golfrewind.com

I am not, and never have been a "fan" of any particular golfer. I certainly admire their shot making abilities and the putting. But they are no more than I am. They are only people.

I am more a fan of the game, and have always tried to elevate my game to the level of play that I have seen the pros play. The effortless, fluid swing of a Freddie Couples, or the short game of a Phil Mickelson, or even the otherwordly shots that have come off of the clubface of a golfer know as Tiger Woods.

There are many pro golfers out there. They have good days, and bad. But in the end, they are still just people. People who have faults, just as we all do.

Is Tiger a saint? Just because he plays golf so well? We would want him to be. But he isn't.

He is just another person. Subject to all that we succumb to. He is certainly much wealthier than most of us. He could buy just about anything he wants, and has. But, what does money buy? Things. Just things. That must get boring after awhile.

If you could buy anything that you wanted, and did. What would be next?

I understand the commitment of marriage. I am there. I honor my vows. But if you had that kind of money, what would you want, as an American male? And not just an American male, but a very rich, very successful, very self ambitious, very self-made, very virile American male?

Would it be, the things that you could not have?

Would you become indulgent in your search of pleasure?

That is the question. Would you forsake all that you had for just one more pleasure.

Humankind has had many examples of this kind of behaviour. Tiger is just one more.

What my question is, is will Tiger ever face his "fans" again?

Or will he remain in hiding, never to play again. Or will he just become another "Pro golfer" never achieving his previous status. Time will tell.

IMHO, we pay our sports stars way too much $. Money corrupts. If Tiger played for the amount of dollars that Jack, or Arnie did, or for that matter what Ben Hogan did, the world would be a better place. We would still have our heros, but they would work for their living, as do most of us.

Remember, Hogan only played to achieve his goals. A ranch in Texas. When he achieved his goals, he quit competitive golf.

But Tiger? How much is enough? What more do you want? Faster horses? Younger women? Older Whiskey?

Society produced the results. Think on it.

Will Tiger be back?

At least until he he has the record for most major championships.

I've heard him say on tv that that is the measure he wants to set in order to become the greatest golfer of all time. (The context of the conversation had to do with Jack Nicklaus being the greatest, according to Tiger, because Nicklaus currently holds the record).

After five more majors, the chances Tiger fades into the sunset increase exponentially....

It all remains to be seen. The record is still within his grasp; but, Tiger has probably by now realized that should he achieve the record, there will come with it, whenever mentioned in print or by a commentator, an asterisk, *...feet of clay. Perhaps realization of that will impede his pursuit.

Here's the thing that bothers me...despite all the publicity and fanfare over Tiger's PRIVATE, PERSONAL indiscretions, what in the world does that have to do with his golf game? Why would his production on the golf course suffer because he's suddenly exposed as being human (ok, particularly human) after all? Am I the only one that has noticed that Tiger is very mentally tough and has overcome all sorts of obstacles in the past in order to succeed on the course...you know, on the course, where it counts? Who, besides me, thinks that this episode in his life will possibly make him more focused and determined than ever to succeed and excel in GOLF? Certainly not NorEaster. Yes, regardless of how successful Tiger is from this point, his detractors will always include the asterisk but I suspect that the public at large has a very short memory and, assuming Tiger puts this episode and this type of behavior behind him, it will forever be known as "Tiger's wild hair", no more than a footnote about his personal life that had absolutely NOTHING to do with his life on the links. Yes, I predict that not only will Tiger Woods continue to play competitive golf, he will be more competitive than ever...and that should strike fear into the heart of any and every other pro out there. Anyone who has been paying any sort of attention to this man's game knows beyond any doubt that any time he has had a particular motivation to win he does...not only does he win, usually he leaves the field in the dust. Anyone that thinks this episode in his personal life is going to "ruin" him professionally certainly doesn't read him the same way I do. I personally believed him when he said publicly that he is responsible for what happened and is going to strive to be the husband and father that everyone has made him out to be and expects him to be...and I know well that he's going to continue to be the golfer that he's made himself out to be. In the meantime, let the scandal jackals feed away and bark and snap at one another while claiming their share of the carcass...the media frenzy and it's followers are at least as much a reflection of our social ethos as Tiger's behavior is a reflection of his. Oh how quick we, the ones who unduly put him on the pedestal, are to knock him off it and scamper away. Ok, there's my on this subject and likely all I have to say about it.

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I will not remember this a year from now. I believe most people have a memory just as short as mine.

He gave very few appearance and interviews. Now we will see him even less than before. He may not even do clinics anymore, or Tiger Trap, or charity functions. It may be drop in, play golf, then disappear.

And even though I like Tiger and thinks golf on TV is watchable only with him playing, I don't idolize him, or think he's a saint. That's why when news of him cheating broke out, I thought nothing of it, until the media made such a fuss, and of course the "hard core fans" started commenting like "I loved Tiger no more", or "my life has no meaning anymore", "ban him from playing golf", or "to think that my kids thought the world of him". I mean seriously, get a life people.

And of course my avatar would think nothing about having a foursome, off the course (pun intended). Tiger has nothing on Quagmire. Giggity. Oh yeah.

What does "feet of clay" refer to?

A biblical phrase describing formidable strength at the top; but, supported by a weak foundation, "feet of clay", thereby, creating an entity that is potentially unstable or prone to failure.

Feet of clay, but legs and knees of titanium to handle so many ladies at the same time.

The best way to put the incident behind him is to play on the PGA Tour and focus his energy there. I'm sure this has occurred to Tiger, also.

I remember my Dad telling me a story about baseball many years ago. And he was 41 when I was born, so get out the "wayback machine." Whenever the New York Yankees and Boston Redsox played a series of games with each other, the visiting team travelled by train. One night in the late 1920s as the Yankees were returning home, two sports writers were relaxing in the club car when Babe Ruth ran naked through the car, closely followed by a equally naked woman holding a large knife. After witnessing this one writer asked the other, "Did you see that?" To which the second replied, "No, and you didn't either. Because if we'd seen that, we'd have to write about it."

There is not much that is new under the heavens.

Thanks!

Did Kobe ever play competitive basketball again?
Does a bear go to the bathroom in the woods?
Is the pope Catholic?

This was waiting to happen.I am NOT a fan of Tiger and am not very surprised by his behaviour. His attitude towards fans demonstrated a very downward trend as his wealth and power increased.
He is not as trong mentally as people here have suggested. He was always weak coming from behind; had problems coping with failure (as he so seldom had to do it) so with his injury problems, it's no wondert hewent off the rails.
It could be a wake-up call for him, but somehow I'm not holding my breath.

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