Troubled Tiger Woods shows more tilt in his spine and a lot of movement in his lower body. This lower body movement creates problems with ball flight and distance control.

NEVER imagined I would be writing an article about Tiger Woods’ short game and the trouble it is currently causing him. After watching footage of the Waste Management Open, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

So what is he doing wrong? Without being too technical, there are major differences between his ‘old’ setup and technique and his new one. Most significant is the amount of movement he now has in his lower body. The Tiger of old had a vertical spine position and a solid base for his short game. His legs remained quiet until impact, which allowed his chest and hips to rotate through, allowing him to extend his arms and hold them at ‘4 o’clock’.

His new setup, however, shows more tilt in his spine and a lot of movement in his lower body. This lower body movement creates problems with ball flight and distance control, which in turn creates inconsistent results.

Many players have tinkered with their short game during their careers, but this can cause a loss of feel, which is the most important part of the short game as feel gives us control over both distance and ball flight.

Tiger would probably benefit from viewing footage of his short game from tournaments played between 1997 and 2000. He produced some great shots during that time in his career and I am sure we would all like to see him back playing that way again.