The latest buzz over the last couple of days regarding Tiger
Woods has been two fold; His return to golf in December for the Hero World
Challenge and the current situation with not having a coach. Since the split
with his now former coach Sean Foley, it appears as though Woods is giving
serious consideration to going it alone, being his own coach if you will….good
idea? Maybe, it all depends on what Tiger needs to get him back to his once
dominating form and the only person who knows what he needs is TW himself.
In a recent article I read, Woods stated that although a
coach can be beneficial, what a coach can’t know is “Feel” when making the turn
at Augusta on
Sunday leading by 1. True statement? Yes, valid…. not so sure. There aren’t too
many coaches that can lay claim to such a feeling. So, if that be the criteria
by which to find a new swing guru, Tiger may indeed need to go it solo.
As a coach and teaching professional, my gut feeling tells
me that TW will be doing himself a disservice by not bringing a swing coach
into his camp. Sure I’m a bit partial, but there are reasons and benefits that
I believe go beyond the swing itself. Let’s face it, players on the PGA Tour
are there because they know how to swing a golf club pretty consistently, I
think anyone would agree. But there is a reason why the best “swingers” in the
world use swing coaches.
Having been in the golf industry for over 22 years, I can
tell you that the best players I work with need more that just swing advice. It’s
kind of cliché but we wear many hat and the better the player the more
demanding and the more hats one must wear; Advisor, strategist, psychologist, listener,
mentor and motivator. In my opinion swing guru is just a part of the whole. If
it were just a matter of managing his swing, maybe.
If I were advising Tiger, first I would tell him to look
for a coach that is a good listener. One who can create a strategy for success
based on Tigers needs. Second, is the obvious, someone who has an inside-out
understanding of the golf swing but not someone with the latest FAD flavor
of the month new tour swing (I will refrain from diverting and getting on
my soap box) but rather someone who will diagnose and advise objectively rather
than for the betterment of pushing an agenda. And thirdly I would advise TW to
find someone with the capabilities to be the advisor, strategist, psychologist,
listener, mentor and motivator as previously mentioned.
So it remains to be seen in the coming weeks and months just
what direction Tigers career will take. Certainly Tiger is good for the game
and the fans love to watch great players play great! The question is can Tiger
return to greatness solo or will he need a drummer to keep the beat? Time will
tell and only TW holds the answer.
Blog written
by Vince Fratercangelo-Director of Instruction at VJF Golf Academy
