“Grinded My A** Off In The NBA”: Michael Jordan Defended His ‘Fun’ Brand of Golf to Claude Harmon III

While hooping was a sincere craft for Michael Jordan, he pursued golf as a wind-down activity. After his retirement, MJ began to be a frequent feature on golf courses and played with some of the top-flight players and coaches. Golf Instructor, Claude Harmon III, came to know about MJ’s golfing approach when he played with him at The Floridian Club. The 6x NBA Finals MVP confessed to Harmon III that the sport is a leisure for him.

After retiring from basketball, he wanted to break the ceaseless chain of pressure to perform at the highest level. The golf instructor recalled how Jordan pursued golf, in his unique way, to ensure it didn’t become a straining endeavor.

From his music to his style of play, everything about MJ playing golf was unorthodox. On the Par 3 Podcast with JR Smith & Stephen Malbon, Harmon III narrated,

“MJ plays with everything, there’s eight nine guys, everybody’s got their own car, everybody’s go their own music. I remember him telling me, ‘I know this isn’t the way everyone likes to play, but its the way I like to play golf. I wanna have fun when I’m playing. I grinded my ass off in the NBA for X amount of years, golf for me is fun.”

It is understandable that MJ wanted to relax while golfing. Having been the top player in the NBA for more than a decade, his hard work to maintain the status needed a counterbalance.

However, his engagement with golf dates back to his pro-hoops career and goes all the way back to his college days. The sport became a great way to cool off during the offseason and then the habit took a whole new turn after his retirement. 

Michael Jordan owns a private golf club

Jordan built numerous bonds while golfing. Not only did he participate alongside elite talents from the sport but he had a lot of fun playing with his NBA peers. In fact, Charles Barkley used to be a regular with Jordan on golf courses. They would even put humongous bets and spend tons of hours with each other.

However, MJ wasn’t content with the way golf courses were built. He decided to have his own private golf club to make things more competitive when going up against the pros.

In the fall of 2019, the Grove XXIII opened in Hobe Sound, Florida, and has emerged as one of the highest-quality golf facilities in the nation. Also known as “Slaughterhouse XXIII”, the design of the golf course provides an automatic handicap to Michael Jordan.

Long hitters face a multitude of challenges while short hitters like MJ can end up with certain advantages. This golf club has drawn major intrigue among pro players who have to remodel their skills to suit the needs of the course.