Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Tiger Woods is set to return to competitive golf.
In an announcement last week, the 15-time major winner indicated he’s gearing up to play in the Hero World Challenge at the end of the month. And even though it’s an unofficial event with a limited field, it’s always intriguing to see Woods playing in a competitive setting.
With the Big Cat’s return imminent, our Play Smart column today is centered around Woods and some sage advice that can benefit all golfers.
Tiger Woods’ advice
Sometimes it can be easy to fall in love with the aesthetics of the golf swing rather than the functionality of it. Pretty swings usually produce pretty results, right? Well, sometimes.
While it’s true that a pretty swing can score well, you can’t be too obsessed with trying to make a perfect swing. It’s more important to play golf than it is to play golf swing.
“There is no one way to play the game,” Woods said in the video above. “Look at all the great swings in the game — they’re all very different. Everyone has their own swing and their own way.”
If you were to take Jim Furyk and Louis Oosthuizen and have them swing side by side, it wouldn’t even look like they’re playing the same sport. But each is a major champion and has won many times around the world. The reason? They knew their games and played within themselves.
“There are so many ways to play this game, and that’s the beautiful part about this game,” Woods said. “You can play it with hands. You can play it with all body. You can play anywhere in between. … We all have our own finger print. You have to find a system that works best for you.”
It can be easy to get caught up in what other people do as it pertains to the swing and how they play the game. But to be successful, you have to play the game you own way.
“Whatever makes your game better, do it,” Woods said. “If you hit the ball better and hit it [more consistently], do it.”
