Michael Jordan is addicted to the game of golf. Most people know this. The reason how he fell in love with golf is less known.
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It all started when Jordan was a junior at the University of North Carolina in 1984. His roommate was Buzz Peterson, who also played alongside Jordan on the Tar Heels.
While at UNC, Peterson met and became friends with Davis Love III, who became a professional golfer in 1985. Love III asked Peterson if he’d like to go hit golf balls at the Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, as Love III played on UNC’s golf team.
As they were getting ready to go out, Peterson ran into Jordan and asked if he wanted to join them. Normally, Jordan wouldn’t even entertain the idea of golf, but UNC just lost in the East Regional semifinals to Indiana.
Jordan didn’t have the greatest game. He scored 13 points before fouling out. This would be his last college basketball game.
Jordan agreed to go and at first he was there just to hang out. This eventually turned into a love he still has to this day.
“He started off just tagging along and driving the cart or walking around with us, just because there were so many guys playing,” Love III said. “He tried to come out and hack it around and hang out.
“And then he wanted to hit a few, and every once in a while, he’d hit a putt or hit a drive or whatever, and then he got more and more interested, so I found just a bunch of shag balls and some old clubs and made him a bag and let him start playing.”
The moment that officially hooked Jordan to golf was when he made his first par. Jordan never stopped playing, and even played between big basketball games. This includes famously playing during the 1992 Olympics.
“Chuck [Daly] says, ‘Hey, guys. We played 18. Let’s go.’ Which then Michael replies, ‘I’m gonna get another 18 in. Chuck looked at him, and said, ‘We got another game tonight!'” Charles Barkley said. “Michael says back: ‘I’ll be good!'”
At one point Jordan spoke about going pro after he retired from the NBA. That never did happen, but Jordan’s love of golf will never fade. This is especially true since golf has replaced basketball to satisfy his competitive spirit.
