There’s at least one milestone Tiger Woods hasn’t achieved just yet: turning 50. But that’s about to change. On Dec. 30, Woods will hit the half-century mark, an occasion we’re honoring here at GOLF.com by way of nine days of Tiger coverage that will not only pay homage to his staggering career achievements but also look forward to what might be coming next for a transformational player whose impact on the game cannot be measured merely by wins or earnings or even major titles. In our latest “Tiger @ 50” entry (below), Josh Berhow looks into what golfers can learn from Woods.
MORE “TIGER @ 50” COVERAGE: How much is Tiger actually worth to golf? | Will Tiger tee it up on the PGA Tour Champions? | Why Tiger’s 2000 bag still feels untouchable | Explaining Tiger’s famed “gate drill” | Tiger stats you’ve never heard | Was this the end of Woods’ career? | The one part of Woods’ legacy we’re waiting to understand | Woods’ hidden gear hack
As we celebrate Tiger Woods’ 50th birthday on Dec. 30, we decided to ask some of golf’s greatest coaching minds — our Top 100 Teachers — for simple advice. What can recreational golfers learn from Tiger Woods? Here’s what they said.
Course management
The No. 1 thing golfers can learn from Tiger Woods is course management. Tiger is famous for his five rules of scoring — no 6s on par-5s, no doubles, no three-putts, no bogeys with scoring clubs, and no double chips — and it was his way to control big numbers and reduce self-inflicted mistakes. If recreational players copied this formula, they’d see their scores lowered quickly.
More golfers, with wedge in hand, should focus on finding the correct side of the hole versus trying to stiff it. So instead of aiming at the pin, think of where you want your miss to be, and where you might have the easiest opportunity for an up-and-down to save par. This also leads into practicing more lag putting to reduce three-putts. Focus on speed and lag on putts from 20 to 30 feet and also 40 to 50 feet. These are all things you can control to lower your handicap — and none of them involves making any changes to your golf swing. — Tony Ruggiero
Consistency in your routine — and avoid the big numbers!
Tiger makes fluid practice swings above the ground before walking into a shot and flows into his swing and the strike of the ball with incredible consistency. It’s an easy thing for amateurs to take note of and copy. And while you probably won’t make as many birdies as Tiger, you can avoid double bogeys if you play smart. Work your shots into hole locations from the middle of the green. Another Tiger key was no double chips, meaning he didn’t want to blow any easy opportunity to get up and down if he missed a green. For recreational players, this means developing sound technique around the greens and making better decisions so you don’t waste shots by taking unnecessary risks and hitting shots that lead to higher scores. — Bernie Najar
Don’t be afraid to make changes
Tiger was never afraid to make changes that match his game needs and his physical challenges. We all have these. Particularly, he changed from a heavy “rotate-in” posture swing to a more “rotate-and-rise” release that took pressure off his lower back. For most golfers, this later swing version of Tiger’s is actionable and something to copy. So is that mindset — you can always change something that’s not working for you. — Joe Plecker
Copy his perfect posture
Watching Tiger swing is a lesson in what to do. His grace and power starts with perfect posture that creates balance. His posture — where he is bent forward from his hips so that his arms can truly hang — sets up his ability to swing his arms aggressively.
Because he is so balanced, he can create tremendous speed. And while his body is certainly a large part of this power, the speed at which he swings his arms on the downswing is a part of why he hits the ball so far. From the top of his backswing, as he starts to shift forward, you can see how aggressively he swings his arms. This arm swing creates speed, power and results in a full finish, and this full follow-through is a result of swinging his arms with speed. This ideal posture also gives him tremendous balance and the ability to hold his finish at the end of his swing. So many golfers seem hesitant to really swing their arms, and this is something they should copy from Tiger because — due to better sequencing — it will not only help them to hit the ball father but also straighter.
A great way to practice this is to swing the club with your feet together, swinging your arms back and through with speed going forward. This should allow the finish to be full — thanks to the speed and the separation of the arms swinging from the shoulders that creates power through leverage. Separating the arm swing from the other motions will help to generate more power and, importantly, more efficient power. — Kellie Stenzel
