Playing golf with comedy icon Larry David? Here’s what that’s like

Larry David may play a fictionalized version of himself in his beloved sitcom “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” but as Cooper Manning describes it, the character David portrays is really not all that fictional.

Manning, the older brother of former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, was the guest on this week’s GOLF Subpar and told co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz that the comedian and “Seinfeld” co-creator is “just like you think he is” on the golf course.

The elder Manning brother played with David at Cherry Hills in Colorado during a practice round for an event Peyton was running there.

“You want things to kind of go wrong, where he gets mad and aggravated because that’s where he shines,” Cooper recalled. “So, you know, even on the 1st green, he had a putt and he started yelling at it. You know, ‘Too hard. Too hard.’ It’s on No. 1!”

That was only a sign of things to come as a few holes later Cooper caught David giving his looper a hard time.

“He kind of flustered his caddie,” Cooper said. “His caddie told him, you know, ‘It’s a little uphill.’ Of course, he hammered it and he’s like, ‘Don’t ever tell me how hard or how soft to hit it unless I ask!’”

The caddie politely obliged, Cooper said, but no one had any idea if David was being serious.

The round came to an abrupt end as David, who, at 77, currently sports 15.5 index out of the famed Riviera Country Club, said he didn’t need to see the back nine and ended his practice round after nine holes.

“He was ready for action,” Cooper said.

For more from Cooper, including the reason behind the decision for his son Arch to go to Texas, check out the full episode of GOLF Subpar below.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.