Roundup: Glutes, More Glutes And Nothing But The Glutes!

Ron Kapriske talks to Golf Digest fitness advisor Ralph Simpson about deactivating your glutes, as Tiger asserted happened to him Thursday at Torrey Pines.

He says gluteal deactivation can happen, however, Tiger would have looked pretty ridiculous if actual shutting down occurred.

"Even if a person could play golf with their gluteal muscles partially or completely deactivated, you'd usually notice huge compensations in their golf swing," says Simpson, a certified physical therapist who worked on the PGA Tour for several years. "Their hands and arms might do more of the work to compensate for a lack of core strength, or there might be a sway or slide with the body. It would look very awkward for a pro."

Dr. Ara Suppiah explained to Gary Williams the problems Tiger is having with his back and did believe fatigue might be an issue, while offering a few theories. He also addresses the use of the jargon in question.

ESPN.com's Bob Harig talked to former Tiger instructor Hank Haney, who is questioning Tiger's desire and also his obsession with speed.

"All I've heard about is speed," said Haney, referring to Woods' comments that his speed -- and hence a good bit of power -- is back. "And yet all his stats are bad. He was 186th [on the PGA Tour] in greens, 160th in scrambling, 184th from 50 to 125 yards, 169th in three-putt avoidance. What does that have to do with speed?

"That's not your problem, you can't find your ball. You can't chip it on a green from 5 yards. And I thought this guy was going to fix his back."

That would be Chris Como, Woods' new swing consultant, who was brought on board due to his background in biomechanics and the ability to help Woods produce a swing that does not put pressure on his back.

If this isn't enough analysis, Morning Drive figures to have some pretty lively discussions this Sunday...

Breed, Blackmar, Chamblee, Diaz and Williams to Examine State of Tiger Woods’ Game in Roundtable Discussion on Sunday’s Morning Drive
 
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 6, 2015 – A roundtable of experts will discuss the current state of Tiger Woods’ injuries, examine his golf swing and short game struggles, analyze the current mental aspect of his game and debate his future in a special Sunday segment on Morning Drive (10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET) on Golf Channel.

The panel discussion, moderated by Morning Drive host Gary Williams, will include The Golf Fix host and 2012 PGA of America Teacher of the Year Michael Breed, Golf Channel analysts Phil Blackmar and Brandel Chamblee and Golf World Editor-In-Chief Jaime Diaz, who has followed Woods’ entire career.

Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday – his third withdrawal in his past nine tournaments – citing back pain.