John Terry and Gareth Bale are among the former footballers poised to do battle on the golf course in a star-studded upcoming event
Gareth Bale and John Terry have traded the football pitch for the golf course(Image: OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Premier League footballers John Terry and Gareth Bale might have hung up their boots, but their competitive spirit remains. These days, the pair are among those ex-pros looking to thrive on the golf course rather than the football pitch.
The link between the two sports is nothing new. Plenty of football stars were known to enjoy a day out on the golf course during their playing days, long before Bale’s infamous ‘Wales, Golf, Madrid’ episode.
This weekend, Bale and Terry will both be part of the field at the ‘Reignwood Icons of Football’ golf tournament. The event, broadcast on Sky Sports, will be a team event similar to the Ryder Cup – albeit England vs the Rest of the World rather than Europe vs the United States.
Terry is due to be joined by stars including former England international strikers Andy Cole, Robbie Fowler and Teddy Sheringham. Bale’s team-mates include his fellow Wales internationals Ryan Giggs and Aaron Ramsey, as well as former Ballon d’Or winner Andriy Shevchenko.
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We know Terry and Bale are avid golfers, but how good are they? Well, their respective handicaps go some way towards answering the question.
When Terry was confirmed as one of the players at last year’s Reignwood Icons of Football event in Thailand, reports at the time indicated he was playing off a handicap of 4. A couple of years before that, though, he was playing off scratch.
“When I retired [from football] I set myself a target to get down to scratch and today I achieved it,” the former centre-back posted in April 2022. “Not the most exciting post but one I’m personally pleased with.”
Gareth Bale on the golf course in 2024(Image: Getty Images)
Bale, meanwhile, appears to have been moving in the opposite direction. In the summer of 2025, WalesOnline reported Bale’s handicap as 0.1, having stood at around three or four just a couple of years prior, though he has no plans to turn pro.
The Welshman’s friend, former British tennis No.1 Andy Murray, has been similarly impressive in bringing his handicap down. It hasn’t come down quite as far as Bale’s, though, and the former Real Madrid star was recently asked who was the better golfer out of the pair.
“My handicap would suggest me!,” the 36-year-old said. “But [Andy] is a good player. He hasn’t been playing long, but he’s a very good player. I’ve played with him many times now and he’s such a good, nice, humble guy. He’s very funny as well.”
Here are the handicaps for all the ex-footballers taking part in the Reignwood Icons of Football event:
Team England: Jimmy Bullard 0, Lee Sharpe 1, Teddy Sheringham 4, John Terry 4, Jermaine Jenas 4, Robbie Fowler 6, Paul Ince 6, Phil Jagielka 6, Phil Jones 9, Theo Walcott 9, Andy Cole 10, Joe Hart 12.
Team World: Gareth Bale 0, Andriy Shevchenko 1, Dwight Yorke 1, Gabriel Batistuta 2, Gianfranco Zola 4, Ryan Giggs 7, John Arne Riise 8, David Ginola 8, Ruud Gullit 8, Nigel de Jong 8, Aaron Ramsey 10, Henrik Larsson 10.
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