In a new oral history of Charles Barkley’s golf game by Jayson Jenks at The Athletic, several athlete buddies of Barkley’s take the opportunity to show fans just how much Barkley spends on the course. Barkley is always good for a bet, even if his swing is out of whack or he’s lost hundreds already that day.
Watching The Last Dance this summer, viewers got great insight into how competitive Barkley was and how that fueled his friendship with Michael Jordan. And we all know Chuck loves golf, as he even went so far as to call The Match this summer for TNT. But what this story really shows is how much fun it is for everyone else who golfs with Barkley, mostly because he bets enough to make it worth it for his buddies.
“That’s why I haven’t worked in over 30-some years,” ex-Cardinals receiver Roy Green says. “Because I’ve got Charles.”
Former Phoenix Suns teammate Dan Majerle referred to Barkley as “our ATM sometimes,” while another ex-teammate, Joe Kleine, went as far as to say getting money from Barkley was easier than taking it out of an ATM.
The best part of the story, though, is when notorious competitor and troller Ahmad Rashad gets involved. Rashad was another of Jordan’s closest friends in the NBA world back in the 1990s, so Rashad got the chance to golf with Barkley often as well. In fact, Rashad once teed off with both Barkley and a young Tiger Woods, which led Barkley, whose head is clearly the size of a planet, to believe he could legitimately compete with Woods.
Via The Athletic:
Green: We’re in Vegas, having fun, and we’re supposed to play golf the next morning. We’re with Tiger, and you know Tiger is never going to miss working out. We’re supposed to tee off at 8 in the morning. Charles is like, “God damn, man.” … We get there and Charles goes, “I think I’m gonna whoop some ass this time.” I said, “Look, man, I just want to know the bet, Chucky, ’cause I’m betting for Tiger.” Charles says, “OK, I’m gonna take Tiger five a side, but Tiger’s gotta give me one a hole and two on par-5s.” I’m like, “S**t yeah, I’ll take it, too.”
Rashad: That’s not even fair.
Green: Like I said, he’ll bet anything.
Rashad: There ain’t enough strokes he could get to beat Tiger.
Green: We go to the first hole and, believe it or not, Tiger damn near misses the whole ball, and he’s in the s**t. Charles goes, “Ahhh, f**k. Tiger Woods. No. 1 in the world. What a f**king overrated guy.” I said, “Chucky, I’m going to double my bet.” You know Chucky: “I got it.” Of course, after that hole, Tiger birdied five straight. I said, “Chucky, you can buy out right now or we can play the back too. He said, “I’ll buy out the bet.”
The idea of Barkley calling Woods overrated and believing he could beat him at golf is incredibly believable and also why fans love Barkley. He’s also always a good sport, so you know he gave it right back to Rashad, Green, Majerle, and everyone else on the golf course with him.
