Tiger Woods’ moves under pressure? The YouTube star is amazing
Nick Piastowski
Getty Images
“That’s crazy.”
“It’s crazy.”
“That’s crazy.”
“That’s crazy.”
Four crazies, over seven minutes, so, at least, Grant Horvat left a little question about how he feels. He was surprised. But then he used a Tiger Woods move, and things clicked. The only thing that was crazy was the quality of the shot.
Horvat, a YouTube star, and Woods, a 15-time major winner, spoke in a video released Tuesday on Horvat’s channel — which you can watch in full here — and reviewed a buffet of items. They discuss how to better hit the fairway woods. And whether or not Woods takes the divots is a popular topic of late. But it was when Horvat asked Woods to play tee shots under pressure that the first one fell flat.
His response?
Woods said he tries to hit the ball from the heel – and his ball misses, maybe an inch off the ground.
But why is it low? Woods explained.
Horvat said in the video: “Okay, I like that. Because I feel like that will force me – if anything, when I go wrong, I miss…”
Woods said: “He’s coming in.”
Horvat said: “I’m going like this, yes.” So the club is coming back behind me and I will lose.”
Said Woods: “It keeps you high and swinging to the left and, like I said, I’m going to try to hit it – for me, throughout my career, I’ve always hit the ball off the heel.
Horvat said: “Are you trying to hit the heel on purpose?”
Woods said: “Well, I would squeeze them like that when they play.” It’s not how far I hit it. It comes into play. I hit my heel.”
Horvat said: “It’s interesting.”
Minutes later in the video, Woods said that by putting the ball on the ground, there is a little “variation.”
Horvat said: “So I’m lowering it and actually – it’s going to be very coincidental.”
Said Woods: “A slight difference in the bottom, and the top – it’s a strong dispersion. And that’s what we ultimately want to have – something consistent, right? They are not too much – the difference between the top and the bottom, they are tight, the adjustment is very small. I mean you are very good, you just have to make a little adjustment, don’t be amazing about the adjustment. I mean, to me, the height of the tee stops it, right?”
Horvat said: “Of course, 100 percent. I mean, it changes my whole approach. If the ball is too high, I naturally go like this to try to hit over it and I don’t change enough to be like Rory.”
Woods said: “It’s great and you can hit high bombs and it’s great and all that. There is some point to that. Now if you have to hit it the other way, the difference between this to get it up to hit the cut — I like to have a solid spread. Granted, I won’t hit you as – the variation of my drag bomb won’t be the same as my pressure cut. I will have a little distraction. Good. I like that little scatter. “
Horvat said: “I just need that swing to go and play because I haven’t had it lately.
Said Woods: “Well, you’ve got times you’re going to have to get the ball in play and there’s other times you’re going to have to swing one or send it, and use the wind and not use the wind. But having that image is nice, it’s nice to be able to have that option. “
Indeed. The question is, is this for everyone? Notably, Woods once noted that players should not be watching [expletive] YouTube if it wants to improve — so you see this tip should at least be worth listening to. What it is. But berries are different; Horvat, for example, is talented. But can the tip scare the high handicapper who is used to chipping the ball? Of course.
Woods, however, is willing to put it down.
The item in his golf bag underscores that point.
Horvat said in the video: “I can’t believe how low he is. That’s crazy. And you use those tiny little ones. ”
Said Woods: “That’s all I got.”
Horvat said: “That’s crazy.”
Editor’s note: To watch the full video with Horvat and Woods, please click here or scroll quickly below.
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Nick Piastowski
Golf.com Editor
Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for planning, writing and promoting news on the golf course. And when he’s not writing about how to hit the golf ball forward and straight, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game, hitting the ball left, right and short, and drinking a cold beer to wash down his scores. You can contact him about any of these topics – his news, his game or his beer – at nick.piastowski@golf.com.