There is a question that is in the minds of most people who play golf and also enjoy watching it even if they do not play it themselves; “Why is Tiger Woods so good at golf? How come he is so consistent? In what way is he different that makes him stand out from the crowd?�? There are these and other questions. It is the considered opinion of some that it is the power of his drives, others feel that it is his end game and yet others say that it is his bullish strength and for some others it is the Tiger’s swing.
The beauty of the situation is that all of them may be right, yet all of them may be wrong also. It all depends on the individual and the kind of golfer that he personally is that is going to mould his opinion. Actually all of us know the exact reason for Tiger’s excellence in golf; it is just that we are not prepared to accept the simple fact the Tiger has the best, near perfect and proper golf swing.
The reason that it is the best is that Tiger has the natural ability to use his nimbleness, his litheness and his strength to execute his swings in one fluid motion and create a memorable line up of successes. Now that we know the reason for Tiger Woods’ success, let us analyse his swing and break it down into it component parts. On analysis, Woods’ swing can be seen to contain four key elements:
1. The main advantage that Tiger Woods has over other players of golf is that he is able to use his supple body to extend his swing far more backwards than most golfers on any tournament can. Thus he manages to extend the range of his motion while maintaining his torso aligned straight over his right leg.
2. Since the backswing extends far to the back, the length of the swing before contact with the ball is longer, and hence the club head gathers more momentum as it comes down during the downswing. This Tiger achieves by swiftly turning his torso with his right leg pressed forward towards the swing. The pivot is fast, more velocity to the club head. The swing is a perfect arc. No wasted movement hence no wasted energy. And in addition to the power from his arms and his shoulders, he uses the strength of his upper body to its maximum advantage.
3. Tiger Woods drives the club head dead centre and flat against the ball. No unnecessary twists, turns of the hip, the iron firmly gripped and perfectly balanced. Every bit of his concentration and his strength is focused on the club head with a total use of the force from his hips, his shoulders and his wrists. At the instant of impact the club head is travelling at a speed of more than nearly 125 miles per hour, 25 mph more than the average tour pro. The strike is so powerful that within 2’ of the tee, the ball is travelling at a velocity of 180 mph.
4. The last element of Tiger’s swing is the follow through. A good follow through keep the club head accelerating even after impact, for that momentary instant that the club head is still in contact with the ball, giving more momentum to the ball. Once the ball leaves the clubface there is nothing you can do. It is the culmination of all your body movements. No snapping of the wrists or any improper movements. The finish of the best, the near perfect and the proper golf swing on any course.
And that, gentlemen, is the swing of Tiger Woods. Nothing secret about it; every golfer knows it and has seen it. The problem is that they cannot replicate it. How did Tiger get this swing? He watched other golfers play, learnt from them and most of all, he practiced. Practice! Practice! Practice!
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