Take it one step at a time
Precision on the course outweighs brute strength
Go for accuracy: If this fairway were narrow or heavily punctuated by technical hazards, this golfer might opt for using his fairway woods instead of his driver, and play the course with precision and restraint. —Photo by Jeffrey Cooper
Tiger Woods’ two-stroke victory in the 135th Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in the summer of 2006 could not have surprised anyone; however, the same cannot be said for how he pulled off the victory. Tiger Woods has long been seen as the poster child for the modern golfer. He is one of the longer drivers on the PGA Tour and has the ability to tear courses apart—and players for that matter—by overpowering them with prodigious tee shots. Royal Liverpool, at slightly more than 7,200 yards, was not exactly a long golf course by PGA Tour standards. The par 72 layout should have given Woods numerous opportunities to smash long drives and allow him to attack the pins with short iron approaches. That is, after all, what the prototypical modern golfer of today would do, right? Wrong—Woods attacked the course with surgical precision rather than brute strength. He hit the overwhelming majority of his tee shots with either his three wood or two iron. As a matter of fact, he only used his driver once over the course of the entire 72-hole tournament. Woods obviously placed an emphasis on accuracy, not distance, and the statistics prove it. Make the game simpler for you to play by employing Tiger’s Open Championship game plan. Place a larger emphasis on hitting the fairway at all costs. This will mean sacrificing distance by using your fairway woods, hybrids or long irons more, and your driver less. Deciding to employ this game plan is one thing; being patient enough to stick with it is another. Don’t be sucked in by your playing partners’ long drives; simply lull them to sleep with safe plays and a consistent mindset. This game plan worked for Tiger Woods and it will for you. Woods simply focused on safely advancing the golf ball around the course by hitting fairways, avoiding bunkers, and placing the ball on or around the greens. His short game is what allowed him to relax and put his game on cruise control. Hitting more controlled tee shots will help your scorecard slightly, but placing an emphasis on your short game—both chipping and putting—will improve your card in leaps and bounds. The next time you go out for a round, think and play like Tiger Woods. Hit the fairway, advance it to the green, make a few putts, and the rest is simple. The only thing left to do is collect your winnings from your long-driving playing partners!