Tiger back under the knife

No matter your views on Tiger Woods, there can be no doubt that he continues to dominate the golf news landscape.

Where it’s the TGL golf league that he co-founded with Rory McIlroy and sports executive Mike McCarley and in partnership with the PGA Tour, or the way he moves the TV ratings needle anytime he shows up either as a player or a commentator, Tiger is the most important player in the game.

Even when he’s injured.

On Tuesday, March 11, Woods let the world know that he had undergone a minimally invasive Achilles tendon surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left heel. The doctor said the surgery went well and he expects full recovery.

Woods also had Achilles tendon surgeries in his right foot in 2008 and again in 2009.

With multiple knee and back surgeries, as well as fusion surgery to the right ankle in the wake of his horrific car accident in 2021, Woods’ future as a PGA Tour level player continues to be in doubt.

This surgery typically results in at least six months of recovery. PGA Champions player Bernhard Langer returned to that tour in just three months following Achilles surgery, but he did not have the litany of surgical procedures that Woods has endured.

It certainly seems unlikely that he will play in any of the majors this year. The Open Championship is the last of the majors this year, and it will be played July 17 - 20 at Portrush.

Tiger Woods will turn 50 on December 30 this year. He then becomes eligible to play on the PGA Champions Tour, something he has said he looks forward to doing.

My guess is he will play the majors next year, and a few tournaments on the Champions circuit, as well as TGL which has to-date performed better than LIV’s televised outings.

But it sure would be nice to see one more Tiger miracle at one of the majors.

In this issue

• How to score like the pros on par 5s

• Addressing your trail arm issues

• Fix your slice by hitting a draw

• Finding the Tips shorts

  • TPC Sawgrass

  • Depth in the backswing

• This week’s playlist

How to score like the pros on par 5s

Luke Kerr-Dineen from Golf Digest has done the research and gives us direction on how to play par fives.

He says the tour players decide how to play a par-five hole depending on their drive on each hole.

If they hit a great drive on a reachable par five, Luke classifies that as a Green Light scenario.

If the drive is in a bit on trouble, but the green is still reachable, that is a Yellow Light scenario.

If going for the green is out of the question after a drive, that’s a Red Light scenario.

Watch the video and learn how to think like a pro in each scenario. It’s an eye-opener.

Addressing your trail arm issues

The trail arm is crucial in the takeaway and at impact.

Stuart Cartwright is the creator of the Good Golf Coaching channel on YouTube. With more than 30 years of golf coaching experience, he is well equipped to help us improve our golf swings.

In this video, he focuses on the backswing, showing us how to ensure the trail arm delivers the club on plane at the top of the backswing, and stays there down to impact. When we do this, we will get consistent contact and better shots.

After setting up properly, he shows us how to take the club away from the ball correctly. That takeaway action is quite short. In fact, it is done when the handle of the club moves just past the trail thigh.

From there, the clubhead moves behind the arms, the trail elbow begins to fold and the club is on plane.

As you move the handle down towards the ball, the clubhead moves over top of the handle, while the clubface is square to slightly closed. Complete the turn and release and you will reap the benefits of a fully on-plane swing.

Stuart also explains some key measures found on most good launch monitors and simulators. This info is helpful to help you interpret the data you can get at indoor golf facilities or from a launch monitor.

Fix your slice by hitting a draw

Did you know that the path of the golf club, relative to the club face angle at impact, determines the shape of your golf shot?

If that sentence needs clarification, this video from Big Swing Kings will not only make it clear, it will also show you how you can train your swing to hit solid draws.

You will learn the feelings of hitting a slice, and also hitting a hook. Then you’ll learn how to dial back the spin so that you turn that hook into a draw.

If you learn how to turn your slice into a draw, your golf buds are going to want to know how you did it!

Make them suffer for a while, but then forward them this email so they can fix their own swings (and subscribe to Finding the Tips)!

Finding the Tips shorts

TPC Sawgrass

As the PGA Tour makes it’s Florida swing, the key stop in that state is the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. Davis Love III tells Fried Egg Golf how the course there has gotten easier to putt over the years. Now, though, the course is evolving to become more in line with the original intentions of its legendary course designer, Pete Dye.

Depth in the backswing

Andy Carter tells us why backswing depth is important and how we can demonstrate it in our swing. Make sure your backswing has depth by being behind your trail shoulder at the top of the backswing. This will help you fix your slice and add some distance.

This week’s playlist

I spend hours each week reviewing the latest and greatest tips that can be found in the YouTube golf niche. I put the contenders for a spot in the newsletter onto a playlist. Click this link and see if you agree with my decisions. Let me know by replying to this email.

The next issue of Finding the Tips will hit your email on Friday, March 21 at 7 a.m.