Tiger Woods in action this week at the US Open
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Tiger Woods has admitted that re-modelling your swing – while at the top of your game – is one of the hardest tasks any golfer can undertake and has revealed that he has great sympathy for reigning Open and US PGA champion Padraig Harrington who's currently trying to achieve it.
Woods changed his own swing only eight months after turning professional and despite suffering two lean years by his own standards he says his decision was justified.
Nick Faldo also ignored advice after winning the 1987 Open and went ahead with changes under the guidance of David Leadbetter. He went on to win five more majors.
The World No.1 has dominated the game during the last 10 years but admits it may not have happened had he not had to foresight to make swing changes following his first major win at the US Masters in 1997.
Harrington, a winner of three Major titles in the last 24 months, is currently in the throes of making changes to his own swing with coach Bob Torrance and his performances have suffered.
"After I won the ’97 Masters by 12 shots I changed my swing. People thought I was crazy for that,” says Woods, who during an 18-month spell between July 1997 and January 1999, won only once on the PGA Tour.
But what happened next was testimony to Tiger’s decision.
"I said to myself ' just wait; be patient with it; it will come around.' And in 1999 and 2000 I won 17 times. Sometimes you have to take a step or two back before you can make a giant leap forward.
"And that's the hard part, sticking through those periods. Even though you're making those changes, you must find a way to post a number or shoot a score to win a golf tournament. It all becomes a lot more difficult, " he says.
"Anyone can win when they're hot. But to grind it out and turn it around and fire a score that keeps you in a tournament, those are testing times,” says Woods.
