Sports Then and Now

Tiger Woods is regarded as one of the best golfers in the history of the sport, tracing all the way back to its Scottish ancestry. Woods, now 42, has had a glittering golfing career, despite his tarred reputation due to his less-than-inspiring personal life. However, the question of can Tiger Woods’ golf history help to predict his success in 2018 while on his PGA Tour this year is on every avid golf fans’ lips – and is a debate that has been weighed into by commentators and professionals alike.

Hank Haney, Woods’ golf coach from 2004 to 2010 told The Man Out Front he “think[s] he’s going to win another major”. Despite his confidence in Woods’ ability to win another major, Haney is less certain on a Woods victory at a Masters this year. But does Woods’ history of winning contradict his former coach? Let’s take a look, what exactly is Woods polishing his signature golf clubs for this year.

1997, Atlantic City

Woods devoted himself to professionally playing golf in 1996, just a year before his swooping triumph in Augusta. This victory was significant for two large reasons: Woods was the first black player to win the tournament and also the youngest, at the tender age of 21.

Atlantic City for Woods put his ‘X’ on the map and showed him marking himself out to be one of the greatest players of all time. At such a young age, it shows Woods’ determination and skill more than anything else, meaning a victory in 2018 is almost just as possible now as it was back then. Read the rest of this entry →

Most of us are constantly looking for ways to improve our lifestyles. It can be very easy to develop poor lifestyle habits, such as drinking too much or eating too much fast food. Due to the addictive nature of such habits, we tend to persist with them for some time, with more beneficial habits taking longer to form and to commit to. There does, however, come a time where most of us are keen to shun such habits and embrace a more positive lifestyle. You may not immediately think it, but one way to seriously upgrade your lifestyle is by taking up a sport such as golf. Here are few reasons why.

Discipline

It’s pretty well-accepted that golf is a game of skill, rather than of brawn. The game can teach you some important things, such as how precision can be imperative in succeeding at the game, and why taking things slowly could benefit you. When you play a sport like this, you will notice that you start bringing these aspects into your daily life, which can result in you leading a much more focused existence. With all the many distractions that we face on a daily basis, and procrastination being a real issue for so many people, the kind of discipline golf can teach you can be a huge benefit in all aspects of your life.

Socializing

Thanks to its steady nature, golf is one of the more social sports around today. You can easily treat a game as a social event just as much as you would go the pub for a round of drinks – except, of course, the game of golf is much better for your health! If you, like so many other people, struggle to find the time to meet up with your friends to catch up, a weekly round of golf can be a great way to rebuild those relationships. Read the rest of this entry →

There’s a common misconception among golfers. A lot of people go to the driving range and just power through a bucket of 100 balls. The idea is to develop muscle memory — the idea that you can simply train your muscles to swing correctly through repetition. This idea, however popular, has been disproved time and time again. In fact, it’s more likely that you’re just reinforcing bad habits with this kind of ineffective training. There are, however, some techniques that can make a day at the driving range a very effective way to perfect your swing and improve your game.

1. Stretch

It isn’t very exciting, but the first thing you should do when you get to the range is stretch. When your muscles are cold and tight, they won’t perform nearly as well. More importantly, you’re much more likely to injure yourself if you don’t stretch.

2. Focus on one aspect of your swing

There’s no point in just randomly smacking away at a bucket of balls. With each swing, you should be working on one particular aspect of your swing. Don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t work right away — it may take some time before it clicks and you see improvement. Read the rest of this entry →

Journeyman golfer Rob Oppenheim made a crucial putt at the 72nd hole of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am to earn the highest finish of his PGA career.

With Jordan Spieth holding a three or more shot lead throughout the final round, the final outcome of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was generally anti-climactic. However, for one golfer the final holes of the tournament were quite dramatic and significant.

Unless you are a die-hard golf fan, the name Rob Oppenheim is likely not significantly familiar. However, Oppenheim is the embodiment of what life is like for all except the top few professional golfers.

After playing the best golf of his 15 year professional career during the first three and a half rounds of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Oppenheim found himself near the top of the leaderboard reaching as high as fourth place with just seven holes left to play.

Considering that Oppenheim entered the weekend with only one career top 10 finish on the PGA Tour (tie for 10th at the 2016 Quicken Loans National), it was very new territory and had the potential to provide a payday matching his entire career earnings.

Though like all professional golfers Oppenheim is no stranger to pressure, you have to wonder if looking up and seeing his name listed on the same leaderboard as golf superstars Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day eventually started to get to him.

After a birdie on the 11th hole put him at 12 under par, Oppenheim then got a tough bounce on his tee shot at the par-3 12th hole and he eventually made his first bogey of the day. Given that Oppenheim had only one bogey per round through the first three days, it seemed possible that the 12th would just be a blimp as he finished the best performance of his career. Read the rest of this entry →

There are so many sports out there today that it is impossible to count them all. When you are looking for a new game to play, it can be tempting to look to the new ones. However, there is something to be said for the older sports. Often, the classic sports are the best – there is a reason, after all, that they remain classic. One such sport is golf. This sport has been around for a long time now – and its popularity only grows and grows. Why might this be? There must be a good reason that people take up golf every day. The fact is, it is one of the finest sports around – and for a number of reasons. If you are thinking about starting up a sport for the summer, then golf might be your best option. Let’s have a look at why that might be the case.

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What do you do when the cold weather hits and you can’t go out on the links? Don’t let your golf game deteriorate. There are off-season drills and activities to help keep your game sharp…and maybe even nudge it up a notch or two.

Putting Practice

Putting is crucial to every hole – except that elusive hole-in-one. Once the courses are open, how much time do you spend honing your putting skills? Very likely, the answer is “not enough.”

Winter is ideal for focusing on putting drills. It’s not like you’re missing any playing time. You’ll need a home putting green.

You can purchase an inexpensive one or make your own. You need artificial turf carpet, a plastic cup, masking tape and a measuring tape. If you practice faithfully, you’ll see big gains by spring. Read the rest of this entry →