he never turned his nose up an INCH after I told him. You could see that he and my Dad were very much alike in this respect, BE #1 or quit and do something else, or be #1, then quit and be #1 at something else.
He did a great job at raising his son Eldrick, and made me and everyone else in golf a whole lot more money because of it. And in a little bitty piece of his and Tiger's story, did me a big favor.
I'm trying my best to repay it Mr. Woods. Thanks for the opportunity.
Rest well.
Earl Woods was on a mission. Mission: Build a Golfer to catch Big Jack. He was more than halfway there, 15 years ago, when I met him. It was at the home of Warren Davis, an African-American Dad of one of my star pupils, Nakia, who became the first African-American female to recieve an Full SEC Golf Scholarship (to Vanderbilt). Nakia and Tiger were both on the AJGA tour.
Warren had arranged for me to meet Earl, in an informal "interview," over dinner, about the possibility of my teaching his son Tiger. This was just a year or two from them winding up with Butch Harmon.
Earl started off by telling me the fairy tale of lil' Tiger, at age 4 breaking 50 and age 5 ro 6 breaking 40. I am pretty good at Math, and realized that Tiger would have had to average hitting it 150 yards, and one-putting and chipping in from everywhere. Earl really sounded like HE even believed it, but that wasn't the point.
The point was, TIGER thought it was true. And the Human brain can't tell real from imagined, and Tiger just knew he did it. Which IS the point.
Earl questioned me a bunch, and listened hard, but it was obvious to me that a guy with my ego and a guy with Earl's ego weren't going to do business, a fact I am thankful for, beleive it or not.
I probably would have sped Tiger along a bit at least, but in the process, I wouldn't have struggled as much becuase of it, and I wouldn't have learned half of what I learned in those 15 years. In other words, I'd be closer to being 'acknowledged' #1, but further from BEING #1, my two twin goals.
I will say this: Earl Woods KNEW I was serious when I said I wanted to be #1 at what I did, and he never turned his nose up an INCH after I told him. You could see that he and my Dad were very much alike in this respect, BE #1 or quit and do something else, or be #1, then quit and be #1 at something else.
He did a great job at raising his son Eldrick, and made me and everyone else in golf a whole lot more money because of it. And in a little bitty piece of his and Tiger's story, did me a big favor.
I'm trying my best to repay it Mr. Woods. Thanks for the opportunity.
Rest well.