TIGER WOODS SPECIAL
FROM ROOKIE TO
LEGEND In the 20 years since he won his first US Amateur Championship, Tiger Woods has dominated the game like no other player in history. Peter Dixon charts the three stages of the former World No.1’s career.
W
ith the exception of Nick Faldo’s dismantling of Greg Norman at the Masters, 1996 will not be remembered as a particularly vintage year for the major championships. If ever a sport could be accused of living up to its staid image of a game for middle-aged white men, then this was the time. The game was crying out for something or, more pertinently, someone new. Faldo’s crushing of Norman is the stuff of legend. In almost every sense, it was glory’s last shot. Faldo grabbed his chance, landing his sixth and final major. Norman, with two Opens to his name and more than five years in total at the top of the world rankings, crumbled. Neither player was to reach such heights again. It was a watershed moment. But what of the other majors that year? Were the golfing gods so preoccupied with the project that was Tiger Woods that they handed them out almost at random? The US Open went to Steve Jones, 38; the Open Championship to Tom Lehman, 37; and the US PGA Championship to Mark 1996 should have been remembered for Faldo and Norman’s Masters duel (right); but it was eclipsed by Woods’ turning pro.
36 Golf World November 2014
Brooks, 35. The Great Triumvirate? Hardly. It had been a full decade since Jack Nicklaus landed the last of his 18 majors, the 1986 Masters at Augusta National. He was 46 at the time and had not been a serious contender for a number of years. What the Golden Bear had, though, was star quality. As had Arnold Palmer, all film star looks and John Wayne swagger, before him. Into the void left by Nicklaus came a sparkling European contingent, led by Severiano Ballesteros. Cavalier and charismatic, Ballesteros single-handedly revived the fortunes of golf in Europe. Where the Spaniard led, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer and Faldo followed. All five invaded the citadel that is Augusta National and all five came away as Masters champions. There was no welcome with open arms for the Europeans in the United States, however. Ken Schofield, the former chief executive of the European Tour, had to fight long and hard just to get Europe’s finest players into the three majors played on that side of the Pond. There were to be no mega TV deals signed on the back of a European invasion. Or for that matter, no multi-million dollar endorsements either. So while the decade
XXXXXXXXXX
Tiger finished tied 60th in his first pro event, the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open. It didn’t stop him being centre of attention.
November 2014 Golf World 37
TIGER WOODS SPECIAL XXXXXXXXXXXXX
STILL A WORK IN
PROGRESS
In his continual quest for improvement, Tiger’s swing has included hints of Hogan, Nicklaus and Norman in their prime, says Nick Bradley.
A
lthough Tiger Woods has had several high-profile coaches, he has been very much his own man when it comes to nurturing his technique. Whereas in many player/ coach relationships the responsibility for developing the blueprint for success lands on the coach’s shoulders, it is clear the reverse is true when dealing with Tiger. During his time working with Butch Harmon, for example, a very young Tiger presented his coach with the challenge of tightening up his swing and making him
52 Golf World November 2014
less dependent on hand-eye coordination. By the time he appointed Hank Haney in 2004, Woods had developed a strong interest in the swing of Ben Hogan and gave Haney the task of shallowing out his swing plane. And when Woods switched to Sean Foley in 2010 following Haney’s resignation, he had become enamoured with the idea of possessing a geometrically perfect swing. Over the next few pages, I’ll highlight what Woods worked on with each coach and what he needs to do now to rediscover his world-beating game.
TIGER’S SWING XXXXXXXXXXXX
November 2014 Golf World 53
MY GAME DANNY WILLETT
Build your swing around your physique As my coach Mike Walker says, every swing needs a blend of rotational and up-and-down movement. The rotational element typically comes from body coil, but the restriction I have in my right hip limits mine. Because of this, my arms would try to create the rotation themselves, swinging in behind me on the way back. I’d then have to cock the wrists aggressively to give the swing its upward motion, meaning
I would unusually be both inside and steep on the way back. This narrow position creates plane and path problems, losing consistency. My solution is a wider, more neutral takeaway allowing me to create a more co-ordinated action that moves the club more up and down the line. I feel the club now works more in front or to the side – never behind. This limited rotation means my power comes from my arms and shoulders.
1
2
3
I like to feel my weight slightly favouring my left foot at setup. It gives me a more braced, athletic feel, and helps my weight shift feel more dynamic.
I combat my tendency for my right elbow to get inside and narrow with this ‘extended’ position, which sets the club on a better path. The move feels passive, and a lot simpler.
I feel central at the top, weight on the inside of my right foot. My arms feel in front and to the side, just as they do when standing upright. As a concept, ‘inside’ gets exaggerated.
80 Golf World November 2014
INSTRUCTION
MY KEY MOVE SETTING A BETTER PATH My old, bad takeaway saw my right elbow retreat into my side, almost like starting a lawn mower, to get the club ‘inside’. Now, instead of inand-up, my arms and wrists work more passively away from the ball, setting up a better, more neutral path. From here, it’s much easier to move the club on plane.
4
5
6
Because my hips are tight at the top, they can fire too aggressively and pull my arms behind me. My thought is to keep the hips quiet and let my arms fall into position.
I keep my right heel low for as long as possible through impact. This helps ensure my weight moves down the target line, as opposed to my lower body working right of target.
This finish results from my right hip, arm and knee moving down the line. My old takeaway would cause everything to go in opposing directions, almost like a lorry jackknifing.
November 2014 Golf World 81
Nike Vapor Pro, Pro Combo and Speed Nike has drawn on Tiger Woods’ advice to develop its new Vapor irons, which move the centre of gravity closer to the centre of the clubface, using Modern Muscle (see box below). The forged Vapor Pro is a modern take on the classic blade head and is Nike’s most precise iron to date. The longer irons have slightly longer heads and 1°
The Vapor Pro has a narrow sole that makes it easier to hit from poor lies.
more bounce to improve forgiveness. Precisely-machined X3X grooves aid spin control. The Vapor Pro Combo long irons (2 to 7-iron) feature a lightweight RZN insert that displaces 45g of material to the clubhead’s perimeter to promote greater stability and a higher, faster launch. The short irons (8iron to AW) have a shallow cavity
The Vapor Pro Combo combine blade aesthetics and distance iron power.
HOW IT WORKS: MODERN MUSCLE Modern Muscle is a modification of a standard muscleback iron head design that moves weight away from the heel of the clubhead, thereby shifting the centre of gravity away from the heel (the CG is slightly towards the heel in the majority of irons) and
96 Golf World November 2014
closer to the centre. This is particularly beneficial for handicap golfers as most players tend to strike the ball slightly towards the toe of the club. Modern Muscle therefore produces faster ball speeds, a more solid strike and improved feel on these off-centre hits – as
for a more penetrative flight. The Vapor Speed is Nike’s longest-ever iron, while delivering forgiveness through the set. The central CG is also moved lower to create faster ball speeds and the lighter and half-inch longer shafts help generate even more distance. The long irons (2 to 7-iron) have a hollow construction with
FlyBeam technology for thinner walls that maintain strength. The short irons (8-iron to AW) feature the RZN insert. Rory McIlroy played a Vapor Pro Combo 2-iron when winning the Open at Royal Liverpool. The range will be available from January 31. Price: TBC Web: www.nikegolf.eu
The Vapor Speed has an ultra-thin NexCOR face for more ball speed.
well as out the centre – because contact is closer to the CG. Tiger Woods has had tungsten plugs in the toe of his irons to bring the CG closer to the centre for many years and said he “immediately noticed a more balanced feel and more consistent performance” with the more central CG location that Modern Muscle now enables Nike to offer all golfers.
EQUIPMENT
Adams Tight Lies hybrid and fairway woods Adams are improving the most popular hybrid on tour by introducing Ghost Slot Technology, which makes the slot on the crown virtually invisible without sacrificing the performance benefits – reduced stress on the face, faster ball speeds and a higher launch angle than previous slot designs. For the first time, the hybrids also feature the upside down shaping and low-profile design that has previously only been used in the Tight Lies fairways. This produces a lower CG and higher launch so the clubs are much easier to hit. The Tight Lies Titanium fairway wood boasts the lowest CG ever achieved in an Adams fairway and the Ghost Slot Technology takes the spring-like properties of the face to the legal limit, which boosts distance while maintaining their traditional playability. Adams are also releasing a standard stainless steel version of the Tight Lies fairway wood. The hybrid is available in 17°, 19°, 21°, 23° and 26°, fairway wood in 14.5°, 16°, 19° and 22° and Titanium in 13.5°, 15° and 18°. Price: £129 per hybrid; £149 per standard fairway wood; £199 per Titanium fairway wood. Web: www.adamsgolf.eu
The Tight Lies Titanium fairway wood has a titanium face and crown and stainless steel sole.
The slots reduce stress on the face, while creating faster ball speeds.
Ghost Slot Technology gives the clubs a classic look at address.
MIZUNO MP-T5 WEDGE Mizuno are aiming to make their new MP-T5 the most customisable wedge on the market by offering 25 different combinations of loft and bounce in two finishes – Black IP or White Satin. The wedges are available in 49°-62° and are broken up into gap wedge (49-53°), sand
wedge (54-58°) and lob wedge (59-62°) categories. Each category has its own specific grind to suit the type of shots that will be played with the club and the SW and LW lofts have high and low bounce options. The CNC Milled face is the maximum roughness
allowed and increases spin on shots, especially within 30 yards. The Quad Cut Grooves are narrower and deeper in 49°-53° loft to optimise spin on full swing shots and wider and shallower in 54°-62° to suit partial shots. Price: £110 per club Web: www.mizuno.eu
November 2014 Golf World 97
COURSES BRINGING YOU THE BEST PLACES TO PLAY EACH MONTH
102 Golf World November 2014
COURSES TOP 100 SPOTLIGHT
TOP 100
RANK 10 AIN GREAT BRITD & IRELAN
Carnoustie
Taking on the most feared course on The Open rota, Chris Bertram emerged bruised but deeply impressed.
D
on’t believe the hype. Ignore the notoriety. Few courses have a reputation as ill-deserved as Carnoustie, whose legacy took four days to earn but is taking far longer to shed. The infamous Open of 1999 is of course the reason for Carnoustie’s extreme renown. Having not hosted the championship for nearly a quarter of a century, there was much excitement at the Angus links ahead of that week in July 15 years ago. But with the rough especially lush after a warm, wet spell of weather and the R&A opting to pinch in the fairways to little more than 10 paces wide at some points, it proved an absolute beast. A cold wind added to the difficulty and with scores in the high 70s and beyond, the ‘Carnasty’ moniker was born. That Carnoustie provided the stage for one of the most memorable finishes in the long history of The Open was forgotten amid the barbs, the sneers and the suggestions it could be another quarter of a century before the championship was back in Angus again. LEFT: A view down the par-4 2nd with the white hotel in the background. BELOW: Bunkers are scattered around on the brilliant short par-4 3rd.
Perhaps acknowledging its part in creating Carnoustie’s reputation, the R&A were not swayed by the criticism and took The Open back within a decade. They were rewarded with a splendid championship, another thrilling climax and even another champion from Great Britain & Ireland. “There isn’t a player who didn’t enjoy the test. Credit to Carnoustie, it’s one of the best in the world,” said that man, Padraig Harrington. That week in 2007 is more representative of Carnoustie; it is unquestionably a magnificent links and the course was certainly not the reason for The Open’s 24-year absence from 1975. A lack of infrastructure was, and even now the accommodation, transport and space is only just adequate. But in awarding the links The Open in 2018, the R&A have demonstrated they are very happy with Carnoustie. Talk of infrastructure is tedious to the golf fan of course, but anyone driving through this modest, grey east coast town will quickly realise why it matters when one remembers thousands descend on an area for The Open. Yet, once you turn off the claustrophobic main street and head for the coast by passing under one of the many narrow railway arches,
November 2014 Golf World 103