Capelle On Golf

Tiger Woods sleeps four hours a day, he’s a workaholic, and he’s driven like no other player in history. Tiger is as gung-ho as Green Beret as he showed in winning the US Open. Nothing was going to keep him from completing his mission.

But now it’s time for Tiger Woods to break character. Now he’s got to show the restraint of a Buddhist monk. This time it is not a major at stake, it’s his career.

Over the next 6-12 months Woods is going to face a string of decisions that could make or break his career. When to start rehab? When to start putting and chipping? When to advance to the short irons and when can he start blasting 320 yard tee shots again?

Nothing is guaranteed. His first session swinging at 125 mph will be the acid test. Can he hit 10 or 20 drives without incident? How about 50?

Since Tiger will be itching to get back to the practice tee, this has put his doctors in a tough spot. Knowing how much he wants to return to action they could bend just a bit to his desires and provide him with an overly aggressive schedule for his rehab. If Tiger is wise, he will once again disobey their orders. Only this time he should, of his own volition, consider taking even more time then they recommend.

Pain tells normal people to stop what they are doing to evaluate a potential problem. For Tiger, pain is a minor inconvenience. That attitude has served him well so far, judging by the record books. That attitude could also lead to his ruination if he mistakes a real problem for a typical ache that goes with the rehabilitation process.

This time around Tiger should listen carefully to his doctors’ recommendations. The he should slow down, ask a few what if questions, then consider going a bit slower than even they feel is prudent.