Anyone wondering what sets one of the game’s greats apart from the rest has a new insight with a revelation from Tiger Woods that he prepares for tournaments by hitting 1,000 shots per day!
The 15-time Major winner, who will return to competitive action at the Hero World Challenge, recently surprised participants of the Bridgestone Collegiate Development Program by offering them tips while they practised in Florida. It was during that session that Woods dropped his mind-boggling practice figure into the discussion.
Footage from Woods’ golf lesson has been posted on the official PGA Tour X account. In it, he tells the players: “When I’m getting ready for tournaments, I make sure that each and every day I have 1,000 contacts with the club.”
Tiger surprises college golfers during @BridgestoneGolf shoot!@TigerWoods offered insight on how he prepares for a tournament, including 1,000 golf shots EVERY day.(Presented by @Bridgestone) pic.twitter.com/gltxDOWnupNovember 27, 2023
While that may leave many envisioning countless hours on the driving range, there was some relief over the daunting prospect as Woods went into further detail on how he breaks it down, saying: “That doesn’t mean hitting 1,000 balls on a range. That means possibly, maybe hitting 100 balls on a range, 300 chip shots, 600 putts."
Still, 600 putts? Thankfully, there is some leeway, and, as Woods explained, it all goes towards building the muscle memory required to compete at the top level. He continued: “You break it up to however you want to break it up. That develops feel and sensation that never goes away.”
Aside from the insight into Woods' astonishing workload, students appeared to get a huge amount from the 47-year-old’s tuition. After jokingly asking the players: “How you all hitting it? Forward?” he got down to business offering one-to-one advice, which invariably led to immediate improvements.
Despite limited playing appearances in recent years, Woods also proved he has lost none of his ability to leave those he meets awestruck. One of the participants said: “To see this man in person now, to have him go on the range, have me hit some balls in front of him, fix the little things here and there and then to hit them good. That’s a memory I will never forget.”
Another responded simply: “I just can’t really put it into words how excited I am and how exciting that was. Wow.”
Woods has built that star quality through a career that has brought a record-equalling 82 PGA Tour wins. With the revelation over his tournament preparation, it has now become a little clearer just what was required to achieve it.
As Woods prepares for his comeback in the Bahamas this week, he has also reportedly said he "thinks he can play five or six tournaments in 2024."
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