Fifty years later, Tiger Woods has already given golf fans a lifetime of unforgettable moments. From timeless tips that still define our games to iconic performances forever etched in golf history, his impact is undeniable.
With so many Tiger stories circulating through clubhouses and training grounds, a few inevitably slip through the cracks. One of them came to me recently during a putting lesson, and it was too good not to pass on.
Tiger key for distance control: “Photographed”
If you’ve ever struggled with distance control on the greens, you’re not alone. Three-putts can bother my rounds no matter how much time I spend on the practice green. Looking for a lasting solution that would sharpen my feel and help me get closer to my first putts, I turned to Keith Bennett, an instructor at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. During our lesson, he shared some of the best putting advice I’d heard in a while. The tip he gave was a simple concept originally shared by – you guessed it – Tiger Woods.
In an old clip where Woods explains his approach to putting, he reveals a tip he got from his father when he was just 3 years old and first learning the game.
At such a young age, the concept of distance control was completely foreign to Woods, but his father found a way to make it stick. He said he had to take a picture.
“What he did was, every look I take of the ball is a ‘photo,’” Woods said.
Keeping that image in his mind allows Woods to focus on controlling distance using feel. To capture that mental image, he takes multiple “photos” during his pre-shot routine.
In the aforementioned clip, he explains that he takes three “pictures” during his exercise routine: one before he takes his first practice shot, one during his second, and a final shot just before he pulls the trigger.
“And then I just think about photographing it,” he says, “and that really helps free your mind.”
It’s such a simple method that I almost didn’t believe it could work. But another lesson I learned during my putting session was to never doubt the GOAT. Visualizing it changed my mindset from obsessing over mechanics to a freer, more instinctive stroke. With less focus on the technical aspects, my stroke felt smooth and the distance control no longer felt forced. I was able to adapt to different lies more easily and my stroke felt smoother.
How it helps with pressure surges
Strangely enough, shifting my focus away from what I thought was most important turned out to be the key to making better putts, especially under pressure – a lesson that clearly resonated with Woods as well.
“When I’m in tournaments, if I’m really nervous — it might not look like it, but I tell you what, I get pretty nervous out there — I go back there and say, ‘Okay Tiger, go get the shot, just like Pop always said.’
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