The news that Tiger Woods is finally parting ways with his swing coach of four years, Sean Foley, evoked discussion in my workplace about the delicate relationship that exists between coach and athlete.
Who is to blame for this break- up?
Was it Foley's fault that Woods has not fired on all cylinders since his marriage split?
Was there a lack of chemistry between coach and athlete that finally led to them parting ways?
In sport-speak, Foley didn't deliver when it came to helping Woods to win majors.
But the coach has managed to achieve great things with some of his other apprentices such as Hunter Mahan.
Did Woods and Foley just not get along?
It seems they did, but they appear not to have clicked in terms of instructor and recipient of that instruction.
Woods' body just didn't excel under Foley's oversight.
In fact, it seems to have crumbled with back surgery and several premature withdrawals from tournaments due to pain and discomfort to show for his efforts.
It is often during down time, when there are idle hands and minds, that partnerships come to an end.
While taking three months off to recuperate from his injury woes, Woods felt it was good timing to also let go of ''excess baggage'' - his coach.
Perhaps Foley's swinging style aggravates Woods' back problems to the point where it can't be ignored any more.
While in the United States, I read an article which suggested baseball pitchers were attempting to throw harder in college to impress the scouts, but in the process were making themselves prone to ''dislocated elbow'', apparently a more common problem now.
Pitching legends believe they used to throw way more than the present-day professional pitchers do, and that wrapping these players up in cotton wool is not doing them any favours.
Some athletes, such as Woods and New Zealand rower Mahe Drysdale, however, need that buffer to manage their injuries and niggles sensibly while still trying to peak when it really matters.
Dan Carter still hasn't quite got that recipe right, and the likes of Richie McCaw and Kieran Read are also fast approaching the ''treat with care'' club when it comes to players who are susceptible to injury.
They're too valuable to the All Black brand not to be given special treatment - but it is also a gamble in terms of being a sound investment of resources.
Ultimately, all athletes (if not let go prior) have to make that hard call - to sum up whether the benefits of playing and performing on the odd occasion outweigh those times when they're in agony or yet again lying on the physio table, taking ice baths, and doing remedial work to ward off niggly and ongoing injuries while others play without a care in the world.
All athletes live in hope that perhaps these issues will miraculously cure themselves, or that they'll find that trainer, that physical therapist and that swing coach who will know how to work around their physical limitations to get them back to their peak performance, back to where they used to be and where they still aspire to be in the near future.
Woods has a few more months left to find that magician, and many tournament organisers and golfing fans around the world hope he finds that conjurer.
If he does, he'll be able to squeeze a few more years out of his body, a lot more cash with product endorsements, and a plethora of sweet shots to win just a few more golfing majors.
