I have a golf partner who is an absolute master at playing golf
between, in and about the trees. He has been given the name TiTW, which
stands for "Tiger in the Woods"
The natural environment of Citrus County Florida offers a large amount of oak trees. The University of Florida IFAS Extension
tells me there are nineteen species of oaks native to Florida. It
appears we have most of them in Citrus County. With this heavy natural
environment of Oaks and some plantings, golf course design in Citrus
County fully utilizes oaks to surround fairways, create doglegs and
offer obstacles. What's even better, there is minimal underbrush,
depending on the golf course, so one can play between the trees.
TiTW
starts his trip through the woods with his drive, which booms, as a
strong fade, and could easily reach 250 yards were it not for wooded
obstacles: tree trunks, branches, leaves and occasional Spanish moss.
Although, TiTW has become a master with some of his slicing tee shots
traversing through the densest of trees without even a leave falling
and the ball landing safely in the fairway some 225 to 250 yards from
the tee box. However, once in the woods TiTW's game plan is move
towards the green between the trees, pitching out into the fairway is
for cowards, moving forward through the woods is the manly approach.
On
the occasion when TiTW's drive has gone very deep into the woods and
there is underbrush, which makes it hard to find the ball, and even
more difficult to hit the ball I have seen TiTW turn golf carts into 4
wheel drive jungle cruisers. Amazingly, most of the time he finds his
ball along with many others. Although, sometimes we loose site of him
and his golf cart, not to forget his playing partner who is hanging on
for dear life. And let us not forget, USGA rules allow up to five
minutes to look for a lost ball; perhaps that rule needs reexamination.
TiTW's playing in the woods and slicing problem off the tee has
a lot to do with the golf equipment he uses. TiTW, a strong middle-aged
man, uses a driver with a senior shaft. This in conjunction with his
excessively strong swing and poor weight transfer is a natural
combination for a slice. The mechanics of your golf swing is extremely
important to properly strike a golf ball, but improper golf equipment
can make the overall result worse.
We all love TiTW, and will
always enjoy his playing antics, however we cannot help but think that
he would enjoy the game of golf more if his swing and golf equipment were improved.