KOHLER, Wis. — Short of making a birdie or getting attacked by snakes, Charles Woodson experienced it all on the front nine at Blackwolf Run's River Course — a 300-yard drive, chunked irons, thinned irons, two pars, a triple bogey, etc.
The halfway house was calling.
"I don't know where the game is gonna go from here, fellas," he said after ordering a cup of cognac at the turn. "As Lloyd Carr said, it gets better or gets worse but never stays the same."
Green Bay has been Woodson's home since 2006, but Michigan remains his foundation.
"Hey, man, I'm a 'Blue' guy," he said. "When I first got there, (defensive coordinator) Greg Mattison said, 'Hey, Charles, are you a Blue guy?' "
Watching the defenseless Wolverines under Rich Rodriguez made him blue.
"First time I ever turned a game off in the second quarter," he said. "At the Saturday night meetings, guys like B.J. Raji and Nick Collins were killing me. I wasn't one of those guys rooting against (Rodriguez), but (his firing) had to be done."
Woodson's Packers teammates came through for him, though, in the Super Bowl. Woodson broke his collarbone just before halftime after slamming the turf while covering the Steelers' Mike Wallace.
Woodson has a replica of the Super Bowl trophy with "XLV" tattooed on his right forearm, and the NFC's 2009 defensive player of the year will make another run at football nirvana this season.
Sports Illustrated cited Woodson's injury as the NFL's No. 5 question heading into fall camp. "Well, I saw him swinging a golf club recently," SI quoted Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, "so I guess his shoulder's OK."
That it is.
Woodson stepped to the first tee using rented clubs — "I had my set stolen from my condo in Green Bay" — and without having visiting the range.
"The philosophy of my strength coach at Michigan (Mike Gittleson) was 'No stretching,' " Woodson recalled. "If you're walking across the street and a car is going to hit you, will you stop to stretch?
"You just gotta go with it. No time to play around."
We played with Kohler Co. executives Scott Silvestri and Jim Richerson, the general chairman of the 2012 U.S. Women's Open, which will be played at Blackwolf Run. Silvestri wore a cap with a prominent "W" logo for his alma mater, Wisconsin, which reached the Rose Bowl last season.
"Like I tell everybody, get your laughs in now," Woodson said. "We'll be back."
Woodson got a small measure of revenge on the par-3 17th. Both he and Silvestri came up short, setting up a chipping contest. Woodson's rolled to 8 feet from the cup; Silvestri's went long. Woodson raised his arms and began humming "The Victors."
Woodson also had his struggles. The spectacular River Course, named "Best New Public Course" by Golf Digest in 1988, has been restored to feature more length, new grasses and a fifth tee box. What hasn't changed is that water can drown balls on 12 holes.
Woodson donated several sleeves of Titleists to Mother Nature.
He shook his head. "This is tiring," he said. "Mentally draining."
At least no one got hurt. Near the second green, we grabbed refreshments from the drink cart while the group behind us hit their approach shots.
"These guys won't make it out of the state if they hit Charles," said caddie Jason Franz, who started the round by telling Woodson: "You and I have something in common: We're the best at our position."
Woodson, 34, signed with the Packers in 2006 by default.
"I wasn't coming until I realized that no one else wanted me," he said. "Coming out of Oakland, people thought I was a bad guy and a bad teammate because I had my fun (off the field). But that wasn't true.
"These teams like Seattle, Jacksonville and Atlanta told my agent: 'We're not looking for a corner at this time.' Five days later Jacksonville signed Brian Williams, and I thought: What the (bleep) is that?"
The Jaguars released Williams in 2009. A rejuvenated Woodson made the Pro Bowl the last three seasons.
Next sport to conquer: golf. It won't be easy.
Asked how long he hits an 8-iron, Woodson replied anywhere from 150 to 180 yards. Oy.
"I tell people: I have a good swing," he said. "Where it goes after that is not my issue."
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein