I’m a monkey-see, monkey-do style of learner. I was first told that about 20 years ago -- in different words -- when I first started my current job. I took one of those personality/placement-type tests and it revealed -- to no surprise to me -- that I’m mostly a visual learner. I envy today’s generation somewhat for having an unbelievable amount of visually-based tools for learning. If I had such teaching aids back in the 80s during my high school and college years, my test scores and grades would certainly have been better.

With that said, I discovered a single image not long ago that’s really changed my golf swing. I was rummaging through some old Sports Illustrated magazines my son had piled up in his room and I saw a cover article about Tiger, called simply, “Tiger 2.0.” I didn’t get around to reading the article, but I did study the cover photo for awhile, an image of Tiger at the top of his backswing, taken from an angle not regularly seen. The image, a silhouette of sorts, has been burnt into my mind.

What’s most striking to me is Tiger’s hand position at the top -- high above his head. I love this image.

For the past decade or so, and for reasons I don’t know, I developed a pretty flat golf swing. It seemed to have come on naturally by trying to increase my shoulder rotation and producing a draw in the process. It just felt right to keep my right elbow tucked into my side during the backswing, and following that track down and around on the downswing. My hands stay well below my ears at the top, just above my right shoulder. In what has become my regular swing, I can aim way to the right of the target -- and I mean “way right” -- and still miss left. When I’m on, it’s not a bad look. My shots fly high to the right and turn over rather quickly, with most of the draw happening late in the ball’s descent. On good days, I can control it somewhat, but most days, it has me. A pull hook or two (or six) was always in the mix, along with lost rounds and bigger scores.

Until I saw Tiger 2.0.

Starting with my driver -- where the most significant effects would seem to occur -- I made a conscious effort to take the club back higher, with my left arm straighter, and, most importantly, getting the club away from me by getting my right elbow away from my side. After setting up, my pre-shot routine mimicks Chris DiMarco somewhat. I’ll take the club back and turn my head to check the position. In my actual backswing, I’ll visualize the Tiger image, and on the downswing, my single thought is firing my left hip just slightly right of the target, getting the club in the slot and firing through.

Results are never as dramatic as one would think, but in doing this for several rounds, I’ve been really impressed. Not just with the results, but with the feel itself. My swing seems much more powerful. It’s more free, and feels more like a cut shot, without a cut result. My ball flight is straighter, the trajectory lower, and I’ve added some needed distance.

I regularly play with a guy who’s pretty gosh-darn long off the tee. Dewayne (who I blogged about before regarding a match play event), is a lefty with big shoulders, a broad turn, and a new steel-shafted driver that he simply crushes. Usually, Dewayne sails his drives way past mine, some 20-40 yards each time. But this last Sunday, I found myself pushing closer to him than ever before. On one occasion, he hit driver and I meant to lay up for position with a three wood, only to find my ball just few yards behind him -- we both went through the fairway. He even commented -- with some concern -- about my three wood tee shot. Later, when we both hit driver, he spanked one with a draw and I hit a bit of a cut, and I was dead-even with him. It was a good feeling.

The swing change has also helped with my irons. Although it’s tough to gauge iron play this time of year -- with the cold, windy conditions and the wet turf -- I have flown a few greens with the new swing. The ball seems to really take off with what feels like less effort. And, most importantly, I’m not hooking it at all, and only pulling it when I forget I have a left hip to use.

I hope to be able to keep Tiger 2.0 in the permanent memory banks. I would even like to find a nice, quality version of the photo to frame (by mistake, I stupidly tossed the SI I had) and keep it in my office. Every picture tells a story, and I hope this one helps to write a new chapter in my golfing life. I'll call it "Me 2.0."