Tiger Woods returns to golf with ‘old’ swing, new gear, and less bulk

Tiger Woods is lean, healthy, and carrying a new big stick -- but mostly, he’s psyched to be reunited with a familiar swing and beating the bejesus out of balls on the range at his old Isleworth stomping grounds.

“I’m going back to some of the old stuff, going back to what I used to do as a junior [golfer] and how I used to swing then -- how much freer my swing used to be,” Woods, under the tutelage of new swing advisor Chris Como after parting from Sean Foley in August, said during a clinic on Monday ahead of his return to competition at this week’s Hero World Challenge. “It’s been good ... I got my speed back.”

A reconciliation with a swing that even Tiger critic Brandel Chamblee could find no fault with was the primary change Woods displayed during his ball-striking exhibition and chatted about in his pre-tourney press conference on Tuesday.

“It is new but it’s old,” Woods told reporters at Isleworth, the one-time host of the event that will shift to the Bahamas for the next three years. “I just haven’t done it in a long time but my body is remembering it ... I don’t feel like I’m hitting it very hard, but [the ball] is coming off the face faster.”

Unable to do much but chip and putt and watch his kids play soccer during his lengthy rehab layoff, Woods sought solutions to a swing that was off-kilter and that he believed contributed to back woes that required a microdiscectomy in March. That led him to his mother’s old VCR, which he fired up to review video of his junior days, when he generated strength and length with a less mechanical motion than the one he deployed for four years of Foley mentoring.

His search also culminated in a need to “go a different direction” from his former coach and hook up -- at the behest of good friend and unofficial interim swing coach, Notah Begay -- with Como.

“I was very surprised and very excited to see what [Como] felt my swing should look like going forward, because that was very similar to the vision I had,” Woods said, clarifying the “consultant” status of his new teammate, who will bolster his colleague’s swing philosophy rather than try to revamp it. “It was quite interesting to see where my swing was then and how much force I could generate with a very skinny frame.”

(Video via Golfweek’s Adam Schupak)

Speaking of which, Woods showcased his slimmer torso -- a result, he said, of rigorous gym work in preparation for his first tournament since missing the cut at the PGA in August.

“I have lost a little weight. I don’t want to,” said Woods, whose larger, buffed body Hank Haney blamed for his former student’s bad back. “I have a hard time keeping weight on. I’ve been training awfully hard to try and get ready for this event and I’ve shed a few pounds.”

Woods said he would regain some of his bulk when he returned full-time to the PGA Tour, which he will do next year with new gear in the bag. Nike’s RZN Black ball, which he has been testing for some time, has reportedly boosted Tiger’s ball speed and enhanced his spin around the greens.

Also in the bag that caddie Joe LaCava lugged during practice rounds on Sunday and Monday were a Vapor Speed Prototype driver, Vapor Speed fairway woods (3 and 5), and Vapor Pro blade irons.

As for how long it will take him to re-adapt to his “old motor pattern” (a new Tiger-ism that enters the lexicon alongside old faves “traj,” “feels,” “reps,” and “explosiveness”), Woods’ guess was as good as anyone’s.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m curious to find that out myself, too.”

Though Woods was adamant that his back was “fantastic,” and he had no fears about re-injuring himself, the 14-time major champion sought to temper the outlook for his chances in the 18-player field.

“Am I game ready? Probably not quite as I would like to be,” Woods said. “I haven’t played a competitive round since August. That’s a long time.”