Showing posts with label PGA Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PGA Tour. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Is Tiger Done With Competitive Golf?
Ever since he withdrew from the Safeway Open a couple weeks ago, there has been much speculation that Tiger Woods' career as a competitive golfer may be over. He added to that speculation with a recent interview where he suggested he is going to focus more on his businesses.
Prior to withdrawing from the Safeway Open, Tiger indicated that he was feeling fit, and not feeling any issues from the three back surgeries he's undergone over the last couple years. However, when he withdrew, he indicated that his game was "vulnerable."
Analysts such as Brandel Chamblee and Hank Haney suggested this meant Tiger was still struggling with his short game issues. In 2015, prior to hanging it up for the year due to back issues, Tiger was clearly struggling with his short game. In fact, he ranked last on the PGA Tour in scrambling and in sand saves...not what we were used to seeing.
Some of his shots around the green that season were downright dreadful early in the season. This suggested he may actually have a case of the "chipping yips," a more rare form of the yips than the putting yips.
While the putting yips can be solved by changing the grip from some sort of conventional grip to the grip now employed by Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson (a form of the "saw" grip), the chipping yips are a more difficult issue. Is it possible to overcome? Sure, especially for the greatest player in the game.
However, I suspect that Tiger is simply ready to move on with his life. I never envisioned Tiger being a fixture on the Champions Tour, although he is still ten years removed from that. While we'd surely love to see Tiger playing at the top of his game against today's young guns, I'm not sure he has the desire to put in the work anymore.
It looks like Tiger may be moving more in the direction that Greg Norman took his career. Norman battled his own injury issues, and ultimately made few appearances on the Champions Tour. He is also a wildly successful businessman, and I can see Tiger accepting a new challenge of building a business empire. He's certainly smart enough, so it will be interesting to see what happens!
In the meantime, let's up one of these young guns can step up and dominate for a few years running.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The President's Cup - What Did We Learn?
I took away a number of things from The President's Cup this week. The first is that Tiger Woods is very close to winning form, and I suspect he might just win his Chevron Challenge event coming up in December. It is clear that his iron game and short game are quite good now, and his putting is close. He was able to avoid his weakness, the driver, in each of his last two events, as both golf courses in Australia did not demand length off the tee. I am also not yet sure how well he can hit the high fade with his irons, and I do not yet quite see the distance control he once had with the irons.
Another thing I took away from the President's Cup is that some of the young guns still have a ways to go to be considered major challengers next year. Dustin Johnson remains an enigma to me. I know nothing of his work ethic, but with his length, he should contend more often. Ryo Ishikawa and Jason Day are nowhere close to living up to their hype. Day had a couple decent finishes in majors last year, but does not appear to know how to close the deal. Ishikawa seems to be just another player from Japan who doesn't compete very well when he leaves his homeland.
The veterans for the U.S. team played very well. Jim Furyk went 5-0, and Toms, Stricker and Mickelson also had good moments. This just suggests to me that the young international players from outside of Europe are just not up to snuff. Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Retief Goosen were the most solid performers for the international side, and they are grizzled veterans.
The bottom line is that most of the big challengers for Tiger seem to be from Europe. Sergio Garcia appears rejuvenated, and I believe that players such as McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and McDowell will look forward to the challenge of facing Tiger when he is in better form next year. Most of the young Americans still have a lot of learning to do when it comes to winning. I think many of the top prospects for the U.S. are actually in college now, and it will be a few years until they hit the tour. As a result, I look for Tiger to have a couple good years, starting at Augusta in April.
Scott Cole
Your Golf Swing Fix
Another thing I took away from the President's Cup is that some of the young guns still have a ways to go to be considered major challengers next year. Dustin Johnson remains an enigma to me. I know nothing of his work ethic, but with his length, he should contend more often. Ryo Ishikawa and Jason Day are nowhere close to living up to their hype. Day had a couple decent finishes in majors last year, but does not appear to know how to close the deal. Ishikawa seems to be just another player from Japan who doesn't compete very well when he leaves his homeland.
The veterans for the U.S. team played very well. Jim Furyk went 5-0, and Toms, Stricker and Mickelson also had good moments. This just suggests to me that the young international players from outside of Europe are just not up to snuff. Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Retief Goosen were the most solid performers for the international side, and they are grizzled veterans.
The bottom line is that most of the big challengers for Tiger seem to be from Europe. Sergio Garcia appears rejuvenated, and I believe that players such as McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and McDowell will look forward to the challenge of facing Tiger when he is in better form next year. Most of the young Americans still have a lot of learning to do when it comes to winning. I think many of the top prospects for the U.S. are actually in college now, and it will be a few years until they hit the tour. As a result, I look for Tiger to have a couple good years, starting at Augusta in April.
Scott Cole
Your Golf Swing Fix
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Will Tiger Woods Win Again?
Yes, Tiger Woods will win again! However, expect him to face some adversity when breaking through. Tiger has probably not experienced this length of winless golf in his entire life. In fact, he probably started winning golf tournaments at a very young age, and had won SOMETHING every year.
He is now gone two years without winning. Because of that, it will be more difficult to get used to being at the front again. Yesterday's third round in the Australian Open is a case in point. It is a very different feeling stepping up on the tee on moving day in a 72 hole tournament with the lead. Most who get in that position tend to relinquish it.
Golf is a process. Tiger has been reworking his swing. Initially, he could hardly take the new swing from the driving range to the golf course. Then he found it difficult to take it from a round with his buddies to tournament play. Now he must learn to take it from Thursday and Friday to Saturday, and then to Sunday. Then he must learn how to do all of that in a major.
Tiger's greatness over the years suggested that this process would be much easier for him than anyone else. We now know he is human. Jack Nicklaus went through these periods as well. He has mentioned that he had lost confidence some time between his 1978 victory at St. Andrews and his win at the 1980 U.S. Open. The difference is that Jack did not try to overhaul his swing. He just needed to make a tweak to the old one. However, it becomes much more difficult to make any kind of changes as we get older, for the simple reason that life becomes more complicated as we get older. There are more demands on our time, and less time to focus on golf. And, of course, the body does not allow us to make changes very easily as we get older.
We must remember that Tiger has young children, and they will place significant demands on his time. It will be impossible for him to be as sharp as he was for long periods of time. We will see flashes of brilliance, and a few more big wins, but nothing like the domination we once saw, when golf was his only focus. Life just doesn't work that way, and there are too many young and hungry players willing to get in his way.
Nevertheless, Tiger will win again, it's just a matter of time.
Scott Cole
He is now gone two years without winning. Because of that, it will be more difficult to get used to being at the front again. Yesterday's third round in the Australian Open is a case in point. It is a very different feeling stepping up on the tee on moving day in a 72 hole tournament with the lead. Most who get in that position tend to relinquish it.
Golf is a process. Tiger has been reworking his swing. Initially, he could hardly take the new swing from the driving range to the golf course. Then he found it difficult to take it from a round with his buddies to tournament play. Now he must learn to take it from Thursday and Friday to Saturday, and then to Sunday. Then he must learn how to do all of that in a major.
Tiger's greatness over the years suggested that this process would be much easier for him than anyone else. We now know he is human. Jack Nicklaus went through these periods as well. He has mentioned that he had lost confidence some time between his 1978 victory at St. Andrews and his win at the 1980 U.S. Open. The difference is that Jack did not try to overhaul his swing. He just needed to make a tweak to the old one. However, it becomes much more difficult to make any kind of changes as we get older, for the simple reason that life becomes more complicated as we get older. There are more demands on our time, and less time to focus on golf. And, of course, the body does not allow us to make changes very easily as we get older.
We must remember that Tiger has young children, and they will place significant demands on his time. It will be impossible for him to be as sharp as he was for long periods of time. We will see flashes of brilliance, and a few more big wins, but nothing like the domination we once saw, when golf was his only focus. Life just doesn't work that way, and there are too many young and hungry players willing to get in his way.
Nevertheless, Tiger will win again, it's just a matter of time.
Scott Cole
Monday, October 11, 2010
PGA Tour Statistics Suggest You Need a Putting Lesson!
I just pulled statistics for 33 of this years full field PGA Tour events to see if any particular statistic stood out among the winners. That stats I pulled were for Driving Accuracy, Driving Distance, Greens in Regulation, Putts Per Round and Putts per Green in Regulation. I looked at the ranking in each category for each of the winners. I then added an Overall ranking as well.
For example, in the first tournament of the year, won by Geoff Ogilvy, he was 16th in Driving Accuracy, 19th in distance, 10th in Greens in Regulation and 1st in both putting categories. His overall score was then calculated by adding up all his rankings in the five categories, which resulted in a score of 47.
I found some interesting numbers. The average overall score was a 92. The lowest overall score was a 46 at Bayhill by Ernie Els. the highest was a 165 by Hunter Mahan at Phoenix, followed closely by Ben crane with 164 at the Farmers Insurance. In both cases, both were first in Greens in Regulation, but well down the list in putting.
The least reliable indicator of a potential victory was both driving categories. The average ranking for both accuracy and distance for the winners was 26th. Not surprising, putting was the best indicator of a potential victory. The average ranking of the winner in the Putts Per Green In Regulation category was 10th, but this was skewed upward by the Crane and Mahan performances, where they ranked 42nd and 54th respectively. Take out those two performances, and the average rank is 7th. Six times, the winner was first in this category. Only four times was the winner ranked first in total putts per round. 14 times the winner was first in putts per green in regulation.
In regard to greens in regulation, the average ranking of the winner was 16th. Four times the winner was ranked first, but nine times the winner was ranked out of the top 20, and six times the winner was ranked outside the top 40!
These stats are quite eye opening, because the vast majority of golfers either buy a new driver or get lessons in hopes of hitting the ball farther and straighter off the tee. Yet, how many golfers actually get a putting lesson?
The moral of the story? When you are ready to spend some money on your golf game again, get a putting lesson! I would also note that the statistics also imply that the winner is hitting the ball pretty close with his short irons, so you should also consider learning how to hit those better as well!
Scott Cole
www.scottcolegolf.com
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com
For example, in the first tournament of the year, won by Geoff Ogilvy, he was 16th in Driving Accuracy, 19th in distance, 10th in Greens in Regulation and 1st in both putting categories. His overall score was then calculated by adding up all his rankings in the five categories, which resulted in a score of 47.
I found some interesting numbers. The average overall score was a 92. The lowest overall score was a 46 at Bayhill by Ernie Els. the highest was a 165 by Hunter Mahan at Phoenix, followed closely by Ben crane with 164 at the Farmers Insurance. In both cases, both were first in Greens in Regulation, but well down the list in putting.
The least reliable indicator of a potential victory was both driving categories. The average ranking for both accuracy and distance for the winners was 26th. Not surprising, putting was the best indicator of a potential victory. The average ranking of the winner in the Putts Per Green In Regulation category was 10th, but this was skewed upward by the Crane and Mahan performances, where they ranked 42nd and 54th respectively. Take out those two performances, and the average rank is 7th. Six times, the winner was first in this category. Only four times was the winner ranked first in total putts per round. 14 times the winner was first in putts per green in regulation.
In regard to greens in regulation, the average ranking of the winner was 16th. Four times the winner was ranked first, but nine times the winner was ranked out of the top 20, and six times the winner was ranked outside the top 40!
These stats are quite eye opening, because the vast majority of golfers either buy a new driver or get lessons in hopes of hitting the ball farther and straighter off the tee. Yet, how many golfers actually get a putting lesson?
The moral of the story? When you are ready to spend some money on your golf game again, get a putting lesson! I would also note that the statistics also imply that the winner is hitting the ball pretty close with his short irons, so you should also consider learning how to hit those better as well!
Scott Cole
www.scottcolegolf.com
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Furyk wins Tour Championship/Fedex Cup
Jim Furyk likely clinched player of the year honors today with his win in the Tour Championship and Fedex Cup. This is the third win of the year for Furyk, most on tour.
Furyk's win allows me to again bring up the point that you can play great golf with any kind of golf swing, as long as you learn how to hit it solidly, and you can repeat it. Do we want to try and teach Jim Furyk's swing? No. However, Jim's dad is a professional who showed him how to play, and once Jim demonstrated his ability to hit the ball consistently and repeatedly, his father did not see the need to change his swing.
Ideally, I would have liked to see Furyk make some changes to his swing over the long run to try and find some extra distance. And, in certain situations, I see some bad shots come out of the swing when the heat is on. Overall, though, Furyk is one of the game's most consistent players, and he does it with a very unorthodox swing. And, over his entire career, he has worked with one coach, his dad.
It is my view that a good golf coach/instructor is one that can guide the student down the path toward improvement, by getting them to understand the fundamentals, and how the golf swing works. Then, it is a matter of showing the student how to get the most out of their own physical abilities based upon how much time they have to practice.
Scott Cole
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com
www.scottcolegolf.com
Furyk's win allows me to again bring up the point that you can play great golf with any kind of golf swing, as long as you learn how to hit it solidly, and you can repeat it. Do we want to try and teach Jim Furyk's swing? No. However, Jim's dad is a professional who showed him how to play, and once Jim demonstrated his ability to hit the ball consistently and repeatedly, his father did not see the need to change his swing.
Ideally, I would have liked to see Furyk make some changes to his swing over the long run to try and find some extra distance. And, in certain situations, I see some bad shots come out of the swing when the heat is on. Overall, though, Furyk is one of the game's most consistent players, and he does it with a very unorthodox swing. And, over his entire career, he has worked with one coach, his dad.
It is my view that a good golf coach/instructor is one that can guide the student down the path toward improvement, by getting them to understand the fundamentals, and how the golf swing works. Then, it is a matter of showing the student how to get the most out of their own physical abilities based upon how much time they have to practice.
Scott Cole
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com
www.scottcolegolf.com
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Goydos Fires 59 in John Deere Classic
Paul Goydos fired the 4th 59 in PGA Tour history in the first round of the John Deere Classic today! Great going Paul! One of the good guys on tour, Goydos carded 12 birdies in his round, including 8 on the back nine. Not known as a long hitter, Goydos kept the ball in play, and obviously had the flat stick working today. Great to see from one of the real nice guys on tour.
Scott Cole
www.powergolftraining.net
Scott Cole
www.powergolftraining.net
Sunday, May 23, 2010
16 year old finishes T-16 at Byron Nelson PGA Tour Stop
16 year old amateur Jordan Spieth finished in a tie for 16th this week at the PGA Tour's Byron Nelson tournament. While not playing his best on Sunday, he still finished the tournament with a respectable 72. That is simply impressive. It amazes me how these kids are beginning to show no fear when playing with the big boys. There are young guns on tour like Rory McIlroy and Anthony Kim, and they are showing these high school kids the way.
So, I say to my competitive junior students, it can be done! But, it takes work and practice, but also knowing how to practice. You've got to have a plan for improvement. And, you've got to compete! There is no time like the present, so get to work, but most importantly, have fun!
Scott Cole
Online Golf Swing Coach
Power Golf Training
So, I say to my competitive junior students, it can be done! But, it takes work and practice, but also knowing how to practice. You've got to have a plan for improvement. And, you've got to compete! There is no time like the present, so get to work, but most importantly, have fun!
Scott Cole
Online Golf Swing Coach
Power Golf Training
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