There are two types of people in this world: those who make New Year’s Resolutions, and those who don’t.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with goal setting, and it does make sense to set some resolutions at the beginning of the New Year. The only problem? Most people give up on them in less than a couple of months. Some are disciplined enough to keep their goals alive, while others slump back into their regular ways and accept that no change is just fine.
Tiger Woods and John Daly represent both sides of the spectrum.
Two of the most recognizable names in the game of golf are Woods and Daly. One of them is known for being an all-time winner, with 82 victories on the PGA Tour and countless moments of certified athletic greatness. The other is known for still being really good at golf despite all of the drinking, smoking, and not caring that he does.
The juxtaposition couldn’t be more on display in this video, which compares Tiger Woods’ and John Daly’s pre round routines before they play golf. Neither of them are likely keeping these warm up rituals as they’ve gotten older (Tiger actually might be), but it’s still a great reflection of how the two “athletes” approach competition.
What are those pre-round rituals, you might be asking? Well, Tiger was asked how he prepared for tournaments, and he gave this long, detailed answer:
“I used to get up in the morning and run four miles. Then I go to the gym, do my lift. Then I’d hit balls for 2 to 3 hours. I would go play, come back, work on my short game.
Then I’d go run another four miles, and then if anyone wanted to go play basketball or tennis, I’d go play basketball or tennis. That was a daily routine.”
That’s really no surprise coming from a golfer who is widely considered to be the greatest of all time. So what about John Daly? How did he get ready to compete? The charismatic golfer detailed his approach to competition, and this shouldn’t be all that surprising either:
“Well, I hit balls for maybe 20 minutes, putt a little bit, smoke four or five cigarettes, drink three Diet Cokes and go to the first tee. Some days I won’t even go to the range (to hit balls).”
Yep, that sounds about right.
And it’s a great representation of the two types of New Year’s Resolution setters that are out there. The PGA Tour pointed that out in their post below, which hilariously paired together Daly and Woods laying out their practice schedules. Just remember as you lay out your goals and plans for the year… you can either approach things in a more relaxed way like John Daly, or attack the day like prime Tiger Woods.
The good news is that it worked out just fine for both of them. So whether you get up and run multiple miles before getting a lift in, or stay on the couch, down Diet Cokes and eat to your heart’s content, your 2026 should be just fine:
