Another Perspective on Tiger and Phil

Many thanks to About.com Golf visitor Eric Raymond who, after reading my article on the Tiger-Phil equipment flap from earlier this year, sent in his own very interesting take on the situation. It's so interesting, I've decided to reprint it (with Eric's permission, of course) here. Click on "Read More" to see what I'm talking about, and to see what Eric's talking about when he mentions his "410 rule" ...

Here is Eric's note:

"Enjoyed your column on the Tiger vs. Phil flap.

"As a former 4 handicapper who's blossomed to a 10 (I think I should get 3 strokes for every child between the ages of 5 and 12), accuracy is the "pain in my game" if you will.

"Like Phil, I love to grip it and rip it, but have come to regret it on far too many holes. I am a child of the 70s, meaning I play with blades and that means that I've learned to hit my 2 iron consistently 240-250 off the tee box. I've got a Taylor Made Burner Plus driver with a regular shaft (9.5 degrees) that makes me the laughing stock of my foursome until I launch a ball 300 yards down the middle of the fairway, while they're spraying balls off their Gigantic, Humongous, Super Platinum Titanium Tungsten Graphite Driver. Or whatever they call it. Guys I play with keep the equipment vendors happy, and that's a good thing.

"To be honest, I wouldn't mind playing the new Nike forged driver, but I recall my dad telling me two things when I learned to play (on public courses, too). Rule number one ...you gotta make the short putts. And rule number two.... It's the Indian, not the arrow. I'd bet Tiger could beat Phil playing with my Gooseneck staffs and John Reuter Jr. putter.

"Nike makes great clubs, but it's Tiger's ability to do something magical with them that counts. That and his desire to play the course backwards from green to tee each time.

"I now have a golden rule I live by. It's called the 410 rule. No, I don't carry a .410 shotgun on the course for slow players. If the hole is 410 yards or less, I will hit a 2, 3, or 4 iron off the tee.

"Discpline tells me if I follow the rule, I'll break 80 every time out. If I can hit from 160-170 into the green each time (with a 7 iron), I'm going to be on in reg, in 80%+ of the par 4's. Par 5's are never the problem and if I'm hitting 6 and 7 irons accurate on par 4's during the round, the par 3's get easier to target as a byproduct.

"Thankfully golf is a game where mental toughness means a heck of a lot more than brawn. Tiger has shown that consistently week in and week out, while Phil is still waiting for......well, I don't know what he's waiting for."

Thanks again, Eric, for your interesting comments.

If you'd like to weigh in on this discussion, click over to this thread on the Golf Forum.