It is well known in NBA circles that Charles Barkley is a silly golfer. Chuck has been playing the game for quite some time and gets out on the course often in his home state of Arizona. He’s also gone viral on the internet for having one of the more unique golf swings you’ll ever see.
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Michael Jordan once explained the origin of Barkley’s somewhat iconic stroke on the course. “He used to be really good; he used to shoot 76, 77,” claimed MJ on an old interview on the Oprah Winfrey Show. “Then he went to this instructor who says, “make it seem like you’re stopping up top, so you can get your tempo.”
But if you ever doubted the Hall of Famer’s golf game, you would be wrong. Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson confirmed this during the latest edition of his Roommates Show podcast. The 28-year-old point guard recalled golfing with his dad and Chuck quite recently.
“Charles Barkley is a great golfer,” stated Brunson. “Fixed his hits, fixed all of that. Man was hitting the ball at least 280 every time consistently.” That’s quite a drive, regardless of the silly swing. Jalen then added that Chuck is good, he pulls off pro-like comebacks after starting a hole terribly.
“I remember one time, I’ve never seen this from a non-pro. When you hit the ball in the water on a Par 5 off the tee box, and still Par. There were times he was like, ‘Y’all gonna win this hole,’ and then he ends up winning the hole. He’s good,” added the two-time All-Star.
So how did Barkley get his game back? He started taking lessons with well-respected golf teacher Stan Utley, who referred to Chuck’s game as being in “awful shape” by the time he got to him in 2018. Fortunately, Utley gave Barkley one small tip that had him driving the fairway every single time.
The tip? Casting the club, which allowed Barkley to release the angle of his wrist and make better contact. “Stan calmed my brain down. He said, ‘Hey man, you can’t think about 10 things over the ball.’ That one thing calmed me down,” stated the NBA legend during an interview with Golf.com.
“How hard are you willing to work for your goals?” asked Barkley in the piece, referring to how hard he had to work to get better. “Determination is what separates great athletes.”
Barkley may have fixed his swing, but as any good golfer knows, you’re only as good as your last game. Barkley has had a few good games, sure, but his bad games largely outnumber them, as proven by the time he lost money to Dan DaKich.
It makes sense that Chuck would dedicate his time to this. He was a fierce competitor in the NBA and never backed down from a challenge. Now in golf, a purely solo game, he has a chance to shine once again. Sure, it might only be semipro, but it’s all the same to Chuck.
