Warren Buffett is a member of one of the world's most exclusive golf clubs. But by his own admission, he may be its worst player.

Eight years ago, during a telephonic conversation with Dan Patrick on his talk show, Buffett confessed, “Actually, I’m a member. I’m the highest handicap member they’ve ever had.”

When asked about the best round he had at Augusta National, Warren Buffett claimed, “Not very good. I think it was probably in ‘89. That’s my best memory. But it’s a long time ago. I was gonna say, I gave up golf, but actually golf gave up on me.”

It might be a surprise for fans, especially considering golf is one of Buffett's favorite sports. Back in 2013, reporter Darren Rovell tweeted a picture of a young Buffett's high-school yearbook that revealed he was a part of the school's golf team.

Now, even if Buffett doesn't excel at the sport, there was one thing he found useful. “I liked golf a lot. I played a lot of golf when I was younger, and it was a factor in business. But I wasn’t good. Nobody wanted to play with me, actually.” 

He did play with Bill Gates during one club tournament. According to Buffett, Gates' hole-in-one on the par 3 after the regular 18 cost Buffett $5500 because the foursome had to split.

Warren Buffett Once Used Golf to Teach a Valuable Lesson

In 1989, during a conversation between Walter Schloss and the Outstanding Investor Digest, Schloss narrated a story involving Warren Buffett. The story was about a game of golf between Buffett, Charlie Munger (Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway), Jack Byrne (Chairman of Fireman’s Fund), and another person.

During the game, one player proposed a $10,000 bet for Buffett to “shoot a hole-in-one” on the 18-hole course at Pebble Beach. And if Buffett failed, he’d lose only $10. Despite the disrupted balance, Buffett refused to take the bet. Why?

He stated, “If you are not disciplined in the little things, you won’t be disciplined in the big things.”

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar