The Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance has provided a welcome distraction during lockdown.
I love sport documentaries and this one on Netflix is up there with the best. It is a brilliant insight into Jordan and his team-mates at the Chicago Bulls.
The team’s desire to win, even among the coaching staff, was incredible and I would thoroughly recommend watching it if you haven’t seen it.
I was very lucky to play a round of golf with Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Florida around 10 years ago.
A friend was a member at the Bear’s Club where Jordan played and we ended up playing in a sixsome with a basketball commentator, a player from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
It was great fun to hang out with him. He was just how he looked in the documentary, loving his golf and wanting to place a few bets here and there.
He was very competitive, that was easy to see, and he was a good golfer.
I had a huge amount of admiration for him at the time because of what he had accomplished in basketball, but watching the documentary blew my mind.
He had to cope with playing under intense scrutiny, but managed to maintain a remarkable belief in his own ability, even though people doubted him throughout his career.
He took so many knocks on and off the court but he always responded. He was a true champion and a great role model.
I know some people have been critical of the approach he took with some of his team-mates, but he seemed to be there for his teammates when they needed him and was desperate to help them improve. He knew how to get the best out of them for the good of the team.
One of the main things that struck me was his response to losing a game or a series was always to come back bigger and stronger to make amends.
He learned from every setback and was continuously striving to get better.
For any sportsperson, it is a must-watch.
Formula 1: Drive To Survive and Living With The Lions are two other sports documentaries I would highly recommend.
Even if you aren’t a fan of motor racing or rugby, they pull you in and make you want to know more about the sport.
I would love someone to do a behind-the-scenes series on golf at the top level.
It could be a brilliant opportunity to showcase the sport to a whole new audience, but you would need someone such as Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy to be involved.
As for getting back to golf, it is great that it looks like we will be able to get back playing this week, although it is still going to be a while until the European Tour is up and running.
I am managing to practise at home and when we can get back on the course I’m going to make sure I don’t overdo it. I could stand there all day hitting balls on the range, but I know the following day my back would be in bits.
I have to remember to build up slowly and time it right for when professional golf does come back.
Hopefully it goes well when the PGA Tour resumes next month because if that proves to be successful it would bode well for our tour.
