University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Maxwell Ford
March 18, 2022 | Men's Golf, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Georgia men's golfer Maxwell Ford is part of a set, a trio, in fact. Maxwell, Abigail and David Ford are triplets from Peachtree Corners, Ga., with Maxwell and his sister attending Georgia and brother David playing golf at North Carolina.
The freshman has already played well for the Bulldogs, placing second in the Puerto Rico Classic last month. He shot a 6-under 66 during that event and finished at 16-under, the third-best finish to par in school history. Georgia is back in action Sunday-Tuesday at the Linger Longer Invitational at Great Waters Golf Club in Greensboro, Ga.
During a recent Quick Chat, Ford talked about being a triplet, his start in golf, his first hole-in-one, his love of roller hockey, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: When did you start playing golf and when did you get really good at it?
Ford: I think I started when I was about 9 and then I started getting good when I was 12 or 13. Right around then was when I decided to stop playing other sports and just focus on golf.
Frierson: What other sports did you play?
Ford: I played a lot of roller hockey, that was my second big one, and other than that I played pretty much everything: basketball, swimming, flag football, lacrosse, soccer when I was really young. I kind of just tried everything and decided on golf.
Frierson: I must say, I wasn't expecting to hear you say roller hockey.
Ford: I played that one for probably five or six years. I played travel roller hockey; I stopped probably when I was 11 or 12, but I still like going ice skating. I'd never actually ice skated until a couple of years ago but it's pretty much the same thing as roller skating. It's kind of like riding a bike, you get used to it and you can pick it back up.
Frierson: Do you remember your first hole-in-one?
Ford: We have a par-3 course at my home course and I've had 10 on there, but those are all short shots. I made my first one out there, on the first hole of the par-3 course. I was probably 11 and I think it was a 9-iron or something from about 70 yards. Other than that I don't remember too much.
I also made one on the real course and then we played a par-3 course at a tournament this fall and I made one there. It was the longest hole-out I've ever had, like 160 or so. That one was kind of more legit than the par-3 course ones back home.
Frierson: Is the reaction the same to all of them? Is there always a moment of jubilation?
Ford: It's probably the same. The one at the par-3 course, it was at Eagle Point (Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C.), it probably felt pretty similar to my first one, just because it doesn't happen that often. It's kind of a rush.
The more times you play, the more likely you are to get one. But my dad's played golf like 60 years, and in those 60 years he's made one hole-in-one but he's also made two double-eagles.
Frierson: What is it like growing up as a triplet?
Ford: It's the only thing I've ever known so I don't know what it's like to not be a triplet. I like it, it's cool, and I'd say David, my brother, and I have done everything together. We played the same sports at the same times, we both played roller hockey a lot, and then we played a lot of the same tournaments in junior golf.
We were together all of the time, or we were up until college, and then my sister, we honestly didn't see her as much because she was always working. She worked at Chick-fil-A and a couple of other places in high school while we were always at the golf course. I see her here a little bit and it's always kind of exciting when I do see her — it's like seeing a unicorn a little bit.
Frierson: Wait, she's working a fast-food job while you and David are playing golf all day?
Ford: [Laughs] We were working, too, it's just more of a fun work. Our parents didn't force her into it or anything, she wanted to do it. She liked the money aspect of it.
Frierson: How seriously did you and your brother think about playing at the same school?
Ford: We wanted to go to the same school but more than anything we wanted to just pick the school that fit each of us best. I think we took the same visits at the same time; I know we did here and also at UNC. Those were the two schools that we were deciding between — we had the same top two schools — and he just fell in love with UNC and committed. I kind of thought about it for a month, I had to decide whether to go with him or come here and do my own thing, and I know I made the right choice.
It's been good to get away from that. For the first 18 years of my life, everybody knew me but they all knew that I was a triplet. I meet people here and they have no idea that there's somebody that looks exactly like me.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Ford: I kind of do, I tend to eat at the same places. I eat at Barberito's a lot, Bojangles — it's not very healthy but I love Bojangles. Something I could eat every day? Maybe Cracker Barrel. I love Cracker Barrel. Or, hibachi or sushi. Cracker Barrel or a hibachi or sushi restaurant.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Ford: I think the most likely one, this is going to sound crazy, is basketball. You ask the guys in here and they're going to be like, "He's not that good at basketball." But, when I practice basketball, I can shoot pretty well. My 3-point shot is probably the best part of my athletic arsenal, I would say. I know it sounds kind of crazy and maybe it's more of a belief that I shouldn't have.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Georgia men's golfer Maxwell Ford is part of a set, a trio, in fact. Maxwell, Abigail and David Ford are triplets from Peachtree Corners, Ga., with Maxwell and his sister attending Georgia and brother David playing golf at North Carolina.
The freshman has already played well for the Bulldogs, placing second in the Puerto Rico Classic last month. He shot a 6-under 66 during that event and finished at 16-under, the third-best finish to par in school history. Georgia is back in action Sunday-Tuesday at the Linger Longer Invitational at Great Waters Golf Club in Greensboro, Ga.
During a recent Quick Chat, Ford talked about being a triplet, his start in golf, his first hole-in-one, his love of roller hockey, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: When did you start playing golf and when did you get really good at it?
Ford: I think I started when I was about 9 and then I started getting good when I was 12 or 13. Right around then was when I decided to stop playing other sports and just focus on golf.
Frierson: What other sports did you play?
Ford: I played a lot of roller hockey, that was my second big one, and other than that I played pretty much everything: basketball, swimming, flag football, lacrosse, soccer when I was really young. I kind of just tried everything and decided on golf.
Frierson: I must say, I wasn't expecting to hear you say roller hockey.
Ford: I played that one for probably five or six years. I played travel roller hockey; I stopped probably when I was 11 or 12, but I still like going ice skating. I'd never actually ice skated until a couple of years ago but it's pretty much the same thing as roller skating. It's kind of like riding a bike, you get used to it and you can pick it back up.
Frierson: Do you remember your first hole-in-one?
Ford: We have a par-3 course at my home course and I've had 10 on there, but those are all short shots. I made my first one out there, on the first hole of the par-3 course. I was probably 11 and I think it was a 9-iron or something from about 70 yards. Other than that I don't remember too much.
I also made one on the real course and then we played a par-3 course at a tournament this fall and I made one there. It was the longest hole-out I've ever had, like 160 or so. That one was kind of more legit than the par-3 course ones back home.
Frierson: Is the reaction the same to all of them? Is there always a moment of jubilation?
Ford: It's probably the same. The one at the par-3 course, it was at Eagle Point (Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C.), it probably felt pretty similar to my first one, just because it doesn't happen that often. It's kind of a rush.
The more times you play, the more likely you are to get one. But my dad's played golf like 60 years, and in those 60 years he's made one hole-in-one but he's also made two double-eagles.
Frierson: What is it like growing up as a triplet?
Ford: It's the only thing I've ever known so I don't know what it's like to not be a triplet. I like it, it's cool, and I'd say David, my brother, and I have done everything together. We played the same sports at the same times, we both played roller hockey a lot, and then we played a lot of the same tournaments in junior golf.
We were together all of the time, or we were up until college, and then my sister, we honestly didn't see her as much because she was always working. She worked at Chick-fil-A and a couple of other places in high school while we were always at the golf course. I see her here a little bit and it's always kind of exciting when I do see her — it's like seeing a unicorn a little bit.
Frierson: Wait, she's working a fast-food job while you and David are playing golf all day?
Ford: [Laughs] We were working, too, it's just more of a fun work. Our parents didn't force her into it or anything, she wanted to do it. She liked the money aspect of it.
Frierson: How seriously did you and your brother think about playing at the same school?
Ford: We wanted to go to the same school but more than anything we wanted to just pick the school that fit each of us best. I think we took the same visits at the same time; I know we did here and also at UNC. Those were the two schools that we were deciding between — we had the same top two schools — and he just fell in love with UNC and committed. I kind of thought about it for a month, I had to decide whether to go with him or come here and do my own thing, and I know I made the right choice.
It's been good to get away from that. For the first 18 years of my life, everybody knew me but they all knew that I was a triplet. I meet people here and they have no idea that there's somebody that looks exactly like me.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Ford: I kind of do, I tend to eat at the same places. I eat at Barberito's a lot, Bojangles — it's not very healthy but I love Bojangles. Something I could eat every day? Maybe Cracker Barrel. I love Cracker Barrel. Or, hibachi or sushi. Cracker Barrel or a hibachi or sushi restaurant.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Ford: I think the most likely one, this is going to sound crazy, is basketball. You ask the guys in here and they're going to be like, "He's not that good at basketball." But, when I practice basketball, I can shoot pretty well. My 3-point shot is probably the best part of my athletic arsenal, I would say. I know it sounds kind of crazy and maybe it's more of a belief that I shouldn't have.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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