Tiger Woods may be arguably the most talented golfer the sport has ever seen, but that does not mean that the 15-time major champion has not had to work tirelessly on his game over the years.
Only Jack Nicklaus has won more majors than the 49-year-old. Meanwhile, no one has won more PGA Tour events than Woods.
One of the most interesting aspects of Tiger Woods‘ career was the fact that he was never afraid to make swing changes. Despite his dominance between 1997 and 2008, he twice went 10 majors without victory in that run.
That speaks to his desire to improve. And that seems to still be true today, with Woods continuing to do all he can to get back playing after so many surgeries over the last two decades.
Tiger Woods shared one of the best pieces he received for approach shots
Woods had a charisma on the golf course that was impossible to not be drawn in by. It always felt as though he was on the front foot and in complete control of the shot he was trying to hit.
And it seems that one of his fellow professionals played a part in Woods having that mentality.
Speaking to TaylorMade in a video from 2021, Woods explained how he was always looking to be on the attack with his approach shots, even if he had picked what appeared to be a conservative target.
“One of the best tips I’ve ever gotten is do you hit the ball pin high? I said, ‘not necessarily. What do you mean by that?’ And one of those older players was saying, ‘okay, how many flags do you normally fire at during the course of a round?’ I said, ‘maybe one’. He says, ‘good, I normally fire at none’. My spot may be a foot right or left of that flag, or it may be 10 steps short or steps long. Wherever it is, that’s where you want to hit your golf ball,” he said.
“So the belief, what I learned is I’m always being aggressive in firing to my spot. My spot, I may choose to be 40 feet right of this flag, that’s my spot. That’s where I’m firing it to, but I’m always being aggressive.
“I like to play full out. And full out means I’m being aggressive to a certain spot.”
The greatest approach shot Tiger Woods ever hit
It is fascinating to hear Woods speak in this way. When he outlines his plan, it appears to be almost obvious. But clearly, he wants to target a spot he can commit to fully.
It is perhaps because of some of the most iconic shots of Woods’ career that some would suspect that he always had his foot on the accelerator and just firing at flags.
The shot Woods hit on the 18th hole on his way to winning the 2000 Canadian Open is about as aggressive as it gets. He could have made a five fairly easily at Glen Abbey and gone into a playoff with Grant Waite.
However, he decided to attempt a shot few would have had the ability to pull off at that moment.
Perhaps there are not many who would be able to get close to hitting that good a shot, but every golfer can probably benefit from Woods’ mantra of being aggressive to the spot you are aiming for.
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