I am a bit of a golf-swing geek (but not wonky enough to make some money as a swing coach). The linked article is an interesting look at Tiger Woods various golf swings over the decades, including his junior/amateur years, his hyper-successful years around 2001, and his most recent efforts with Sean Folely.
According to the article, Woods is looking back at his swing during his jr./am. years to re-invent his golf swing and rekindle that magic that he had for so many years. Overall, I think that is the best approach for Woods, as his swing was more natural and simple, using his body as it was at that time - moderate height and slender build. Having a slender build, Woods could (and did) use a narrow stance that allowed him that wide shoulder turn helping him generate significant power without having to strain his back and knees (as opposed to the drop-squat-straighten swing he used with Folely). The challenge for Woods now, somewhat obvious, is he has packed on quite a bit of muscle, which can limit how narrow that stance can be and (esp. with his shoulder muscles) limit the amount of turn he can generate now.
If Woods can translate the swing that was recorded yesterday onto the course, I think he can regain the form that put him in contention at the majors three out of every four. The quieter leg action should make his ball-striking more consistent, and get rid of the push-block and hard-hook misses that he seemed to suffer with (esp. under pressure) the last couple of years.
And it would be great for golf if we could get Tiger, Phil (and maybe even Leonard and Duval) playing well again to go with the newly minted major winners and the younger set threatening to break through.
Old Is New Again for Woods
According to the article, Woods is looking back at his swing during his jr./am. years to re-invent his golf swing and rekindle that magic that he had for so many years. Overall, I think that is the best approach for Woods, as his swing was more natural and simple, using his body as it was at that time - moderate height and slender build. Having a slender build, Woods could (and did) use a narrow stance that allowed him that wide shoulder turn helping him generate significant power without having to strain his back and knees (as opposed to the drop-squat-straighten swing he used with Folely). The challenge for Woods now, somewhat obvious, is he has packed on quite a bit of muscle, which can limit how narrow that stance can be and (esp. with his shoulder muscles) limit the amount of turn he can generate now.
If Woods can translate the swing that was recorded yesterday onto the course, I think he can regain the form that put him in contention at the majors three out of every four. The quieter leg action should make his ball-striking more consistent, and get rid of the push-block and hard-hook misses that he seemed to suffer with (esp. under pressure) the last couple of years.
And it would be great for golf if we could get Tiger, Phil (and maybe even Leonard and Duval) playing well again to go with the newly minted major winners and the younger set threatening to break through.
Old Is New Again for Woods
