Quoting Kultida Woods, Sean said, “That was a non-negotiable. You are going to meditate.” Kultida turned meditation into a mandatory activity for Tiger Woods throughout his youth. Sean stated the importance of meditation as it has been a healthy practice followed by human beings for thousands of years.

Then the former coach moved towards Tiger Woods’s father as he said, “His father is a Green Beret in Vietnam,” as he discussed Earl Woods’s military commitments. He further added, “In Vietnam, you can go to war for America but you can’t vote in America. You don’t have equal rights.” as he pointed out the discrimination in the rules. Sean mentioned how Woods’s father met one of his closest friends, Tiger during his time in the military. That’s where Tiger Woods got his name from.

Talking about the intricate background of Woods’s parents, Sean said, “Tiger grew up with this Eastern way of being. And then was taught by a special forces guy on how to be special.” Woods’s former coach mentioned how “if you’re telling yourself you’re special, you’re overcoming obstacles” as he explained that having a positive mentality helps you overcome a lot of “challenges” in your life. However, Sean did clarify that just telling yourself that you’re special doesn’t help you become great. You also have to overcome “adversities.”

Raising Tiger Woods over the years

Another coach of Tiger Woods revealed what Kultida made her son do to keep him focused. Hughes Norton, Tiger Woods’s first golf coach discussed it in a recent interview he had in Golf Journal’s podcast. Recollecting the memories of visiting a teen Tiger Woods in his room, Hughes said, “He had posters on the wall. He, [Jack] Nicklaus, was a big hero of his. There were no quarterbacks, there were no beautiful movie stars, you know, girl posters that it was all golf.”

While it all seemed normal, one thing that Norton observed surprised him. He couldn’t see any of the trophies Tiger Woods had won during his junior years. When he questioned the 12-year-old Woods about it, the young pro said, “Mom made me get rid of them.” Woods was nonchalant about the situation as he further added, “It’s fine. I don’t care. I’ll just win some more.” That’s the kind of response you can expect from someone who is confident about his abilities. Hughes was impressed by the young Tiger Woods but was still surprised about how Kultida raised her son.