Working golf course architect Tiger Woods, better known as Charlie's Dad...

[Jason Thurman]

... how are we not discussing this?


Charlie is an assassin. He's also like 12 so let's not get ahead of ourselves but this is a seriously fun time. Who built this course? Looks RTJish with the narrow angled greens. Good place for a guy coming off surgery to play. I might need to make a trip...

[Tim_Cronin]

It's charming to see the lad playing so well. And he can putt. The future is a mystery but fun to see this.


All the mannerisms of his dad, as well, as so many of them in the field have compared to their dads. I remember watching one of Jack's kids (Gary?) in the Western Junior, and he walked just like Jack.

[Ronald Montesano]

We're not discussing this because it has nothing to do with golf course architecture.


I count at least 8 other competitors with architectural dips of the toes, and we're not discussing them for the same reason.


If you want to talk about the work that the Greg Norman team did at Ritz-Carlton, I'm in.

[Tim_Cronin]

We're not discussing this because it has nothing to do with golf course architecture.


I count at least 8 other competitors with architectural dips of the toes, and we're not discussing them for the same reason.


If you want to talk about the work that the Greg Norman team did at Ritz-Carlton, I'm in.

The course is a pushover.


Happy now?

[John Kavanaugh]

Cart golf. Tiger sang the praises of our wheeled friends.

[Tim_Cronin]

Cart golf. Tiger sang the praises of our wheeled friends.

Melvyn is probably apoplectic over it all.

[jeffwarne]

The greens appeared flat.
Never saw a putt that needed to start outside the hole.


Back on topic off topic-It's hard for me to believe there are 12 year olds better than this kid.

[Tommy Williamsen]

He certainly did not appear overawed by the situation and stuffed two iron shots coming down the stretch. Neither he nor his Dad seemed to get too excited by their play. They were all business.

[Peter Flory]

Back on topic off topic-It's hard for me to believe there are 12 year olds better than this kid.

I'm sure that the 12 year olds that rank higher than him are just bigger and/or play in more events to rack up points.  He appears to be as good as you possibly can be for his size.  Charlie is 4'8" and 70lbs.  He's only slightly below average height for that age. 


Just for perspective, I have a 12 year old who is 5'9" and wears size 12 shoes.

[JMEvensky]

Back on topic off topic-It's hard for me to believe there are 12 year olds better than this kid.

Other than a few pitches/chips, did he mishit a shot in 2 days?

[jeffwarne]

Back on topic off topic-It's hard for me to believe there are 12 year olds better than this kid.

I'm sure that the 12 year olds that rank higher than him are just bigger and/or play in more events to rack up points.  He appears to be as good as you possibly can be for his size.  Charlie is 4'8" and 70lbs.  He's only slightly below average height for that age. 


Just for perspective, I have a 12 year old who is 5'9" and wears size 12 shoes.

I will say that golf is easier(assuming the $$ and knowledge to get good equipment as they grow) on the scale Charlie plays it.
The obvious exception is that it's harder to create enough spin on ceratin shots, but most courses don't demand that.
I saw this with my son when he was 6-12 years old, rarely missing a fairway before he grew strong enough to leave the course.
i.e. he has to hit it waay offline to hit it out of play as fairways are the same actual size whether you carry it 180 or 300, but obviously become harder to find the farther one hits it(see LPGA where there are players who rarely miss fairways-not so on PGA Tour amongst the elite longer players)


The 800 lb gorilla in the room, is that this kid is good looking, can play and full of swag.
It won't be long before he is the object of huge female attention, if not already.
12 year old Tiger may have been that way on the course,not off the course, and frankly he looked like Erkle till he was about 18, not having the benefit of Elin in his gene pool like Charlie does.


I'm guessing/hoping Tiger gives the kid a bit more freedom with life and the fairer sex than Earl did.
In the long run, hopefully this is a good thing as the pent up demand for Tiger's (insert word here)did not end well as an adult.
That means the kid may have more distractions from age 14-21, like a normal good looking, talented kid.
Might make for a more muted jr and amateur career, but hopefully makes for a more balanced life and  career longevity should he pursure golf as a profession.


It will be interesting to see how this evolves and I was super impressed with his game under the gun, though frankly I was impressed with many of the kid's games in the events.

[John Kavanaugh]

Back on topic off topic-It's hard for me to believe there are 12 year olds better than this kid.

I'm sure that the 12 year olds that rank higher than him are just bigger and/or play in more events to rack up points.  He appears to be as good as you possibly can be for his size.  Charlie is 4'8" and 70lbs.  He's only slightly below average height for that age. 


Just for perspective, I have a 12 year old who is 5'9" and wears size 12 shoes.

I will say that golf is easier(assuming the $$ and knowledge to get good equipment as they grow) on the scale Charlie plays it.
The obvious exception is that it's harder to create enough spin on ceratin shots, but most courses don't demand that.
I saw this with my son when he was 6-12 years old, rarely missing a fairway before he grew strong enough to leave the course.
i.e. he has to hit it waay offline to hit it out of play as fairways are the same actual size whether you carry it 180 or 300, but obviously become harder to find the farther one hits it(see LPGA where there are players who rarely miss fairways-not so on PGA Tour amongst the elite longer players)


The 800 lb gorilla in the room, is that this kid is good looking, can play and full of swag.
It won't be long before he is the object of huge female attention, if not already.
12 year old Tiger may have been that way on the course,not off the course, and frankly he looked like Erkle till he was about 18, not having the benefit of Elin in his gene pool like Charlie does.


I'm guessing/hoping Tiger gives the kid a bit more freedom with life and the fairer sex than Earl did.
In the long run, hopefully this is a good thing as the pent up demand for Tiger's (insert word here)did not end well as an adult.
That means the kid may have more distractions from age 14-21, like a normal good looking, talented kid.
Might make for a more muted jr and amateur career, but hopefully makes for a more balanced life and  career longevity should he pursure golf as a profession.


It will be interesting to see how this evolves and I was super impressed with his game under the gun, though frankly I was impressed with many of the kid's games in the events.

Little early to pigeon hole the kid as a cis male. Fairer sex, really?!?

[Rick Sides]

That little guy looks solid! Swagger of his Dad and beautiful swing.  I coached baseball for 20 years and I will never a young man I had that was about 5 10 in middle school who at age 12 was hitting balls into the trees 400 feet over the fence deep into the woods.  If ever I thought one of my players would make it to the MLB it was him. However by time high school came, he didn't grow anymore and by his senior year was not starting.  You truly never know what happens in those formative years and just how damn hard it is to become a professional .

[Ira Fishman]

Rick,


I have had the privilege of working for NFL players for over the past 10 or so years. You are 100% or more correct about how difficult and rare it is to become a professional athlete. And even those who make it, an even smaller number have a long career.


We are fortunate enough to have two regular posters here--Jeff Warne and Pat Burke--who made it all of the way. It is such an amazing accomplishment.


If Charlie Woods decides to pursue golf as a profession, I am rooting for him. And if he does not, that entirely is up to him.


Ira

[Rick Sides]

Ira I couldn’t agree more . In my 23 years teaching kids , I have seen one kid go pro and he grew 11 inches in high school to 6 ‘ 11 . You can’t teach height

[Jason Thurman]

Charlie's future is fun to imagine. His talent already justifies the speculation.


But one of the only things I hated about the tournament stemmed from the commentators' constant effort to expand beyond the moment and try to deeply contextualize every shot. Tiger can't hit a good shot without someone bringing up his history of good shots. Charlie can't hit a 4 iron to 4 feet and just draw enthusiasm... It has to also lead to discussion about the fundamentals of his swing and how it compares to, like, everybody who's ever swung.


The focus on narrative overlooked the awesome, fun event unfolding in front of us. Y'all know I love basketball. You know how Mike Breen yells "Bang!" when guys hit big shots? Golf needs more of that, less of "And tell me, Mark Rohlfing, what do you see when you look at this instant replay and think about it in the context of golf's 500 year history?"


I guess my point is: this tournament was fun. Golf could use more of that, architecturally and competitively and just across the board. I tuned in for Tiger, but the format was surprisingly endearing and capitalized on some of the unique elements that make golf so well suited for partnered competition even among players of very different profiles. It was relatable. It was mercifully brief! It seemed like a tournament that would fill a field and waitlist immediately at my club. I went in ready to reconcile a legend's mortality and scoff at silly-season competition. I left thinking it's the most fun I've had watching an event since April 2019.

[Terry Lavin]

It was engaging television. Except we had to watch John Daly. And, yes, I know he and his son won, but he’s unwatchable.

[Ira Fishman]

The Woods’s performance was compelling even for a made for TV event.


But mostly I kept thinking about Merion 1971.


Ira

[Anthony Gray]

It was engaging television. Except we had to watch John Daly. And, yes, I know he and his son won, but he’s unwatchable.

 Have you always thought that about him? His two majors were must see.