Former Alabama coach Nick Saban has plenty of time to feed his golf obsession after retirement

11/01/2024 00:04

After 50-plus years in football from his time as a defensive back at Kent State to his six national titles as the coach at Alabama, Nick Saban is finally retiring.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest football coaches of all time, Saban was 292–71–1 in the college game as a head coach at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama. With coaching in his rearview mirror, the 72-year-old can now feed his golf obsession.

Saban bought a $17.5 million house in the golf hotbed of Jupiter, Florida, last year and made headlines after playing a round with former Crimson Tide golfer Justin Thomas at TPC Sawgrass in 2022 ahead of the Players Championship. Oh yeah, he also played with MLB great Ken Griffey, Jr. at a little place called Augusta National Golf Club.

In 2018, Saban joined the ownership group for Waterfall Club, an exclusive golf club located in Clayton, Georgia.

"What's cool about him is he's 71 or 72, however old he is, but he doesn't just go to play golf and have fun," said current Alabama golfer and reigning U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap. "He has that competitive edge. He's always trying to get better."

"Before I left for the Am (Saban) sat for 2.5 hours just picking my brain on what he can get better at,” said Dunlap. “It's eye-opening to me. He just doesn't have that off-switch.”

Without having to recruit, monitor the transfer portal and game plan for a new opponent each week, Saban can now fully focus on his golf game. What a life.