My Favorite Course: Brian Jones
Brian Jones co-hosts the popular Gio and Jones show with Gregg Giannotti weekday mornings across the CBS Sports Radio Network. He is also a college football analyst for CBS Sports and the CBS Sports Network, appearing on College Football Today and Inside College Football.
Jones played college football for one season at UCLA before transferring to Texas for two more. He was an All-Southwest Conference selection in 1990, his senior season, leading the 10-2 Longhorns with 116 tackles and five forced fumbles. The Los Angeles Raiders drafted the linebacker in the eighth round of the 1991 NFL draft. He played his rookie season with the Indianapolis Colts and four more seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
Retiring in 1998, Jones, a corporate communications major at Texas, went back to Austin to start his sports broadcasting career. He hosted a local sports radio show on Austin's 1300 AM The Zone and worked as a sideline reporter for the Longhorn Sports Network, before serving a stint with Fox Sports Southwest.
In his post-NFL career, Jones developed an appreciation for golf. And the game has become an integral part of his charitable pursuits. He hosts the annual Brian Jones Classic, now in its 13th year, to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin area. Last year's event took place as the nearby Twin Creeks Country Club, a scenic 7033-yard par-72 championship course.
CBS Local Sports caught up with Brian Jones to find out about some of his favorite golf courses.
CBS Local Sports: What's your favorite golf course and why?
Jones: Playa Grande in the Dominican Republic. It has 10 holes overlooking the ocean and is considered the Pebble Beach of the Caribbean.
CBS Local Sports: Of the golf courses you haven't played, what course do you most want to play?
Jones: Pebble Beach.
CBS Local Sports: What is your go-to club on the golf course and why?
Jones: Putter. While my game SUCKS, I’m a pretty good putter. Unfortunately, it takes me too many strokes just to get on the green.
CBS Local Sports: What first got you interested in golf?
Jones: Upon retirement from the NFL, I participated in numerous charity golf tournaments and caught the bug.
Check out other entries from My Favorite Course.
CBS Local Sports: What is your most memorable moment on the golf course?
Jones: My most memorable moment on the golf course has occurred each year, for the past 12 years. It’s the conclusion of the Brian Jones Golf Classic, benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area in Austin, Texas. Oh yeah, there was that one time I came within inches of a hole in one.
