Cary is spot-on. MJ is a gentleman and a ball of fun to be around. How can I make this statement?
Back in my Chicago days, I was fortunate enough to have bought front-row, court-side, end of the Bulls bench season tkts in the old Chicago Stadium. I sat in them from the days of a raving Doug Collins, cheap-shots from Pistons, do-or-die matches with the Cavs, and every Championship ring. Following the Tarheel rookie tradition, MJ kept his seat at the end of the bench and we became friendly, resulting in multiple poker and golf games.
MJ's larger-than-life personality is mostly accurate. He likes to wager, smoke large cigars, trash-talk his competitors and partners, and race around the course(s) in carts (back then it was the only way he could get in 18+ holes on game days and 36-54 on others). We walked a number of times as well. His game was very solid (not quite as good as his GHIN for a while there
) and his short-game skills were sharp. His long-game was inconsistent at best. It didn't much matter because if you couldn't handle his verbal pressure, he'd have enough to beat you. The guy is the single most competitive human being I've ever known.
His time on the links was solely for he and his friends...not his fans, sponsors, agents, or entourage. I watched him turn down a golf business that wanted to pay him over $2MM (in 1990) for his name. He wanted to keep golf seperate. Sure, the ladies loved him and fawned themselves all over the guy 24/7/365. I've seen multiple carts of all types of them come out and attempt to distract him. Foremost, the guy loved golfing with his buddies more than anything (other than competitively dominating every other professional basketball team during his era
).
Thought I've only run into MJ on a rare occasion since those Chicago days, I know his passion for golf remains unabated. His desire to start his own club makes perfect sense. He wants to be around his pals, play 36+ a day, stay insulted from obtrusive fans and distractions and live his life his way. What's wrong with that?? Make fun of him for his golf-style if you wish, but
your club=your rules.
We should all be so lucky to have his success and be able to manifest his passion for golf any which way he wants to. He's plenty smart and his pursuit of Tom Doak reflects just that. I'm sure he spoke to Jack and others, but for him, Tom Doak represents one of the best in his field and Michael knows excellence when he sees it. I'd bet MJ will completely respect Tom as well as seek to learn golf architecture from him. That's his lifelong M.O.
Let's all be happy Florida may well add one more very good course to it's resume.