Tiger Woods Biography by Jeff Benedict (Summary)

Ian Greer -

Key Takeaways

  • Ever since Tiger was a kid, his dad said Tiger was the chosen one. His dad thought that Tiger would be bigger than Nelson Mandela and Gandhi.
  • 3 big themes of the book: practice, visualization, and affirmation.
  • Brainwash yourself into thinking you are the best (visualization/affirmation). Become the best (practice).
  • Tiger would hypnotize himself.
  • People want to be associated with winners.
  • Tiger would isolate himself the day before a competition and visualize. He would visualize every shot in his mind the night before a tournament. All 18 holes. He would do this the night before each day of the tournament.
  • "I want to be the Michael Jordan of golf. I want to be the best ever." — Tiger Woods
  • “My ultimate goal is to be the best.”
  • Tiger was obsessed with golf. He was always thinking about how to improve his swing or play better (when he wasn’t practicing).
  • Tiger would always violently hit the ball with everything he had.
  • Kobe was similar in that he would always go 100% – even at practice.
  • Tiger was an extreme introvert. “Tiger was very shy. He didn’t have friends.” — Dina Gravell. Dina was Tiger's first girlfriend. They met in high school accounting class.
  • He married Elin Nordegren when he was 25 and she was 21.
  • Tiger pushed his body too hard and didn't take the time to recover. He ended up getting injured a lot.
  • It is essential to deload, get adequate sleep, and recover fully.
  • You must study the greats of your field. This is absolutely essential.
  • Have a singular focus. Woods cared about the golf trophies above all else. Trophies symbolized wins. He cared more about a golf tournament win than friends or money.
  • Tiger paid attention to every little detail. The little details add up to a huge advantage over time.
  • Tiger was sent 6 clubs by Nike that were supposed to all be the same weight. Tiger could tell that one club was 2 grams heavier (the weight of two dollar bills).
  • Avoid pills. Avoid drugs.
  • When a news story broke about Tiger’s affair and his wife found out, he crashed his car because he was on 2 drugs.
  • In 2017, he was arrested for DUI with 5 drugs in his system.

Notes

Tiger’s dad said he was the chosen one. Bigger than Nelson Mandela and Gandhi.

  • Like Kanye West and his mom.

Tiger got straight A's in school.

Tiger was brainwashed by his dad to love golf.

Tiger uses visualization. Tiger uses affirmations. He listened to affirmations. Brainwash yourself into thinking you are the best.

People want to be associated with winners.

Tiger's dad cheated on his mom a lot.

Tiger loved his mom.

When Tiger is age 11, his mom tells him that he must crush his golf competition completely.

“2nd place is first loser.” — Tiger Woods

His mom was cut-throat. She said there's no point in friends. His mom said that Earl (Tiger's dad) was soft because he cried and he forgave people (she doesn't cry or forgive).

Tiger would isolate himself the day before a competition and visualize.

"I want to be the Michael Jordan of golf. I want to be the best ever." – Tiger Woods

Tiger thought about quitting golf and being a Navy Seal.

Tiger would always violently hit the ball with everything he had.

  • Kobe was similar in that he would always go 100%. Even at practice or scrimmage.

Tiger was an extreme introvert.

Tiger met Bill Walsh. The guy who wrote, "The Score Takes Care of Itself".

Tiger pushed his body too hard and didn't take the time to recover. He ended up getting injured a lot.

  • It is essential to deload, get adequate sleep, and recover fully.

You must study the greats of your field. This is absolutely essential.

Woods cared about the golf trophies above all else. Trophies symbolized wins. He cared more about a golf tournament win than friends or money.

Tiger played even though his knee was destroyed.

  • This is like Kobe Bryant—Kobe would finish a game no matter what.

Woods would visualize every shot in his mind the night before a tournament. All 18 holes.

Tiger paid attention to every little detail. The little details add up to a huge advantage over time.

Tiger was sent 6 clubs by Nike that were supposedly all the same weight. Tiger could tell that one club was 2 grams heavier (The weight of two dollar bills). You need to be "princess and the pea"-level detailed.

Tiger got into scuba diving because it was the only place he could be alone. Nobody was trying to get money from him. Nobody could recognize him.

  • Is fame worth it? Maybe better to be #2, not #1.

Tiger was found mixing ~5 different drugs at once.

Avoid pills. Avoid drugs.

Tiger would never let his body rest. Even in 2007, he was still doing military-style training. Long-distance runs with a vest. He was on pain meds often because he messed up his body.

The problem isn't getting rich, it's staying sane.