Tiger Woods future

[trickyric67]

I was reading some articles about the US open and of course the tie in to fathers day, and Jack Nicklaus stories always pop up. I got to thinking that a key to the success of Jack and to a lesser extent Arnie was that they were tremendous family men with outside interests so when the inevitable decline came they were already doing and deriving enjoyment from their families to a point where golf was not the priority any more.
Jack made the commitment to Barbara that he would not be away more than 2 weeks at a time. He also spoke a lot about going to his kids sporting events or hunting and fishing with them as well as starting companies that incorporated his kids. He was a father of the year winner.
As for Arnie, he had Whinnie and he still works with his daughters every day as well as his airplanes. Arnie never left his home in Latrobe completely and after buying the club and half the town spent time with the friends and family he had for a lifetime.
both of these great men were very public with their love of family and friends and the public knew who they were.
On to Tiger, while he has seemed to create his own woes, he has also become celebrity guy, hanging with Jordan and Barkley et al. he seems to have stripped away all the comforts of family and home which leaves the question of what happens to him when the game isn't there? Does the support of people who love him unconditionally matter and if so do they exist in his world?
I was just thinking....

 

[Kevin Shields]

They didn't call Arnie the King for his golf, ya know.

 

[grus]

I have heard through the grapevine that Arnold was quite the womanizer in his hey day. I would agree that Jack was the ultimate family man and champion golfer. Tiger made some mistakes and I think he learned that it is important to have a good support system. The question is can he get healthy?

 

[trickyric67]

Mostly rumors and man talk at the bar, no pictures or woman coming out ever to validate that. I put those stories in the same category as the 20 million or so people who swear they were at woodstock.
Having said that, Arnie was always connected to Whinnie, Latrobe and his daughters.

 

[ZAP]

Maybe Arnie was just smart enough to pick them up somewhere other than a trailer park? Who knows? I tend to think that if Arnie was really as bad as some say we would have heard about it at some point.

Tiger has got to be scarred at least a little mentally and emotionally. He was a control freak who lost control. That house of cards he built as an image must have made some noise as it crumbled. He better make sure he gets it together physically before he even thinks about coming back again. Everyone that has played the game knows that bad shots have a way of burning themselves into your confidence.

 

[conkanen]

My bro-inlaw said it best...good thing Tiger is great at golf cause he's a loser at life.

 

[otto6457]

There was an interesting article in the local paper about Woods settling for second best. I don't know if it was a national article or not so ya'll might not have seen it. I think it reflects the opinion of a lot of people.

Dahlberg: Looks like Tiger may settle for second best | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

 

[trickyric67]

great article, but back to my original thought which is without the family and true lifelong friends by his side what happens to Tiger in his natural decline as with all athletes, as skills erode?
Just a few years ago he had family and a longtime friend running his company who he brought into the dirt of his demise and has since parted ways with. Can he pick up the pieces of his life without dominating golf and the fame that comes with it?
Every star athletes spotlight dims and some move into other parts of life with no problems but some, who have no other parts, go to very dark places only to be seen on TMZ or other scandalous news sources. So what does the future look like if Eldrick's playing days are numbered?

 

[johnnymarlboro]

He's had his problems sure, but it really hasn't been that long since it's all gone down. I just honestly can't believe how quick everyone is to write him off. Who's to say he doesn't remarry at some point and bring his personal life back into balance. I'm too young to know, but from what I've heard people were pretty quick to write off an aging Jack as well. I guess positivity doesn't sell papers or get people click on links though. Even reading comment boards on the news sites I just feel like it's shocking how much ill will people wish toward him. As if he's the first professional athlete to fall from grace. How can you say with any sort of confidence that the greatest golfer of the modern era is just done? It just seem so foolish to assume anything with Tiger Woods.

 

[Damon Lucas]

Tricky,
You're seeing things through a very narrow prism! Not everybody in this world buys into the picket fence scenario. Why are the porn and gambling industries so big? Tiger did what a lot of men and women and athletes and yes, Arnie and Snead and Norman have all done, but because he was on a pedestal for his golf, people feel the need to try to lower their, and anybody's, respect for him. Which is fine. But to suggest that he won't be back on some level is naive. If he had putted half decently he would have won the last two Masters, and possibly last year's British Open. He has obviously a big problem with his knee, but has access to some very good doctors. The drug thing is innuendo. If mud must be thrown, why must Tiger be the target? Do you have some friends who gamble? Who get onto some unseemly sites? Do you say something to them?

 

[otto6457]

hey johnny

Most people forget that when Jack won his last Masters he had been basically put out to pasture. That is what made his win so amazing for everyone. He had already moved into his course design business full time and played very few tournaments. He had been out of the winners circle since 1984 and had only won twice since 1980. (his Memorial in 84 and at Colonial in 82)

So, I don't think Tiger is done. But.............I think Tiger is done dominating the game. His physical condition alone will prevent him from winning as often as he did. And there is no doubt that he is past his prime with the putter. It happens to everyone, even Tiger. There will be tourneys where he puts it all together again. They will just be fewer and further between. Once he gets healthy enough to practice and play he will be in the World Top 10 again. He probably won't be #1 just because he won't play enough to get back to the top. But he will be threat in the majors again.

Of course, this is all personal speculation and it's value is limited by my lack of a working crystal ball.

 

[johnnymarlboro]

Otto, I hear you, I totally agree that because of his physical condition he won't be able to dominate the way he did. But look at Hogan as an example. Now before anyone starts stroking out about me comparing Tiger to Hogan, I'm refering to injuries here. After Hogan's injuries he played less but still won a large percentage of the tournaments. I believe that's what Tiger will move towards. Focusing on the majors, and the most important events like Jack and Arnie's tournaments. He's already, what #2 after Snead on the all time wins? He already has been known for picking and choosing his tournaments, I think it'll be more so though.

 

[trickyric67]

I think my original question has been completely misunderstood, yes people wrote off jacks golf to early but it didn't matter to jack because he was so involved in family and other interests that tiger doesn't have, so my question is strictly speculation as to what life holds for tiger if as his golf dominance winds down. This far from tiger bashing but rather a little concerned for his future well being, and please don't say he has enough money because it's not all about money

 

[johnnymarlboro]

Personally I don't see any point in speculating what will happen in his personal life. Literally anything could happen. He could decided to quit golf and run for Governor of Florida. He could turn to acting and start a buddy cop franchise with The Rock. He could reconcile with his ex and quit golf for good to raise his children. Seriously, anything. And it is, partly, about money, because he can do anything he wants to outside of golf. He's just not done with golf yet, mentally at least.

 

[otto6457]

Once again...it's all personal opinion, but I think Tiger's life away from golf is going to be fine. As long as his relationship with his kids is good, he will be able to deal with most anything life can toss at him. I feel like Tiger had a pretty good role models for how to raise kids from his mom and dad and there was no doubt that they were very involved in his childhood. I see no reason to think that Tiger won't be just as involved in his kids lives as his parents were in his.

And I can't see how Tiger hasn't learned something about his own life choices and the effects those choices have on his life and the lives of those he cares about. Of course we all see these things through the eyes of our experiences and they may be completely out in left field when applied to other people. But I don't see how someone that has had to endure the fall from grace that Tiger has experienced doesn't make some major changes in their outlook on life and the choices they make in the future.

 

[drewyallop]

Excellent posts. Just finished "The Last Boy" a biography of Mickey Mantle. A tragedy from one perspective but balanced by an accurate assessment of the man's baseball genius. "If only" is a thought that comes up a lot on reading this. Compared to Mantle, Tigers libido is microscopic.

Drew

 

[Damon Lucas]

Jack built golf courses, so does Tiger. Jack had a family, and Tiger has part of his family remaining. They both have/had plenty of business interests and endorsement responsibilities. I am not sure about Jack's charity efforts, but I am pretty sure there are no schools that he has created, and his foundation hasn't benefitted as many people as Tiger's has.

So what to it all? I agree with a couple of people that his personal life is of almost zero interest. It is a 'National Enquirer' type of interest that has me bemused. Why does what he does off the golf course matter? As a parent myself, it is my job to guide my children, and when they get exposed to things that I think are of a morality that I don't subscribe to, then I'll provide some perspective and help them understand in terms that they are capable of understanding. Meantime, I'll explain that Tiger is the best golfer of this generation, and an opportunity to appreciate, enjoy, and understand his talents should be grasped.

 

[conkanen]

"Why does what he does off the golf course matter?"
Why does what he does ON the golf course matter?

 

[dbl]

I think my original question has been completely misunderstood, yes people wrote off jacks golf to early but it didn't matter to jack because he was so involved in family and other interests that tiger doesn't have, so my question is strictly speculation as to what life holds for tiger if as his golf dominance winds down. This far from tiger bashing but rather a little concerned for his future well being, and please don't say he has enough money because it's not all about money

I absolutely see your point and want to add something that supports it, in as far as Jack's career. I just heard this this year, perhaps in an interview with Jack. Certainly his family was important to him, and rather than a distraction or waste of time and resources...when he was older (when the kids were older too) they all encouraged him to get out there and continue doing his thing, and he then wanted to show them what he could do. He credited his two majors in 1980 and later the 86 Masters due to his family. When I heard this, I think I understood his 20+ years of longevity, and by contrast what TW is missing (at the moment) to be able to have as long a career as Jack.

Jack's values and investment in his family wound up propelling him to the highest heights.

 

[Damon Lucas]

"Why does what he does off the golf course matter?"
Why does what he does ON the golf course matter?

Because he is a level above anyone else.
Because of the excitement he generates for a lot of people.
Ratings.
Happy sponsors
Happy tv execs
Because he is different from the generic tour player
Because he appeals to a wider audience
Because he highlights traits that others don't have

Who watched the Masters this year? Compare that to Martin Kaymer winning the PGA? Or Westwood or Donald winning anything? How about Dustin Johnson and his ability to string a sentence together? Until MacIlroy or Mannessaro closes out a major in spectacular style, Tiger is the story most of the time.