Tiger's Driving..??

[Xt1ncT]

Tiger misses more fairways than almost everyone at the top of the money list - just as well for the others probably, 'cos when he hits fairways he hits greens, when he hits greens he makes lots of birdies.

So, why does he miss so often?

Poor equipment?

Poor technique?

Combination of both?

Let's face it, the Nike SQ is not the biggest driver on tour - so if he used one of the R7 range or maybe the Ping G5 would he it more fairways? I wouldn't have thought his Nike contract makes it compulsory to play all Nike equipment, I mean he has Nike plastered all over himself anyway.

Thoughts?

[cold]

Couldn't afford a fitting..

[iacas]

So, why does he miss so often?

He doesn't make the "head still" swing we see in the swing portrait.

Let's face it, the Nike SQ is not the biggest driver on tour

Uhm, yes it is. It's 460 cc just like most of the others. The r7 425 TP is widely used and, you guessed it, only 425 cc.

[Xt1ncT]

Uhm, yes it is. It's 460 cc just like most of the others. The r7 425 TP is widely used and, you guessed it, only 425 cc.

OK sorry, I'll make myself clearer, I meant biggest

selling and most widely played

[ragontona]

I think for a little bit he was drunk with desire to get longer, sacrificing accuracy for the ability to get down there further and be able to dig out with a wedge.

I think The Open showed him that he's unbeatable when playing from the short stuff, hitting fairway woods and long irons off the tees, much like he did in 2000.

I doubt it'll stick though. He'll be bombing away again soon enough.

[iacas]

I doubt it'll stick though. He'll be bombing away again soon enough.

I think Tiger is smart enough to do whatever he feels gives him the best chance to win, and with a greater than 28% winning percentage (including two mini-slumps for swing changes), I trust him enough that if he pulls out driver, it's because he's calculated it as being the right play.

I just watched the 1993 PGA at Inverness. Norman and Azinger hit four 3-irons between them off the tee at #18 and #10 in their playoff.

[cdriver]

Aren't all of us "drunk with power"? How many times have I pulled out driver when a 3 iron or fairway wood was the smart thing to do. Fortunately for Tiger, his iron game is so good that even from the rough, he can hit the green and get his par.

It must be tough to rein in all that distance you know you have in your bag to play conservative golf, even if the check is for a million bucks. I can hardly make myself do it when there is only a quarter on the line...LOL

To the point, I believe he misses because of faulty technique. Swinging that hard means you have to be perfect to keep the ball on line. I just can't believe that a change in driver would make that much difference. Does anyone have his stats when he was playing Titleist??

[iacas]

To the point, I believe he misses because of faulty technique. Swinging that hard means you have to be perfect to keep the ball on line. I just can't believe that a change in driver would make that much difference. Does anyone have his stats when he was playing Titleist??

They're irrelevant. He was using a different ball, a different swing, a shorter, heavier steel shaft, a smaller clubhead, course conditions have changed,... etc. There are too many variables.

[georgep]

I'd say that the reason Tiger hasn't hit more fairways is that he doesn't always have to. When your scrambling is a good as his is, I think it would be hard not to just go ahead and bomb it out there. There are courses where bomb and gouge works (Bay Hill, et. al), and those where it doesn't (Winged Foot).

However, since he rediscovered the 2-iron (and the fairway) at Hoylake, it will be interesting to see how much the driver stays in the bag going forward. Of course, that lesson didn't have a lasting effect for Mickelson, so we'll see. Maybe Bomb and Gouge was just a fad (not likely), or maybe it's just a technique for some courses..

[NCGolfer]

I'd say that the reason Tiger hasn't hit more fairways is that he doesn't always have to. When your scrambling is a good as his is, I think it would be hard not to just go ahead and bomb it out there. There are courses where bomb and gouge works (Bay Hill, et. al), and those where it doesn't (Winged Foot).

True, but I would qualify that with the statement that Tiger's version of Bomb and Gouge is a lot better than others (JB Holmes, Bubba Watson, etc.) While those others have had

some success, Tiger's iron and wedge play is second to none.

However, since he rediscovered the 2-iron (and the fairway) at Hoylake, it will be interesting to see how much the driver stays in the bag going forward. Of course, that lesson didn't have a lasting effect for Mickelson, so we'll see.

My thoughts exactly. I don't know if this will permanently alter his strategy. I think that Tiger is open to anything that will make him better and win more tournaments. If that means more stingers, then so be it.

Maybe Bomb and Gouge was just a fad (not likely), or maybe it's just a technique for

I don't think it is likely a fad either. There is always going to be a handful of Daly's and Bubba's on tour that are going to hit driver...win or lose. I'm more interested in how Tiger and Phil approach golf courses, manage their games and see if it correlates into wins.

I think you'll see Tiger will a slightly more conservative approach. Not much, but I'm going to keep watch of his stats (Driving accuracy, distance, etc.)before and after the British Open to see if they change.

[allin]

I do think he swings to hard at times, his tempo seems to be much quicker than when he first came on tour. I'm no guru so maybe that is because of all the swing, equipment changes and strength training. It is almost a sure thing that he will return to bomb and gouge. With the firm fairways and all the bunkers there was little advantage for someone of Tigers length to hit driver at the British. At the Masters with short rough, less roll, small, fast, greens, why would he hit into the green with a long iron in his hand when he can hit a 6 or 7 iron. That is why he is the best. He knows how to win using his strengths on any type of course. He may or may not be the most physically talented golfer, but I definitely believe he is the best mentally.

[Chambo]

To watch Tiger's strategy at the British was amazing, it just shows how far ahead of everybody in the mental stakes he really is.

In regards to his fairway %, I think it all comes down to his swing speed, if he took a little bit off he would hit more fairways, but he does what he does becasue he is super confident in whatever shot he decides to hit. Its so scary to think he swings the driver st 80%. My driver swing speed is 105mph, if i even tried to swing at 130mp I would lose all control and balance

[warbirdlover]

The swing changes he made screwed up his driving but helped the rest of his game. His swing looks "too hard". Other pros have a much easier swing and I can't imagine trying to control (or repeat) that consistently.

[iacas]

The swing changes he made screwed up his driving but helped the rest of his game. His swing looks "too hard". Other pros have a much easier swing and I can't imagine trying to control (or repeat) that consistently.

As I said in the live blog, it seems entirely related to his head dip. When he dips, bad swing. When he doesn't, good swing.

[MGP]

As I said in the live blog, it seems entirely related to his head dip. When he dips, bad swing. When he doesn't, good swing.

I think I might send him an invoice for that observation if I were you...

[iacas]

I think I might send him an invoice for that observation if I were you...

Yeah, except that the head dip is probably the result of some other cause, not the root cause itself. When he swings harder, he seems to dip.

I refuse to believe that something that simple has been overlooked by Tiger and Hank Haney.

[iammike]

Yeah, except that the head dip is probably the result of some other cause, not the root cause itself. When he swings harder, he seems to dip.

So in the end, the reason might be "Strategic Error". in that Tiger has been attempting to drive the ball in a way that hasn't been working as well as it should be for him.

Or maybe he just doesn't care if he hits fairways.

[strangegrey]

Yeah, except that the head dip is probably the result of some other cause, not the root cause itself. When he swings harder, he seems to dip.

Forgive me if this has been discussed regarding tiger...I'm fairly new here.

This has been discussed by the various announcers...Miller made a few comments on it during the NBC coverage in the past few weeks...and I'm sure Kostis has and will discuss it over the next few weeks. IIRC, (and I'm by no means a guru, so what I'm saying is subject to my aging memory) the root cause is that his hips turn too fast...and his arms lag behind (how I would LOVE to have hips that could turn in tandem with a 130mph swing)...when his arms lag behind, he has to drop down to bring the clubhead onto the ball. The clubhead's face, after the drop is open...and 9 times out of 10, it results in a missed shot to the right. This is what Tiger and the various TV analysis refer to as a 'block'. Like all of us, when we are fearful of a particular fault, we tend to overcompensate in the other direction...in this case, Tiger pulls it, like he did on #2 on sunday. Personally, I think that Tiger's recent swing change with haney isn't the magic bullet he keeps saying it will be. There was nothing more perfect than Tiger, after his initial swing change with Butch. That swing resulted in that amazing stretch in 2000-2002, where Tiger was simply flawless. Part of me thinks that Haney almost brought in this new change just for changes sake, you know, justify his salary....I dunno, if I were Tiger's new coach following Butch, I think I would have just continued Butch's work. There's no need to come out of your shoes like Tiger does to put the Ball in the center of the fairway a long way out. If Ernie can do it with a fraction of the effort....Tiger can dial back his swing a little bit and get some consistency. Even though Tiger is on top of the rankings now, I think his Driving problem will eventually be his downfall. 2 reasons I feel this way....#1, eventually someone will develop similar 'scrambling' ability...but with straighter driving....#2, I can't help but think that now that Tiger has inherited the Seve comparisons (with respect to scrambling) he might inherit Seve's fate.... I dunno, I love Tiger...I really do, but I'm getting sick and tired of pulling for him each Major and watching him dunk the ball in the right trees.