Tony Romo (NFL), John Smoltz (MLB), Rafael Nadal (Tennis), Stephen Curry (NBA), and the list of players from different sports who adore golfing is never-ending. Yet, Michael Jordan remains that one name who has made substantial strides to turn this part-time passion into something huge, literally.
MJ, by nature, is an extremely competitive personality. The world saw a glimpse of his personality in The Last Dance where he candidly accepted, “I can stop gambling, I have a competition problem.”
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He can’t enjoy things that lack pace, because if he devotes himself to something, he must win and most definitely enjoy. This character trait birthed his own Golf course.
The Michael Jordan golf course
Take a look at Michael Jordan's new golf course in Florida: https://t.co/nEigOQ8785 pic.twitter.com/y5cJY0otcZ
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) March 28, 2020
Necessity is the mother of invention. The six-time NBA Champion used to play golf at a country club, Bear’s Club, in Jupiter, Florida. But the slow pace of the game there used to bite his knack towards the sport.
Back in 2015, he raised many eyebrows when the news of him wanting his own golf course came out. The man already owned an NBA team (Charlotte Hornets) and now it was the turn of a golf course.
Reportedly, Jordan first wanted the golf course to be built at Hobe Sound, Florida. Later, it took shape as a 226-acre site called the Grove Golf Club or The Grove XXIII (Michael’s Chicago Bulls jersey number). Well, his net worth of $1.9 billion has all that covered.
What makes it the world’s most challenging
So, you show up at the golf course & you hear a very familiar voice negotiating the bets, and you turn around & it's Michael Jordan… pic.twitter.com/OfzafoqFYx
— John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) August 2, 2017
The designer of the exclusive course, Mr. Bobby Weed, had revealed what makes it so unique. He had expressed, “The two nines wrap around each other while traversing the site in opposing directions. This dynamic layout ensures that golfers will feel the breeze from every quarter. It’s a course for tomorrow, with a refined edge. Knowing the caliber of the membership and Michael’s passion for golf, we are designing a forward-thinking, progressive layout.”
Apart from this, it has 18 holes and stays true to the set standards of the game. The course demands sharp skill-sets as it is fast-paced, unlike regular courses. Plus, they can play it in four nine-hole combinations or three- to six-hole loops, something the gold aficionados would understand.
Lastly, it is open only for the chosen ones. Meaning to say, its exclusive membership is open for only 100 handpicked popular names. Including the NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and Masters champ Phil Mickelson, it was last reported that the club had only 76 members.
When MJ’s love for golfing put him in the thick soup
MJ became obsessed with golf in the late 80s and the early 90s. His celebrated documentary talked about the hard times when the media dragged Air Jordan into the controversy around his side passion.
His golfing buddy, Richard Esquinas, published a book back in 1993 that allegedly revealed that the GOAT owed him a whopping $1.25 million in golf bets. In another story, a former footballer also shared his friendly betting scene with MJ.
“So Michael would you like bet, a little wager?” Michael says “Sure, man.” Queeny says “ So how much would you like to play for?” Michael puffs on his cigar, looks straight at him, smiles and says “Whatever makes you feel uncomfortable, man.”
Mr Jordan had already won the day.— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 12, 2020
That was a tough year for MJ as he lost his father and also announced a shocking retirement to go play Baseball.
Anyway, it now seems that his golfing passion will no more trouble him but will make him even more popular in a different sport altogether.
Read also – How Nike Has Played a Part in Michael Jordan Earning a Net Worth of $ 2.1 Billion?
