Woods thrills St. Andrews locals in rare clinic
— -- ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Fresh off an overnight flight from Florida, Tiger Woods hustled into the Old Course Hotel early Saturday morning, quickly changed clothes and headed for the gym.
But he would not be alone. Nervously waiting for him were five local amateur golfers who were warming up on stationary bikes when Woods entered the room, introduced himself, hopped on a machine ... and proceeded to get grilled about his workout regimen.
Woods has never been one to divulge much on that subject, but he freely shared his secrets with the local teens.
"All the kids were asking questions about lifting, what type of lifting, what kind of cardio I do, interval training," Woods said following the three-hole session that included hitting balls, a clinic and a three-hole playing tour of the Old Course, where The Open begins on Thursday.
"Golf wasn't a cool thing to do and no one ever lifted. Now this generation of kids is all in the gym, all trying to get stronger, all watching their diets. Totally different culture. Now golf has become a sport and it's cool to see kids out there who treat it like that."
And Woods was pleasantly surprised to hear what was being asked.
"Training, practice schedule, how long do you dedicate to a particular part of the game, when do I work out, how often do I work out," he said. "Before rounds, post rounds. Recovery tactics. It's mind-boggling to hear questions like that from kids of their age. Because when I was their age you were laughed at if you were on the high school golf team. It's completely changed."
Called the Nike Golf Club Training Camp, Woods has participated in similar ventures around the world, including an Asian swing this spring.
To do something such as this on the eve of a major championship (especially at the venue itself) is highly unusual, but Woods seemed to enjoy the experience, asking questions himself, giving tips both on the course and off -- and getting in a bit of prep work for the tournament.
"It's fun to do. All these kids can play," Woods said. "This is about inspiring the next generation of kids."
They played the 16th, 17th and 18th holes, and by the time the group reached the home hole, a crowd of several hundred spectators had gathered. Although the event was private and not announced, word quickly spread in the town, with people lining the railing along the 18th hole and behind the green.
"You can't put words to it. I was playing with my hero," said Matthew McCullough, 17, "You can't sum up in words. With everyone around the green and Tiger holding the flag, I was like, 'Get me out of here.' I just wanted to get it as close to the hole as I could. The atmosphere was incredible.
"Standing on the range he gave me a couple pointers that he saw and it gave me confidence and I got them straightaway and that was amazing. And he said golf is about fun. Playing at the home of golf with Tiger Woods ... there aren't enough words."
Another participant, Lauren Whyte, is an 18-year-old resident of St. Andrews with plenty of rounds on the Old Course who just completed her freshman year at Baylor University.
"It was special," Whyte said. "Especially to do it here. Tiger has always been a role model ever since I was younger. It was just a wonderful experience and I loved every minute of it. We asked a lot of questions. I found it very interesting to hear him talk about his pregame routine in the gym. He said he gets up three hours before he plays and does his warm-up."
Ben Kinsley, 19, gave Woods, 39, a reminder of just how long he's been around.
"He was born and raised here, and he wanted to watch Jack [Nicklaus] in 2005 finish his last British Open," Woods said. "So he watched Jack birdie the last hole and I told him so did I. I was on the putting green as Jackie birdied the last hole, getting ready to tee off for my second round."
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