Tiger Woods is a walking highlight reel, but he's also a walking meme. Honestly, if you’ve spent more than five minutes on social media over the last few years, you’ve seen it. It’s that grainy, slightly awkward, yet strangely profound clip of Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie, sharing a synchronized "dap up." It isn’t just a handshake. It’s a cultural artifact.
The internet loves it.
People use it to describe everything from a successful business deal to finally agreeing with a friend on where to eat for dinner. But the Tiger Woods dap up meme actually captures something deeper than just a funny gesture. It captures the weird, public, and somehow very private evolution of a father-son relationship under the harshest spotlight in sports history.
Where Did This Thing Actually Come From?
It wasn't a Major. It wasn't the Masters. The footage that birthed the Tiger Woods dap up meme actually comes from the 2020 PNC Championship. For those who aren't golf nerds, the PNC is basically the "Family Tournament." It’s where pros pair up with their kids or parents to play a relaxed round of golf.
Tiger was playing with Charlie. He was 11 at the time.
The specific moment happened on the fairway. They both stuck a shot, or maybe they just felt the vibe, but they turned to each other and executed a perfectly timed, low-five-into-a-thumb-lock-pull-away. It was smooth. Too smooth. It looked like they had practiced it a thousand times in their backyard, which they probably had.
What made it go viral wasn't just the handshake itself. It was the "Tiger-isms." Charlie wasn't just golfing; he was mimicking his dad’s exact gait, his club twirl, and even the way he adjusted his hat. The dap was the cherry on top. It signaled that the legendary, often stoic Tiger Woods had finally entered his "Dad Era," and the internet was absolutely here for it.
The Psychology of a Viral Handshake
Why do we care?
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Memes usually work because of relatability or absurdity. This one leans hard into relatability. We’ve all had that moment of "syncing up" with someone. It’s that feeling of being on the same page without saying a word. When Tiger and Charlie did it, it humanized a man who, for decades, felt more like a golfing machine than a person.
The grainy quality of the most common GIF version actually helps. It makes it feel like a home movie. It feels nostalgic, even though it only happened a few years ago.
The Evolution of the Tiger Woods Dap Up Meme
The meme didn't stay on the golf course. That’s the thing about great content—it migrates.
Soon, the Tiger Woods dap up meme was being used in contexts that had zero to do with golf. You’d see it on Twitter (X) after a trade in the NBA. You’d see it on LinkedIn—cringe, I know—to celebrate a "synergetic partnership."
It became shorthand for "The Goat and the Heir."
Different Versions for Different Vibes
There isn't just one version. There’s the original 2020 clip. Then there’s the 2021 version where Tiger was recovering from his horrific car accident. That one hit different. Seeing him back on the course, still doing the dap despite the visible pain he was in, added a layer of resilience to the meme. It wasn't just "cool" anymore; it was "tough."
Then you have the "Comparison" memes. These are the ones where someone side-bysides Tiger dapping up a pro like Justin Thomas versus him dapping up Charlie. The energy is totally different. With the pros, it’s respect. With Charlie, it’s a legacy.
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- The "Deal Closed" Post: Used when two people finally agree.
- The "Like Father, Like Son" Post: Used for genetic wins.
- The "Vibe Check" Post: Just for when things are going right.
Why Golf Purists Actually Hate (and Love) It
Golf is a game of etiquette. It’s quiet. It’s polite. Tiger changed that in the 90s with the fist pump, but the dap up is the modern equivalent.
Some old-school fans thought it was "too much" for the course. They’re wrong, obviously. Sports thrive on personality. The Tiger Woods dap up meme did more for golf’s "cool factor" among Gen Z than any equipment commercial ever could. It showed that golf could be cool, rhythmic, and, most importantly, a bond between generations.
The meme acts as a bridge. It connects the 40-somethings who grew up on Tiger’s 1997 Masters win with the 15-year-olds who only know him as "the guy from the memes and 2K covers."
The Impact on Tiger’s Brand
Tiger’s brand used to be "Dominance." Now, it’s "Legacy."
He’s not the favorite to win every tournament he enters anymore. His body is held together by screws and sheer willpower. But the Tiger Woods dap up meme keeps him relevant in the cultural conversation during the weeks he isn't playing.
It’s a form of "passive relevance."
Every time that GIF gets used, the Tiger Woods brand gains a micro-unit of value. It reminds people he’s still there, still influential, and still the gold standard for what a sports icon looks like. He doesn't even have to tweet. We do the work for him.
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The Charlie Factor
You can't talk about the meme without talking about Charlie Woods.
The kid is a stick. He’s got the swing. But he also has the swagger. The meme essentially introduced Charlie to the world as a character, not just a son. It gave him an identity. He’s the "Dap Kid." He’s the one who can hang with the greatest of all time and not look out of place.
How to Use the Meme Without Being "Mid"
If you’re going to use the Tiger Woods dap up meme, timing is everything.
Don't use it for small wins. Don't use it because you found a five-dollar bill in your jeans. Use it when the "sync" is real. Use it when you and a partner have pulled off something that required absolute coordination.
The meme is about chemistry. If the chemistry isn't there, the meme falls flat.
Actionable Takeaways for Modern Fans
Tiger Woods isn't just a golfer; he's a template for how we understand greatness and family. If you want to dive deeper into the "Meme-ification" of sports or just understand why Tiger remains the most searched athlete in golf, here is what you should do next:
- Watch the 2020 PNC Highlights: Go back and watch the full round. The dap is just one second of a four-hour display of eerily similar body language that explains why the meme feels so natural.
- Track the "Sun Day Red" Brand: Tiger’s new brand launch is leaning heavily into these personal, "cool" moments rather than just the red shirt dominance of the Nike era.
- Study the "Meme Lifecycle": Notice how the Tiger Woods dap up meme peaks during the Masters every year, regardless of how Tiger is actually playing. It’s a seasonal cultural staple.
- Follow Charlie’s Junior Career: If you want to see the "prequel" to the next decade of memes, watch how the media handles Charlie's high school and AJGA events. The pressure is immense, but the "dap energy" suggests he’s handling it fine.
Tiger's career is in its twilight, but his digital afterlife is just getting started. The dap isn't just a handshake; it's a passing of the torch that happens to be very, very funny.