Scott Van Pelt, Rece Davis Told Amazing Story About Lou Holtz Playing Golf at Augusta National

Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz died Wednesday at the age of 89. While Holtz will always be remembered for all the games he won (249) and the national championship he led Notre Dame to in 1988, he will also be remembered for his love of golf and all the fun times he had playing the often frustrating game with friends and family.

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and Rece Davis paid a sweet tribute to Holtz on Wednesday night’s SportsCenter and during it they shared an amazing story of Holtz and the strategy he often used while playing at Augusta National, where the Masters is played each year.

“I doubt this will make air but I’m asking it because the story is so good not to ask,” Van Pelt said. “[Holtz] was a member at Augusta National. I’m told that Lou would lay up on 12. Now 12 is a par 3 but Rae’s Creek is in front of there and he couldn’t carry it. So I’m told he’d punch it down there, and then he’d chip it up there and more often than not he’d roll it in and make a three. And the reason I love the story is because it’s coaching—it’s realizing what you’ve got to work with and figuring out a way to win.”

The par-3 12th hole at Augusta National is one of the most famous holes in all of golf and usually plays at around 155 yards during the Masters. For members, it plays less than that as they don’t play the tournament tees.

The par-3 12th hole at Augusta National, named “Golden Bell,” is one of the most well-known holes in all of golf. | Ben Jared/Getty Images

Davis confirmed that story and talked about a time he played a round at Augusta with Holtz.

“The story is true,” David said, before sharing details of the round they played together. “He was playing at the time when he wasn’t supposed to be playing, Scott. He just had neck surgery and they told him he could chip and putt but of course he wasn’t having that.

Lou Holtz, a member of Augusta National, would routinely lay up on the par-3 12th hole for up-and-down pars over Rae’s Creek. I like to think at some point Lou gave a speech to a prominent player about this strategy to avoid a Masters disaster.@notthefakeSVP @StanfordSteve82 pic.twitter.com/YiKnZtVjEd
— Tim Reilly (@LifeOfTimReilly) March 5, 2026

“Lou would punch it right down the middle, 130-140 yards and he’d get up and down and he’d run off and leave the rest of us. And he won a bet with Mark May—Mark May and Jay Bilas played with us—and he won a bet with him on that day, just friendly competition, and as he was going to have a photograph after the round of Mark handing him the five dollars or whatever it was, Lou said wait a minute and he went into the clubhouse in the back and he got his neck brace and put his his neck brace back on so it would look like that he beat Mark wearing a neck brace.”

So good.

Here’s that full segment from Van Pelt and Davis.

.@nothefakeSVP and @ReceDavis remember the legendary football coach and ESPN analyst Lou Holtz. pic.twitter.com/LsGp0eE5ei
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 5, 2026

Lou Holtz’s legendary college football coaching career

Holtz spent 11 memorable seasons at Notre Dame where he racked up a 100-30-2 record and that one national title, which still stands as the last time that the Fighting Irish won it all.

He then later took over as head coach at South Carolina for six years before moving on to a TV career, where he shined on ESPN’s College Football Final.

Holtz finished his college football coaching career, which included earlier stops at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, and Minnesota, with a record of 249-132-7.

The college football world lost a legend on Wednesday but Holtz left a legacy that will never be forgotten. Both on, and off, the field.