Tiger Woods: Golf Practice and Mental Preparation Insights

Tiger Woods' golf practice has evolved, prioritizing family, balancing shots, and focusing on feel and preparation for major championships.

### Tiger Woods: Balancing Golf and Life
* ⛳ Tiger Woods' practice routine has evolved over the years, focusing on **specific aspects of his game** rather than practicing **everything every day**.
* 👨 Woods' family plays a significant role in his schedule, with practice time often revolving around his **kids' activities**.
* 🎯 Woods visualizes his shots using a **nine-box grid system**, allowing him to prepare for **various shot types and conditions**.
* 🤔 Woods acknowledges the difference between **feel and reality** in his swing, often working with his coach to align the two for **optimal performance**.
* 🏆 Woods sometimes sacrifices smaller tournaments to work on **specific aspects of his game** in preparation for **major championships**.
* 🧠 Preparation is key for Woods, who meticulously plans his approach to each tournament but aims to be **more reactive** once the event begins.
* 💪 Physical fitness is crucial for Woods, who believes that **hitting the ball far provides a significant advantage in modern golf**.
* 🏌 Woods emphasizes the importance of **practice and preparation** in building confidence for tournament play, highlighting the need to **put in the work before expecting results**.

I'm Tiger Woods, and this is my [Music] game. This is a golf lesson none of you've had [Music] before. [Music] My practice routine has changed over the years. It used to work on everything every day, but I can no longer do that anymore, so I have to pick my parts. A lot of my prep time revolves around my kids. I get my work done while they're at school, and that usually my lift and my practicing, and then go pick them up. After that, it's usually either soccer practice or dad stuff. So, you know, the days of me going out there practicing, you know, hours upon hours, day after day has changed. Life changes, life evolves, and there are two more important things in my life than golf. A nice day for it, huh? I'd like to be able to hit all night basic golf shots but harmoniously go from shot to shot and always keep a good balance of hitting all shots at all the times. It just

trying to get everything kind of in in balanced in equilibrium because I need to hit any of those shots. And also all us little nuances at any time in a tournament when Tiger's kind of playing his best. And when he knows he's got kind of every shot, he kind of views it more of a of a nine-box grid. So dead center would be obviously the center kind of tic-tac-toe Circle. And that's kind of would be a standard shot. Um, one up would be, you know, a little bit higher. Down would be almost the stinger. And then, you know, a cut. And so he sort of sees window. Um, and that's kind of how he pictures it all in his mind and how he prepares for it. And that's kind of how he envisions every shot on the Range and everything else. So you know it's easier for him, I think, to pull off because that is how his mind [Music] works. A lot of my feels sometimes aren't real. And what I mean by that is, you know, I'll say like to Rob, I feel

like I'm doing this this, but am I really doing this? No, you're not, but you know, sometimes feel and reals aren't the same. But if I'm working on something, obviously it's not going to feel exactly what it looks like. Um, but when he gets to that point when they when feel and real start intersecting and they start feeling like they're the same, um, that's when some some pretty good magic starts to happen because I can then change things. Um, because I always think that golf is a very fluid environment shot to shot, you know, day to day, course to course, they it's all different. It's not the same field size or you know the same Turf. Everything's different getting to where I can feel feel and real are the are the same is usually when I've played my best. [Music] [Music] golf well building my game up in the off weeks for let's say a major championship. I don't know if it's right to say it or not, but it sometimes it's sacrificing a

tournament here in there uh working on a few things knowing that the bigger picture things will pan out trying shots that I probably shouldn't try in some events some in the wood's good May pay dividends down the road sometimes it you know it it works out uh I end up winning that event but the bigger picture is you know trying to get mind body and soul coming together for four times a year along the way if I'm able to take off wins uh it also gives me added confidence knowing that I my game is ready my game is that close to being prepped and peaked uh for those events summer's coming in it m they're going to be blowing through a few glasses today Tiger's one of those guys I think you know he concentrates all night long while he's sleeping and as soon as he gets up he's thinking Golf and strategy for that day if we have an 820 tea time and it's 7:30 we're on the Range you know Tiger's going over every part three where's the pin what's the

yardage going to be this that and he tries those shots, and he's hitting those shots on the Range so very intense, but in a good way. What's interesting about him is he's very detail-oriented in the preparation, a lot of um minutia in his practice at home, but once he kind of gets out there into the tournament, he wants to try to execute. I've done all my homework, I've done all my prep, now it's more time just to sort of react and feel uh his way around the golf course from there being prepped and being ready for the big events is it's one thing, but controlling the anxiousness, the need to feel like I need to do more at an event, and I think that's where where a lot of my past experiences has helped. I don't really spend a lot of time searching for it on the Range, searching for on the putting green or chipping green, you know, I've always felt that I do my best work away from the site and

then when I go there, I go there to win a lot of times. That I also need to get a feel for what's going on that particular week, and I may spend more time. Say if I'm playing at Augusta, I'll spend more time, you know, hitting more putts. If I'm at an Open Championship, I'll spend a little bit more time hitting some bump and runs. At US Open, spending a few more chips around the greens, hitting out of the rough. These are things that I'll adjust per event, but I won't spend as much time as some of the other players on the golf course, you know, practicing and working on things, because I, you know, I always felt that it was best to have enough energy. And if I feel like my tank is full of energy over the course of a 4-day marathon, that I, I'd figure out a way dealing with pressure and understanding. Is that I think you have to have had the practice, you've had to have done the work leading into.

it if you haven't done the work, then why should you expect it to all of a sudden come together, especially when the pressure mounts? For me, I've felt like my practice sessions drive a lot of my confidence, and that enables me to feel like I can do this because I did in practice the other day. I Did It 2 months ago. I hit this shot from this particular spot at my home course, and I did those little things that add up, and I remember all those little things. Do the leg work, you know, get out there and do it. It's not just simple quick easy fixes everyone's looking for an easy fix. It's not about the easy fix. It's about spending the time and then doing all the work and enjoying the process of it. Practices seem easier, training sessions seem easier because I know I'm that much closer to being ready. I'm warm, we're ready when they.

are well hitting the ball as far as I did was a huge Advantage. You know, theoretically, I felt like I had a couple shots per round up on the field if I was able to drive it well. The game has evolved. It's not about the Precision short player having, you know, dominant runs. It's about the power players hit the ball in the middle of the face. Let's start with that. My dad was a big proponent of swinging absolutely as hard as you possibly can on two conditions: one, you can maintain balance, and two, you can guarantee you're hit the ball in the middle the face. If you can't do any one of those two, then you can't swing that hard. Tag that.

My Game: Tiger Woods | Episode 1: My Practice | Golf Digest

Golf Digest

Tiger Woods' Evolving Golf Practice Routine

Tiger Woods has adjusted his practice routine over the years, now focusing on specific parts of the game due to his changing lifestyle as a father.

His approach to practicing involves creating a balanced equilibrium and envisioning every shot as a part of a nine-box grid.

Woods' mind works in a way that allows him to easily pull off his envisioned shots, despite his feelings sometimes not being genuine.

The Significance of Aligning Feel and Reality in Golf

Achieving alignment between feel and reality is crucial for peak performance in golf, allowing for the ability to make changes and improvements.

Building up the game during off weeks may involve sacrificing some tournaments to focus on the bigger picture of preparing for major championships.

Tiger Woods is known for his intense focus and strategic preparation, dedicating extensive time to mental and physical readiness for upcoming events.

A Golfer's Approach to Preparation and Practice

A professional golfer emphasizes intense and detail-oriented preparation at home before tournaments.

He focuses on reacting and feeling his way around the golf course during the event, relying on past experiences to control anxiousness.

The golfer adjusts his practice routine based on the specific requirements of each tournament but prioritizes conserving energy for the 4-day event.

The Importance of Practice and Preparation in Building Confidence

Consistent practice sessions are crucial for building confidence and the belief that one can succeed.

Recalling past successful experiences and focusing on the details can also contribute to confidence.

There are no quick and easy fixes, as the key lies in putting in the time and effort to enjoy the process of improvement.

The Evolution of Golf: The Power of Hitting the Ball

The game of golf has shifted from precision to power, with a focus on hitting the ball hard and accurately.

Maintaining balance and hitting the ball in the middle of the face are crucial for swinging the club as hard as possible, as advocated by the speaker's father.

This evolution has given power players a significant advantage on the course.