Tiger Woods

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niblick1

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Watched yesterday's round. He hit some pushes right off the tee way right, and he made 9 putts over 5 feet (tops in the field). Just like last year his bunker shots were oddly un-Tiger like (too much time working on the driver, not enough working on his short game?). Thursday he hit 5 fairways on his round. His iron shots looked generally very solid. He said in an interview afterwards he wasn't 'hitting his positions" in the swing but that he knew what he needed to do and tended to lapse back into his old swing. Most of that sounds like how he talked during the Haney era about knowing what he needed to do but not being able to do it. For the most part yesterday's round looked like 1-putt Tiger showed up again (the most promising sign possible about Tiger's game), but he is still struggling with pushes off the tee although he did also bomb some nice drives down the middle.

His backswing looks hugely better to me and not Haney-esque. But he is still fighting pushes with the driver and I don't think it's because of some super laid off backswing now. What is causing the problem now? He sure doesn't look like he's leaning left with the driver on the backswing but could that be the issue (a little bit of "Baddeley at Oakmont Driver Syndrome")? Is that higher right shoulder finish part of an attempt to get more tumble and avoid being underplane? What's with the helicopter finish?
 
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GPM1985

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mgranato said:
I don't think his brilliance resided in his swing mechanics
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This is the most salient point made so far, in this thread. I think he can still get the edge back. He has the media working in his favor.

As far as the swing is concerned, it just looks like he needs some carry. Lots of underplane swipes going on. He'll turn the corner when he understands his swing on his own terms. It sounds like he's mainly been trying to work it out by himself, with a moderate amount of assistance from Foley. That's good, I think.
 
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Kevin Shields

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niblick1 said:
Watched yesterday's round. He hit some pushes right off the tee way right, and he made 9 putts over 5 feet (tops in the field). Just like last year his bunker shots were oddly un-Tiger like (too much time working on the driver, not enough working on his short game?). Thursday he hit 5 fairways on his round. His iron shots looked generally very solid. He said in an interview afterwards he wasn't 'hitting his positions" in the swing but that he knew what he needed to do and tended to lapse back into his old swing. Most of that sounds like how he talked during the Haney era about knowing what he needed to do but not being able to do it. For the most part yesterday's round looked like 1-putt Tiger showed up again (the most promising sign possible about Tiger's game), but he is still struggling with pushes off the tee although he did also bomb some nice drives down the middle.

His backswing looks hugely better to me and not Haney-esque. But he is still fighting pushes with the driver and I don't think it's because of some super laid off backswing now. What is causing the problem now? He sure doesn't look like he's leaning left with the driver on the backswing but could that be the issue (a little bit of "Baddeley at Oakmont Driver Syndrome")? Is that higher right shoulder finish part of an attempt to get more tumble and avoid being underplane? What's with the helicopter finish?
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He drove it better because he had an on line backswing, steep shoulders thru the ball and a wide downswing with the corresponding "closed-ish" face at the top. All matched perfectly. His swing now is a mish mash of incompatible variations of which none come naturally to him.
 
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niblick1

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Kevin Shields said:
He drove it better because he had an on line backswing, steep shoulders thru the ball and a wide downswing with the corresponding "closed-ish" face at the top. All matched perfectly. His swing now is a mish mash of incompatible variations of which none come naturally to him.
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An ugly mish-mash today. Right, right, right, bunker, rough, bunker. Got passed by the whole field. Refused interview. Honestly, six months with tiger and a trackman is enough time for a good teacher to teach de-haney-fy his thinking, and let him swing the way he wants to swing, with minor adjustments. You shouldn't be teaching one of the all-time greats new head positions and address positions within a few majors of Jack.

Wouldn't a little carry (and allowing him the width he likes), as GPM says, help him match up his backswing and downswing path a little better?
 
ZAP

ZAP

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I have found it hard to believe that he needed a huge change. Today he looked like he was fighting the ball around the course. When they showed the slow mo of his one iron shot from the rough that squat move looked just horrendous.
 
mjstrong

mjstrong

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Kostis' lines look a little skewed when he's drawing the "steeper" shoulder turn at the top. It doesn't look like he's using the same points as reference. However, in full motion, Tiger's shoulder turn back does actually appear a little steeper. This isn't a great example since they looked very similar (baby sleeping right now - no sound, hope I didn't miss anything).

I do like the looks of his swing more at impact and post-impact compared to the "old" swing though.
 
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Kevin Shields

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(.Y.) said:
What his identification or the actual selection of username?
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Both.

When I look at that video, its impossible not to see his body working under it, which is what he always did. Matched up perfectly with his wide, turned shoulder plane downswing. No high, trying to save it look of the right shoulder in the finish in 2000.
 
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Mike O

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Guess

I think it's the hyperbolic chamber that he's using - that's causing the problems. One white glove, skin getting lighter - just a theory of course but the evidence is there.
 
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Kevin Shields

Super Moderator
Tiger's comments about "I can do it on the range" reminds me of Brian's sayings that there are things you can do on the range and there's things you can actually play with. I can do alot of patterns on the range but put me on the course and its a whole different story.

Is Tiger becoming a range rat? He was the best because he had the most SHOTS, like Seve, who also pursued this ridiculous idea of swing perfection. Nothing will be more interesting to watch how this plays out.
 
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