“The only reason I’m playing golf is because Tiger made the game cool,”-Brooks Koepka, and others

[stingerfade]

Tiger ruined golf for me. He made it more exciting to watch but every Tom Dick and Harry went out after the 97 masters and crowded the once empty courses, not knowing a thing about the game.

 

😂

[miamistomp]

 First athlete ??

  How about Babe ?

[Ferguson]

19 hours ago, PappyVanWinkle53 said:

I go back to the word "first".....I find it a bit hyperbolic to so ardently state that golf did not have a single athlete until Tiger hit the scene???

 

Twas not me who called Tiger "the catalyst for athleticism and fitness in golf."   

It was just about every sports reporter on the planet. 

 

Who purposely and deliberately lifted weights and maintained an equal level of fitness specific to golf, prior to Tiger?

Greg Norman?   He was more of "fitness generalist", not dissimilar to that of Gary Player.

 

 

 

 

[milesgiles]

18 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

Twas not me who called Tiger "the catalyst for athleticism and fitness in golf."   

It was just about every sports reporter on the planet. 

 

Who purposely and deliberately lifted weights and maintained an equal level of fitness specific to golf, prior to Tiger?

Greg Norman?   He was more of "fitness generalist", not dissimilar to that of Gary Player.

 

 

 

 

 

This chap

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stranahan

 

and KJ Choi. And quite a few more. Much stronger than Tiger, nothing against him but it’s not obvious he would have made it any other sport, he has zero actual registered athletic accomplishments 

[Ferguson]

1 minute ago, milesgiles said:

 

This chap

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stranahan

 

and KJ Choi. And quite a few more. Much stronger than Tiger, nothing against him but it’s not obvious he would have made it any other sport, he has zero actual registered athletic accomplishments 

 

 

We can agree, prior to Tiger,  that Tiger's level of fitness and weights was certainly not commonplace by any stretch.   

 

Do you have data that are representative of pro golfers that use weights and fitness after Tiger entered the scene?

I would guess 60% or more.

  

 

[disco111]

Let us not forget who was called "The blue collar and the every man golfer".................Here's a hint, his initials where A.P.

[dlygrisse]

21 hours ago, Ferguson said:

 

Nope.  Hits the mark perfectly.  

 

 

 

There were plenty of well conditioned great athletes on tour before Tiger, it's just that Tiger made it mandatory if you want to be successful.   The Tim Herron's of the world just aint succeeding any longer.  

Sneed, Hogan, Jack, Trevino etc. etc.  all were closet exercisers.  Guys like Faldo, Kite, Norman came out of the closet years before Tiger.  

[Ferguson]

3 minutes ago, dlygrisse said:

There were plenty of well conditioned great athletes on tour before Tiger, it's just that Tiger made it mandatory if you want to be successful.   The Tim Herron's of the world just aint succeeding any longer.  

Sneed, Hogan, Jack, Trevino etc. etc.  all were closet exercisers.  Guys like Faldo, Kite, Norman came out of the closet years before Tiger.  

 

 

Again, a handful of exercisers, not weight-lifters.  

Tiger launched a revolution. 

 

 

 

 

[dlygrisse]

Tiger did one really important thing for all that followed, and his peers.  He made them all VERY wealthy by increasing popularity and TV contracts.  For those not around in the late 90's and early 2000's, Tiger changed the game for sure, TGC, ESPN coverage constantly.   Tiger got air time no matter where he was on the leaderboard, usually near the top, golf did go from an old mans game you took up after your got married and have a career, to a game children wanted to play.  So yeah, what we are seeing today with the young talent is part of the Tiger effect.  

[dlygrisse]

1 minute ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

Again, a handful of exercisers, not weight-lifters.  

Tiger launched a revolution. 

 

 

 

 

Correct, he took it from that article in the back of Golf Digest to mainstream thinking.  Of course this happened in all sports, offensive linemen in the NFL used to average about 250 lbs.  You think MIckey Mantle ever spent time in a gym?  But yes, Tiger took what others were doing in other sports and made it necessary in golf. 

 

 

[BlackDiamondPar5]

5 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

Again, a handful of exercisers, not weight-lifters.  

Tiger launched a revolution. 

 

 

 

 

and Bryson is taking it to a whole new level.

[Ferguson]

Just now, dlygrisse said:

Correct, he took it from that article in the back of Golf Digest to mainstream thinking.  Of course this happened in all sports, offensive linemen in the NFL used to average about 250 lbs.  You think MIckey Mantle ever spent time in a gym?  But yes, Tiger took what others were doing in other sports and made it necessary in golf. 

 

 

 

 

Before Tiger, most golfers considered exercising their talents as: three  visits to the cold cut tray making big sandwiches and lifting 16 ounce brewskies telling war stories about how they almost shot 65. 

 

 

[miamistomp]

14 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

Again, a handful of exercisers, not weight-lifters.  

Tiger launched a revolution. 

 

 

 

 

 How about Frank Stranahan who won pro tourneys as an amateur ?

   Tiger is a great golfer but hardly the only athlete-he was groomed to play golf- thats it

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by miamistomp

[Dr. Block]

11 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

This chap

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Stranahan

 

and KJ Choi. And quite a few more. Much stronger than Tiger, nothing against him but it’s not obvious he would have made it any other sport, he has zero actual registered athletic accomplishments 

I think KJ Choi is an outlier. He was a competitive power lifter before golf became a part of his life.  According to his wiki page, he could squat 350lbs when he was a 100lb teenager! His physique was going to stay with him for life with little to no up-keep. 

 

To me, Tiger's athletic accomplishment was the work he put in to get into superior condition. He put in roadwork that would rival a prize fighter. Four rounds of tournament golf and all the practicing he could cram in around it probably never even had him approaching any sort of fatigue. That conditioning allowed him to summon his highest gear for season long stretches, it also wore his body out and shortened his career.  I'm sure if he had it to do over again, he wouldn't have done so much running, but had he not trained so hard off the course, he may not have been able to dominate so completely on it.

 

Zero registered accomplishments probably isn't a fair statement. His accomplishment is completely dominating professional golf for nearly 15 straight years. The man ran 10+ miles a day, lifted weights, practiced golf, and warmed up a lot of bed sheets 🙂

 

[Dr. Block]

24 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

Before Tiger, most golfers considered exercising their talents as: three  visits to the cold cut tray making big sandwiches and lifting 16 ounce brewskies telling war stories about how they almost shot 65. 

 

 

Heck, how can you blame them. If they made the cut they were putting in nearly 40 miles a week of hiking. That would be considered a pretty solid exercise regimen for most people.

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Dr. Block

[BlackDiamondPar5]

2 minutes ago, miamistomp said:

 How about Frank Stranahan who won oro tourneys as an amateur ?

   Tiger is a great golfer but hardly the only athlete-he was groomed to play golf- thats it

 

Lets not forget about Tom Kite.  He also made the diaper fashionable while exercising...

[Dr. Block]

5 minutes ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

Lets not forget about Tom Kite.  He also made the diaper fashionable while exercising...

Man, you can't un-see something like that, can you.  

[RainShadow]

[milesgiles]

55 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

Again, a handful of exercisers, not weight-lifters.  

Tiger launched a revolution. 

 

 

 

 

 

What weights is he supposed to have lifted? Never seen or heard of any credible lifts, nothing like Stranahan or Choi. People are confusing looking athletic, which he does, to being athletic, which there’s zero evidence for 

[dlygrisse]

1 hour ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

Before Tiger, most golfers considered exercising their talents as: three  visits to the cold cut tray making big sandwiches and lifting 16 ounce brewskies telling war stories about how they almost shot 65. 

 

 

Well.....that's what they wanted you to think....and for some, yes it was true, although some were drinking something much harder than brewskis.  

[dlygrisse]

1 hour ago, BlackDiamondPar5 said:

Lets not forget about Tom Kite.  He also made the diaper fashionable while exercising...

Tiger is jelly of those calves.  

[Ferguson]

Of course there were outliers when it came to fitness and golf.  However, it wasn't until Tiger entered the scene that "working out for gains in golf" was a talking point, and more importantly an actionable step to success. 

 

Tiger ushered in the "athlete golfer."

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Ferguson

[mocokid]

1 hour ago, dlygrisse said:

Well.....that's what they wanted you to think....and for some, yes it was true, although some were drinking something much harder than brewskis.  

mark of a true player was showing up at the tee after a night out of fun, and shooting a good number.  

[PappyVanWinkle53]

16 hours ago, tw_focus said:

 

TW wasn't the first but he blew the door wide open. Before TW it was a game that only the rich could play, now it's everyone's game. There are golfers of all races and ethnicities, courses that anyone with $10 can play. It's all due to TW.

 

Golf wouldn't exist today outside of country clubs if not for TW. Rors would probably be playing amateur soccer, BK would be teaching PE, BDC would be undercarding the professional wrestling events at the Fresno County fair. All of those guys and more owe their existence to TW. He went first and showed would could be done when an ATHLETE put their FULL ATTENTION to achieving success. Before TW those pros could smoke all day, drink all night, show up the next day to The Masters. TW put them on notice. TW made them look like fools.

 

"BK would be teaching PE".....that was awesome!!  I just laughed out loud and the folks around me are wondering what was so funny.....any yes, i'm on WRX at work today!!

[bscinstnct]

Tiger destroyed Augusta and won 4 majors in a row as a total string bean!

 

Maybe he was running regularly at that time but I really think that Tiger started seriously lifting to 

 

Stop being “Urkel” and try too look good for chicks! 
 

If Tiger never worked out ever he’d still have won the same. Maybe more since he admitted messing his knee up running!

 

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by bscinstnct

[miamistomp]

 It is telling that only in the WRX world could Tiger be an icon of fitness

   He is a great golfer- maybe the greatest- but hardly a fitness icon and certainly did not work out in a way to protect his body

     But I guess some people have a low bar for fitness

       Silly that the champions tour allows carts- do you see senior tennis players pull up in wheel chairs ?

[Dr. Block]

2 minutes ago, miamistomp said:

 It is telling that only in the WRX world could Tiger be an icon of fitness

   He is a great golfer- maybe the greatest- but hardly a fitness icon and certainly did not work out in a way to protect his body

     But I guess some people have a low bar for fitness

       Silly that the champions tour allows carts- do you see senior tennis players pull up in wheel chairs ?

Redefining your sports approach to fitness doesn't grant one icon status?  I'd be interested to hear what your criteria is...

 

And carts on the champions tour is not silly at all. That tour exists to give golf fans interaction with their favorite players in the later stages of their careers. It's not a track and field event. 

[Ferguson]

10 minutes ago, Dr. Block said:

Redefining your sports approach to fitness doesn't grant one icon status?  I'd be interested to hear what your criteria is...

 

And carts on the champions tour is not silly at all. That tour exists to give golf fans interaction with their favorite players in the later stages of their careers. It's not a track and field event. 

 

21 minutes ago, miamistomp said:

 It is telling that only in the WRX world could Tiger be an icon of fitness

   He is a great golfer- maybe the greatest- but hardly a fitness icon and certainly did not work out in a way to protect his body

     But I guess some people have a low bar for fitness

       Silly that the champions tour allows carts- do you see senior tennis players pull up in wheel chairs ?

 

 

 

Let me guess, Miamistomp - you're huge, right? 

 

[Guy In Lyon]

18 hours ago, tw_focus said:

Golf wouldn't exist today outside of country clubs if not for TW.

Say what?

That's so wrong...

IMO of course.

[Dr. Block]

15 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

 

 

Let me guess, Miamistomp - you're huge, right? 

 

I feel like a lot of people on this thread need to educate themselves on Tiger's fitness routine. He could have spent his cardio time in the swimming pool, and had he, the narrative in this thread would be entirely different. But he was raised by a military man, and military men do road work. He would not have dominated the way he did without the totality of all of his fitness and practice endeavors. He had an edge on his competition because he could work twice as hard on his game without worrying about having the endurance to be at his best on the golf course.

 

I challenge anyone in this thread who fancies themselves a fitness expert to walk four days of golf in a row. You will be tired! Try doing that for months on end and showing up nearly every week chomping at the bit ready to grab your higher gears once the tee is in the ground.  

 

Tiger found an edge and used it to become one of the best ever. His body failed him. His body was put back together again and he could do something resembling his old routine - he won the Tour Championship and the Masters. It is my speculation that his body is once again in a state where he can't put in the work, and now he is starting to lose form again. Its sad really. Tiger needs that work - he lives for it. He likely can't do it anymore...

Edited November 10, 2020 by Dr. Block