Football players who are scratch golfers

Down through the generations pro footballers have always been partial to a round of golf, especially seeing as their sky-high salaries make it easy to stump up for expensive membership fees.

Indeed, many modern footballers are so attuned to what’s going on in the world’s various pro tours, they could probably give some of golf’s top online betting tipsters a run for their money when it comes to predicting which players will shine at upcoming events. Here we detail some of the footy players who if they were not appearing in football odds lines, might have what it takes to appear in golf odds lines instead.

He is perhaps the most famous of all the golfing footballers because the Welshman has used his passion for golf to poke fun at those Real Madrid supporters and Spanish journalists who think he is holding the club to ransom. His stellar performances for the Welsh national side only serve to add fuel to that smouldering fire.

In all likelihood Bale will not be at the Bernabeu next season and it will be interesting to see where he ends up. One thing that is for sure is he will only play somewhere that has top quality golf courses nearby.

Maybe part of the problem with Spurs players not knuckling down enough to win major trophies has something to do with the fact they spend more time out on the golf course than on the football training ground.

England’s top striker regularly hits the fairways with his Tottenham teammates Eric Dier and Matt Doherty and has even notched an official round of one under par at the revered Grove course in Hertfordshire. England will be hoping that his form on the golf course is emulated at World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

If Real Madrid fans think Gareth Bale is a bit too much of a cheeky chappy, then they should have tried being the supporter of a team that Jimmy Bullard played in. During the twilight years of his career, he spent more time reveling on crutches than he did scoring goals for the likes of Hull City.

When he wasn’t “recovering” Bullard was obviously dedicating himself to golf, because he managed to get his handicap down to scratch. So serious about golf was the attacking midfielder that when he officially retired from football, he joined the EuroPro Tour.

Unfortunately for the former England player, he failed to make the cut at any of the events he played in. It’s a shame really because imagine how much fun Bullard would be on a Ryder Cup week or at regular PGA Tour events.

There is something about Liverpool players and golf because great many of them have gone on to boast handicaps of under 10. Some of that number include club legends like Alan Hansen and Ian Rush. Later generations followed their lead, with James Milner and Steven Gerrard also catching the bug for the game.

Gerrard now has his hands full as the manager of Aston Villa and is undoubtedly being lined up to take over the reins at Anfield once Jürgen Klopp steps down. Perhaps he will be able to use his love for golf to woo some big-name transfers to Merseyside. After all, plenty of business still gets done out on the fairways and greens of the UK’s top courses.