Charles Barkley has been the laughing stock of celebrity golf for years.
The former NBA MVP is a huge golf fan, and his ridiculous swings were a sight to behold whenever he attended celebrity golf events.
advertisement
But according to his close friend Michael Jordan, Barkley was once a very good golfer. That was until an instructor told him the words that would ruin his golf swing forever.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc.
What an instructor told Charles Barkley ruined his golf game
It may come as a surprise to learn that Barkley was once an extraordinary golfer. According to Jordan, his handicap was in double digits. That is, until one random thought ruined his game.
Regarding the Oprah episode, Jordan said, “He’s sick. He’s sick. He used to be really good. People don’t realize when you see him on TV, but he was filming in the ’70s. He’s sick. He’s sick. He used to be really good. He was filming in the ’70s.”
advertisement
“And he went to this instructor, and the instructor said, ‘Make it look like you’re stopping at the top, and then you’ll get the tempo.'”
“He hasn’t started since. Have you seen his swing? Please don’t put it on TV. It’s sad.”
Berkeley was always ready to make self-deprecating statements, but he did not hide from the truth. “I had a problem, Oprah. I had a problem with my swing. I developed the yips, or nervous cramps. I was a good player, and now I have a problem. So he refuses to play with me anymore.”
But in recent years, Barkley has managed to rebuild some parts of his golf form.
How Phil Mickelson helped rebuild Charles Barkley’s golf swing
All it took was one piece of advice to break Barkley’s swing, but it took six major league champion Phil Mickelson to rebuild it.
advertisement
The two played in The Match in 2020, but Mickelson focused on three things to help Barkley recover from the yips.
First, Mickelson acted as a caddy, giving Barkley tons of data to distract him from thinking about his swing. Mickelson kept Barkley’s mind focused on external variables rather than the mechanics of the swing.
Barkley was playing from a tee 50 yards ahead of Mickelson, so the pro instructed the NBA superstar to hit an iron from the tee. This was very helpful in course management at Berkeley.
And the third correction to Barkley’s swing: Mickelson lied to Barkley. On one hole, Mickelson told Barkley that he was 70 yards from the pin when it was actually 55 yards. This caused Barkley to swing aggressively to clear the front bunker, favoring long misses over short misses.
Barkley’s issues were primarily mental, but Mickelson found a way to help them win games.
