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About that time Hugh Freeze golfed with Eric Church at Air Jordan's exclusive Florida course

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•02/21/23•

On3Keith

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(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

New Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, a noted lover of golf, hasn’t played much since being hired by the Tigers last Nov. 28.

The reason: He simply doesn’t have the time.

For Freeze, the task of rebuilding the Auburn football program has been all-consuming. And with the start of spring practice now only a week away, spare time is hard to come by. 

Just Monday, he was up at 4 a.m. and sent early morning texts to key recruiting targets across the country before taking part in podcast interviews with multiple media outlets. Then, it was back to preparing for practice.

So for Freeze, finding a window to hit the links hasn’t been easy.

“I’m not getting to play as much here as I would like to,” Freeze said on the Inside the 20 podcast.

Because of this, his game admittedly isn’t at the level it once was. In fact, Freeze said reports of him having a stellar 1-handicap are, at least for the moment, “total fake news.”

“I do not play like a 1-handicap any longer,” he said. “I’m way off on that.”

But Freeze, who has played elite courses from coast to coast such as Augusta National and Pebble Beach, did manage to sneak in a round this winter down in south Florida with a famous friend. And it wasn’t at some ordinary place, but The Grove XXIII. That’s Michael Jordan’s private club located just north of Jupiter.

“It was an incredible day,” Freeze said. “I think most people that know me know I’m really good friends with (musician) Eric Church. He’s one of my dearest friends, love him. He’s just real — as is his wife Katherine. He’s one of the newest members there, which is by invitation only. Eric was kind enough to take a group of us there.”

The day Freeze played The Grove XXIII, Jordan also happened to be on site.

“Michael was there,” Freeze recalled. “He played in front of us and I mean, you’re meeting and being around one of the greatest athletes of all time. And he swings the golf club effortlessly.”

For Freeze, a golf aficionado, it was an experience to remember.

“The place itself is really incredible,” he said. “Fastest carts you have ever seen. I mean, they’re like 25 miles an hour. But man, it was an incredible place. Incredible experience. Good to be around those guys.”

As for his score that day?

“I shot 81,” Freeze said. “I do remember that. It was an okay day, but I’m not a very good golfer right now.”

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