Golf Guide

To say it has been a bad few months for Tiger Woods would be a slight understatement. As bad a beating as he has taken from the media and sponsors, the subsidiary impact of his mess is about to really hit hard with another group – the PGA.

The PGA Tour kicked off on January 4, 2010 with the SBS Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii. What you didn’t hear about it? Exactly. By the way, Geoff Ogilvy one the tournament for the second straight year at 22 under. Regardless, the victory didn’t get much coverage except on golf outlets because a certain individual was not there. This wasn’t particularly troubling since he rarely plays the tournament. As the weeks pass, however, this is going to become a bigger problem.

Catch a Tiger by its tale…and watch the PGA weep! This pretty much sums up the situation. Tiger has a bushel of personal problems and nobody knows when he will be returning to the tour. Until then, the PGA is going to have some serious problems. Statistics have shown that television viewership drops roughly 50 percent when Woods does not play. That is a huge issue for tournaments already facing issues in a tough economy.

Take the San Diego Open at Torrey Pines in the last week of January. This is a tournament Tiger traditionally has always played at. All indications are that he will not this year. Torrey Pines is a tremendous golf course, but the promoters are having serious issues finding a major sponsor for the tournament. The tournament was once known as the Buick Open, a Tiger sponsor, but that has all gone by the wayside. With a smaller television audience sans Woods, it is simply proving to be difficult to attract sponsors per radio reports out here in San Diego. The tournament appears as though it will go on with a group of secondary sponsors, but this is a sign of things to come with future PGA events.

Any way you slice it, the PGA is in for a brutal year. A combination of a Tiger gone missing with a sour economic environment is a toxic mix. The PGA will survive, but a drop in win purses may have players realizing how important Tiger is to the tour.

Mark P. Warner is with DrivingAGolfBall.com - where driving a golf ball can be something that is good in your game, not bad.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/can-the-pga-survive-an-absent-tiger-1734937.html

In the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster with a moral-laden saga. The setting takes place in the 17th-century Puritan settlement of Boston. Carrying her infant Pearl, Hester Prynne bears a scarlet letter “A” on her breast as a punishment for her apparent adultery. Despite the public humiliation, Hester never reveals her accomplice, Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale. Therefore, she receives the wrath of her community. Surprisingly, Rev. Dimmesdale sits quietly by as Hester bears all of the public shame.

Tiger Woods may feel like he’s bearing his own scarlet letter. Yet, Elin Nordegren, Tiger’s wife, endures an apparent burden; she carries the public humiliation of her husband’s infidelity. Many people speculate that the beautiful supermodel will stand by her man due to the millions of dollars at stake. Others argue that Elin will leave Tiger. Unfortunately, this situation plays out like another celebrity circus. Witnessing a public humiliation isn’t pleasant. It is easy to speculate as we watch the unraveling of one’s life. Some people can remember, growing up, the cruelty of youthful jokes in public at someone else’s expense. This article examines how to deal with public humiliation in order to move forward.

The Circumstance

Life is more than a game. Tiger may be the greatest golfer is history. However, Tiger’s own imperfection has damaged his public persona. On November 25th, the National Enquirer published a story alleging Tiger Wood’s infidelity. On November 27th, Tiger crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant in his neighborhood without apparent explanation. He refused to talk with the policemen. Shortly afterward, several women claimed they had extramarital affairs with Tigers. Tiger has remained quiet except for his website posting: “This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me.” His delayed response to any wrongdoing (stopping Enid’s public humiliation) came much too late. In fact, he may not be able to rapidly repair his tarnished image. According to a Gallup poll, his unfavorable rating surged up to 57%, compared to only 8% four years ago.

The Healing Strategy

Public humiliation can heal over time. Public humiliation can be defined as “an action that allows an individual’s personal embarrassment to become publicly known.” Shame is defined as “a strong emotion caused by guilt or disgrace.” Shame is not always bad. For example, children know not to misbehave in public due to the fact that they might embarrass their parents. However, there isn’t much positive that one can say about public humiliation. It is an awful feeling. If the act is done by a loved one, it becomes a tormented burden. Why would anyone do such a thing? To take back one’s integrity from public humiliation requires a great amount of courage. For many people, it takes personal healing that involves moving away from public scrutiny. In fact, a spiritual renewal can assist in the recovery process toward forgiveness. In many cases, celebrities are unwilling to give up the public limelight. Unfortunately, some people can allow this humiliation to chew up their self-worth, thereby becoming a prisoner of their imperfections.

Some folks possess the inner strength to press onward. However, it doesn’t mean the individual forgets the humiliation. Lewis Smedes, author of Forgive & Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve, spent a lifetime understanding how people can forgive others. Yet, he did not underestimate the damage caused to the victim: "You can forgive someone almost anything. But you cannot tolerate everything. . . . We don't have to tolerate what people do just because we forgive them for doing it. Forgiving heals us personally. To tolerate everything only hurts us all in the long run." For example, Jenny Sanford, wife of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, filed for divorce after her husband’s affair was revealed – showing that it is possible for a person involved in such a situation to take empowering action.

Conclusion

Getting over public humiliation isn’t an easy process. Today, public apologies are rather common. Many public figures have used the public relations playbook by announcing their transgression with a contrite spirit in hopes of getting the story behind them. Yet, they find it harder to remove the damage done to their victim. In fact, the person who caused the public humiliation does not get off free. In the Scarlett Letter, Dimmesdale’s secret sin haunts him in the form of deterioting health and torment by Hester’s husband. Likewise, Tiger is the center of tabloid news and late night talkshow banter. Many wonder if Enid can overcome her hurt and accept Tiger back, or whether she will choose to move on with her own life. For many individuals who are not in the limelight, they must gather the strength and fight for their integrity and self-worth. Time is still ticking.

Dr. Daryl D. Green writes on contemporary issues impacting emerging leaders across the globe. With over 20 years of management experience, Dr. Green’s expertise has been noted and quoted by USA Today, Ebony Magazine, and Associated Press. For more information, you can go to http://stores.lulu.com/darygre or http://www.darylgreen.org

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/tigers-scarlett-letter-live-beyond-public-humiliation-1670563.html