For many golfers, golf is a sport that you can use to unwind and get some time away from your busy schedule.
Hitting the links can be some people’s favorite way to spend some time outside, escape the world of work, or even, for some, hold business meetings. You can do anything on the course, as long as you’re playing the great sport.
So it should come as no surprise that for many of the celebrities in the public eye, golf is a common hobby or pasttime. A celebrity golf tournament is more commonplace, and sometimes more impressive, than you might think.
Watching a celebrity golf tournament might not seem like the best way to learn how to improve your swing, hit a straight drive, or learn some new putting techniques, but that doens’t mean that you can’t.
What you have to bear in mind is that while these celebrities might be playing in front of big crowds with camera crews following them, they’re still amateurs, and sometimes watching the amateurs can be as useful as watching the pros.
So keep reading as we go through some of the best celebrity golf tournament moments, and what you can learn from them.
#1: Justin Timberlake: Near Hole In One, 2017
Justin Timberlake, known for his music rather than his golf ability, came ridiculously close to a beautiful hole in one in 2017 on the PGA tour.
While you could write off Timberlake’s shot as a fluke or a one off, there’s no denying he clearly knows what he’s doing with his swing.
Sometimes with golf, you can get too in your head.
Techniques like using swing thoughts to combat your golf nerves are so important in high stakes secenarios.
Too much nervousness can add tension to you swing, which can cause things like the golf yips or slices if you’re not careful.
Sometimes in golf, you need to play what feels the most natural and comfortable. Take it from Timberlake, maybe if he’d taken a moment to relax a bit more, it could have been not just one of the best celebrity golf tournament moments, but one of the best golf tournament moments, period!
#2: Bill Murray: Backwards Putt, 2022
If confidence on the green is what you’re looking for, look no further than Bill Murray’s fantastic no-look, backwards putt in the 2022 Celebrity golf tournament.
While we might not recommend this unconventional putting technique, it’s definitely impressive.
There are so many ways to improve your putting. Whether it be putting aids, using AimPoint, or changing your putting grip, but maybe one of the most important tips you can have is ‘trust your putt’.
As we know from Justin Timberlake’s close call, confidence is key on the golf course.
According to fans who were there on the day, Murray was so confident that he bet everyone present $1 that he would sink his putt, waited until everyone held up a dollar, and then spent five minutes collecting his winnings!
Sure, not all of us can trust our putting skills enough to land Bill Murray’s no-look backward putt, but if he can hit that, then you can trust yourself enough to hit that up and down and save your scorecard.
#3: Mark Wahlberg: Long Iron Swing, 2016
Mark Wahlberg famously loves golf. He even started a production company called ‘Closest to the Hole Productions’, and he supposedly plays golf every day as part of his ridiculously busy daily schedule.
Wahlberg’s best celebrity golf tournament moment comes on the 2016 celebrity tour with a fantastic long iron swing.
Hitting a long and straight shot can be the difference between a good game and a great game.
Hitting this kind of shot consistently can also be the difference between breaking 100, 90, or even 80.
We all wish we could play golf as regularly as Wahlberg but many of us can’t even get close to his frequency. That’s why it’s so important to build an efficient practice routine. It’s the only way to see real results and improve consistency, plus it means playing more golf!
#4: Tony Romo: Recovering Beautifully, 2019
Wow. This one is just one for the history books.
Tony Romo, who you may know from his 14 seasons as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, has his best celebrity golf tournament moment in 2019 with a very unexpected shot.
Romo, unfortunately, ended up in the viewing stands around the green on one of the holes. Taking a leaf from Phil Mickelson, Romo decides to try the shot.
If you’ve ever tried to make a chip from a hard surface, you’ll know how difficult this kind of shot can be. Sometimes the hardest thing to do manage in golf is just getting your ball off of the ground.
Romo not only makes a brilliant recovery shot from one of the most difficult positions seen in a celebrity golf tournament, but it’s also an amazing shot, landing his ball inches away from the hole and leaving him with a beautiful up and down.
#5: Kurt Russell: Chip Into The Hole, 2005
While Kurt Russell is definitely not known for his golf skills, from the way he played in 2005 he showed the world that that could have been the case.
Russell’s best celebrity golf tournament moment came toward the end of his round with a perfect chip straight into the hole.
This moment really highlights just how important working on your short game is.
Sure, we all love to spend a lot of time at the driving range smacking balls as far as we can, but the real skill comes in the shorter shots, and can many times be even more impressive.
Having a diversity of chip shots in your arsenal is an invaluable skill on the golf course.
You want to be as strong a putter as you are with your pitching wedge or your 9-iron. It’s a no-brainer really – to be a great golfer, you have to be great at all of the different parts of the game.
#6: Jamie Dornan: Uphill Putt, 2015
There’s more to the 50 Shades of Grey star than his acting chops, and he made that very clear in 2015 with his best celebrity golf tournament moment on the celebrity PGA tour.
Dornan makes a nice and long putt up a slope and straight into the hole. Making an uphill putt is especially impressive, but what’s most useful to take away from this great celebrity golf tournament moment is how Dornan reads the green.
Granted, Dornan looks quite shocked once he realizes he’s made the putt, but making great putts like this consistently is definitely a skill that can be learned.
Reading greens is one of the most important weapons to have at your disposal on the course.
You want your putting to be consistent. You should be able to rely on your putting ability when playing a game so that you don’t have to worry about making too many putts and ruining your scorecard.
This is where things like putting aids or techniques like AimPoint come in handy. You essentially want to be able to be your own caddy on the course.
#7: Michael Phelps: 159ft Putt, 2015.
While Phelps is primarily known for his dominance in swimming and being the most decorated Olympian of all time, he’s also known for his golf skills, and for good reason.
In 2015, Phelps made one of the best putts that many people have ever seen.
A whopping 159ft putt. It might not sound crazy, but that’s roughly over half of a full-sized football pitch.
Just imagine the pressure in trying to make that putt. It must have been Phelps’ career of succeeding under pressure that helped him make that amazing putt in 2015.
This is surely one of the best celebrity golf tournament moments of all time, if not one of the best golf moments of all time.
What we can learn from this putt is that sometimes you just have to go for it. Take the leap!
You can use swing thoughts to make sure that you’re doing things like maintaining your spine angle, but most importantly, try the hard shot!
The only way to improve is to test yourself through practice. You’ll never know unless you try!
We hope you learned something from this list and enjoyed watching these celebrity golf tournament moments. The benefit of a celebrity golf tournament is that you get to watch unexpected stars play the best game there is, and you can learn a thing or two while you do!
