Capelle On Golf

Tiger Woods was a 30 handicapper of life who refused to get lessons. Now he is seeking instruction. After 45 days in therapy, he’s cut his handicap to 26. And yet, despite his  obvious progress, the media expects him to play now like a scratch player.

That’s a bit premature. Woods has serious and deep seated issues and so, providing he stays the course, he will be a work in progress for a long time to come. Hence, his uncertainty over his return to golf.

A hopefully more enlightened Tiger Woods knows that he’s going to have to subject himself to a real press conference when he returns to golf. But, for the moment, he did well just to stand in front of an audience of millions, give his message on The State of Tiger Woods, however contrived it seemed, and not suffer a complete breakdown in the process. As it was, the media got 1,500 words to chew on, and so they gorged themselves. Here’s a sampling from the non-believers:

“Tiger Woods came across as fake and phony.”
Stephen A. Smith - Philadelphia Inquirer

“This staged appearance was just a slightly different message in the same format: one-way, controlled, calculated, and with a strong dose of personal self-interest.”
Sally Jenkins - Washington Post

“Woods, who says he now understands that he’s not above the rules of common decency, is still above answering questions from those who are paid to represent a public that has helped make him a billionaire.”
John Feinstein  - Washington Post

While the doubters were having a field day, some observers were convinced that this Tiger was changing his stripes.  ESPN’s Rick Reilly said, “I thought it (the talk) was terrific.” The Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee said, “From a PR standpoint this was a home run.” And apology expert Lauren Bloom added that “I am convinced he spoke from the heart. A-.” And, “He was clearly remorseful,” according to Jim Nantz.

While the cases for the old and new Tigers are quite convincing, we won’t really know the answers for a long time to come. But at least we have benchmarks, courtesy of Woods, with which to monitor his progress when he does become public again. His agenda:

• No more cheating on his wife.
• No more special Tiger Rules.
• A life of integrity. Character and decency are what really count.
• Acting like a role model.
• Buddhism will again be his spiritual compass.

• He wants a balanced life   - himself and his wife children.
• He’s committed to helping others someday with similar problems.
• Support to others who are seeking help someday.
• He is coming back to golf “one day”.
• His behavior will show more respect for the game.

The most poignant part of his speech was the mandate from Elin Woods: “As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time.”