Some of the most talented athletes in the world entertain us every Sunday playing in the National Football League. And the season is just kicking off with week 1 of the preason starting this past weekend.
More than a few have a penchant for golf and part of their weekly routines involve finding a nice course to play on their off days. Here are a few NFL players, past and present, who have found themselves spending their days off playing golf.
Larry Fitzgerald
The Cardinals veteran receiver tries to play every Tuesday of the NFL season. His courses of choice are either Whisper Rock, Paradise Valley in Arizona or more recently, historic Seminole Golf Club in Florida. He has been playing since 2013 and won the 2018 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Tony Romo
The man who will be calling and predicting every play of this year’s Big Game has had a handicap as low as +0.3. He attempted to qualify for the US Open in 2011. However, he fired an 81 at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club in Texas during qualifying, preventing him from advancing to try and achieve every competitive amateur golfer’s dream.
He was back at it again this year, and he even advanced out of the Web.com Qualifying School pre-qualifier.
Aaron Rodgers
The Packers’ gunslinger has a handicap of 4.7 and cites golf as one of his favorite offseason hobbies. Last year he played with President Obama at The Courses at Andrews Air Force Base. He said he was more nervous for that round than he gets taking the first snap in a game or putting together a fourth-quarter comeback.
Peyton Manning
The recently retired Manning has a strong handicap of 4 and uses charity golf events to benefit his PeyBack Foundation. He has also been paired with Tiger Woods for Pro-Am events on more than one occasion. Manning’s recent retirement leads us to believe he will be on the links more than ever in the near future.
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford has gotten his handicap down to a 7 since being in the NFL, effectively cutting it in half. During that time, he has also joined the short list of quarterbacks who have thrown for 5,000 yards in a single season. Stafford was the number one overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft out of Georgia.
Drew Brees
The Saints QB certainly wasn’t expecting to be in his offseason this soon, but some questionable calls didn’t go his way and unfortunately for him, he’s now watching along with the rest of us. With his handicap around 3 it’s clear the man excels at multiple sports. He also invented a game he plays with his backups called “Quarterback Golf.” This game revolves around “holes” that are hundreds of yards long and require the signal-callers to use multiple different throws to try and reach the target, much like real golf.
Richard Sherman
The outspoken 49ers defensive back plays often with former Seahawks teammate Steven Hauschka when they are in Seattle. He is someone who has taken up the game very recently, but has admitted he has caught the “golf bug.” Sherman has been voted to three Pro Bowls in his career.
Jared Allen
With a handicap of 12.1, we foresee Jared Allen bringing that down after deciding to ride off into the sunset a few seasons ago. He has a charity golf event called “Night-Ops” that benefits Helping Heroes. His golf fashion is eccentric to say the least.
Matt Ryan
Matty-Ice’s cool demeanor on the gridiron has shown to also be present on the tee boxes. In 2015, he won a Matt Ryan signed football at his own charity golf tournament.
Patrick Peterson
The stylish standout Cardinals defensive back has recently taken his golf game to the next level, maintaining an impressive handicap of 4.1. He shot a 74 at Pebble Beach back in 2015. He is certainly not bashful, as he tweeted out a picture of his scorecard from that day.
