Charles Barkley Swings For The First Tee

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley hit the greens for charity last week as he took part in the 4th Annual Barkley, Bean, Bryant & Friends Celebrity Skins Game on Friday February 6 at the YMCA Par 3 in Lakeland Florida.

Barkley is no stranger to the event and has helped raise $725,00 for The First Tee of Lakeland’s youth golf facility’s budget.

“When I did it the first time, I just did it. And I had such a good time, it’s one of the first things I put on my schedule every year,’’ Barkley said.

This year, Barkley joined Champions Tour pros Andy Bean and Brad Bryant of Lakeland, as well as Jim Dent, Mark McNulty and Gene Jones of the Champions Tour for a nine-hole skins game, where they played for $1,000 a man, with the winner writing a check to The First Tee when play finished on the ninth green.

Jim Thorpe was also scheduled to take part, but was delayed due to filming "Uneven Fairways’’ for the Golf Channel. In lieu of his absence, Thorpe donated $1,000 to The First Tee, which served almost 1,000 local youths last year.