GOLF: Analyzing Tiger's immortality

By Vishal Patel Sports Central Columnist

The golf world was shocked at Augusta, right? Who would of thought Tiger of all people would win it? Ha! Now, let me ask another question. How many of you actually know how he won it? "He just played well." Sure, right.

True, he played well, but the keys behind Tiger's dominance lay in his rigorous mentality and mastery of the fundamentals - the ultimate factor in the measure of the degree of talent one has actually assimilated. These fundamentals include proper grip, back and side tilt, feet alignment, and proper swing plane along with a host of other factors. These are the factors that make a golfer good. Tiger's not just good, you say. He's out of this world.

So then, you ask, what makes a golfer immortal?

Tiger knows his fundamentals, in fact, maybe too much so. The extremities of Tiger's swing and body movements define the aura of hegemony that surrounds him. Three of the most discernable weapons he possesses that many past legends lacked in their arsenal include: 1) an open foot alignment matched up against a closed shoulder alignment, 2) Tiger's unusually wide arc, and 3) Tiger's exceptional clearance of his hips. A careful analysis of these techniques, with the help of John Andrisani and his book, The Tiger Woods Way, will help us better understand and possibly emulate the techniques that have worked so well for him.

The closed foot alignment matched up with an open shoulder is very unorthodox. The rationale behind lies in the fact that learning from an open body stance (both the feet and shoulders) helps to incorporate a draw in the swing of a beginning. Once the draw is mastered, the advanced golfer can move on to tweaking his swing to add more distance and control. A closed foot stance enhances a more twisted, or coiled, hip so greater rotation of the hips results further enhancing distance. It also encourages the club to swing on an inside path. The one drawback to this setup is that more miss-hits, or shots that are off center, result. The open shoulder stance is there to prevent the swing plane from an inside upswing and an outside downswing, which according to Andrisani, is referred to the "danger zone".

Along with keeping the backswing more compact, Tiger is able to maintain a steady wide arc throughout his swing. The wider arc then is able to generate power working alongside his tremendous coiling motion and arm power. Just remember: the longer the shaft, the wider the arc, the more speed generated. More speed translates to more distance.

His ability to clear his hips is derived from his uncanny stance. The stance, as mentioned above, allows greater rotation of the hips. This clearance of the hips maximizes the power of the arms with the power of the body resulting in twice the amount of force as someone who is fixed on the mind set that biceps create 300-yard drives.

Everyone knows he's good, but by knowing why he's as good as he is, improving your golf game now becomes a reality - Tiger style.

Article courtesy of Sports Central