Q&A with Tom Izzo

Tom Izzo, 54, has coached Michigan State's basketball team to five Final Fours and one national championship (2000). He has stories about playing golf with Tiger Woods, meeting with Muhammad Ali and missing out on a chance to play Augusta National. If Izzo were on Jean Van de Velde's bag at the 1999 British Open, he says he would've started breaking clubs.

What was you first memory of golf? My first memory was my Dad taking me to local country club in Iron Mountain, Mich., when I was five, six or seven -- somewhere in there. And then probably from there it was Arnie's Army and Jack Nicklaus.

Were you a bigger Arnie or Jack fan?
Arnie at the time. I think he was a little earlier than Jack and Arnie's Army kind of turned me on.

Do you remember going to a tournament?
No. Where I'm from we barely got to civilization much less a tournament.

What's your current handicap?
It's a 12, but I really think I could get it to a single digit if I played. I just don't get to play enough. I have two young kids. Both of them are just starting to play, so that has helped a little bit, especially my 8-year-old boy.

How many rounds do you play a year?
I probably don't get in 15 rounds a year right now. I love to play. I play in scrambles. I've had a chance to play with Tiger. I just don't play enough.

Tell me about playing with Tiger.
We were in a pro-am at the Buick. They called me to play. I had been on the road for six weeks. I get off on August 1 and I think the tournament was on the 3rd and 4th. I tried to get in some shots at the local range and then I went up there and played with him. I didn't play great. I shot my best round of my life a few years before that when I played with Jay Haas. I think I shot a 75 and I had never shot in the 70s before that. But with Tiger, I just wanted to make sure I didn't kill anybody. There was a big gallery. But Tiger was great. He's a basketball fan. We had played Stanford that year, so we talked about that. He was helpful, good, classy, I'll be honest with you, I was really impressed with Tiger. It was a fun 18 holes. He laughed at himself, ripped himself. I don't know, maybe I got to see a side of him not many people get to see.

What year was this?
It was four or five years ago.

Did he give you any tips?
Oh yeah. He helped me with my putting. He got down, turned his hat around like he does. I missed three putts by an inch, I swear, and they were all long ones because I was never near the hole. And he asked me a good question. He said, "Coach, do you know what I'd do if I missed three putts like that?" He said, "I'd fire my caddie." I said, I think I'll keep you. [Laughs.]

Did he do anything noticeably impressive?
Every drive he hit was impressive to me. One time he hit one two fairways over and into a trap. It got away from him. And he went in there, and he was probably 200 yards away, he hit it out of the trap, over some trees and right onto the green. I said, "What the hell did you hit?" He said, "I don't know. I just grabbed a club. I was so embarrassed." [Laughs.] I loved that. He was great.

I just got back from Northern Michigan and I'm writing about what a golf mecca it is up there. Pick one: Arcadia Bluffs, Forest Dunes or Tullymore.
Oh boy. I've played them all. The one I really love is Crystal Downs.

Is it as good as they say it is?
Yes it is. The views are incredible. It's got the heather. Tullymore was good. Arcadia Bluffs and Crystal Downs to me are the best. I've played Oakland Hills and it's different. But it's hard to beat Arcadia Bluffs and Crystal Downs.

Tell me more about Northern Michigan. Why do you love it so much?
Well, I grew up in Iron Mountain. I lived there most of my life. And after a couple years at my alma mater, Northern Michigan, I came down to Michigan State and worked my way up. But as you know, in this state, there are a ton of golf courses and they're all cut out of the woods in Iron Mountain. And I enjoy change of seasons. From where I'm from and where I'm at now is 400 miles south, so I get five or six more weeks of spring and fall and that's nice. From where I'm from we had 11 months of winter and one month of poor sledding. It was a bitch up there.