The Tiger Woods Way: An Analysis of Tiger Woods' Power-Swing Technique - Hardcover

Andrisani, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 060960094X ISBN 13: 9780609600948

Publisher: Crown, 1997

Synopsis

Tiger Woods is electrifying golf the way Michael Jordan did basketball and Wayne Gretzky did hockey. Woods' breathtaking drives off the tee are the basis of his game, and in The Tiger Woods Way John Andrisani gives you the one guide that golfers need to make Tiger's dynamic and powerful swing their own.

John Andrisani, a regular contributor to GOLF Magazine, reveals the fundamentals of Tiger's technique in easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Andrisani explains the key elements of Tiger's:
Unique setup position, outlining his  ball position, grip style, stance style,  clubface aim, and shoulder alignment
Tremendous backswing, with tips on  how to maximize the turn and swing on  a wide arc like Tiger
Powerful downswing, with suggestions on how to accelerate the club in the  impact zone to achieve more power
Also included are simple drills to help you put these elements together, exercises for developing the muscles involved in the swing, and instruction on Tiger's iron-swing technique to give your approach shots more punch. Complete with full-color photographs of Tiger in action and detailed illustrations of his key techniques, along with commentaries by top professional golfers and instructors, John Andrisani's The Tiger Woods Way will enable golfers to transform their game by learning from the man who transformed the game.

Tiger Woods's swing mechanics--superefficient, fundamentally sound, and built from the best elements of such legendary golfers as Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer--enable him to generate the power to consistently drive the ball well over 300 yards, farther than anyone currently on the Tour. In The Tiger Woods Way, John Andrisani, GOLF Magazine's senior instruction editor, shares the secrets of Tiger's flawless swing technique to help golfers of all levels learn how to increase their driving distance and improve their game.

Drawing from his own observations and personal insights shared by Claude "Butch  Harmon, Jr., Tiger's teacher, John Andrisani offers detailed, easy-to-follow instructions on Tiger Woods's swing in four simple chapters:
Getting Ready for Action-Explains Tiger's unique setup position, which borrows key elements from Jack Nicklaus's and Ben Hogan's own techniques.
Building Power-Shows you how to increase the resistance between your upper and lower body to help you make Tiger's powerful takeaway action your own.
Unleashing Power-Outlines Tiger's ideal impact body-and-club position to enable you to hit solid shots consistently.
Iron Power-Reveals the fundamentals of Tiger's iron swing to allow you to hit the ball stiff to the flag.

About this title

About the Author

John Andrisani contributes regularly to GOLF Magazine. A former golf instructor, Andrisani has coauthored several books with Sandy Lyle, Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, John Daly, and Claude "Butch"  Harmon, Jr., Tiger Woods' teacher. A course record holder and past winner of the World Golf Writers' Championship, Andrisani resides in Orlando, Florida.

Leonard Kamsler is a New York-based photographer, whose work appears regularly in GOLF Magazine.

Allen Welkis is an award-winning illustrator of the golf swing, whose work has appeared in GOLF Magazine.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Stance Style

Tiger's position is much different from the square stance (feet parallel to target line), commonly considered a setup basic. More important, it allows Tiger to make a freer turning action, with the club moving correctly to the inside. More on this when we discuss Tiger's setup secret at the end of this chapter.

Foot Positions

The way Tiger sets his feet down is unique, too. The prevailing wisdom among golf instructors is that both feet should be fanned out slightly -- the left 30 degrees, the right 20 degrees. In Tiger's case, he points the toes of both feet farther away from the target line than any of his fellow Tour players. In fact, the position of his feet is Charlie Chaplin-like. Perhaps this is not the prettiest of positions. Nevertheless, according to renowned teacher Phil Ritson, it helps Tiger achieve rotation power -- to coil his body in a more rotary-type fashion so that he winds up like a tight spring on the backswing, and uncoil more freely coming through, with the clubhead being whipped into the ball at a speed of around 125 miles per hour.

Weight Distribution

Tiger distributes his body weight evenly on the ball of each foot, as evidenced by his in-balance setup position.

When you put more than 50 percent of your weight on the left foot at address, the tendency is to leave too much weight on your right through impact -- fall back and fire, as teachers say -- and hit a slice.

When you set up with too much weight on your right foot, your body tends to sway out of position on the backswing, causing you to make an exaggerated upswing hit. The result: a high, weak sky shot.

Shoulder Alignment

Tiger's position is different from the square shoulder alignment (shoulders parallel to the target line) commonly taught to club-level players. His unique address position allows him to make a freer move through the ball. More on this when we discuss Tiger's setup secret.

Clubface Position

Like Nicklaus and Norman, Tiger holds the club slightly above the grass. This highly uncommon position alleviates tension in the arms, hands, and wrists and prevents the club from snagging a high spot on the ground and being thrown off the correct path and plane. More important, it encourages a freeflowing one-piece takeaway.

Clubface Aim

The face of Tiger's club is perpendicular to the target line. When you start from this position, you stand the best chance of delivering the sweetspot of the clubface into the back of the ball, and hitting a powerfully accurate shot.

Hand Position

Tiger sets his hands behind the ball, just like Hogan did years ago and Fred Couples does today. The basics call for the hands to be in line with the ball. However, copying Tiger's position will promote a wide swing arc, a more powerful hit, and more distance off the tee.
Head Position

Tiger sets up with his head tilted just slightly away from the target to encourage a solid shift into his right side.

His chin-up setup is more pronounced than other pros, and is another Nicklaus influence. This position encourages a free, full turn of the left shoulder, and ultimately helps him generate more clubhead speed and distance.

Edition details

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 060960094X
• ISBN 13: 9780609600948
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 153