There is at least one milestone Tiger Woods has yet to reach: turning 50 years old. But that will change. On Dec. 30, Woods will reach a half-century, an occasion we’re honoring here at GOLF.com with nine days of Tiger coverage that will not only pay tribute to his staggering career accomplishments, but also look forward to what may come next for a transformative player whose impact on the game can’t be measured simply in titles or big wins. In our latest Tiger @ 50 entry (below), Josh Berhow looks at what golfers can learn from Woods.
MORE TIGER @ 50 COVERAGE: How Much Does Tiger Really Cost to Golf? | Will Tiger make it on the PGA Tour Champions? | Why does the Tiger 2000 bag still feel untouchable? | Explaining Tiger’s famous “gate drill”. | Tiger stats you’ve never heard | Was this the end of Woods’ career? | Part of Woods’ legacy we are waiting to understand | Hacking Woods’ hidden wardrobe
As we celebrate Tiger Woods’ 50th birthday on December 30, we decided to ask some of golf’s greatest coaching minds—our Top 100 Teachers—for some simple tips. What can recreational players learn from Tiger Woods? Here’s what they said.
Course management
Thing no. 1 thing golfers can learn from Tiger Woods is course management. Tiger is famous for it the five rules of notation – no 6s on par-5s, no doubles, no three-putts, no club bogeys and no double chips – and it was his way of controlling the big numbers and reducing self-inflicted errors. If recreational players were to copy this formula, they would see their scores drop quickly.
More golfers, wedge in hand, should focus on finding the correct side of the hole versus trying to hard it. So instead of aiming for the pin, think about where you want your loss to be and where you might have the easiest opportunity for a par-saving move. This also leads to practicing more late shots to reduce the three shots. Focus on speed and lag on shots from 20 to 30 feet and also 40 to 50 feet. These are all things you can control to lower your handicap—and none of them involve making changes to your golf swing. – Tony Ruggiero
Consistency in your routine – and avoid the big numbers!
Tiger takes fluid practice swings on the ground before walking into a strike and pours into his swing and hitting the ball with incredible consistency. It’s an easy thing for amateurs to pick up and copy. And while you probably won’t make as many birdies as Tiger, you can avoid double bogeys if you play smart. Work your shots into hole locations from the middle of the green. Another key for Tiger was no double chips, meaning he didn’t want to blow any easy opportunities to get up and down if he missed a green. For recreational players, this means developing sound technique around the green and making better decisions so you don’t lose shots by taking unnecessary risks and hitting shots that lead to higher scores. – Bernie Najar
Don’t be afraid to make changes
Tiger was never afraid to make changes that matched his playing needs and physical challenges. We all have these. Specifically, it changed from a heavy roll-in stance swing to a more roll-and-lift release that took pressure off the lower back. For most players, this later swing version of Tiger’s is viable and something to copy. So is that mindset – you can always change something that isn’t working for you. – Joe Plecker
Copy his perfect posture
Watching Tiger swing is a lesson in what to do. Its grace and power begins with perfect posture that creates balance. His stance — where he’s bent forward from the hips so his arms can really hang down — sets up his ability to swing his arms aggressively.
Because he is so balanced, he can create tremendous speed. And while his body is obviously a big part of that power, the speed with which he swings his arms on the downswing is part of why he’s hitting the ball so far. From the top of his backswing, as he starts to shift forward, you can see how aggressively he swings his arms. This arm movement creates speed, power and results in a complete finish, and this complete follow through is the result of moving the arms quickly. This ideal stance also gives him exceptional balance and the ability to hold his finish at the end of his swing. So many golfers seem reluctant to really swing their arms and this is something Tiger should copy because – due to better alignment – it will not only help them hit the ball straighter.
A great way to practice this is to swing the club with your feet together, swinging your arms back and quickly moving forward. This should allow the finish to be complete – thanks to the speed and separation of the arms swinging from the shoulders that creates power through the lever. Separating the arm swing from other movements will help generate more power and, more importantly, more efficient power. – Kelly Stenzel
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