Sports
Charles Woodson shares valuable parallel between football, golf
University of Michigan legend and NFL Hall of Famer Charles Woodson refuses to set aside his Wolverine pride, even for a certain Buckeye.
This interview was originally published in the December 2025 issue of GOLF Magazine.
GOLF: What’s your favorite thing about golf?
Charles Woodson: That there’s always room for improvement and that you can never figure the game out. No matter how well you play one day, the next day could be totally different. You can play a golf course one day and tomorrow the golf course would be set up totally different and play totally different. But it’s the same golf course. And so, you can never perfect it. It’s a tough game, but it’s fun and it’s always a challenge to try to get better.
G: What are some of the closest parallels you see between football and golf?
CW: I played defensive back, and in that position you’ve got to have a short-term memory because a lot of things are gonna happen out there on the football field. You get beat, you gotta forget about it fairly quickly. In golf, you can be playing well, and then, all of a sudden, you hit a wayward shot and you’re in trouble. You gotta forget about that because there are 18 holes. You gotta have that short-term memory.
G: You’ve started Woodson Bourbon Whiskey. Fuzzy Zoeller has his own whiskey brand, and he said one time when he wasn’t playing that well, he wouldn’t mind sampling some product on the golf course to help him play better. Have you ever thought about sampling your own product on the golf course?
CW: [Laughs] I thought about it this morning! My buddies asked me if I had any product. I was like, “No, man.” I was kind of laying off the stuff. But tomorrow there may be some product. I’ve got a big golf bag.
G: Michigan and Ohio State don’t always see eye to eye. If you had a chance to play golf with Ohio State alum Jack Nicklaus, would you be willing to ignore your dislike of Ohio State for a few hours?
CW: Not a chance, because he wouldn’t forget his dislike of Michigan! It means the rivalry is alive and well, and I’m sure if I had a chance to play with him, he’d give me some stuff about the championship they won this year. We won it last year. You gotta keep that going.
G: At last year’s American Century, in Lake Tahoe, you beat both Larry the Cable Guy and Blake Griffin. They’re both here this year. You think you’ll remind them about that?
CW: We’ll see. Let’s get through the tournament first.
G: You’ve played in the Pro Football Hall of Fame golf tournament in Ohio. Are there any Hall of Fame football players that you think could be Hall of Fame golfers too?
CW: Yeah … I love them, but none of them. Nope, not one.
This interview, conducted at the 2025 American Century Championship, has been edited for length and clarity.