I played for Celtic but had an alternative career investing in golf business with a big-name consortium

GOLF is a pretty common hobby footballers use to relax away from the game.

Many a-player will leave training with their club to pick up their bag full of clubs for a relaxing round away far from the pitch.

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Some become pretty good too – we’re looking at you Callum Davidson and Alan Hansen.

But one former Celtic player took his love of the fairways into business – even while he was still playing.

And the three-times capped star was joined by several of his old team-mates, including three other internationals.

Rather than pick up a punditry role or two in the media to supplement their playing wages, they took a different course and tried their hand as media MOGULS.

Phil Babb, Thomas Sorensen, Jason McAteer and former Hoops loanee Michael Gray were all early investors in Golf Punk magazine around two decades ago.

It offered an alternative look at the sport and was a fresh voice on the game with some up and coming players like Ian Poulter gracing the cover.

Gray was involved in saving the publication a year after his short stint at Celtic where he played seven times.

The deal was only a loan sealed on deadline day by Martin O’Neill – but it still sticks with the England left-back.

It was when he re-joined his Sunderland team-mates at the Stadium of Light that he partnered with them in the venture – but he was still kicking a ball for the Black Cats, Blackburn and Leeds at the time.

And it was a good move for the mag.

It’s popularity took an upward swing and eventually boasted a 22,000 readership and spread across Europe but former Liverpool and Ireland defender Babb became further involved during more financial difficulties.

It also spawned a sister football title called ‘Football Punk’ where he was editor at large.

Eventually Golf Punk closed down their UK operations and went out of print in 2010 after some changes of ownership – but the name retains a web presence and was resurrected as a digital only mag by the original editorial team a few years later.

But Gray’s media involvement didn’t end with his early investment.

When he hung up his boots he opted for a more conventional role for ex-pro’s in the media and started by writing for the BBC.

He also became a talkSPORT pundit and regular Manchester and Liverpool correspondent on the radio airwaves.

But speaking on the Undr the Cosh podcast he raved about his Hoops spell.

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He said: “I ain’t turning that down.

“I drove to Glasgow that night and I was in training the next day – what a club.

“They’d just got to the Uefa Cup final and Henrik Larsson is the best player I’ve ever seen. As an all-round player, unreal.

“When you get in the coaches on the way to the ground.

“From Celtic Park to Ibrox it was mental just blue and green and white.

“It was just four steps to get into the ground – I have never s*** myself so much getting off a coach. Those four steps were fast as – I was rapid.

“Even doing the warm-up was scary.

“I’ve never seen an atmosphere like it. My derby is the Tyne-Wear derby but I’ve never ever been so scared in my life playing that – it was ridiculous.”

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