Podcasts
The reason Charles Barkley brings a crossword puzzle to the golf course is peak Charles Barkley
Isaiah Vazquez
Thanks to brilliant swing instructor Stan Utley, Charles Barkley is legitimately good at golf again. His hitch is gone, he's got plenty of pop and he can actually even play on television without completely embarrassing himself. It's a beautiful thing.
But, just like the rest of us, the Round Mound of Rebound still has his bad holes, too. His "in-the-pocket" holes, if you will. We all know those all too well. You pump one out-of-bounds, re-tee and do it again. Then you drop in the fairway and top it. By now you're hitting 7 and you're not even on the green. To keep things moving, you happily scoop up the ball and say "I'm done." Your playing partners thank you. On to the next hole.
Of course, that doesn't make it any less painful—or shameful—to have to watch the rest of your group finish out the hole properly. What do you do with the free time? Aimlessly walk around? Grab the pin for everybody? Rake the bunkers? March to the next tee and wait? Contemplate the meaning of life?
Barkley came up with a brilliant way to pass the time in these situations, according to one of his TNT brethren, Brian Anderson - he brings a crossword puzzle.
Peak Chuck.
Anderson also mentioned that Barkley is not a guy you want to ride in a cart with, for some obvious reasons. He had a few more great Chuck stories, too, which can be heard below. Please, have a listen to the full episode, where we also recap an incredible Players Championship and dive into the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook.
