You have to keep Tiger's losses in historical perspective as well. Jack Nicklaus at one time in his career went through 12 majors before he won a major. And of course then he won a slew of them. Now that's the kind of competitiveness that I admire - someone who could have so easily given up but came back to smash record after record. Tiger's only "lost" five majors and he's still head and shoulders above everyone else both physically and psychologically. He's a great putter, so even if the field is a little evened from the clubs, I think he's still going to consistently win.
a) Yes, most amateur golfers either never learn the proper fundamentals from the start or they eventually drift away from them because they feel more comfortable with their bad habits. Its very rare to see the average golfer set up properly to the ball with good grip pressure, allignment, etc... b) Most amateurs dont even know how to practice. Instead of working their way through the set from wedge to driver, they start with the driver first and just make it an ego contest. Lots of junior golfers do the same thing. But when you see talented amateur players or talented juniors they have the discipline to practice smart and to practice with a purpose...Kinda like trading.. c) I rarely see good amateurs use graphite in the irons, but its still the shaft of choice in woods. Most good players also prefer more swingweight since they swing predominantly with the arms and shoulder turn, so that they can keep the clubhead square point to point...
No doubt about it. Most people are still overlooking how he lapped the field at Bay Hill and The Western Open, both pretty quality events with deep fields. Four tournament wins in one year used to mark the peak of some very good golfing careers, so it really is simply that Tiger is a victim of his own success and our lofty expectations. I think most of the debate on here is why he is a few shots off his game in the majors. Clearly, everyone who has watched him at Augusta, Olympia Fields and last week has noticed that he makes a few key mistakes at inopportune times that are costing him the tournament. Mistakes that are atypical for him. One of the things I have noticed all year is that he will get going early, and start his run, and real quickly he might make a bogey or a double in a situation you would least expect. But aside from that I am glad that some of the lesser known players have come to the forefront. Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, Rich Beem, Kenny Perry, etc, etc definitely make the game more interesting, better entertainment.
And it's nice to see a little media time go to someone besides Tiger. As good as he was, for awhile I thought I was going to puke if I saw one more Tiger sound bite.
My head knows you're right, but there's such a rush when you lash a drive...I don't know if I'll ever be able to help myself. I know that when I go out after not playing for a month, I should go first to the putting green before the driving range. It is a mini-rush when you stick a green, but there's nothin' like blasting a drive into the fairway. It beats the "swish" in basketball, a spike in volleyball - you name it. Please, you gotta have some sympathy for those of us who pathetically cling to the simple pleasures in life...