Classic Tiger this weekend.

I missed it. Vegas trip?

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“Baseball is drama with an endless run and an ever-changing cast.”
― Joe Garagiola

Unfortunately, classic Sergio too.

Sergio has always been a whiny baby.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

He won that week at Bay Hill, got back to #1, and now is 194th in the world.

I need to stick to Baseball.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

Its like Ali at the end, hard to watch.

So, what is the reason for the drop in ability that takes you from number one to number one hundred ninety four?

Granted, skills change - and usually not for the better - as one gets older, but that isn't necessarily as pronounced in golf as in other sports, such as baseball. Both Nicklaus and Palmer were still competitive even as they got older, although not dominant, as they were in their prime.

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Meet the new FO... Same as the old FO. The bag may be permanent.

Well strength of competition is a lot great today then it was in the 60's 70's, so thats a part of it.

Tiger has dealt with a lot of injuries, knees and back , which probably helped get him into some bad swing habits, and then he's worked with 4 different swing coaches over the years, and it looks like he is stuck in between his old swing and all the newer swings he worked on to "improve" his game.

He used to put so much torque on his back. His swing was truly max effort. So that was not sustainable .

Younger players, really good athletes, who might not have gotten into golf originally, got into Golf because of Tiger. And those kids are strong and have been hitting with power their whole lives, just like Tiger did, and now they are even longer than Tiger was at his peak.

And none of the above addresses the mental aspect. Golf is a game of confidence, of belief. When that is shaken, it's VERY hard to recover.

Tom Watson famously developed a case of the Yips on the greens, and never really recovered. He remained a great ball striker after his peak was over, but he never regained his putting stroke.

Tiger has the yips in just about every part of his game it seems.

Never say never, but to turn it around mentally is going to be really really tough for him.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, shoe. My father and brother were both avid golfers, and weekends when a tournament was being televised meant that the television set would be locked on that channel. My best round of golf ever was with them. They played while I walked the course with them as we talked about anything and everything! As a player... My swing had too much baseball bat in it, if you know what I mean. My dad spoke of Watson in exactly those terms: a case of the yips. That brought back some fond memories.

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Meet the new FO... Same as the old FO. The bag may be permanent.

Shoe is spot on.

As a former 7 handicap as a youngster Im now a 18 or a bogey golfer.

Golf is such a feel game. I know I dont grip the club properly anymore and I play a big hook. I know I could fix it and on the range I can do it and hit the ball straight. But to take that swing or grip change to the course it would feel so uncomfortable for me and I would have to hit thousands of golf balls and shots for that new grip to feel comfortable on the course. So I just play the shot or swing I have.

I have a feel for my hook and tee to green I have never played better. I have 1 swing key (Swing slow) like Inbee Park. Tiger is trying to hit shots with so many swing keys going thru his head on the course he has lost all feel.

Yips on the green have killed me. Im avg 36 to 40+ putts a round. Im at a loss. I have no feel on the greens.

Im old not as limber as I once was. Tiger has gotten older, bulked up and he has dealt with both knee and back injuries. He is not as limber as he once was.

Will he get the feel back? Who knows? Freddie Couples one of the greatest ball strikers Ive ever seen had back issues and even today he can get it back in spurts. But that bulky back is always there. Always in his mind. Tiger had the same surgery as Grahm Deleat did and he has come back in spurts but never fully come back.

The reason I keep playing is I can still hit shots that are every bit as good as the players on tour do. I cant do it as often or as consistent as they do though. Tiger can still hit the shots even with the new swing but without the feel for cant do it as consistent as his competitors. At Phoenix on one of the worst rounds of his career with the yips I still saw him hit a five iron stiff on a par 5 from 230 that was one of the best shots Ive ever seen. Its shots like that will keep him coming back too.

I shot a 79 last week one of my best rounds in years. Had a 35 on the front and lipped out for birdie on number 10. Then my swing got fast and I started leaking oil had a 44 on the back nine. Ill be coming back for more playing in a fathers day best ball tomorrow morning. Then its home to watch the last round of the US Open. Best Day of the Year!

It's too bad, I really wanted him to take the record for most major victories.

I'm a huge Tiger fan, but I think his career is done. He may win another two or three tournaments over the next ten years, but he won't be much more than an afterthought in the golfing world going forward. I look for Nike to phase him out over the next three or four years.

I wonder how some of the new young guns would fare with the equipment of just fifteen or twenty years ago, much less from the Jack and Arnie era.

I think that goes for any sport really

For example, ever play with one of these ?

or try to catch with one of these

or throw a 50 yard pass with one of these


or for that matter, avoid getting your head bashed in with one of these

The point being that evolution in sports equipment has facilitated a more power game in almost every sport, and that allowed power skills to develop and be utilized more readily.

I think in Golf it's a lot harder for a Corey Pavin or a Gary Player to compete today. Thats a sad reality.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

All of which make it impossible to accurately compare players from different eras using stats alone.

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There's no success like failure
And failure's no success at all

I think a curved stick (and then later using graphite) is warranted of mention, too.

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Per Mare, Per Terras
KC

It's too bad. Everyone was sure that he'd beat Jack Nicklaus's records.