“He’s So Visual”: Stunned by Michael Jordan’s Prowess on the Greens, Long Time Coach Reveals One Quality of MJ That Sets Him Apart

There’s nothing Michael Jordan does that’s half-baked. When he was not in an intense NBA season, he was spending his downtime on the golf course. The Chicago Bulls champion is a famously avid golfer. Apart from hosting charity tournaments and operating a golf course, he also went to a coach to get better at his second favorite sport.

MJ was so obsessed with getting better at golf, he sought lessons whenever he could. That led to a friendship of many years with golf coach, Ed Ibarguen.

Michael Jordan’s coach reveals his uncanny ability

Despite his love for golf, Michael Jordan isn’t the best at it. He couldn’t conquer golf the way he’d dominate a basketball court. But his insane competitive drive wouldn’t let him stop till he got better at it. It led him to Ed Ibarguen for lessons. His golf coach would reveal to the Golf Digest in 2021 what His Airness is like as a golfer.

When Michael Jordan was the emerging star of the UNC basketball team, he approached Ed Ibarguen who worked in the golf faculty.

Pre-fame Jordan asked him for free golf lessons. That would be the start of their relationship for years to come. Jordan would even meet him in the NBA off-season.

Over the years, Ibarguen saw Jordan grow as a golfer. He believes Jordan’s athletic ability which served him well in basketball also made him a better golfer. That is Jordan’s ability to visualize movement and imitate it.

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“He’s so visual,” Ibarguen said about the NBA star’s talent to envision shots on the golf course. “You could show him a shot, like a short shot with a wedge. His ability to imitate is amazing.”

Ibarguen is the general manager and PGA director of golf at Duke University. He’s won several awards as a PGA coach. He has the uncanny ability to pick out the strengths of his students like Jordan.

Ibarguen shares how Jordan picked up PGA pros’ skills

Jordan shared his love for golf with fellow celebrity golf enthusiasts. Many of them are NBA pros like Danny Ainge. He’d beat many of his friends in golf, perhaps by picking up tips from the pros. As Ibarguen would recall the times Jordan would visit him during the NBA off-season.

He had chances to play with PGA players and it unexpectedly improved his game. Seeing his sudden improvement, Ibarguen asked, “Did you get a lesson with Ray Floyd?’ And he said, ‘No, I’ve just been playing golf with him.'” 

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In another one of their golf games, Jordan is “taking it outside, lifting it up, crossing the line. He looked like Freddie Couples.” And indeed, Ibarguen confirmed the Chicago Bulls legend had been hitting a few holes with Couples.

“This is someone who is incredible in his ability to see things visually and implement them in his body.” This speaks of Michael Jordan’s remarkable athletic ability.