Today, the POLITICO Arena posed the question: Was the Tiger Woods apology a good or bad template for the occasional wayward pol? My succinct response – No. Below is my longer response, which you can also see at http://www.politico.com/arena/.

Tiger Woods needs better public relations advice before his apology approach becomes a model for wayward politicians to follow. There were numerous things wrong with his template. In brief:

· He could’ve given the very same apology (save the “I’ve been in therapy” portion) almost immediately after the Thanksgiving driving disaster occurred.

· To me, his apology seemed cold and mechanical. He seemed to simply be trying to check all of the necessary boxes of that an apology needs – family, fans, sponsors, golf and the kids.

· He gave off the vibe that he deserved better treatment from the media. The news media helped fuel is rise to worldwide fame and riches. He put himself into the public eye by signing huge endorsement deals which came with advertising that splashed his face and image everywhere. Had he only been a golfer and nothing else, his “leave me alone” attitude might carry some weight. In this case, I found that request to be tone-deaf and petulant.

· He should’ve opened the statement up to more than just a few handpicked reporters. Kudos to the golf writers for boycotting in protest of his excessive effort to control the event. Tiger’s approach hurt the event when the feed from the main camera went out during his statement and news organizations (at least NBC, where I was watching) were forced to use the “cuts camera” (the one off to the side designed to get crowd reactions) to carry his remarks.

· To truly get this episode behind him and get back on track (with the news media, anyway), he should’ve taken questions. That doesn’t mean he needed to detail his many exploits, but he should’ve exhausted the questions from reporters. This would have demonstrated whether or not he had genuine remorse over the damage he had caused to his family, the game and himself.

· Finally, he should’ve worn a different shirt. You’d think a guy with that much money would be able to get a tailored shirt that fit correctly. His collar was awkwardly flying out of the jacket and it made him look like a junior high student stuffed into his first ever homecoming dance outfit.

Tiger – Give me a shout. Stanzel Communications can help you get out of this public relations sandtrap.

UPDATE: Forgot to mention: Elin, you are welcome to call, too.