Be like Tiger

Back in the 1990s when Michael Jordan was at his prime, he had a famous motto, “Be like Mike.” cuz everyone wants to be him or at least play like him. Of course, no one can. Well, now it’s Tiger’s turn. I wanna swing, chip, putt and pump a fist in the air like him. So I went to the golf course today to work on my awful short game–putting and chipping/lobbing.

My short game is seriously lagging, as compared to my irons and driver. It occurred to me that I’ve spent a lot more on the driving range, trying to hit a 300 yards every time, so my short game is being neglected. That is very bad because I read in a magazine that more than 60% of your shots are from 100 yards or less. So, you can’t score low without a solid short game (just ask Michelle Wie). Went to the Langston Golf Course, aka, the nigger’s course but they let you chip/putt for free. Took my sand wedge out and just lob it out there, getting a feel for it. After practicing for like one hour, my rhythm’s much better and I get to understand the ball flight better and where it lands. Then I practiced with my putter as I can’t seem to get a damn straight line. I experimented a bit with my grip, and where I set my putter down. I realize I was setting my putter a bit too far away from me, so I put it closer to my belly, like one inch away. All of a sudden, I was getting much better lines, either going into the cup or barely missing it. So, I think this is going to be my putting position and stick to it. As much as I want to look every bit like Tiger and his golf game, if it works, don’t fix it.

I just saw the U.S. Senior Open highlights on ESPN Sportscenter and there’s this guy named Allen Doyle who scored a record 63 to win the U.S. Senior Open and I saw how he putts. His putting style is ugly and unorthodox yet he made a birdie after birdie. So, if my putting style looks ugly and scored under 70, so what and the point is that you don’t have to have Tiger Woods’ swing/putting to score a birdie.