Capelle On Golf

2008 Masters Coverage - thru 4/15

You who are baseball fans know that pitchers prefer to a catcher who calls the game the way they like, and who knows when to come to the mound to settle them down or discuss strategy. As a kid, my favorite combo was the Yankee’s duo of Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra. In golf, Tiger Woods and Steve Williams form a nearly unbeatable combination.

Woods has the final say on every shots, but his decisions come only after conferring with Williams. Thanks to advances in microphone technology, we have more opportunities than ever to listen in as they make their plans. Yardages, the wind, the lie, the target, and any special considerations are all factored into the decision making process.

Williams is recognized as golf’s best caddy for a bag full of reasons. His pace is so measured that he uses a laser to confirm his distances – not the other way around! His precise yardages and knowledge of how to compensate for the wind, elevation changes, temperatures, and other factors enables Woods to select the right club – and the right shot – nearly every time.

Assuming a solid strike, which for Woods is a near certainty, he is able to take the trouble short and long out of play. This enables him to plan for the worst event should the shot not come off as exactly as planned.

The other caddies follow the same procedure I described, but none does it better than Williams – but he doesn’t stop there. Should the wind change while Woods is over the ball, Williams has carte blanche to call him off the shot.

For example, on the par 5 seventh hole at last year’s Wachovia Championships, Woods was all set to pull the trigger. But a gust of wind came and Williams called Woods off his second shot. Williams helped Woods avoid a possible disaster and Woods responded with an eagle. Woods eventually won by those two shots over Steve Stricker.

According to Woods, “I love that he’s not afraid to give me the info. He’ll call me off a shot if the wind changes and not too many guys out here would have the guts to do that.” Woods further acknowledged Williams value when he said, “I wouldn’t have won the PGA in 2000 if it wasn’t for him,” after a successful call off.

As if his knowledge, accurate yardages, and call offs weren’t enough, Williams also happens to be an expert on the mental side of golf. He’s written a 200 page manual for success titled Golf at the Top, appropriately enough. As part of their routine, Williams always says something positive to Tiger so that he’s doubly sure that he’s about to play the right shot.

Given that Williams’ expertise can be yours for the watching, I offer the following tips for your viewing pleasure at the Masters this week.

• When the microphone crew huddles in close, raise the volume a tad and listen in closely to their strategizing.
• Listen to see if a call off is discussed.
• Listen to Williams’ positive encouragement before he moves away from the shot.
• Watch how and where Williams moves. This is part of the routine for the perfectionist oriented Woods.

Great players are detail oriented, and none is more so than Tiger Woods. It’s just another reason why he stands alone at the top of the golf world.