{"id":105,"date":"2010-09-06T01:50:42","date_gmt":"2010-09-06T01:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peterandraes.com\/?p=105"},"modified":"2011-05-18T16:42:04","modified_gmt":"2011-05-18T16:42:04","slug":"how-tiger-gets-his-mojo-back-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/peterandraes\/golf\/personalities\/105\/how-tiger-gets-his-mojo-back-part-1","title":{"rendered":"How Tiger gets his Mojo Back – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘How Tiger gets his Mojo Back\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Part One:<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Tiger Woods in HyperSpace –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“When I think back about the countless times I\u2019ve watched Tiger, at close quarters,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

hitting a previously inconceivable shot, with an unfeasible club,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

from an indescribable stance, out of an unplayable lie,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

to within a few feet of an unattainable flag,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

it strikes me that I may not have<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

done a good enough job<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

of describing the scene.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

David Feherty<\/p>\n

Over the past few months many have wondered if Tiger’s best days are behind him. While esteemed television commentators, analysts, and teachers use cutting edge technology to pinpoint the physical<\/em> flaws in Tiger\u2019s swing and offer sage solutions, media pundits point to his personal life and suggest that once his emotional<\/em> and mental<\/em> turmoil abates then Tiger will return to form, hit it straight, and dominate. Still others cast doubts due to the cumulative effects of Tiger\u2019s injuries, surgeries, and age.<\/p>\n

Not me. I am sure it\u2019s only a matter of time before Tiger\u2019s golf swing and striking skills come back into form. He will quickly recover his emotional and mental balance as his personal life evens out. And as he regains the time he needs for practice his consistency will improve. But, I suspect that Tiger\u2019s Mojo<\/em> — his ability to freely traverse the Zone<\/em>, sustain exalted play, make spectacular shots in the heat of battle, get all the lucky bounces and breaks, and hole key putts at crucial moments in order to win — will not be restored any time soon. This 7-part series explores why.<\/p>\n

Its been said that the long game (driver & fairway woods) mirrors physical balance<\/em>, iron play reflects emotional harmony,<\/em> the short game displays mental poise, <\/em>and putting reveals spiritual alignment<\/em>. But there is a fifth dimension in golf, the energetic<\/em>. This fifth dimension includes the invisible energy the Chinese call Qi<\/em>; the invisible human energy body\/grid<\/em> that interpenetrates the physical body through which our Qi<\/em> circulates; a super-vibratory<\/em> realm (the Zone) <\/em>we access through our energy<\/em> body\/grid<\/em>; and the extraordinary untapped energetic abilities<\/em>, Mojo<\/em>, asleep within it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s really Tiger\u2019s Mojo<\/em> that sets him apart from all others, and puts him in a class by himself. Without his Mojo, <\/em>he\u2019s stripped of his most potent weapons. Without his energetic & spiritual <\/em>edge, he plays and putts as a mere mortal. But before we explore how Tiger can get his Mojo<\/em> back, and how to activate your Qi,<\/em> play the Zone,<\/em> and get your own golf mojo<\/em> working, I need to provide some background to put this all into context. The following narrative relates key experiences that shaped my view of golf. We begin at square one, the day I first met Earl and Tiger Woods.<\/p>\n

“And then Tiger came along and put everything into Hyper-Space.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong>Ben Crenshaw<\/p>\n

\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I first met Earl and Tiger in 1991 at the Arizona State University golf course in\u00a0Tempe, Arizona. The first time we spoke Tiger was on the range hitting 9-irons toward a green 150 yards away. I approached slowly so as not\u00a0to disturb him. Nonetheless, he gave me such a potent stare that I instinctively\u00a0clutched my solar plexus and drew back. For a moment he was\u00a0every inch a tiger. And a hungry one. Like a large feline, he carefully eyed, as if he couldn\u2019t decide whether to toy with me, pounce and\u00a0kill, or let me go. This was very disconcerting coming from 14 year old.<\/p>\n

When I asked permission to video his swing he instantly\u00a0morphed back into a playful kid. With a sly smile he nodded \u2018Yes\u2019. After\u00a0watching a few minutes I thought to myself: \u201cWell, he\u2019s got great form and\u00a0a very smooth swing, but I really don\u2019t understand what\u2019s the big deal. He\u2019s so\u00a0inconsistent. Why, he can\u2019t even hit two straight shots in a row.\u201d\u00a0Tiger first hit a high fade, a high draw, then, a high shot straight.\u00a0Then, he hit a low draw, a low fade, a straight knock down shot followed\u00a0by an extremely low straight shot about chest high that ricocheted off his\u00a0clubface like a bullet. I said to myself: \u201cHe skulled that one…\u201d<\/p>\n

Although all\u00a0of his shots ended up within 15-feet of the flag, I wasn\u2019t too impressed.\u00a0Tiger switched to an 8-iron and hit the same seven shots without\u00a0discernibly changing his swing. All the shots again ended up within a 15-\u00a0foot radius of the flag. He hit this same sequence with a 7-iron, then a 6.\u00a0Tiger\u2019s shot trajectory and flight path stayed the same and nearly all the balls\u00a0were clustered around the flag 150 yards away. His swing looked effortless and he demonstrated superb control. As Tiger worked down through\u00a0his set, at one point his ball flight formed a gentle S – drawing\u00a0and fading in the same shot. A mirage? I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes. Tiger\u00a0finished in a flourish launching 1-irons 300+ yards.<\/p>\n

On the first hole, Earl said: \u201cAt this stage of development, Tiger is\u00a0experiencing growth-spurts. His muscles and tendons are too elastic so he\u2019s\u00a0having difficulty controlling distance, especially with his short irons. Sometimes\u00a0he hits his irons 20 or 30 yards farther than usual.\u201d And moments\u00a0later – seemingly on cue – Tiger hit his approach over the green. After a tough\u00a0downhill chip and missed putt, Tiger began his round with, bogey. Leaving\u00a0the green he growled, \u201cDamn it Tiger!\u201d under his breath.<\/p>\n

The 2nd hole at A.S.U. was a straight 323-yard par-4, and directly\u00a0into the wind.\u00a0With the pin at the rear of a long green, it was a 350+ yard hole. I moved\u00a0to position directly behind the tee as Tiger prepared to hit. Tiger addressed\u00a0the ball, and began to focus and gather his energy. Just before takeaway, Tiger\u2019s concentration\u00a0became so intense the air seemed to electrify making my skin tingle. Tiger\u00a0somehow seemed to grow larger, as if he was enveloped in a force-field. Then, he\u00a0shifted gears becoming perfectly still, like a stalking tiger prepared to leap.\u00a0His back swing was smooth, relaxed, elegantly stretched, and unhurried. With his legs taut and his lower body firmly anchored, Tiger coiled\u00a0his shoulders up to the peal, with his hands held high. He paused momentarily,\u00a0shifted his weight, then brought the club down in a blur…<\/p>\n

Crrraaaaaaack!<\/p>\n

The golf ball exploded off his clubface and leaped into\u00a0the sky. It accelerated and rose so quickly, had I not stood directly behind him\u00a0it would have been impossible track its flight. Tiger\u2019s ball — suddenly 250\u00a0yards from the tee — seemed to be suspended in the sky. Then, it appeared to hyper-accelerate, leap forward,\u00a0and disappear. \u00a0His ball — a brilliant white\u00a0dot against a deep turquoise blue Arizona sky — completely vanished: like the\u00a0special effect of a star-ship jumping into Hyper-Space.<\/p>\n

As Tiger and his playing partners walked the fairway towards their\u00a0tee shots, Earl and I kept pace on the cart path adjacent to it. Tiger\u2019s playing\u00a0companions came to their drives about 275 yards from the tee. But Tiger\u00a0kept marched gracefully, powerfully, down the center of the fairway, as Earl\u00a0observed: \u201cAn African prince surveying his domain.\u201d\u00a0The A.S.U. stadium design features elevated walkways for excellent\u00a0spectator viewing. From above the fairway, we still couldn\u2019t see where Tiger\u2019s\u00a0drive had come to rest. We walked 280, 290, then 300 yards from the tee with no\u00a0sight of Tiger\u2019s drive. As we approached the green, we finally saw his ball one\u00a0foot past the hole. He nearly holed his tee shot, 320+ yards into a stiff wind! After an easy tap-in eagle, Tiger was now one-under par.<\/p>\n

I was in a state of shock. Tiger had nearly aced a par-4, which\u00a0was what he had intended to do. But Earl was nonchalant. He\u2019d seen it before.\u00a0When I asked how Tiger did it, Earl remarked: \u201cPeter, what you\u2019ve got\u00a0to understand is that Tiger has an extra gear in his golf swing. It\u2019s a kind of\u00a0Hyper-Drive for extra distance. Tiger has the Inner Swing<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching Tiger launch 350-yard drives took my breath away. His\u00a0shots would leap into the sky, vanish from sight, then, re-appear, as if\u00a0by magic, nestled close to the flag. Tiger turned the par-5\u2019s into par-4\u2019s and\u00a0short par-4\u2019s into par-3\u2019s.<\/p>\n

I walked with Earl for much of the round, talking\u00a0intermittently. After Tiger birdied 18 for a 69, he stopped and spoke. He\u00a0seemed disappointed after turning a potential 64 into an average 69. I said to Tiger: \u201cI\u2019ve traveled the world to far distant places, walked\u00a0the high mountains, and seen some amazing things. But you, Tiger Woods,\u00a0are the most amazing thing I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d Tiger chuckled, as I quickly apologized for referring to him a \u2018thing\u2019. When I asked Earl\u2019s permission to write\u00a0an article about Tiger\u2019s play, he paused and asked what I intended to call it?\u00a0I said: \u201cAfter what I\u2019ve seen today, Tiger Woods and Hyper-Space\u201d. Then, he\u00a0and Tiger signed the scorecard I\u2019d used to take notes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As Earl and Tiger departed at sunset, the course and mountains\u00a0to the East were bathed in shimmering gold. High above, a jet\u2019s vapor trail was brilliantly illuminated\u2026 just like Tiger, scaling the heights\u00a0above and beyond. After sunset, the sky turned deep purple. Passing clouds reflected colors of such beauty as to defy description. I sat on a hill and gazed\u00a0into the heavens, until the colors faded away and the first stars appeared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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