Tiger Woods’ Impact on Golf
Any golfer who has set foot onto a long par 5 tee box has pictured themselves as prime Tiger Woods driving the ball 350 yards down the middle of the fairway.
Tiger Woods has altered how we see golf by introducing discipline, athleticism, and charisma into the world of golf. These features prompted him to be the modern-day golf idol, inspiring new generations and innovations. Golf has had plenty of stars rise throughout its time as a sport. However, Woods was one of the few who helped shift the sport from a leisurely game to a competitive sport with a thriving industry. Woods was also one of the first mixed-race golfers to experience success on the golf scene, bringing a more diverse audience to golf. Acknowledging Woods as one of the key figures who spurred golf into the modern era helps us understand the current playstyle and trends in the sport.
The Swing
Before discussing how golf arrived at its current state, we must establish how Tiger Woods expanded on the golf swing and its fundamentals. Woods’ swing has influenced many modern tour players, who have mimicked many of his movements to achieve a similar ball-striking capability and distance to Woods. Bill Pennington, a New York Times journalist, highlights that Rory McIlroy, one of the longest pound-for-pound drivers of the golf ball, was heavily influenced as a kid by Tiger Woods and his swing. Many of golf’s longest hitters, like Mcllroy and Woods, develop their power from their lower body, using their hips and glutes to maximize power.
According to a post on Rotary Swing’s website, during Woods’s downswing, he implements a movement known as the “Tiger squat,” which is apparent in many other professional golfers and competitive long drivers’ swings. Rotary Swing explains that the Tiger squat involves a squat motion where a golfer squats and rapidly stands up, firing their glutes; this sets up the downswing for a controlled yet powerful contact with the golf ball. Furthermore, Woods has a wider backswing, where he rotates his hips more. Johnny Miller from Golf Magazine compares the length of Woods’ swing to that of a professional long driver. Miller acknowledges that this wide swing effectively allows Woods to turn more around the spine, creating a lot more momentum for when he unravels his spine on the downswing. While Woods’ effective swing allows him to generate distance with pinpoint accuracy, Woods’ athletic capabilities allow his golf swing to be so effective.
Tiger’s Athletic Ability
Tiger Woods’ efficient swing contributes to his distance and accuracy, but his athleticism is the base that supports these different skills. The correlation between Woods’ athleticism off the course and success on the golf course is evident. This has inspired countless other adamant golfers to follow in his footsteps and pursue the stature of an athlete. Jim McCormick, writer for Florida Today, claims that Woods approached golf with strict discipline, beginning his mornings with a four-mile run and following that with a weight-lifting session. McCormick claims that after this intense training session, Woods would work on his golf game for countless hours. McCormick further notes that Woods believed this intense regimen gave him a competitive advantage, and his tournament results have supported this theory. David Urmacher, a blogger on Next Gen Golf, implies that these different traits allowed Woods to push a new image of the professional golfer. Woods’ success on the PGA Tour, partly credited to his athleticism, inspired a more health- and fitness-conscious professional golfer. McCormick notes that the PGA Tour now issues a “Player Performance Center” to push for more athletic professional golfers like Woods. Woods played a drastic role in shifting the typical view of the professional golfer. He helped transition away from the impression of golfers being overweight, intoxicated, white men to athletic, able-bodied golfers with diverse backgrounds.
Golf’s Publicity
The remarkable success that Tiger Woods achieved throughout his golf career led to him amassing a huge fanbase and following. The extensive following that Woods brought to golf, subsequently, resulted in a substantial growth in golf’s publicity. The popularity that Woods developed made him one of the most influential players of his time. Woods’ influence on golf’s popularity as a sport is visible on golf courses internationally. Pennington states that it’s often common to see golfers sporting their red outfits on Sundays or even celebrating hard putts with flashy fist pumps as Woods has done on television.
Researcher Timothy Mathews and his colleagues at Kennesaw State University point out that the PGA Tour purposely paired Woods against his top competition at the time, Phil Mickelson, to appease their current audience and attract new viewers. This deliberate showcase of Woods and his skills against the second-best at the time displays the impact that Woods has had on the PGA Tour’s viewership. Woods not only inspired people of his time to golf but also motivated future generations to take up golf. Urmacher points out that Woods’s unforgettable legacy prompts these future golfers to challenge his outlandish records. Furthermore, Venita Roberson, a researcher at Grambling State University, describes that Woods’ ethnic background has also led to an increase in golf’s publicity. The publicity that Woods has brought to golf has broadened the sport’s global appeal while increasing the opportunities available in the sport, changing the game forever.
Golf and Diversity
Woods’ success displayed to the world that golf was a sport that anyone could play and enjoy, which inspired a more diverse player base and broader audience following golf. During Woods’ professional career, he racked numerous victories under his belt, many of which defied previous prejudiced standards in the golf community.
Larry Dorman, New York Times journalist and golf enthusiast, reports that Woods would be the first person of a mixed-racial background to claim the number one spot in the Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia, arguably the most prestigious tournament in all of golf. Furthermore, Woods would also become the youngest person in history to win the Masters. According to Dorman, this obliterated any previous ideas surrounding minority golfers being inferior. In addition, Roberson notes that Woods’s first victory at Augusta in 1997 was by a landslide, which piqued African American and other minority races’ interest in golf. Woods’ shattering of these false ideas helped attract a new following of minorities to golf. As an effect, the PGA Tour is now composed of many other minority athletes who have racked up similar feats to Woods, pushing golf away from its previous stereotypes.
Though golf’s diversity has changed under Woods’s inspiration, the lack of accessibility to the sport has prevented many from ever receiving an opportunity to play golf. Karen Crouse, a New York Times journalist, claims the high costs associated with competing and the lack of golf courses have resulted in many minorities being deterred from the sport. Despite the inaccessibility of golf for lower-income households, Woods has created multiple programs under the Tiger Woods Foundation to provide grants and coaching to minority golfers, which has helped lead to a slow but steady increase in youthful minorities playing golf, according to Crouse.
Golf’s Economy
The economy of golf today is very different than the economy that fueled it before Woods’ debut on the golf scene. Today, golf’s economy is prospering with innovative companies inspiring to improve the game of golf. Woods is given partial credit for the large improvement in golf’s economy. The large fanbase that Woods brought with him helped increase sales and opportunities surrounding golf, making him the ideal brand endorser.
Marketing professor Kevin Chung and his colleagues report that during Nike’s ten-year endorsement with Woods, they took in a profit of $103 million in golf ball sales alone. Chung states that this recovered nearly 57% of Nike's investment in Woods with just golf ball sales. Furthermore, Chung highlights that Woods’s impact on the economy is notable through Nike’s growth in market share; within only eight months of their endorsement of Woods, Nike’s share of the golf ball market increased by 2.9%.
In 2009, Woods faced many personal challenges, suffering from a car crash and a cheating scandal, according to Craig Davis and his colleagues at the University of Ohio. Davis claims these events marked a low point in Woods’s career, tarnishing his public image. Despite this setback, Rolex decided to endorse Woods. Davis and his colleagues imply that Rolex’s endorsement of Woods in 2009 was an investment in his brand, not Woods himself. Throughout Woods’ professional golf career, he represented a character of discipline, focus, and hard work, claims Davis. These characteristics defined Woods as a brand, and many companies like Rolex saw these traits as ideal to represent their company. Given this, Woods would endorse many other companies, continuing to attract buyers who aspire to reach Woods’ level of talent.
Tiger and Nike’s Rebranding of Golf’s Cosmetics
In addition to Woods’s contribution to Nike’s economic success, he contributed to the meaning behind the brand. Nike labeled its brand after the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, representing what the brand strives for. Ian Stonebrook, a Staff Writer on Boardroom, claims that Woods’ success directly correlated to the visual of Nike being a brand for winners, like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Stonebrook highlights that this potentially caused Nike’s popularity among sports fans to jump, by fans wanting to wear a brand representing the victorious athletes they may aspire to be.
Together, Nike and Woods would alter the uniform previously known to golf by forming the brand “TW.” Stonebrook claims that Nike decided to transform the previous “country-club attire” aimed towards golf into athletic apparel fit for athletes, using Woods as the face of this shift. First, Nike would release the Nike Air Zoom TW; according to Stonebrook, this shoe was the future of golf shoes, which held cushions normally seen in running shoes, providing a cushy base and more support. Furthermore, Stonebrook notes that Nike would release thinner, more breathable golf clothing under Woods’ brand. The steps that Nike and Woods have taken to modernize golf have expanded and are still present today, which is often visible on the golf course with the majority of the players on tour wearing dri-fit, more breathable clothing and supportive shoes to ensure stability and comfort.
The vast influence that Tiger Woods has had on golf stretches towards every horizon, altering golf from the traditional sport it used to be to the modern athletic sport it is today. Woods’ outstanding career will remain legendary in golf’s Hall of Fame, setting new standards and playstyles. Woods’ influence has created precedents for up-and-coming golfers to strive for as well as records to be broken. As we continue comprehending Woods’ significance to golf’s legacy as a sport, we will hopefully continue to innovate and expand the sport from where it is now, competitively and economically.
Additional Sources Used in this Article
Kevin Y.C. Chung, Timothy P. Derdenger, and Kannan Srinivasan. “Economic Value of celebrity endorsements: Tiger Woods’ impact on sales of Nike golf balls.” Marketing Science. 2013. Found on Gale Academic OneFile.
Craig Davis, Jim Kahler, Patrick Moran, and Xiyuan Liu. “Tiger Woods now wears Rolex.” Journal of Case Studies. 2013. Found on Gale Academic OneFile.
Timothy Mathews, Soiliou Daw Namoro, and James W. Boudreau. “The Impact of Organizer Market Structure on Participant Entry Behavior in a Multi-Tournament Environment.” Games. 2023. Found on Gale Academic OneFile.
Jim McCormick. “fitness in golf: How Tiger Woods exerted influence on.” Florida Today. 2021. Found on ProQuest.
Johnny Miller. “Tiger’s Swing is a Cut above.” Golf Magazine. 2014. Found on EBSCOhost.
Venita Roberson. “African American Culture and Physical Skill Development Programs” The Effect on Golf after Tiger Woods.” Journal of Black Studies. 2003. Found on JSTOR.
