Tiger Woods is currently on a slippery slope. The “greatest golfer of all time” is in danger of becoming an asterisk within a parentheses. This self-professed Buddhist is doing things that no true Buddhist or any spiritually evolved person would do. Spitting on greens. Playing mind games during competition with Sergio Garcia. Throwing clubs. Ignoring fans. Rejecting TV interviews. Not trying when the tournament seems lost. Behavior unbecoming of a professional athlete…or of a conscious human being. His personal life is in an apparent shambles, perpetrator of a volatile and embarrassing sex scandal which has led to estrangement, divorce, and child custody discomfort for his kids. “I wasn’t thinking,” he said after apologizing for the spitting incidents, which led to a fine by the European Tour. Swing change or no, winning or losing, that about sums up Tiger Woods these days. A conscious human being of 35 years does think, and thinks clearly with sensitivity to the lives of others. Woods had better training than this, I’m sure. His parents were and are dedicated, caring, and considerate people. Woods is dishonoring them by such behavior.
Yes, he has done some good things with his millions. The Tiger Woods Foundation is an excellent example of the good money can manifest. His work with children is beyond reproach. But he dishonors the Foundation and the children by his puerile behavior. Woods has a responsibility to his fans, these children that he helps, his sponsors, the Foundation, and to golf itself. Golf is an honorable sport. It is built on etiquette, fair play, honesty, civility, courtesy, companionship, and a tip of the hat, a smile, and a handshake at round’s end. Garcia spitting in the hole after a bad putt and Woods spitting on the greens in Dubai are about as opposite of the ideals of golf as you can get.
Not only wasn’t Woods thinking but he wasn’t considering the golfer behind him, and I think this is a key element to the game. You must take into account not only your game but the games of every other golfer on the course. In other words, how does your play affect the play of all others? Of course, there is the obvious: being careful not to step in another’s line on the green; making sure no one is in your intended line of drive or approach shot; and not talking when a playing partner is about to swing. But how about things that are not “nots” but “do’s” like do repair divots and ball marks, and do replace the pin before you leave the green, and do keep up with the pace of play.
Most of these are not in the rule book, but are just plain common sense put into action. They involve thinking about the other guy while concentrating on your own game. That’s one of the major challenges facing the golfer. It’s a game that is intensely individual, involving tremendous concentrating and self absorption, but that is played on a playing field that many others occupy at the same time.
What’s most annoying for me, and I think for many of us, is to be ignored and disregarded. I’d rather be yelled at or cursed than have someone talking while I’m swinging, or walking up ahead while I’m preparing for my shot, or a playing partner hitting out of turn, or the foursome in front putting like it was the Masters. At least when they’re balling me out, they know I’m alive. In life, I avoid self-absorbed people. On the course, I’m stuck with them. I choose my regular playing companions carefully and accordingly.
Tiger Woods, except for his Foundation, is a self-absorbed person whose karma finally caught up to him. He also comes across as condescending as he rarely speaks of his playing competitors’ accomplishments and only of his own missteps as the reason he lost. Again, he ignores the field as if he were the one and only star. There is an arrogance about him with his clipped answers and barely tolerant attitude towards the press. He approaches Jack’s record for majors, but he is no Jack Nicklaus, or Arnold Palmer, or Gary Player, or Watson, or Couples, and certainly is no Bobby Jones. Tiger Woods has made the purses what they are today, but he is not necessarily good for golf with respect to attracting more youngsters to the game. He is no role model, as Arnold Palmer was for me when he inspired me to take up the game in my early teens.
My wife thinks that Woods was using steroids around the time the Tour started drug testing, and had knee surgery at that time to avoid the tests and clear out the drugs from his system. I’ve doubted her suspicions but now am beginning to wonder. His body does look steroid induced. And his erratic, self indulgent behavior is similar to drug users, many of whom I’ve worked with over the years as a masters level mental health counselor. “I wasn’t thinking” could apply to steroid use as well, and, along with his obsession withW’s, makes steroid use a possibility. Also, my wife is a very wise and perceptive woman. Tiger Woods a steroid user? I’m just saying…
Whether Woods has gone that far overboard we may never know. But of what we know, this man has not followed through on his promise to be more respectful of the game. The man has been groomed for this game since he was a toddler–groomed by a father who was an honor to his country and to the game of golf. If for no other reason, Tiger Woods, conduct yourself as your father would have wished and guided. Smile more. Sign more autographs. Embellish your interviews a bit more. Compliment your adversaries. And, for golf’s sake, stop spitting on greens.
[…] 2/21/2011 Blogs Update Tiger Woods Revisited The Mindful Golfer […]
[…] the rest here: Tiger Woods Revisited « The Mindful Golfer No Comments by on February 21, 2011 • Permalink Posted in Celeb Tagged […]
I discovered your web site ideal for my requirements. It is made up of splendid and helpful posts. I’ve read most of them and acquired a lot from them. To me, you’re undertaking the very good work. Keep on this. function at property Inside the finish, I would prefer to thanks for producing such a nice web page.
Blade Irons
Mindful Golfer,
Very thoughtful insights about Tiger. The spitting incident was a bit too much. It is important to remember the amazing contribution Tiger has made to the game though. Do the contributions outweigh the recent actions or actions that have come to light in the last 15 months? Not sure, but, he has made an incredible contribution.
http://www.golf-newz.com/tiger-effect
The numbers and the overall awareness of the game has sky-rocketed since TW came along.
Definitely enjoyed the post though. Keep it up!!!
Thanks for comments, Brett. Am glad you enjoyed the post on Tiger. I read your piece at your web site with much interest, and it was a great analysis of the effect Tiger has had on the golf world since 1996. There’s no question you’ve made a good case for sending Tiger that Thank You note. Prize money is skyrocketing and guys like Brian Gay are millionaires. But Tiger was so good that he may have discouraged more people than not from taking up the game. And he’s had almost no effect on attracting minority kids to start playing. The reason for this, I think, is that he had such insignificant competition during his 12 year reign. Tiger was dominant in a much more definitive way than Hogan or Palmer or Nicklaus was dominant. When I took up golf in the early 60’s as a teen, Palmer was the inspiration but there were at least half dozen others who could beat him. And Jack was never so dominant that he couldn’t be beaten. Tiger did become virtually unbeatable. Sponsors threw a lot of money his way, which of course has benefited many other pros. But the real barometer of success is growing the game with new amateurs and pros. And the game is not growing enough to sustain the number of golf courses that have been built. Courses are going belly up, because older golfers are leaving the sport, and not enough juniors are taking to the game, especially minorities. There are many reasons golf is losing popularity, which I will cover in a separate post. You are absolutely correct to say that Tiger raised the level of skill, at least among professionals.
Woods’ troubles in the last 15 months have certainly not helped the problem. Just as Mr. Clinton didn’t help his legacy, Tiger torpedoed his own. His image was severely tarnished and he is no longer the role model who once did draw people to the game, either to play or to watch.
Anyway, I appreciate your comments, Brett, and hope for a continued dialogue.
You know, now that I think about Tiger’s remarkable run and then compare it to the “remarkable” run in baseball going on at the same time, I really do pause. Maybe steroids explains his long time dominance. And maybe steroids explains his complete decline as well. And I am ready to believe given all we now know about him. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I’m beginning to believe he’s as phony as B. Bonds and deserves no place in golf history, other than one of disgrace.
Steroids, I suspect, were tempting to Woods to help him reach his obsession of passing Nicklaus’ record. Ultimately, though, they destroyed him. We are now seeing the results of that sad destruction.
Thanks for your comments Lloyd.
Lloyd,
I can’t believe you’re writing this either?
In baseball there were numerous players who all had incredible runs. Bonds, McGuire, Canseco, Sosa, Giambi (both), Sheffield, Palmero and the list goes on and on.
If steroids are the answer, then there would have been a competitor who was juicing too? Hard to believe Tiger would have been the only one.
Not to mention the only advantage that a golfer would get from HGH or Steroids would be recovery time. Tiger wasn’t injured during Tiger Slam years. Nor was he recovering from an injury.
Tiger weighed about 160 lbs when he won the Masters in ’97 by 12.
Tiger won golf tournaments by overwhelming the opposition’s psyche with outrageously well struck putts.
He was riding a wave of determination and confidence that was just a Slight Edge better than everyone else for a very long period of time. Tour Players hit great shots all the time, we just saw Tiger hit every one, due to media coverage.
The putting was what created the Legend, I just don’t see how a PED could help him while he was standing over a 28 ft slider to win.
It doesn’t add up.
Tiger Woods can be called a lot of things but “Juicer” is not one of them.
Brett
By the way; the 28 footer went in!
And the debate rages…for years I suspect. No, steroids did not make Tiger great, nor did they help him win tournaments. But Tiger may have expected steroids might make him better, given his obsession with breaking Jack’s record of 18 majors. Obsession can make you do irrational things. When the obsession began to seem a possible reality, and his knee was also a disturbing reality, Tiger may have looked around for a radical solution to his dilemma.
We know that Tiger was impulsive and irrational with his sexual desires. He may have been equally impulsive and reckless around performance enhancing drugs. No, they did nothing for his putting. Being the greatest reader of greens in history, he needed no help in that area. But he did need help with the increasing pain in his knee, the only thing that could scuttle his goal of breaking Jack’s record.
Thanks so much for your well considered comments, Brett.
F*ckin? awesome issues here. I?m very happy to peer your post. Thanks a lot and i’m looking forward to contact you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?
Glad the post is to your liking. Sign up for more, if you please.
Some really interesting details you have written.Assisted me a lot, just what I was searching for :D.
Glad you found something in this post that was useful.
Thanks for commenting.