Empathy for Tiger?!?

Is it possible? It can’t be… after all of the drama with Tiger Woods off the golf course over the past while, I couldn’t possibly be feeling this feeling… it just can’t be… but watching Tiger this weekend competing in the World Golf Championship event at Firestone I recognized the familiar tug at my heart strings – I have to admit it. I actually felt empathy for Tiger Woods. But lets be clear – these feelings are only about his golf swing!

You see, early this golf season I went out and was playing great. I was excited for the season and I was even more excited about blogging about it! But then suddenly it happened… my drive just left me. Its bags were packed and it was out the door before I even had a chance to say goodbye. The warning signs were there for a long time – at least two golf seasons – but I’d been trying to ignore them, hoping maybe they would just go away. But now it was too late. My drive had left me and I was going to have to commit to seeing a professional to get it back. Off I went to see my local pro for a lesson. “My drive is gone,” I pleaded to Barb, “please help me get it back! I”ll do whatever it takes!” She was compassionate and ready to help, but asked me first to take out my pitching wedge, and then my 7 iron. “Uh oh,” I thought, “its just my drive – I’m hitting my irons well!” That’s what I thought anyway. Unfortunately though, after taking a brief look at my swing with these short clubs Barb broke the news to me… the issue with my driver, was in fact affecting my swing for all of my clubs. The driver, being so much less forgiving than my other clubs was the only one though that had left me completely. The truth I had to accept, however, was that I had been taking my swing for granted across my entire set of clubs and was at serious risk of losing them too if I didn’t do something about it! Since then I’ve changed my swing. I’ve taken multiple lessons, practiced and played at least 2 – 3 times per week. My scores have been terrible and my relationship with the game tested. I have found my swing again, but it’s just not that easy. My swing confidence is shaken, my distances with my clubs are all off, and I have in fact questioned whether my love in the game of golf is strong enough to get through these terribly frustrating and difficult rounds!

And so today I watched Tiger struggling, again. He too has a new swing. His distances are also off. His confidence is also shaken and he talks about having to “trust “ his new swing. He too is trying to put back together his relationship with the game of golf. And he is doing it in front of the entire world. And there you have it – I feel empathy for Tiger. Suddenly though, I feel like my handicap rising a couple of strokes during this big correction in my golf swing isn’t the end of the world after all. My audience is just the foursome I happen to be playing with on that day. (And in some cases the foursome on the fairway next to the one I’m playing where my ball has ended up). I’m confident now though; my driver and I – we’ll get through this – and the entire world won’t be watching. Now it just remains to be seen whether Tiger will too!