Tiger Woods out of Masters Following Surgery for Pinched Nerve

[jbishop15]

Personally, yes. I don't like the swing changes he made and I think his new swing puts more pressure on his back.

What changes don't you like, and why do you think they put too much pressure on his back? Ps- sorry for double posting. I'd already posted the spit fisher stuff before I saw tmacs.

[ChrisP]

Tiger says he will miss "several tournaments after the Masters." So pretty much you can kiss the Players, Memorial, U.S. Open and possibly the British good-bye. I will guarantee you that if he does come back this year, he won't be effective. Back surgeries take a long time to recover and he is going to have to restructure his swing to take less pressure off of his back.

[imsys0042]

Tiger says he will miss "several tournaments after the Masters." So pretty much you can kiss the Players, Memorial, U.S. Open and possibly the British good-bye. I will guarantee you that if he does come back this year, he won't be effective. Back surgeries take a long time to recover and he is going to have to restructure his swing to take less pressure off of his back.

Crap! That's like a year for the amount he plays.

[DaNutz303]

Tiger says he will miss "several tournaments after the Masters." So pretty much you can kiss the Players, Memorial, U.S. Open and possibly the British good-bye. I will guarantee you that if he does come back this year, he won't be effective. Back surgeries take a long time to recover and he is going to have to restructure his swing to take less pressure off of his back.

I was cleared to swing a golf club 6 weeks after my microdisc surgery and I was obviously not rushed back.  This isn't a fusion or disc replacement.  A standard micro disc surgery is not a big deal.  He will be walking around today.  My guess is he is back by the US Open.

[newtogolf]

I never under stood why heavy lifting was needed for golf, was it too intimidate a certain look? Its not natural to the human body, his predecessors never did it * and today his peers do lighter weights, yoga and stretching etc.

*Don't flame me I yes, there is probably an exception some where with someone.

I don't think heavy lifting is required for golf, but a strong core is.  It's more likely Tiger injured himself doing the Navy Seal training that Hank wrote about in his book than lifting in the gym.

Also Tiger has dealt with knee issues for quite some time.  When you have an injury like that there's a natural tendency for one to compensate for the weakened area which places even greater stress on other parts of the body.  Tiger used to snap his front leg to get extra distance and after all the injuries to his knee he had to change his swing to not do that anymore.  He still needed the distance to be competitive so he may have compensated by making a deeper turn or torqueing his back more.

Point is, we have no idea what caused his injury, it could have been skiing or picking one of his kids up.  Backs are funny that way, it's usually the least likely thing that does the damage

[tmac20]

What changes don't you like, and why do you think they put too much pressure on his back?

Ps- sorry for double posting. I'd already posted the spit fisher stuff before I saw tmacs.

Well, I'm no swing expert so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but it looks like he's coming over the top. The last time I saw him play he was aiming well left on all of his tee shots to compensate for his slice. He lead driving distance when he was hitting a draw, now he's middle of the pack.

As for the back, I'm just assuming that the only way Woods can generate the same power with his new swing is by allowing his back to do more work. I'm just guessing this is the case. Not necessarily true, but it could help explain the back issues. The weight lifting could also play a factor but only if he has bad form or is lifting really heavy weights. His website states that he focuses on muscle endurance and not strength, so I doubt he lifts heavy weights on a regular basis. Otherwise, lifting weights should help prevent injury, not cause it.

[Golfingdad]

This isn't a fusion or disc replacement.  A standard micro disc surgery is not a big deal.

Nothing dealing with your spinal cord could ever be classified as "not a big deal," however, relatively, I think you are right.  "Microdiscectomy" seems to fall into the category of "minimally invasive," so, yeah, he's certainly not going to be lying in a hospital bed eating ice cream for a week or anything.  But there is no way to know how long until he can or will start playing again.

That would be great, though, if you're US Open prediction were correct.

And isn't there still a 0.000001% chance it's an epic April Fool's joke on Tiger's part???

[tmac20]

I'm going to make a bold prediction here and say that Woods won't be back until the Ryder Cup.

[Ernest Jones]

And isn't there still a 0.000001% chance it's an epic April Fool's joke on Tiger's part???

Most of us would find that funny as hell. The Tiger haters would be apoplectic, Brandel would probably choke to death on his own spittle.

[MS256]

And isn't there still a 0.000001% chance it's an epic April Fool's joke on Tiger's part???

[bplewis24]

I doubt karma is what's hurting him. He's a pro athlete with bad injury luck. Some athletes go their whole careers without a big injury, some don't. Bad luck, I think.

Well, now, just hold on a second.  I think this karma thing might be real.  That Couples guy was a horrible person, and he has all those back issues too.  So it kinda makes sense if you don't think about it.

/s

[iacas]

I'm going to make a bold prediction here and say that Woods won't be back until the Ryder Cup.

I'll take that bet. You willing to put some money on it?

---

BTW, weird sight:

[imsys0042]

Well, now, just hold on a second.  I think this karma thing might be real.  That Couples guy was a horrible person, and he has all those back issues too.  So it kinda makes sense if you don't think about it. /s

Well, I'm neither a Tiger lover, nor a Tiger hater. He's a mixed bag as far as feelings go. But I think karma hit him in the face, or more specifically karma disguised as a fire hydrant.

[Rick Martin]

Most of us would find that funny as hell. The Tiger haters would be apoplectic, Brandel would probably choke to death on his own spittle.

TW's jock sniffers would be definitely relieved it were one big April Fools' joke, that's for sure.  But we all know that Tiger can't really tell a joke and has a pretty bland personality to do something like that - very out of character.  We "Tiger haters" - or those who think the PGA Tour is bigger than any individual player wouldn't be "apoplectic" because life goes on without the TW and the world doesn't come to an end whether he honors us with his presence or not.  Best of luck with his recovery.

[tmac20]

I'll take that bet. You willing to put some money on it?

BTW, weird sight:

No. I used the word bold for a reason.

Regardless:

• The average recovery time for this type of surgery is 4-6 months
• 5 months is September, which is beyond the PGA championship
• Woods will not qualify for the Fed-Ex Cup playoffs, which run from the end of August to mid-September
• The Ryder Cup is the end of September

[jbishop15]

No. I used the word bold for a reason.

Regardless:

The average recovery time for this type of surgery is 4-6 months

5 months is September, which is beyond the PGA championship

Woods will not qualify for the Fed-Ex Cup playoffs, which run from the end of August to mid-September

The Ryder Cup is the end of September

Two reasons I disagree:

This article states you can resume your sex life after two weeks. Pretty sure a golf swing can be handled.

Also according to the article, recovery time is twelve weeks; roughly 3 months, for a normal human. Tiger is not a normal human, and has access to healthcare that is much better than a normal human. It is also not out of the realm of possibility that Tiger would push himself on a more aggressive schedule.

My take? He'll be back and ready either right before the US Open or just after.

[imsys0042]

Charles Coody and Doug Ford not playing?! Who wants my tickets?

[jamo]

No. I used the word bold for a reason. :-P Regardless: [LIST] [*] The average recovery time for this type of surgery is 4-6 months [*] 5 months is September, which is beyond the PGA championship [*] Woods will not qualify for the Fed-Ex Cup playoffs, which run from the end of August to mid-September [*] The Ryder Cup is the end of September [/LIST]

Source?