PrairieParson

It may be the that biggest factor has already been mentioned. He was adored by fans/Tons of people cheering for him. He's lost that. Probably gets some nasty comments occasionally. To have a huge ego deflated like that is pretty hard for most people to take. My guess would be that he's fighting a pretty good case of depression/confidence is pretty poor. That's not a good formula for playing well in any sport. Will he ever come back. Personally I hope not. There are some great new young stars making the game interesting. Some of the TV coverage was so bad, it was like the Tiger Woods show and nobody else on the course mattered. I was so sick of it, I didn't watch. Now its fun again with the Tiger Woods show off the air.

I don't think he's a sex addict. He just likes the ladies. I friend told me that he used to sell home alarm systems. His company had sold one to a well known, good looking basketball star in Detroit. While installing the mans system, they found in his bedroom several boxes full of womens pictures in various states of dress and undress, with letters attached, all offering him adult entertainment. If this is the way it is for many sports stars, most men I know would have acted just about like TW. If good looking women are throwing themselves at you constantly, its going to be hard to resist.

I've been poor most of my life, so I tend to be thrifty, so that means very few golf lessons. I've had lessons, but I was never satisfied, they just didn't help much. So I've learned to teach myself, and I think its a long run benefit. I've tried all kinds of different things and found by trial and error, what works and what doesn't. In so doing this, and reading books, I've found errors, someone looking at your swing might never find, like grip preasure mistakes.

I figured out a way to shed light on this debate. Take Tiger and a few of his contemporaries out on a course that hasn't changed much since the late 60's, especially in distance. Find some clubs and balls from that era, and see what they do. I remember one time Jack hit a 600 yd par 5 with a driver, and then another driver off the fairway. Wonder if the "stars" of today could do the same with that old equipment.

I have noted on this forum many people who, because of their youth, believe a lot of the crap put out by the MSM and believe it. Believe me, many very good athletes in the past did not run around like dogs, looking for any bitch in heat they could find. Many of them led lives that we good examples for children and adults. People like TW are news because until the last 20 years or so, this type of behavior was a lot rarer. Not every athlete was a Wilt Champerlain or Tony Lema. Society has become a lot more immoral, drug crazed and it is falling apart in front of our faces.

I took a quick look at Wikipedia. Courtesy of the National Golf foundation, here it is. In the United States, the number of people who play golf 25 times or more per year decreased from 6.9 million in 2000 to 4.6 million in 2005,[23] according to the National Golf Foundation. The NGF reported that the number who played golf at all decreased from 30 to 26 million over the same period.[23] I guess TW isn't the Messiah after all.

Thanks to Trav to doing some research. I also wondered where the assumption came from that TW had made golf more popular. It seems still largely a game for old white men. Demand for golf is certainly down or flat in this area. TW may be very popular, but most of the rest of the PGA tour is pretty much a bunch of unknowns except for maybe Phil. M. What Golf needs is some more parity and equal competition. 30-40 years ago you had Jack vs. Arnie, vs. Lee T. Gary P. vs. Tom W. There were several black players back then, Lee Elder, C. Sifford. Now it seems like just a bunch of hero worship of one guy. I don't think that makes for as interesting a game. That's not TW's fault. My point is having just one dominant player that a bunch of men follow around like he's the second coming of Christ is not necessarily making the game more popular, as I think the statistics show.

This question depends on your point of view. If you evaluate everything in terms of money, then yes, T. Woods brought more money, advertising, to the professional golf tour. However, I have many times turned off golf coverage because it was all about TW. I don't like the guy. I think he is an arrogant SOB, and the last month has proved it. I'm interested in many players on the tour, but not TW. Not everyone is a TW fan. IMHO, Golf should be about many things, honesty, sportsmanship, hard work, self control. Golf has traditionally been a game of gentlemen, for mature people, not club throwing, cursing, and temper tantrums, and behavior more typical of a 13 yr old. From that point of view, Tiger has been bad for the game. He sets a bad example for youth and everyone else. I think the game would be better off with him gone.

Lemay makes a great point I had not thought of. Assuming T. Woods gets a divorce, he will likely continue his pursuit of cocktail waitresses, porn stars, etc. This is likely to hit the tabloids occasionally. Some papparazzi might find him a juicy target. I don't know what this will do to his golf scores. It would bother a lot of people, but TW is not your normal type guy. However, it will affect his endorements, IMHO, but he can afford a pay cut and not have to change his lifestyle much. TW will be a topic of discussion for many years, IMHO, for his scoring on and off the golf course.

Should have been a slam dunk to Lance Armstrong. He has set a record that will likely never be beaten. Tiger still might break a huge record, but hasn't done it yet. Not only that but bicycle racers are more "athletes" than golfers by a looong shot.

I guess he will not be winning quite so much this year if he isn't going to be playing. Actually, my guess is that this layoff will not last, and neither will his marriage. I've known a couple of guys like Tiger. They love the chase. They love the conquest. They just can't leave the ladies alone. However, Tiger might prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

I'll be surprised if he wins anything other than a non-USA tournament. The guy has an ego as big as all ourdoors. He has just been embarrased to the max. The guy is not a machine. Ego's can be very fragile. Snide comments, like, "Where's the best bimbo bar in town tonight Tiger" could really set him off. He has a pretty short fuse. Will he recover eventually? IMHO, probably. He's very healthy and young and has plenty of years left to compete. Probably win at least one more major. But I wouldn't bet the farm on next year. Becoming the punch line of a lot of jokes is not going to help your mental stability.

Bimbo count up to 10 this morning. My guess is that this will certainly affect his golf game, at least for awhile. It may be a while before you see him in a tourament. There are a bunch of people that consider him a lying, immoral cheating piece of scum. These people will reject him. Rejection can really do a number on people's ego and their confidence. That will affect his game. I am always amazed that people read a news article and put the comments section that there are more important things and its none of our business. If that is the case, why are they reading the article and taking the time to put in a comment. I also wonder why one commentator in a forum thinks it is their job to tell all the others which topics should be discussed.

The bimbo count is now at 6, and rumors of two more.

The guy could end up becoming a running joke, kind of like Bill Clinton. My guess is that his endorsement deals will pretty much go bye-bye. He might still win several majors and even pass Jack N. but this will stay with him permanently. JMHO.