Tiger Woods is a true legend of the game, and if you get the chance to witness his brilliance with your own eyes it's something you just can't afford to pass up. Rarely do you get a chance to learn from one of the greatest players ever to tee up a golf ball, but when visiting the 2023 Genesis Invitational I got the opportunity to do just that.
If we consider the plethora of things tour player do that amateur golfers don't, perhaps the most important would be the warm-up routine. You might be the exception to the rule, and enjoy arriving an hour early for your round to get in some pre-round prep. Undoubtedly, however, you will know at least a few amateur golfers who rock up with five minutes to go before they tee off - desperately trying to avoid a penalty for teeing off a minute late.
Sometimes, the rationale for these individuals is that they wouldn't know how to properly warm-up if they tried, but that reasoning is about to be banished from the excuse book as I share every shot that Tiger Woods hit in his pre-round warm-up at Riviera Country Club...
Tiger Woods' Warm-Up Routine: Full Shot-By-Shot Breakdown
This is a man who's had his body pieced back together countless times, so it would be a safe assumption that the intensity may be slightly lower than when in his prime.
Yet, despite the multiple surgeries that have plagued his career, he still warms up better and more efficiently than most healthy and injury-free golfers. For this particular tournament, Woods was due to tee off at 12.04pm local time. I expected him to arrive promptly, so I made my way down the hill shortly after 10am to ensure I didn't miss a shot.
Around 11.15am, just 47 minutes before he was due to tee off for his first competitive round in almost a year, the 15-time Major Champion made his way to the short game area with playing partners Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy. What I saw next was truly impressive...
11.19am
Tiger began at 11.19am, using his first ten minutes to practice some chipping from the short stuff before moving over to the rough and eventually the bunker. He hit 35 shots in total, mostly in a fairly relaxed fashion, and continuously conversed with his caddie at the time, Joe LaCava.
- 17 chips from closely mown grass to a range of targets at varying distances
- 10 greenside shots from the rough - a mixture of chips and flop shots
- 8 bunker shots from various lies to various targets
11.29am
Following some fairly swift short-game prep, Woods then headed to his designated slot on the range and worked through the bag. This started with wedges and short irons, hitting around 20 shots in six minutes. The video below depicts perfectly his trademark silky smooth tempo.
- 10 shots (wedge), upping the distance gradually
- 10 shots (8 or 9-iron)
11.35am
The five-time Masters Champion then progressed onto mid- and long-irons, increasing the vigour and reducing the reps. This phase consisted of just eight hits, with the video below showing one particular shot which he absolutely flushed.
- 5 shots (5 or 6-iron)
- 3 shots (3-iron)
11.38am
Three minutes later, it's time to hit some woods. At the 2023 Genesis Invitational, Tiger opted to sacrifice a wedge to carry a 5- and 3-wood. Again, he doesn't hit many and surprisingly, he didn't hit them particularly well. I start (foolishly) to get concerned at this point. Below he hits a pretty ropey hook which induces a gasp from the packed gallery in attendance.
- 3 shots (5-wood)
- 5 shots (3-wood)
11.43am
With his tee time fast approaching, Woods reached for the driver to give his body one final speed test. He did seem more comfortable with the big stick than with his woods (a sign of what was to come), which was very reassuring.
- 5 shots (driver) - cuts only and swinging at around 85%
11.46am
Most golfers would end their range session here, but not Tiger Woods. Having worked up through the bag, he went back to the short clubs to hone that sharpness prior to his much anticipated return to action.
- 3 shots (8 or 9-iron)
- 5 shots (wedge)
- 4 chips
- 4 flop shots
11.48am
Before making the walk up the hill towards the putting green, Woods hit two final shots, presumably in preparation for what he might hit off the first tee in less than 20 minutes.
- 1 shot (driver)
- 1 shot (3-wood)
11.59am
Tiger arrived at the putting green with just five minutes to spare and hit a handful of putts from short, mid and long range. It was impossible to track his exact routine at this point as the place was mobbed with fans desperate for a glimpse of the sporting icon.
Totals
In total, Woods hit 94 shots in roughly 31 minutes, which might sound like a lot, but the majority were with an 8-iron and below. Here's how he broke it down:
- Chips/bunker shots - 43
- Wedge/short iron shots - 28
- Mid/long irons - 8
- Woods/drivers - 15
- Total - 94
Takeaways
There are plenty of great lessons that amateur golfers can learn from Tiger's warm-up routine. The majority of his practice focused on shots from 150 yards and in, making up more than 75 percent of his range session.
Plenty of club golfers pull the driver and smash a whole bucket of balls with one club before teeing off, but the example set by Tiger suggests that this shouldn't be the only priority.
Next, he appeared mega relaxed. He admitted after the round he was nervous to get going and throughout the round, but he didn't show it and certainly didn't put any extra pressure on himself as he warmed up. He was swinging smoothly and chatting between every few shots.
Perhaps most importantly, he also put little to no stock into the bad shots he hit... and there were a few. In all honesty, I expected him to struggle after what I saw, particularly with the long clubs given his injuries, but he was able to forget about it when it was go time and actually put on a bit of a long-game clinic.
Contrast that with amateurs, many of whom will lose confidence completely if they clip a few bad shots and start to micro analyse their swing. It's something I'm guilty of too, but going forward I'm going to endeavour to remember that it's just a warm up and treat it as such.
The final thing Woods did before leaving the range was to prepare for his first tee shot so it was fresh in his mind when the time came. Whether that means reaching for the driver one last time or preparing for a tricky par-3 opener, it's such a simple habit to ingrain and is a great way to minimise the first tee nerves that we all feel.
Granted, the majority of us aren't competing in front of thousands on the biggest stage, but if it's good enough for one of the greatest champions of our game, it's good enough for the rest of us.
