Is it possible that Tiger may not end up as the greatest golfer ever? We’re about to find out.

by Rick Reilly for ESPN

So here we are at the crossroads of Tiger Woods’ career, which is weird, since I never thought there would BE a crossroads.

Covering him since college, I never thought it’d be anything but Tiger’s Scorched Earth Tour, steamroller over earthworm, straight to Greatest Golfer Ever. But now, for the first time, there’s just a smidgen of a hint of a droplet of a doubt.

Tiger Woods is 33 and coming off a rebuild of his left knee — the fourth operation on it. And yet he still seems to be torquing hard on it, straightening it stiff at impact and pivoting madly around it.

So the question after this near nine-month halftime of his fabulous career becomes: Is passing Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 majors still the five-star lock we all thought it was? Is the Nicklaus Speedbump growing?

“I really don’t know,” says Nicklaus, now 69. “Tiger’s got an unbelievable work ethic, and he’s so fit. But that knee makes it a little less certain.”

The two of them even talked about it a week after Tiger’s preposterous one-legged U.S. Open win last June, his 14th major victory.

“Nobody wants their records broken,” Nicklaus told him. “I don’t want my records broken. But I don’t want you NOT to break my records because you’re not healthy. Get healthy and let’s see what happens. But I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

If it were anybody but Tiger, wouldn’t you say he’s going to need it? How’s Ernie Els been since his knee surgery? One PGA win, no majors. Stuart Appleby? Zero wins. Brad Faxon? Cold case.

So far, in his two hand-picked comeback tournaments, Woods was a) knocked out early in the Accenture Match Play, and b) no factor at Doral last week — an event he’d won six times.

But he’s Tiger, so you say, “Pah! Rust!”

In the meantime, golf has gotten sharper. Phil Mickelson suddenly looks like a brawler. A lot of the flab is gone, along with much of his neck. He’s won two of his last three starts, including a gritty, stomach-virus win at Doral. He’s got a new swing — does the name Butch Harmon ring a bell? — that seems to have eliminated the God-no! slice from his bag.

But, of course, this is Tiger and that is Phil, so you say, “Cha! Tiger flosses bits of Phil out every night!”

And Nicklaus agrees. “How many majors do Ernie and Phil and Vijay (Singh) have? (Three each.) That’s not much. I never had it to myself the way Tiger has. First, I had to get by Arnold (Palmer, 7) and Gary (Player, 9), and then I had to start in on Lee (Trevino, 6) and (Tom) Watson (8). To win majors consistently, you have to have been there a lot, and nobody really has but Tiger.”

But what about all these young puppies bouncing around at Tiger’s ankles — Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas and Rory McIlroy? They make Tiger look like the den master waiting for the cub scouts to settle down so he can take roll.

“Maybe Tiger’s real competition hasn’t surfaced yet,” Nicklaus says. “You never know. How many majors would Arnold have won if I hadn’t come along?”

Also consider: Woods is a father of two now. He’ll be a billionaire by the end of next year. He’s an avid underwater spear fisherman. (He can hold his breath for four minutes). He is addicted to skiing. (Starting to hit the black slopes). He is crazy for his 155-foot yacht (”Privacy.”) With any other player, you’d ask, “How does a guy like that stay hungry?”

But it’s Tiger, so you say: “Shah! Kids, no kids, hair, no hair, yacht or not, Tiger will never back off!”

And I agree. Besides, Nicklaus probably would’ve stopped with 15 majors if it weren’t for his kids. “They kept after me to keep playing,” he says. “I figured I’d retire at 38 or so. But they wanted to be a part of it, caddy and all that. So I kept at it.” And thus, he won a U.S. Open and a PGA at 40 and a Masters at 46.

Me, I expect Future Tiger to remain the bloodless, unblinking hit man, but with more vacation time between kills. I used to think he could get to an unthinkable 30 majors. Now I think he’ll end up at 22 or 23. He’ll pass Sam Snead’s PGA Tour wins mark of 82, but I don’t think he’ll get to 100. I think the knee will require at least another operation but I’d cringe at more than that. Because someday I’d like to see Eldrick play golf with Sam and Charlie without a Namath limp.

But it’s possible that we’ve seen the best of Tiger Woods. There’s even a small chance that he won’t pass Nicklaus at all. Which begs the question: Would he still be The Greatest Golfer ever?

I’d say no.

Way back in 2001, I was in a bar with Nicklaus and he said something I’ll never forget:

“You guys are all so willing to just hand it to Tiger: Greatest Player Ever, like it’s over already. And he’ll probably wind up as that. But he has to do it first, doesn’t he? And that means getting past all the injuries and things that can bite you. His swing has a helluva lot of torque in it, doesn’t it? And he’s going to have kids, right? There’s gonna be a whole lot of times when he’d rather be at his son’s football game or his daughter’s dance recital. I’m just saying, the kid is amazing, and I’ll be the first guy to congratulate him, but doesn’t he actually have to do it first?”

But this is Tiger, so you say: “Pssh! He’s not like the rest of us. He’s not human!”

Right?

Source:Reilly: Is it possible Tiger won’t be the best ever? – ESPN The Magazine.

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By Sean Cochran

I am going to explain the biomechanics of golf. Biomechanics is the study of human movement.

Using this definition in golf, it is essentially studying how the body moves when swinging a golf club. Biomechanics is the study what the skeleton, muscles, and nerves of the body do when hitting a golf ball. There are actually folks out there that make a living studying these movements, they are called Biomechanists’. And the great thing about golf is that there have been a ton of scientific studies on the golf swing. In addition, this research has allowed biomechanists to create a model of the “optimal” swing in the sport of golf.

All of this research has been beneficial to the golf industry. It has provided club manufacturers, swing coaches, trainers, and players with an abundant amount of knowledge to improve the game in many areas.

Biomechanics of the Golf Swing Stage by Stage

Most biomechanists break the golf swing down into phases.

We will talk about the swing into the following phases:
1) address,
2) back swing,
3) transition,
4) down swing,
5) contact,
6) follow through,
7) finish.

I will also relate what the body does during each of these phases, which muscles are active, and any additional information applicable to biomechanical study of the golf swing.

The golf swing begins in the address stage. The address stage is the position that the golfer places their body in to begin the swing. According to Glenn Fleisig MD, the address position is a functional body position which includes the proper grip and body position. A balanced, “athletic” address position, which is consistent swing to swing, will provide the golfer with the correct starting position for the swing. Inconsistency in either how the body is set up or with the grip leads to inconsistency on shot to shot. The body in terms of muscle activity is fairly low at address. The muscles of the body are supporting the body in a specific anatomical position and preparing it to swing a club.

The back swing (take away) is when the body begins to move the club. The back swing is the portion of the swing that places the body in the correct position to begin the downswing. During the entire back swing the body begins the recruitment of energy that will be transitioned at the top of the back swing towards the ball. Key points from a biomechanical analysis of the back swing are: as the club moves backwards shear force is applied to anterior portion of the right foot, at the same time a posterior shear force is applied to the left foot (Fleisig, Biomechanics of Golf). This is the beginning of torque development in the body that will be transitioned into the club head at impact. Rotation of the knees, hips, spine, and shoulders continues during the back swing creating additional torque to be translated into the club head in later stages of the swing. The important point to remember in the back swing is that the entire rotation of these body parts occurs around an imaginary axis of the body. EMG activity is moderate during this stage of the swing as a result that the body during this portion of the swing is essentially creating/storing energy that will be released towards the end of the swing.

The completion of the back swing is what is termed the “transition” stage of the swing. The transition point of the swing is where the body finishes its backward movement and begins the forward movement of the swing. The best reference point of when the transition stage of the swing begins is when weight shift onto the inside of the right foot (right-handed golfer) is completed and movement back towards the left foot begins. The transition in terms of a time frame is very short and is completed when weight transfer begins to move forward, and the club completes its movement backwards. Research states that the transition of the swing is where additional elastic energy is stored within the body. This is a result of the lower body moving forward and the upper body still “coiling” backward. Studies show that at the completion of the transition (top of the back swing) the hips are closed to approximately 45 degrees and the shoulders are closed to about 100 degrees (Fleisig, Biomechanics of Golf).

After completion of the transition, the down swing into impact begins. Weight shift continues during the down swing. The generation of torque is created in the lower body and then transitioned up through the body into the club and eventually the club head. According to Fleisig, the majority of torque in the swing is generated by the lower body muscle groups of the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core region (low back, abdominals, obliques). The torque created in the lower body creates acceleration in the upper body as energy is transferred into the club head. EMG studies indicate that there is moderate activity of the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, and rotator cuff muscles (Geisler, Kinesiology of the Full Golf Swing) during the downswing. The downswing is complete at the point in which impact occurs with the golf ball.

Impact with the ball occurs for approximately half a milli-second (Fleisig, Biomechanics of Golf). The purpose of impact is to hit the ball in the correct direction with the chosen amount of force by the golfer. At impact the weight transfer is complete. Shear force from both feet are towards the intended target. Research indicates that at impact the left foot (right-handed golfer) is supporting 80% to 95% of the golfer’s weight (Fleisig, Biomechanics of Golf). Impact again occurs for a very short amount of time (.0005 seconds). Impact is the point at which the potential energy created by the body during the back swing, transition, and down swing is transferred into the club and club head. The potential energy created by the body is then transferred into kinetic energy as club head comes into contact with the ball.

After contact, the impact stage of the swing is complete and the follow through stage begins. The follow through is essentially the deceleration of the body after contact with the ball has been made. This is completed through the body rotating to a completion point where the club head is behind the golfer. Deceleration by the body occurs as a result of the absorption of energy back up through the kinetic chain of the body. Follow through is where the body slows itself back down and dissipates all the kinetic energy create by it, which was not delivered into the ball.

Summary

As you can see, the golf swing is directly connected to the body. And it is the body that generates, directs, and delivers energy to the golf ball. Limitations in the body in terms of flexibility, muscular strength, endurance, or power can create limitations in the swing from a biomechanical perspective. In addition, mechanical inefficiencies in the swing itself limit the potential and kinetic energy outputs of the body. For more information on how to improve your golf game please visit our website www.bioforcegolf.com.

References

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour working with most notably Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

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Here’s a little known secret on how to instantly improve your golf game without a lesson or new golf equipment.

Filling your mind with positive thoughts and encouraging beliefs can empower you to play better golf than what you have been playing. Even if you’ve never tried this, or can not release your full potential, you will actually see and feel yourself making improvements in your golf game. Using positive thinking to improve your golf game or your life can be life changing.

When you use positive thoughts, words, and images that are conducive towards your growth and use them for the betterment of your game, you’re using positive thinking. Positive thinking on the golf course involves using positive affirmations and visualizations. Your goal is to eliminate any negativity in your mind. This is critical for you to do before you step into your pre-shot routine. If you are visualizing the ball curving off into the trees yet again, your result will probably be just that.

Even though many golfers have heard about the benefits of positive thinking to improve their golf scores or have seen partners that have had success, sadly, they still haven’t tried the idea to bring improvement to their games. The problem with the golfers is that they are not informed enough to make a sound judgement and have not even tried the method of positive thinking in their games. It amazes me that people that can run huge businesses and corporations, and have had success at it, seem puzzled with the concept of positive thinking on the golf course. There are numerous articles, books, lectures, and papers written on the subject. Positive thinking on the golf course can be the major factor to bringing more success to everyone’s golf game.

Clint Hitchcock (The Simple.Golf.igist)
Deer Park, TX

Source:Positive Thinking For Your Golf Game.

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