The Precision-Over-Power Strategy
Day 7 reading "Teeing Off" by Ken Bowden
Consider Jack and Tiger.
Ken writes, “Whether or not they admit it, every golfer ever born wants to hit the ball farther, particularly off the tee. Much, much farther.”
But Ken says that the siren song of 300-yard drives has lured many golfers into wrecking their scorecards.
Instead, consider Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. In their prime, they hit the ball farther than anybody.
“And yet,” Ken writes, “the more mature, experienced, and successful they became, the more the two greatest golfers in history favored precision over power.”
He left the driver in the bag.
Ken looks back at the 2006 British Open held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
In May of that year, Tiger’s dad had passed away. In June, Tiger missed the cut at the US Open—the first time in his career that he failed to qualify for a major. Psychologically, he felt vulnerable.
Now in July, he arrived in England and found the toughest course conditions he had faced in a long time. The summer heat had baked the fairways and greens. The front wall of the bunkers had been redesigned, making it almost impossible to advance the ball. He’d have to hit out sideways, back to the fairway, and lose a stroke.
Tiger processed all that information, including his own emotional and mental state. Then he chose to sacrifice yardage for accuracy. He knew other players would out-drive him. But he also knew that he’d find more fairways.
On the first 15 holes, he left the driver in the bag. On 16, he couldn’t resist. He unleashed a monster drive—and missed the fairway completely.
So he put the driver away. In 72 holes, Tiger hit the driver just one time. While other players struggled, he took the lead.
By consistently choosing precision over power, he won his third claret jog. He cried in his caddie’s arms, wishing Earl Woods could have been here to see his son out-think the golf course and the competition.
The musician Joe Henderson said, “You don’t so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them—and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head.”
Who doesn’t want the easy path, the fun path, the familiar path, or the fast path? But sometimes, only the smart path will take us where we want to go. That’s almost always true in golf.
So before your next match, do some risk analysis. Map out your round. Preview the course conditions. Consider the state of your game, from tee to green. Then come up with a plan that helps you play your best under those conditions. Being smart may be less exciting—until you get to the end and see those low numbers on your scorecard or hold that trophy in your hands.
We hope you enjoyed Teeing Off by Ken Bowden. Ken was the editorial director of Golf Digest and co-authored the classic Golf My Way with Jack Nicklaus. Ken’s book uses great stories to teach us important lessons about life and golf.
That’s all for now. Until next time, keep imagining what’s possible.