Tiger's Ailments
 

Are Tiger's ailments related to his swing changes?...are his changes TGM compliant?...what's happening to him?...Will he ever get back to the top of his game and challenge Jack's record?:)

Peanut Gallery Thoughts
 

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So what would be his current pattern? And what, if any, components aren't compatible?

Legitimate question - someone else than me would need to answer it. I'm more worried about my pattern and making everything work together - instead of trying to figure out Tiger's pattern and what's wrong with it.

Swing Pattern or Behavioral Pattern?

Tiger's knee
 

I tore my anterior and posterior ligaments and cartilage 54 years ago and I am looking at a total knee replacement this fall.
I have been able to play all these years by rotating my left foot toward the target (some days more than others depending on how tight the knee is). This allows me to simply stand on the left foot with out torqueing the knee which is what I believe is happening to Tiger and causing real problems.
This position does limit some rearward rotation but does allow a finish that is balanced and facing the target (without pain).
I am a Life member of the PGA with 49 years of teaching experience and still learning.

I read somewhere that Tiger injuried his knee on a skate board as a 13 year or something. That may have a lot do do with his current knee problem.

Having said that, how he has charged his left knee post impact has never looked healthy to me.

Tiger had tip in one of the golf magazines a few years ago about "snapping his left knee" when he needed an extra few yards. That must be one of the worst golf swing advices ever given.

There may be good geometrical reasons for straightening the left knee 100 % at impact, but this is not a healthy solution physiologically. Something has to slow down the pivot rotation after impact. If the left knee is straight it will absorb a lot of the torque and injury will follow. Ideally the deceleration should be handled by muscles and not by bones and joints.

Tiger Sequence 2011
 

Here's Tiger at 2011 Accenture Match Play...enjoy:)

I don't like the single picture in the fourth row from the top, that shoulder to me looks under plane and not on the plane.

From an armchair standpoint, if this guy was a buddy and asked me on the range for ideas, I would be tempted to say he does not clear the right hip due to his address position. I would try to get his wrists level at address with the right arm more on plane. Perhaps narrow the stance a little and focus on clearing the right hip both back and thru. I also think he should go back to a 44 inch driver, that would help that setup. Of course he would be insane if he listened to me. I do not think his issues are swing related. His issues are physical. He used to be lean and whippy. The muscle has put extra strain on his frame. Like putting a huge engine in a frame not built for it. Snead snapped his knee and hip as much as Tiger and never had the physical issues.

When you talk about clearing the Right Hip back and through, how would you go about seeing it in pictures or on video? Is that the whole "two cheeks at impact" thing? Or no "goat-humping"? My eyes aren't yet trained to pick up on these things :( Though maybe I shouldn't mention goats if Bucket may still be lurking around here? :eyes:

I too will engage in the absurdity of rendering advice to Tiger.

Tiger, you don't need all that extra body movement. Slow the pivot down. Calmly "settle" on the downswing but dont let the left hip and leg move so violently. I know you can sling it a mile like that, like number eight at Augusta. but if you calmed it all down youd be leading by 10 shots and wouldnt need to.

Count one - top of back swing, two, impact, three follow through. Rythmically, till you do it the same way each time.

Like in 2000......................

So is that along the same line of thought as how Johnny Miller talks about Tiger's "driving range swing" versus his "golf course swing"? I know yesterday I was hitting soft 9irons into most of the greens (my wedges are in the garage getting re-shafted) and I hit more than a few on a rope towards the flag. Most were long, but boy howdy they went where I wanted them to :happy3:

Nah, Miller knows a lot more than me. And, of course, so does Tiger!

That being said, I don't think he can keep that left knee action forever or it will ruin him, if it hasn't already. Its "ungolf" like.

Interesting to see that Tiger can't rid of that "snap" at impact. You can tell an athlete to calm the pivot and count one two, but under the gun....no chance. This guy didnt grow up at the country club making pretty swings, he played all sports and knows how to make whatevers on the other end pop. An athlete like Tiger will always use his pivot to start the kinematic sequence from the ground up to delivery the snap at the bottom. I think he's done a great job changing his pivot to steepen his arm plane and cover it........problem is, that doesn't go well with low hands and big shaft lean......(fore right). Combine that with a wrecked personal life, only 3 different women a week, a quickly progressing bald spot, and a random swap away from the putter that won you about 12 majors......and you have a mere mortal. : ) For now............

Rumor has it he is proficient at the big forward shaft lean..................

But, hilarity aside, do you really think that snappy movement really helps his power? My thinking he would hit it just as far, with better trajectory and far more consistency by calming it down, while still having a uper dynamic "from the ground up" action and not a pretty boy swing.

Right on CG, I hear his shaft is double x these days, built up and an inch over standard.... haha...this could go for days. Anyway, why a change in trajectory through calming the pivot? And what's "better"?

No doubt, the squat/jump adds timing issues, but at the end of the day it compounds centrifugal force and overall throw out speed. World long drive guys are virtually weightless at impact when measured on force plates. Ask Ted Fort, a guy he teaches is an up and coming world long drive guy that probably weighs 225.......he probably weighs 350 at startdown/release and 30 at impact. Its Tigers athletic dna and will always be a battle......yes keep working at it, but it isn't the death move as always proclaimed IMHO... forget it, just can't lean it that much with that pivot..........

I have a friend who is thinking about getting into long drives and he does a very similar thing, its force down to jump up.

I know when I do it correctly I can get an extra 5--7mph on the driver but I lose my tush line to much and get under plane.

If Tiger was engaged in long driving competitions, my advice would be far different.

Yep, the ole hump it and get underplane is nothing to envy. You wont see many big time verticals and humps on the pga tour (aside from Bubba).

CG,
Im not trying to gear tiger up for a remax, just saying you wont ever see him able to stand there calmly and swing his arms. It would be great if he could, and keep his head level, no dip and no jump and I GUARANTEE you he can do all of this over and over and over again on the range........but I've never seen it once when it mattered.


But more importantly and again, you can't use a stack and tiltish pivot (pivot, not arm swing) AND lean the shaft a bunch and expect to hit drivers anywhere other than off the volunteers head in the right woods.

Why?

Can explain the mechanics that this pivot would have on the golf swing. I look at say Sergio and I see a very centered (stacked or whatever its called) and it seems to work well.

GMBTEMPE,

check out their pivots against each other....sergios works w lean and tigers wont, check it out and you'll see why

Agreed. Ive seen these swings on the range too and the over acceleration on the course. Which "he really doesnt need to do" ..........so said a man next to me at the Open last year at St Andrews.

When you watched Hogan practice , I bet you saw the same action he employed on the course. The only swing of his that I have seen where he was verging on over acceleration was the one from the Power Golf demo at Augusta where he leans back and launches it like like a Remax guy. Fell backwards and hit it high and long. He swung " out of his shoes" but it was a side show, only.

When Faldo was summoned to Shady Oaks (after Tiger's first win at Augusta) , Hogan who had heard of Nick's attempt to add length to his drive (against the onslaught of youth) offered this advice ..........IIRC ........"its not how far down the fairway you are but what side of the fairway you are on that matters". To my mind good advice then for Nick and good advice now for Tiger.

If only I was on the side of the fairway that I aimed for :eyes:

The old sergio that is. After watching some of the colonial, there are some changes being made to el ninos pivot.