Why I Think Tiger is Splitting from Sean Foley

Does your swing match your body type? Tiger's didn't and in my opinion that's why he's splitting from Sean Foley. I think Tiger was looking for something less taxing on his back and Foley and his method is designed to be efficient and the least taxing on your back. This is not meant to be a knock on Foley, he is obviously brilliant, but he picked the wrong model for Tiger.

Tiger grew up as a rear post golfer, he loaded into his right side and fired into his left side. In studying Sean Foley's teaching model, he teaches a front post or more of a Stack and Tilt style golf swing. Stack and Tilt is really a front post procedure, a golfer who balances best off their lead hip and stays forward throughout the golf swing, which is believed to be the best procedure and least taxing on the spine. If you keep loading the lead hip and it's not your dominant procedure, it's going to start hurting and the pain will show up in the lower back. Remember the site of pain is not always the cause of pain. The problem is the golf swing is a full body motion. The spine is important and acts as the swing center of the golf swing. The hips are the power source for transferring power from the lower body to the upper body. Every part of the body is important and too much emphasis on one area of the body leads to a breakdown in another, which happened to Tiger.

I've seen Foley work with Tiger time and again trying to set his weight forward at the top of his backswing and Tiger keeps wanting to sway into his right side, a sign that he is seeking his natural movement pattern which is loading into his right side. It's a great swing for irons but not necessarily off the tee where power is more important. Let's face it, golf is a power game at the elite level. Those writing about how Tiger should go back to hitting fairways and sacrificing accuracy are crazy. How often do you hit your seven iron closer than your wedge? Would you give up 60-yards off the tee for? No way! There is a direct correlation to distance and scoring.

Athletes, especially Tiger, need to be healthy to practice. An injured athlete can't practice. If you can't practice, it's hard to build confidence. If you do not have confidence, you can't compete to the highest levels you're capable of.

I think Tiger should seek Mike Adams who teaches at his home course in Florida, The Medalist, or his younger counterpart, EA Titschler, and go back to his natural swing.

One of the reasons we asses golfers before giving them swing advice is to avoid building golf swings that are in the long run, detrimental to the health of the golfer. Playing a game should not hurt, if you're sore after a round of golf, chances are your procedure doesn't match your natural movement pattern.

If you haven't completed your "Discovering Your Natural Golf Swing Assessment" or know someone that is playing in pain, come see us!