The only thing Michael Jordan loves more than basketball and money is golf—family notwithstanding, of course. What Jordan likes better than golf is fast golf.
So, to satisfy that itch, Jordan is planning on building his own golf course in Florida, according to Sports Illustrated.
The rub? He will hand-pick its members. And they, no doubt, will be players who do not waste a lot of time between shots.
“Michael likes to play fast and he can’t stand it when people won’t let him through,” a golf-industry insider told SI. This person reportedly knows Jordan and has spoken with several members at Bear’s Club, where Jordan is a member. “That happens enough out there that he’s gotten fed up.”
According to the same source, who requested anonymity, Jordan has secured the option on a plot of land in nearby Hobe Sound, just south of the luxe Medalist Golf Club, where Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler are among its members.
One impediment might be the soil where Jordan wants to lay his new sod. According to sources SI spoke to, it’s quite sandy and would be tough to build on.
The other interesting news out of this is that Jordan plays golf faster than most anyone. He’d like a round that should take about 4 ½ hours to take less than three hours.
“He just steps up, hits, chews your ear off with smack talk and off he goes,” said a source that has played with Jordan. “If he knows the guys he’s with, he will not even wait. He’ll drive up to the green as you’re back in the fairway hitting. And if it’s up to him, his foursome will finish in two hours and 40 minutes.”
Presumably, Jordan would institute a dress code that is less stringent than most private golf clubs. After all, Jordan showed up at La Gorce Country Club in Miami two years ago wearing cargo shorts, which was against the dress code at the facility.
Apparently no one noticed until he played a few holes of his round. On the 12th hole, Jordan was approached by club personnel who asked that he return to the clubhouse and change his pants.
Jordan refused. He was then was asked to leave the course at that point and to never return to the club. With his own place, Jordan would have no such concerns.
