Retired high-level athletes love golf. From the likes of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, to Larry Fitzgerald and Tony Romo, once they called it quits in the sports they loved, golf helped them keep the competitive juices flowing.
You can now add former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky to that list as well.
Orlovsky, now an NFL analyst for ESPN, is among the many retired athletes who’s becoming obsessed with the game. And on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, he joined Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz to discuss his love for golf.
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“Golf is my favorite sport to watch on TV,” Orlovsky said. “I was somehow part of this very small group on planet earth that did something at the highest level. So I’m wired to think everything should be that easy — and golf just isn’t.”
That pursuit of improvement is a common theme among retired athletes, and Orlovsky is no different. Without an outlet for the competitive drive that they showcased for so many years, golf fills that void.
“I, like so many people, get frustrated when I stand over a 140-yard shot with a 9-iron, and the green is the size of Rhode Island, and I push it 20 yards right,” he said. “I’m just like, ‘How can I do that?’ Or when I watch it on TV and I see dudes pull off these shots, I marvel at it and I think the same way that people marvel at something that Patrick Mahomes does, because they can’t comprehend it.”
Luckily for Orlovsky, when football isn’t in season, he has plenty of time to get out on the course in pursuit of that improvement.
For more from Orlovsky, including his favorite golf trips and favorite golfers on Tour, check out the entire episode below.