In the era of prodigious purses and savvy strategic thinking, pro golfers are making it their business to be in business outside of their sport, while show-biz stalwarts and superstar athletes like Steph Curry, Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick are discovering that the smart money is in golf itself. In our Golf & Business package (which you can also find in the Jan/Feb 2022 issue of GOLF Magazine), we’ll go inside their wallets.
Part 1: Why Abraham Ancer and Mark Wahlberg teamed up in the tequila business
Part 2: Bubba Watson the businessman is a lot like Bubba the golfer
Part 3: How ascendant attire brand Johnnie-O made a splash on the golf course
Part 4: Why Peyton Manning is making cold calls about this 9-hole golf course
Part 5: Jason Kokrak’s passion is collecting. The payoff is a houseful of liquid gold
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The fairways are filled with golf-obsessed celebrities and all-star athletes, but none have gone in on the game more thoroughly than Stephen Curry. Here’s an overview of the pursuits that have turned the Golden State Warrior sharpshooter and two-time league MVP into golf’s most diversified crossover star.
TV Networker
Holey Moley has this been a hit. On top of his role as producer, Curry appears as “resident golf pro” on this loopy mini-golf reality show, which recently re-upped for a fourth season on ABC.
Content Creator
As if his success in televised putt-putt weren’t enough, Curry’s production company has a freshly inked deal with NBC/Golf Channel that calls for the NBA champ to have a hand in golf-related content. Curry’s appearance at the 2020 Ryder Cup, conducting on-course interviews with the likes of Michael Jordan, was an early indication of the point guard’s ever-growing broadcast reach.
Clothier
You know you’ve really made it on the links when you’ve got your own apparel line. Witness Curry’s polos, joggers, jackets, hats and other pieces of sportswear, released in collaboration with Under Armour.
Benefactor
When he isn’t dropping dimes to his Golden State teammates, Curry dishes generous assists through charitable initiatives. In addition to funding Howard University’s men’s and women’s golf teams, he gives his time and money to junior golf programs in the Bay Area and beyond, many aimed at serving underprivileged kids.
Competitor
Any celebrity can peg it in a pro-am. Curry plays a game with which most A-listers are unfamiliar, as evidenced by his top-10 finish in the 2021 American Century Championship and two impressive showings in Korn Ferry Tour events.
All-Around Good Guy
Curry does the stuff that doesn’t appear on the scorecard, like showing up at junior clinics and hanging with fans along the gallery ropes when the cameras aren’t on him. Once, while teeing it up at a private course in San Francisco, he scaled a fence to shoot hoops with kids in a nearby backyard — an emblematic moment for a star of peerless appeal.
