I’m sitting in the Indianapolis Airport at 5:30am waiting to fly back to paradise after a visit to my summer digs, The Hawthorns Golf and Country Club in Fishers, IN. As I scrolled through various social media platforms as I do each a.m. to see what’s happening especially in the Golf World, it’s amazing almost a week removed from Tigers Masters victory how many hundreds, or thousands of posts that still appear daily about that win. Tiger doesn’t move the needle, he is the needle.

What a great injection of full blown excitement he provided this past week. It’s unlike any other athletic accomplishment we have ever seen in any sport. Listen all the peaks and valleys are well documented. The surgeries, knee and back are generally career ending in golf. Somebody please explain to me how you produce 123 mph of club head speed with a fused back. I have studied the human body and the golf swing intently for my entire adult life and I simply can’t comprehend this. In the not so distant past he went through the public humiliation of a pain killer addiction highlighted by that mug shot, I’m sure he would like to forget, that was plastered on every TV screen and sports page as well as social media outlet around the globe. Of course this was proceeded by an ugly divorce from the mother of his children that wasn’t particularly pretty in circumstance.

I admit I wasn’t exactly a Tiger fan based on several personal experiences during my Westchester CC / Buick Classic days. I had the privilege (I guess?) back then of hosting 2 Public Clinics with Tiger neither was pleasant. All that said, a year ago this winter Denise and I went up to Bay Hill on Friday of the tour event to see our old friend Joe LaCava who caddies for Tiger. Quite by accident we had an opportunity to spend a few minutes with Tiger. He was extremely pleasant, engaging, remembered our clinics some 20+ years ago at Westchester. I was blown away. He was a completely different person. Softer, kinder, very personable. On that day he caused me to do a compete 180 as to my feelings about him. Yes everybody deserves a chance to hit the “re-start “button. My best guess is the change has been fostered by his children. As a Dad, kids can have an enormous effect on your heart.

Bethpage Black 18th Spring 2008

This past week during the Masters, Denise and I were in Sea Island, Ga. with close friends watching every second of every round. I found myself pulling as hard as I ever have for an athlete in any sport, in any event I have ever followed. Golf is instantly in a better place. How long will it continue? We will see. Bethpage and Pebble will be very telling. The Open Championship and a new / old venue will be fascinating.

Tune in, don’t miss a shot. It’s going to be great no matter how it plays out.

Sincerely in golf,
Tom Patri
President / Founder TP Golf LLC