Golf Tips Magazine interviewed me on what Tiger Woods should do next to get his game back. Below is an expert out of the article that will appear in the July/August issue. 

1. If you were Tiger’s coach, what would you advise him to do? How would you advise him to change his swing? What does he need to get his game back on track?

This is no time to press the panic button. Tiger is so talented that he went out with minimal preparation and placed fourth in the Masters. First, Tiger needs to take inventory of his physical body. He needs to be honest with himself and his future coach on how healthy he is as it pertains to his knee, neck, and Achilles tendon. Next, develop a plan for the next 5-7 years that takes into account his physical issues and his ultimate goal; surpass Jack Nicklaus’ major record. I think Tiger will play even fewer tournaments in the coming years to preserve his body and stay fresh. This is a time for Tiger to reinvent himself both as a man and golfer. We have all known Tiger as a power player, however I think he will become known as the total golfer and learn to dissect courses with playing the “right shot” instead of over powering a course. When Tiger first came out on tour one of his weaknesses was his inconsistent distance control with his wedges. He then learned to dial down the aggressive swings he made and learned to play these wedges at 70% effort. He then became very good at those shots. I would like to see him take that same attitude to his longer clubs to improve his sequence and keep his arms and body in sync. Swinging within himself, especially with the driver will improve his consistency and minimize the big miss.

2. How do you compare Tiger’s swing today to when he held all four majors at once? Any specific swing aspect you would like to see him to improve on?

I preferred Tiger’s swing in 2000-2001 stretch. His arm plane was a little more upright on the backswing and he kept the club in front of him better on the downswing. He played a soft cut with his driver and rarely missed it both ways. Haney’s philosophy is to promote more forearm rotation on the backswing and forward swing. Unfortunately, I believe that caused the club face to open up on the backswing and he had to rotate the forearms through impact to square the club face back up. The problem with the new swing is that it required more timing to get the hip rotation, arm plane, and club face back to square at impact. Tiger still has very fast hips and with his arm plane flatter on the backswing it promoted an under plane downswing causing both pushes and snap hooks. I would like to see the older version of arms higher on backswing, less arm rotation, and hitting a little cut.

3. Tiger is struggling more and more with the driver. Why?

Tiger’s arm plane has lowered which promotes more draws, however with his aggressive hip speed he would drop the club even flatter on the downswing causing him to get stuck more often than in the early 2000’s. Add that with his head dropping and you have a recipe for getting stuck and either pushing the ball right or overcompensating with the hands and flipping the club face closed causing a hook.

4. Do you think Tiger came back too soon? Should he take the rest of the year off?

If Tiger’s neck was truly hurt, then he did come back too soon. However, the only way to get your game back is to play again. He probably felt he needed the normalcy of playing golf again to get some control back in his life. Getting back to playing golf was more for his personal health than his golf career.

5. Tiger has been the game’s most mentally tough player, probably ever. Do you think he’ll regain his old form? What does he need to do to do that?

As a junior his father was training Tiger to deal with anything that could potentially get in the way of his performance. Tiger will figure it out mentally. As a mental coach I stress routines and rituals. It is important for Tiger to find a practice ritual that gets him mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared to compete. He needs to go back to mastering the process of each shot. I think there was a part of him in his comeback that wanted to prove to everyone that he could overcome his personal turmoil. I would advise him to get back to doing the things he knows will get him back and not care what others are thinking. He played his best when he played in a cocoon. His agent and others may want him to be a nicer version, but I disagree. What makes him a great competitor is being so focused on playing golf that he is not focused on being nice to the gallery. It sounds harsh, but for him to play his best, his intensity and drive needs to be high and if he is consciously trying to be different will negatively affect his performance. He knows how he needs to be mentally and emotionally to be at his best. He needs to get back to those routines before and during competition to keep his edge.

6. Tiger’s “problems” are certainly both personal and professional. How do you think he’s handled himself so far? What do you think he should have done differently?

It is always easy to say he should have done things differently. I think his “handlers” waited too long to have Tiger respond. I also think the “rehabilitation” was not his idea and he hid behind it to gain sympathy instead of coming out early showing he was responsible and he made those decisions. It would have accelerated the comeback process and he could have comeback sooner to competitive golf. With his world upside down he needs routine and what he knows, that is golf. He is in a no win situation when he talks about making changes because he will constantly be under the microscope.

7. There’s been a lot of talk about Tiger regaining his “Tiger Slam” swing. First is that even possible? Second, is that the best thing for his game?

I think there are elements of the Tiger Slam swing that will help him; however his body has changed considerably since then. His injuries and the added muscle will create different challenges for his swing. He needs to minimize the two-way miss with his driver. I would like to see him go back to hitting a soft fade with the driver by having his arm plane a little higher on the backswing and less forearm rotation throughout the swing.

8. What do you think Tiger’s next move should be?

I think he should go back to basics after developing a long term plan. He shouldn’t get caught up in fixing everything now. Play his normal schedule through the end of the year and reevaluate his game in October to prepare for 2011. He can still win in 2010, but don’t do a major overhaul. Who he picks as his next coach will be important, but Tiger knows his game and will ultimately create the swing he thinks will get him back better than ever.

9.With all the turmoil that’s happened in his “annus horribilis” do you think that he’ll be able to get back on track and break Nicklaus’ record?

Yes, I think he will break Nicklaus’ record. He is still young and will use this personal challenge to motivate him to even greater heights. I would be surprised if he won at Pebble, but not surprised if he won at St. Andrews where the landing areas are wider and the greens slower. He will get back to being single minded and do everything he can to break that record.

I just signed up to do a 100 holes in a day marathon on May 3rd and I need to start getting ready. The event will benefit junior golf and I will play 9 holes with 11 different juniors so they can be a part of this exciting day. The problem for me is that I maybe played a total of 200 holes in 2008. Now in one day I am going to play 100 holes. This gives me a great reason to practice, get in golf shape, and challenge my mental game to play so much in one day. I will keep everyone updated on how I am training to so I can play great golf, injury free, and be able to raise money for junior golf

The golf season will officially start this week when Tiger Woods comes back to the tour after surgery on his left knee. Everybody will be wondering how he will perform. He will be great. With no pain in the left knee he will be able to swing freely for the first time in 3 years. The physical part will be fine, it is the mental side that might get even better. When athletes are away from their game they begin to change perspective. They get to a point where they miss playing. Many like Tiger get completely away from the game and begin to focus on other ventures like his golf course design projects, a new baby boy, and finishing building his home. Tiger will be fresh mentally as many golfers will be fresh after a cold winter. I am looking forward to see once again how Tiger can impress us all.

I was fortunate to get to play at Ojai Valley Inn Resort last Sunday and had a very unique experience. I found myself playing very uninspired golf. You know those days when you could take it or leave it. I was surprised how I felt because I usually look forward to playing my once a month round. From a performance standpoint being uninspired created a decreased level of focus and an almost “too relaxed” attitude on the course. This did not work for me. I play my best when I am a little on edge. This improves my focus and keeps me in the present moment. I was sharing this experience with a student of mine who had just had a similar experience. He agreed that his lazy attitude created focus breakdowns and poor execution on easy shots.

So many players blame their swings for poor rounds when it could be your attitude and how inspired you are to play that day. When the attitude is not right find something about that round that will spark your interest. For me it turned into a challenge to finish strong. I found it difficult to just switch it on. This was a good lesson for me as an occasional player that I need to come to the course with the correct attitude because it can be difficult to change once in the round. Get inspired!

I was fortunate to have a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Palm Desert. I was thrilled to meet so many golfers who asked me questions about the mental game and they usually would start their question with “I am the only one I know that _____”. Now, the blank could be fear of hitting bad shots, playing poorly with a spouse, or being a good practice player and not transferring it to the course. I made it clear to all of these people that they are not alone. All golfers have fears on the course, think negative thoughts, and at times hate the game. The key is what are you going to do about it. In my book I write about the mental game fundamentals and how to train them. These golfers felt there were no answers. I shared my story and other clients who have struggled with the mental game and with the right shift play better and more importantly enjoy the game more. Be honest with yourself in your mental game and start doing something about it.

We are in the middle of Q-School which will determine who gets to play on the PGA, LPGA, Champions, and Nationwide tours. Having worked with several players that have and are going through this process I am reminded about the difference that truly makes a difference for success. This difference is the mental game. All of these players that have come to this final stage can play very good golf. They all have quality swings, short games, and most have had some golf success. The difference with this week is that is determines an entire year of a career. This magnitude of the situation is what hurts some players from focusing on the process of each shot. Unfortunately one shot can determine success and failure. Most players say that being distracted for even one shot could result in a double bogey that will make the golfer fall in the standings. Perspective is important. Yes it is important, however each moment in the tournament needs to mean the same. For the PGA Q-school it is a final stage of 6 rounds. That is a lot of shots. The skill of focus is knowing what to place your attention on and sustaining it. For Q-School the tough part is sustaining it.

Back in September I had the pleasure of interviewing Top Golf Instructor Butch Harmon. I asked him about the mental game and how important it was in the game. He felt golf was 50% mechanics and 50% mental. You need both solid fundamentals and golf smarts to score low. He emphasized that each golfer is different and needs to play to their own strengths and not try to copy someone else’s style. Butch went on to say that as a player improves the mental game becomes more important. To be able to stay focused and deal with pressure will separate the good player from a great player. Butch is unique in the profession as he has never tried to teach a “model”. He teaches the entire player based on what they bring to him and then makes small tweaks. His track record is very impressive as he has worked with Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, and currently teaches Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els. He also mentioned that the teaching professional needs to keep evolving and be open to other instructors ideas and methods. When you think you know it all is when you stop learning and cease to become better. Butch was adament in that he constantly is learning from all experts in fitness, psychology, and club fitting. I have always had respect for Butch and now after speaking with him I know why he is #1.

The past couple of months have been very busy with clients, projects, and new programs I am developing for 2009. One new role I will have is Instructional Contributor to Golf Guide US magazine. What is different with this magazine than other magazines I have written for is that Golf Guide US is in Korean. The magazine is distributed in Korea and Southern California and focuses on the passionate Korean golfer. As I wrote my first article I realized that golf is universal. The same instruction I give in America translates perfectly in other languages. The main reason is on how people learn, which is primarily visual. Golf is a feel game that is easiest learned by imitating someone else’s good form. That is why children pick up the game so quickly. They keep it simple and just copy the instructor. With magazines I have to provide good pictures with simple instructions. No matter the language golfers can learn from pictures and video. I am still amazed as some instructor refuse to use video in their lessons because they think golf is purely a feel game. I agree that once someone masters the fundamentals that it becomes more feel, however how often has our feel been different than the reality of the swing? Too often and it gets in the way of progress. Be on the look out for the January issue of Golf Guide US and learn from the pictures.

I was honored to be named the 2008 Southern California PGA Metro Chapter Teacher of the Year. I was very excited to learn I had been voted the top teacher in my Chapter. The Los Angeles and Orange County area has many top teachers and to be recognized as one of them is very satisfying. When talking with the Chapter President it became apparent that my background with the mental game helped secure the award. The mental game is finally getting the recognition it deserves and the average player can benefit as much if not more than the advanced player. I will be giving a seminar on “How to Focus on the golf course” to fellow PGA professional this Wednesday November 19th. My goal is to share my experiences and expertise on the mental game with others instructors so we can all have even more success with our students. For those that have questions about the mental game please contact me.

Two weeks ago I went to the Fall PGA show in Las Vegas. I was there to see if there were any new training devices and meet with a couple companies. At this show the focus was on club technology, training aids, and clothing. I was a little disappointed in the lack of big name companies that participated in the show. However, what it allowed was the smaller, up and coming companies to show off their product line and get some much needed attention. I was fortunate to interview most of these lesser known companies and I was impressed how each one thought their company was superior to the rest. I know they are supposed to be that way because it is their company. Each company would tell me the research study that proved their product was the best. I was a little confused to interview 8 companies and they all had research studies to show they were the best. What is a consumer supposed to do?

The mental game requires a player to have confidence in their equipment and there is no shortage of outside organizations to tell you why you should be confident in the equipment. I tried all the different clubs and they all were fine, except the performance of a club is predicated on the person who is using it. If you talk to the companies it seems like their club will fix all the problems that us golfers experience. When selecting your next set, don’t get caught up in the hype, test it for yourself. Does it make you better?