As of the last few days, there has been a crazy amount of tweets, posts, articles, and opinions thrown around about an 11-year old golfer from Florida. His swing has been analyzed, his on-course decorum has been applauded, and his debut on the national stage has been exciting for so many in the golf world. Oh yeah, he is also Tiger Woods’s son.
Charlie and Tiger Woods are playing in the PNC Championship this year and for the first time ever, the world is watching the games greatest with his mini-me and it is too much for some to even deal with.
We knew this would happen if Charlie Woods ever decided to take up golf and follow in his dad’s footsteps. We knew there would be early comparisons to his dad and the ridiculous talk about how many majors it will take before he passes his father on the trophy shelf. Crazy talk. People are getting upset, like really upset, that the media and golf world is excited about watching Charlie and Tiger play together (and contend) in the PNC Championship this weekend. Some are saying this is the reason kids burn out so quickly in sports these days is because of the attention, pressure, and expectations that are put on youth sports.
But let’s look at what is happening with Charlie through a different lens. Let’s forget that he is the son of the greatest to ever play his sport. Let’s set aside the stunning and eerily similarities between his swing and his dad, right down to the club twirl. And let’s stash away any “Karen” like reactions to a kid forced to play a sport just because his dad did. That is not what is happening here.
What we are watching is simply a dad playing golf with his son.
Sure we also have a talented young athlete flexing his ability in front of the world’s stage and looking pretty damn comfortable. But we also have a dad playing golf with his son with an array of fist bumps and hugs after a made 3-foot putt. At one point Charlie hit his drive and peeked back at his dad with a thumbs up signifying “we are safe in the fairway dad, bombs away.” Tiger responded with a thumbs up of his own and a smile signifying a pride only a father would understand.
It is easy to get on the Trophy Kids bandwagon pretty quickly with this story and to look at this as some sort of exploration of youth and celebrity. And if you feel that way, then I pity you because that is not the story here. Golf is about friendship and what we sometimes forget in our quest for the perfect swing or to knock off a stroke from our handicap is that golf is the world’s second greatest bond. Right behind a father and his child.
So today I ask you to bury the resentment, jealousy, and judgment of the Tiger/Charlie pairing and enjoy watching a dad play golf with his son.