Everyone knows about Tiger Woods and his iconic Sunday red. Far fewer notice another ritual he has maintained for decades: taping his fingers before playing. The reason behind it is far more practical than you might think.

For Woods, taping isn’t about fashion. Rather, it’s a practical approach that helps protect his hands while giving him a better grip.

“So this tape started because I got a blister and a callus on my middle finger. And so I end up taking a piece of tape, taking it so, and I always do two wraps around the finger. So it’s one and two. And it’s always a little bit of change. It’s always right underneath the middle,” Tiger Woods said in the video posted by Sun Day Red.

Tiger Woods emphasized that it’s not just his middle finger. As long as blisters keep forming on his fingers, he uses tape to protect them. Furthermore, it's not just during golf events that he tapes his fingers, but also during practice.

“Sometimes I’ll get another callus or a blister on my ring finger. So I’ll tape that, but generally it’s just on my middle finger. And I’ve done that basically since junior golf,” Tiger Woods said in the video posted by Sun Day Red.

It’s certainly no surprise that Woods develops calluses and blisters on his fingers.

He reportedly hit 1,000 shots before tournaments, including 70–100 drives, roughly 300 chips, and 600 putts. With that volume, calluses and blisters were bound to follow

Well, Woods isn’t the only golfer who has turned finger tape into part of his routine.

Over the years, Justin Leonard and Rickie Fowler have also been spotted taping their fingers. Interestingly, many golfers have said that taping has improved their grip and overall efficiency.

While his finger-taping revelation surprised fans, Tiger Woods is a man who follows various traditions religiously. What are they? Let’s take a look.

Other Golf traditions Tiger Woods swears by

Back in 2019, while speaking with GOLF TV, Tiger Woods revealed several rituals he follows before every tournament.

Among them, Woods explained that he honours his father at every tournament by carrying a quarter minted in 1932, the year his father was born.

In addition to that, he made sure he had specific pockets for carrying three tees, which always sat in his front-right pocket, while the yardage book stayed in the back-right pocket.

Apart from these, his Sunday Red tradition is perhaps the most unique and well-known.

According to Woods, his mother, Kultida, considered red his power color. Therefore, he started wearing it in junior golf and has continued the tradition ever since.

What do you think of Woods' pre-game requisites?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi