Tiger Woods’ Coaching Success – May not be what you think!
There’s no question that Tiger Woods’ win at the Tour Championship was outstanding. He defied everything that he has gone through, from his physical injuries and surgeries all the way to his age.
But who coached him? Who helped him get into one of the best shapes of his life? A highly trained sports coach you may think, right? Wrong. Tiger employed technology as his new swing coach in the form of a golf simulator! Yes, I said it, a golf simulator.
Tiger Woods is embarking on his latest comeback without a human swing coach. But, what does this mean? Back in December 2016, Tiger Woods announced he was no longer working with his longtime instructor Chris Como.
“The only big deal about it is that no one really understands what it’s like to have a fused back and be able to play,” said Woods, referring to his back surgery. “It’s not about how the swing actually looks like. You can get into positions and things of that nature, and there are a lot of things I can’t do anymore because of the nature of the fusion,” Woods added. “So I’m relying on feel and my past performances.”
Many coaches came and gone, well 6 to be exact. So after six coaches, roughly five swing changes and four back surgeries, Woods has decided to go at it alone at a place that stretches far back in his memory. He has said many times that it’s best if he continues on his sports career alone.
But as I mentioned, alone doesn’t mean completely alone, with no coach. It means using a technology (golf simulator) that trains him, gives him all the feedback he wants and needs but at his own pace.
As part of his journey back to winning form, Woods’ acknowledges that “consistent practice on my Full Swing Pro Series simulator and Virtual Green were essential to my return,” said the 14-time major champion. “since their patented technology provides the most accurate ball data allowing me to work on shaping my shots and get back into championship form,” added Woods.
No matter if it’s a person or technology, all individuals need coaching and feedback in order to get better in their craft. This doesn’t only apply to the game of golf, but also in the workplace.
If the greatest golfer in the world incorporates technology to boost his performance and provide ample feedback based on his behavior – why wouldn’t you?
When organizations coach employees, benefits to the company include:
Strengthen employees’ skills and boost productivity by helping your employees work smarter
Improve retention; employees are more loyal and motivated when their bosses take time to help them improve their skills
According to a study by ICF, 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report that they recouped their investment on coaching and more.
Overall, managers can no longer underestimate the impact of coaching their employees because best in class sale organizations use coaching to create a fundamental shift in their approach to their work.
The workplace also needs coaches and innovative coaching techniques to be successful. Just like athletes that benefit from being coached to reach their full potential, your employees in the workplace will benefit from coaching too – if you step up your game!
Resources:
https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/back-fusion-led-tiger-woods-coach-im-relying/story?id=52643944
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2017/12/22/tiger-woods-decides-to-be-his-own-swing-coach/108851802/
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/full-swing-simulators-ambassador-tiger-woods-wins-the-tour-championship-300718479.html
http://icf.files.cms-plus.com/includes/media/docs/ExecutiveSummary.pdf