To a younger generation that never got to see him play, Charles Barkley may be most associated with his struggles on the golf course, holding the top spot on BuzzFeed’s 2012 list of the “Worst Celebrity Golfers.” You’d think, with his endless resources and obvious passion for the game, the Hall-of-Famer would have addressed this deficiency years ago. Of course, if you’re familiar with Barkley’s famously broken swing, you knew it wouldn’t be an overnight fix. Slowly, but surely, Barkley’s game has come around, steadily improving to the point where he’s now a respectable 10 handicap, a level the popular TNT analyst wasn’t sure he'd ever get back to.
“I put a lot of time into it. A lot of effort into it,” Barkley said of his recent breakthrough during an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7, the same interview in which he annihilated Kevin Durant, calling him an “abject failure” and a “miserable person.” “I’m playing great right now. Probably back down to a 10 handicap for the first time in forever. I’ve played every day for the last two months. I’m going to keep getting better though.”
Barkley’s progress was evident at last month’s American Century Championship (an annual celebrity tournament in Lake Tahoe), beating out 49ers great Steve Young, comedian Larry the Cable Guy, Weekend Update host Colin Jost, WWE’s The Miz and John O’Hurley of Seinfeld fame, among other competitors. The former Suns and Sixers forward would be the first to admit his game is a work in progress, though through hard work and sheer determination, Chuck is feeling as confident on the links as he ever has.
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