Geoff gives Tiger some advice

[Buck Wolter]

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2010-02/golf-shackleford-column-tiger-0208

He's obviously going to have some more time on his hands and be looking for some other 'outlets' so throwing himself into golf course design would make sense. How about Brauer & Woods?

[RJ_Daley]

Sure, Brauer as Tiger's technical architectural mentor, and wingman... 

[Mike Cirba]

It would sure be an appropriate goodwill gesture if he funded the restoration of Cobb's Creek and built the Charlie Sifford Learning Center there (where Sifford learned the game) as a tribute to the long history of multi-racial inclusion embraced at that course since its inception, as well as a lasting monument to his hero's accompishments at breaking the racial barrier and subsequent tournament successes.

From a PR standpoint, he could tie it to the return of the US Open to Merion in 2013, and as some consolation to the city of Philadelphia for graciously accepting hosting his ATT Tournament the next two years which now seems to be without his marketing clout.  

If he's looking for grassroots efforts at achieving public redemption, this would be a quick win.

[RJ_Daley]

Wow Mike, you have obviously given that some serious thought.  IMG, or whoever manages Tiger's account in the future ought to seriously look you up.  I'm not kidding.

[George Pazin]

Unless someone from IMG posts on here, I'd say he's better off contacting them!

Great idea, though.

[Mike Cirba]

Wow Mike, you have obviously given that some serious thought.  IMG, or whoever manages Tiger's account in the future ought to seriously look you up.  I'm not kidding.

RJ,

A group of us thought it made sense on many levels before this unfortunate situation.  

Helping the community and building a lasting, functional tribute to his golf hero in this way would probably make even more sense now.

[Mike_Young]

Tiger is as much a golf architect as he is a Nike equipment designer, Rolex repairman, Accenture Business consultant or any of the other companies he represented...it would be much easier for him to go to Nike and sit at a bench and learn club design....and probably more profitable....

.I have always heard good things regarding the Beau Welling, his design person.... he is the one that may have gotten a bum deal here....I just don't see where any entity could justify polarizing the potential market they would have with a TW design when they can go to JN with much less hassle....And the smartest guy in the room is Jim Anthony at the Cliffs properties...he was quoted as saying he is still behind TW and the project he is doing for him in N.C.  Why....what if he ends up having the only TW design in the States?

[Garland Bayley]

Heck Mike,

Tiger could do a bang up job for Gillette. All he need do is tell them to add another blade. Seems that's all they been doing lately anyway.

[Mike Cirba]

Garland,

Yes, I hear you clearly, and no good deed ever goes unpunished, does it?   

[Sean Eidson]

I keep getting scooped on this site - just can't be the first to post anything.  However, this was one of the most insightful TW articles I've read in this whole mess.

I for one, am rooting for him as he enters the second act of this drama.  I believe he has the power to apply his work ethic and lost passion to doing incredible things that are bigger than himself.  This second act could be where we see the TW who has his heart, his mind, and his pocketbook aligned.  For the last 10 years, he's had his pocketbook leading him around the world on a fantastic trip defined by hubris.  I'm hoping this time around he will let his heart and his mind lead him to something that he truly loves.  If that's golf, good for him, good for us who like to watch him.  If it's designing courses, he has unique insights that could make for some neat features.  I bet his passion is not selling razor blades, though.

If designing courses really is a passion for him, and it would seem that it is based on his experiences as a child, then he should pursue the apprenticeship path that Geoff describes.  If it's not then I hope that he spares us all from the lying cash grab that it seems.  His life, from here on out, will be measured by its veracity.  I know I'm going to be watching much more closely to see when we think he might be trying to pull a fast one on us again.

Thanks, Geoff for giving TW some advice we can all use.  If you REALLY want to do something, do it the right way.  Learn the fundamentals and do it because you love it, not because you can make alot of money.

[Mike_Young]

Sean,
I do agree with you that Geoff has defined how TW needs to go forward if he desired to be a golf architect.  BUT...that era of the signature golf pro is over..it was abused and it is no longer there as it was before.  There are several reasons for this:
1.  JN has several different fees and each one allows for the average golfer to have a JN Design..the average guy doesn't know which level he is playing.
2.  The tour player that is saying he wants a design job usually has an agent who has told him he needs to do so and he is branding the person.  Well the player can make more on four or five monday outings than he can going to golf course sites and having an associate to fund.  AND with JN having the different pricing levels the tour player/agent cannot hire a designer and add the fees where it becomes a better deal than hiring JN.  So my opinion is that most tour players get into design because of their agent.....I know that every agent that ask if you have any projects where you can use his guy puts a minimum of about $400,000 plus travel on that guy....it isn't working...
 The player that really wants to get into golf design is rare....and those that do so seriously bring much to the table...such as John Fought, or Crenshaw etc....so it is a slap in the face to these guys for the average tour player to go out and say he is really into this stuff...
Which leads me to ask...what do you mean by " he has unique insights that could make for some neat features"...what would these be?

I am all for TW coming back stronger than ever....I need no explanations..he is a human being like all of us and he has my support if he chooses to change.  The sad thing is that most everything he has done from highschool until now has had a spin doctor there to tell us what they want us to hear....He can come a long way by stepping up to a camera and saying "I screwed up and I am fixing it....and I will let you fans know what is happening"....BUT what I see now is all the workings of an enterprise...and that is what he is...a business with a lot of people depending on it....Tiger woods the person has to get away from all of that and let people know he sincerely did such...so I see Golf design as way down his list...especially since the president (not the designer) of his design company was the travel agent for the flock .
I wish him the best....

[Michael Dugger]

Heck Mike,

Tiger could do a bang up job for Gillette. All he need do is tell them to add another blade. Seems that's all they been doing lately anyway.

That made me laugh...so true!