Pop Quiz: Tiger's Finish in 2000 vs. 2010

[iacas]

Pop Quiz: note the differences. For full credit, explain how the differences will affect his shots.

Note: no credit for pointing out that one swing is with an iron and the other with a driver, and no credit for pointing out the slightly different camera position. And definitely no credit for any off-topic stuff like "in one he was not yet married, in the other he is about to be divorced" or anything like that.

[Chilli Dipper]

The biggie I'm seeing is how much less lateral movement he has in his hips now, based on his finishing positions. That means he's in a less powerful position now at impact, leading to a forced early release of the hands and wrists to meet the ball, and inconsistent results in distance and accuracy.

[RC]

It could entirely be due to shaft length differences, but he is flatter in 2010. Note the right elbow finish in both swings. One is about jaw height, and the other is ear height. To me that suggest the club began its downswing laid off in the second picture. There are remarkable similiarities, Tiger is Tiger. The angle makes it hard to say definitively, but it appears he has shoved his hips forward, under, and up more in the first picture.

To be frank, it is very hard to tell what happened from two stop action pictures because we don't know if the finish point is at the same moment in each swing. I have a feeling the second swing was lost a little right. The first picture does hint at a more powerful and efficient movement, but again I don't know the exact moment in the follow-through it was taken compared to the first one.

Something is different with the front foot, but the angle makes it hard to tell. Clearly the second one is more flat-footed, hinting at less forward body movement.

I'm waiting for the surprise... are the pictures reversed in time? Only a swing video would allow much more comment.

[jamo]

In 2010 his left foot is more turned rather than braced (maybe for the knee?), he seems to be standing straighter, and he seems to have his hips turned more. His right knee also appears to have pushed forward less, but it seems to me that he still pushes the hips the same. His arms have also moved farther.

[Shindig]

Pop Quiz: note the differences. For full credit, explain how the differences will affect his shots.

Well, the left picture was obviously taken on a Sunday, and the right picture clearly wasn't. So maybe it affects his focus, whether that day's round is the final one of the tournament.

My eye sees a draw finish in the left and a cut finish in the right. Where the hands are in the finish, but it could be more an affect of camera angle than anything. Or my inability to actually know much about the swing.

[iacas]

Here's an abbreviated list.

Much higher belt and far, far more extension in 2000 than 2010. His knee and left hip are outside of his foot which causes it to appear more rolled than it does in 2010. His butt is tucked up underneath him more and his secondary axis tilt is greater - despite the fact that the 2000 shot is with an iron and the 2010 shot is with a driver. Tiger's always been a great jumper, but in 2010 he early extends a bit to try to get the club around the corner and alleviate the stuck feeling. His right shoulder is higher in 2001. Tiger's probably always swung the long clubs a bit too flat, but look at his eyes in 2010 - they're almost dead level - and look at his eyes in 2000 - a bit of tilt to them.

Again this is second on the list after hand path and perhaps even third after a steeper shoulder turn (both back and through, which the hand path would help with as well), but Tiger's lost a lot of his good push forward into the ball that allows him to really deliver a lot of power to the golf ball. He doesn't extend as much through the ball as he once did. His swing is far more rotary now than linear, and he has to try to rotate hard to "save" it when he feels stuck, which the Haney Loop (back, out, up, and drop it under) causes him to feel quite often.

Some subtle other differences, but basically it boils down to this: Tiger's more forward and extended in 2000 with an IRON than he is in 2010 with a DRIVER. He's gotten shorter and more crooked despite the rest of the PGA Tour getting longer and maintaining nearly similar accuracy numbers.

Tiger's progression isn't as bad as this one (Faldo shown in opposite order), but it's more similar than Tiger would want:

[colin007]

is tigers belt buckle facing more directly at the target in 2000? it seems like the buckle might be pointing at the left of the target in 2010.

[sean_miller]

Since all the batting practice fastballs were eliminated in the original posts, I got nothin'.

[ugottabjoshinme]

I like his lean to the right (toward the ball when looking down the line) in the photo on the left. Looks more powerful like he came from the inside. The picture on the right his finish is more vertical. He has been fighting an over the top move lately, and when I swing over the top (most of the time) I end up in that vertical position at the finish.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I think the one on the right ensures he will still be playing when he is 50..lol..

[iacas]

I think the one on the right ensures he will still be playing when he is 50..lol..

Tiger doesn't likely care about playing golf when he's 50. He might not even care about 40.

And no, the one on the right doesn't guarantee it any more. The one on the right, I could argue, will make him want to QUIT golf more than the one on the left.

[ET-Taylor]

it looks more balanced on the right

[Zeph]

Tiger doesn't likely care about playing golf when he's 50. He might not even care about 40.

Yeah, if he gets his game together and start winning tournaments again, he can quit if he beat Jack. If he doesn't get closer by the time he get 40, he might just quit.