Published: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 / Updated: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 08:09 PM
The harder Tiger works, the luckier get gets
Tiger Woods runs off and leaves the field in the third leg of the FedEx in Chicago. He just outworks everybody and that's why he is so lucky.
I've been reading Hank Haney's book, “Essentials of the Swing.” Hank believes that you must have a plan or you aren't going anywhere. Here is an excerpt on what Tiger does when not on tour:
“His typical day starts about 6 a.m. He'll do some cardio exercise; maybe run four or five miles. He'll spend an hour and a half in the weight room until 8:30 a.m. Then he eats breakfast. From 9 to 10:30 a.m. we (Tiger and Hank) are on the range. From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. we are on the practice green. Then we will play nine holes. Then we have lunch. We are back on the practice tee for an hour and a half from 1 to 2:30 p.m. From 2:30 to 4 p.m. we are on the pitching and chipping greens. Then we play nine more holes. We are back on the practice tee for half an hour from 5 to 5:30 p.m., working specifically on the thoughts he has gathered that day. He'll hit shots he has worked on, usually those he knows he will need during the tournament. Then we are back on the putting green and he putts from 5:30 to 6 p.m.
That's at least a 12-hour day. And in the evening, while he is watching television, he is invariably up swinging a weighted club during the commercials.”
There isn't anything that will happen to Tiger on the golf course that he hasn't already planned. It isn't luck that he hits a high cut 3 iron over 220 yards that stops near the pin. He has planned, practiced, and executed that plan long before he tries it on the course.
Invariably, when I ask a student how their practice went, they reply that they have been real busy with work and the kids and they're just not sure that they understand how they are suppose to hit the ball.
No plan, no progress.
I know it is an easy excuse for a teacher to blame his inability to teach on his student's lack of work; but, my point is that if Tiger, the best in the world, thinks it's a good idea to practice a lot and follow a plan, wouldn't it make sense for us beginners to do likewise?
Whenever I stop and watch someone hitting on the practice tee, I like to ask what they are working on. The answers are illuminating:
“I'm just warming up.”
“I'm fighting a slice.”
“The ball just won't go anywhere.”
I asked someone the other day if they wanted to know why they were hitting duck hooks. They said it was a new driver and they would work it out.
Perhaps it was a polite way to say “buzz-off.” I simply walked away knowing there is no plan.
Industrialist Henry Ford said, “Believe you can or believe you can't, either way you're right. So if you believe you can, why not start with a plan. Get some help from the many talented PGA men and women in our area who will help you get your plan in focus and you'll be on your way.
Who knows, you may start being as lucky as Tiger Woods.
Ed Sehl, PGA, is the teaching professional at the Tega Cay Golf Club. You can contact him at sehl@fmtc.net.
McClatchy Interactive is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since MIReference.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not McClatchy Interactive.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking on exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.