Michael Jordan retired from basketball in 2003. But anyone who has spent even five minutes in the same room with him since then will tell you he never really stopped competing. He just found a new arena in golf.

Jordan built a golf club, The Grove XXIII, all to feed his obsession with golf.

During a sit-down conversation with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry in 2021, the six-time NBA champion pulled back the curtain on exactly why golf consumed him so completely after his playing days.

"I kind of got into golf mainly because from a competitive standpoint, to me, it is the hardest game to play," MJ told Curry in the YouTube video posted by Stephen Curry in collaboration with Unanimous Media Podcast Network.

"I can always respond to an opponent — defensive guy, offensive guy, whatever. But in golf, it's like playing in a mirror. You're battling yourself consistently to try to get perfection. Every swing. Every putt."

Many may agree that golf is more of a mental sport than a physical one. And, like basketball, an athlete can't directly physicalize their competitive drive in golf.

Davis Love III first introduced Jordan to golf while both were at the University of North Carolina in the 1980s. From that point on, the game never let him go.

He has regularly made high-profile appearances at celebrity and invitational golf tournaments for years, most notably the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational, which he hosted for over a decade.

He was a regular name at the American Century Championship and made numerous other appearances in PGA Tour pro-am events such as the Bob Hope Classic, where he played alongside other celebrities.

The membership list of his golf club in Florida includes Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, and former President Barack Obama.

He invites them to give him tough competition.

"For a competitive person like me, this is what keeps me sane because when I walk away from the game of basketball, that was enough to keep my competitive juices working," MJ added further.

"Now, when I don’t have that game, this game and it even drives me crazy then. I go fishing in between my golf because I got to show patience in fishing that’s going to be related to golf.”

Stephen Curry Has His Own Bold Golf Goals

After achieving almost everything imaginable in his legendary NBA career, the Golden State Warriors superstar, Stephen Curry, revealed his highly ambitious golf plans, just like Michael Jordan.

“I’m going to pivot to golf,” Curry said on the Fudd Around and Find Out podcast.

For most retired athletes, that line sounds like wishful thinking. For Curry, it is not entirely far-fetched.

“Eventually, there’s a very niche community that’ll know what I’m talking about; I want to qualify for a US Open as an amateur. That would be another goal."

He has been playing golf since he was 10 years old, and he's a scratch golfer. About 2 percent of all golfers can say the same. For someone whose main job is being one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, that is impressive.

His most celebrated moment on the course came at the 2023 American Century Championship. Curry clinched the title with a walk-off eagle putt on the 18th hole.

He also spent some time with Tiger Woods' former golf coach, Butch Harmon.

"He's an incredibly talented golfer, with tremendous, natural ability," Harmon said of Curry, according to the NBA.

"He played in a Web.com Tour event and shot 74-74, which is remarkable for an athlete from another sport. There's nobody on the PGA Tour that could go play in an NBA game, I guarantee you."

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Md Saife Fida