Golfing with Eddie Jordan

The coach of the Washington Wizards has completed his fifth season, leading the team to the playoffs again despite numerous key injuries. Jordan was born and raised in Washington, D.C. He was a football and basketball star at Archbishop Carroll and went on to play basketball at Rutgers University, where he led the team to the Final Four in 1976. He played in the NBA for seven years and was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 1982 world championship team.

Handicap: 16

Home clubs: Members Club at Four Streams and Falls Road

What Washington-area courses do you like? Four Streams, Falls Road, Congressional, Woodmont, Robert Trent Jones

What other courses do you like? Pebble Beach

Can you give us the short story about how you got involved with golf? I was exposed to golf in college, and I really enjoyed playing when I had the time. But then I began a professional career and did not play as much while I was still playing basketball. When I became an assistant coach in Sacramento and I was new in town, the Kings’ strength and conditioning coach at the time, Al Biancani, invited me to play golf. We would go out and play a lot, and I took up the game again.

What’s your standard golf bet? I don’t bet, I just like to play. I am very competitive, so winning is what drives me.

What’s the best golf trip you’ve ever taken? I don’t really take any trips, but I always enjoyed getting together with the Kings’ coaching staff and playing golf in Pebble Beach before the start of the season when I was in Sacramento. Now, there are so many great courses around D.C., I don’t need to travel to play. I travel enough for work.

How often do you play during the rigorous NBA season? I never get a chance to play during the season. For the most part, it’s not golf weather anyway when we’re in-season, and when it turns to springtime I’d much rather be deep into the NBA playoffs.

How about during the offseason? About twice a week.

What’s your biggest golf moment? I was playing at Falls Road last summer, and I had a hole in one. It was a par 3, 163 yards - and I hit a 6-iron uphill for my first-ever ace. My other biggest golf moment was when I shot an 87 at Pebble Beach. I was an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings at the time.

Can any of the Wizards players beat you? I don’t think any of the players play, and the assistant coaches are afraid to play against me [smile].

If golf matches against coaches counted in the win-loss column, which NBA coaches would you avoid on the course? I wouldn’t avoid anybody, but I have played with Byron Scott [New Orleans Hornets], and he is a good golfer. And another coach that I think is very good is Doc Rivers [Boston Celtics].

If you could fill out your foursome with three other NBA greats, past or present (whether or not they played golf) who would they be and which one would ride in your cart? I would like to play with Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson, and I would have Bill ride in the cart with me. If I could play with those two NBA greats, it wouldn’t even matter who else was with us.

A lot of people say they would love to retire right now and play golf for the rest of their life. You could probably do it, but would you? I would not right now. I love coaching, but maybe in another 10 years or so. If I could play golf every day, I would, but I love doing what I’m doing too much right now.