Tiger Woods: A Tale of Two Golf Courses

Aug 9, 2013; Rochester, NY, USA; Tiger Woods waits to putt on the 17th green during the second round of the 95th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

As Tiger Woods tees off for his third round at The PGA Championship with Keegan Bradley, he has to have some regrets, and disappointment over his early performance at Oak Hill Country Club. Fans may wonder why the world’s number one golfer can lap a field of the best players in golf one week, and struggle so much the next week against the same field. The devil, as usual, is in the details.

Tiger has a select number of courses he plays every year, and those courses pad his statistics. They are the golf courses he likes, and they are the golf courses he can win on with relative ease. Courses like Torrey Pines, Bay Hill, Doral, Memorial, and Firestone.

When Tiger Woods was dominating the golf world back in the early part of the century, his swing was different, and he was in immaculate physical shape. And most of all, he was young. Tiger has re-invented his golf swing three times over his career, and now he is almost mortal.

If one understands the “Peter Principal” a term used frequently in the 70’s and 80’s somewhat defines what has happened to Tiger, and his problems on golf courses that aren’t part of his favorites. He has tinkered with his swing, and has become ineffective on some golf courses. Oak Hill is one of those places.

Oak Hill is an older venue where the designers decided to plant acorns around the course when it was young, and now, almost 90 years later, those little acorns are giant oak trees. Those giant oak trees have created narrow fairways that require a golfer to accurately place their tee shots if they want to get a birdie putt. Tiger has lost this ability, and struggles with his driver.

Unfortunately, the USGA, PGA, and R&A do not always select golf courses that fit Tiger’s eye. The last time they selected one of his favorites was Torrey Pines in 2008, the location of Tiger’s first victory this year, and the site of his last major championship.

Oak Hill also has old-style greens. Those are greens that are small in nature, and tilt forward from the back to the front. The PGA sets up the pins, and maintains the course where if you don’t hit the green, you will not score. Tough major championship rough will make you pay if you are long, and rough, coupled with deep bunkers will make a wayward approach shot pay as well.

So the bottom line starts at the tee with a well placed shot in an exact place in the fairway. Five yards off the mark, and you are playing for par, and not birdie. Instead of being able to work the ball both directions, he is having to depend on his power fade. Players like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Trevino lived on the power fade, but all could hit a draw when the shot required it. Tiger no longer has this option, and it will continue to impede his quest for 18 major championships.

Tiger feasted earlier in his career on par fives. With his fear of hitting driver off the tee, and electing to go with the three wood stinger is costing him distance on the par fives, and if he don’t hit a perfect shot, he has no chance of getting home in two.

For the above reasons, Tiger Woods will continue to win 3-5 tournaments a year, and will more than likely retain his number one status for most of the remainder of his career, but..there’s always a but…he will continue to struggle at major championships. Especially when they are not at courses he loves. I had written earlier in the year, if Tiger doesn’t get at least one major in 2013, I don’t believe he will ever catch and overtake Jack Niclaus’ record 18 major championships. Sorry Tiger!!