The golf course is a place of peace and serenity. It's an escape to get outside, crack open a few cold ones, and enjoy the game.
Videos by FanBuzz
When Charles Barkley steps onto the course, it becomes a woodshed. His swing of the past, which was better classified as a chop, is like swatting at a fly.
Charles Barkley's Golf Swing
RELATED: Who Is Charles Barkley's Unknown Wife?
The Round Mound of Rebound approaches the tee at the 2010 Wayne Gretzky Classic near Georgian Bay, Ontario. He loosens up with a few practice swings and lines up for his first shot.
He takes his back swing....
Oh no.
He loads his knees, shrinks his body, and then, at the last moment, seems completely unsure of his shot. He hitches for an elongated pause before his golf club strikes the ball. It's one of those moments where you're so far gone you just have to follow through with it. A caddie in the background tries to keep it together.
That's only one example.
I can hear Jim Nantz audibly gasp.
Charles Barkley doesn't take too many things seriously, including himself. His happy-go-lucky persona has earned him millions of dollars after he stepped off the hardwood and we simply can't get enough of Chuck. Watch ten minutes of anything involving Barkley and you'll be laughing along with him the man is an absolute comedic genius. But this swing is no laughing matter.
After working with famed golf instructor Hank Haney on a full season of his Golf Channel show " The Haney Project", the Inside the NBA analyst appeared to redeem himself in 2018. At an after-party for The Match between PGA Tour champions Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, Charles stepped up to the tee at TopGolf in Las Vegas.
Sir Charles' New Swing
Charles Barkley may have learned a thing or two at The Match. 👀
(📹: Instagram/ @alisonlee) pic.twitter.com/o66XZlvklu
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) November 24, 2018
The world stood still. In a trending video captured by LPGA player Alison Lee, Barkley entered his back swing and a seemingly normal motion proceeded. The yips were no more.
He proved it wasn't a fluke in a second video recorded by pro golfer Bronte Law.
Is Charles Barkley on his way to curing his swing yips? 📸 @brontemaylaw
cc @HankHaney pic.twitter.com/lTxyoF2NN7
— Stephen Hennessey (@S_HennesseyGD) November 24, 2018
This remarkable transformation came after Sir Charles trashed Woods' and Mickelson's play, labeling it "crappy golf" on the Turner Sports broadcast. Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander called him out on the criticism and challenged the Hall of Fame basketball player on whether he could shoot a double bogey on the course's first hole.
You won't find Chuck on the PGA Tour or playing at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot with Rory McIlroy, but he's a guy you want to go golfing with. The NBA on TNT personality is charismatic and would bust anyone's chops, whether that be fellow Hall of Famers Michael Jordan or Shaq.
Watching Charles Barkley hit a golf ball is never not entertaining. https://t.co/zqLKuA6kJX
— Mark Harris (@itismarkharris) May 25, 2020
God only knows what will happen when he takes his shots, and that type of entertainment is uncanny. It's a tradition unlike any other.
Barkley teamed up with PGA Tour legend Phil Mickelson for Capitol One's The Match: Champions for Change at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Arizona in November 2020. The duo played former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and NBA superstar Steph Curry.
2021 is looking better already
Charles Barkley’s golf swing is fixed 👍🏼
pic.twitter.com/pPGc6jccZn— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 7, 2021
The NBA legend's swing appears to have been fixed. Well, by fixed I mean he looks like he has a semi-normal swing for the first time. He put it on display at the Regions Tradition tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. Even Bo Jackson was impressed.
We focus on Barkley's tee shots, but what's the rest of his golf game like? I've never seen him chip or putt. Maybe he's a regular Shooter McGavin out there. Maybe he's a wizard around the greens.
Who am I kidding? We would've heard Charles mention that and any time he broke single-digits on a hole on his podcast by now.
Chuck will continue to be the main attractions in pro-ams. Fixed swing or not, you can look anywhere but the fairway when he approaches the tee.
