A small plaque sits on a busy desk inside the Benjamin School that belongs to Toby Harbeck, the veteran coach who famously mentored the sons of legends like Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and now Tiger Woods. Harbeck watched Charlie Woods’ growth closely and noticed that the boy attacked every hole very aggressively. Harbeck eventually told Woods that his son was far too “gung-ho” off the tee and it might lead to some very costly mistakes. But Woods did not show any worry. Rather, he shut down all the doubts with a simple answer.

“Coach, it’s all a process,” the 15-time major champion told Harbeck. “I went through it when I was a young kid. He will learn.”

Yes, teen Tiger Woods could foreshadow his otherworldly career. And it wasn’t just Golf. Woods would stick with a task like a puzzle or a coloring book until he was done with it. Then, he would proudly say the phrase:  “I want to be known as an overachiever.” He enjoys talking about his weaknesses and the areas in which he wants to improve. And yet, he believed he could master every area of the game. Contradictory, isn’t it? But that was Tiger Woods.

And to achieve excellence, Woods often put himself against everything in the world. Just before the 2008 US Open, doctors advised him not to play due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a double stress fracture in his left tibia. But Tiger being Tiger, he played that event and even won, but that decision forced him to watch the rest of the season’s tournaments from the sidelines.

And when he debuted at the 1995 Masters, Gary Player recalled, “As soon as I saw Tiger Woods swing today, I thought, Man, this young guy has got ‘it.’ … It’s agility, it’s speed. ‘It’ is what a great racehorse has.”

Charlie has already shown that exact mindset and shown that he does not like to rest or store his limited energy. Back in 2022, Charlie hurt his ankle right before the PNC Championship. Most kids would have stayed home to rest and get better for the next big game. Instead, Charlie limped onto the course and finished the event.

Once, Harbeck himself wished that the teenager would just relax and play a much easier game. He wanted the boy to save his strength for the long and tiring stretches of play.  But Charlie came and helped the ‘Buccaneers’ finish second in Monday’s Class 1A Region 4 tournament at a windy Miami Shores Country Club back in 2024. “If he could just relax and play, store some of that energy, it’s good. He’s just young. He’s got a lot of Dad in him,” the coach explained then.

And most recently, during the recent state championship in late 2025, Charlie started the first round with a score of 74, which left the team in a tense situation. But the very next day, the young ‘Buccaneer’ produced a stunning round of 68 strokes and helped lead the Benjamin School to their second title in just three years.  This “never-quit” attitude is exactly what Tiger was talking about.

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Tiger Woods’ role and support

The Big Cat does not act like a superstar parent who demands special treatment for his child. Harbeck says they treat the legend just like any other dad on the golf team. Notably, he once felt very “jittery” during a match when his son was just a freshman, and even asked the coach, “What can I do… I don’t want to break any rules or get us disqualified.” Harbeck told Woods that he is not allowed to walk down the middle of the fairway with his son. And Woods obliged.

Then, one month prior to the state championship held in November 2025, Tiger had a major back surgery. He still chose to walk the long course to watch his son play every hole. His presence gave the whole team a massive boost of confidence during the tough final.

Now, as he finishes his great high school, a major question looms over Charlie Woods ‘ career. He is currently ranked in the top-15 of the AJGA Rankings. While most top players commit to a college early, Charlie is still keeping everyone guessing.

Florida State head coach Trey Jones was seen talking to Tiger during a recent match. The “Seminoles” are a very strong team and want to land the young golf star. Adding Charlie to their roster would be a massive win for the Florida State program, as they recently signed Miles Russell, who is the number one junior golfer in the world. Joining this team would put Charlie in a lineup filled with incredible young talent and give him a chance to counter the rival Florida Gators’ stellar 2027 class, which features AJGA top-10 players Giuseppe Puebla and Jessy Huebner.

The Woods family also has a very long and famous history with Stanford University, as Tiger broke many records there before he became the biggest star in the golf world. Charlie’s older sister, Sam, is currently studying at that same school right now. So, many people believe he will follow in his father’s footsteps to the great California school.