In the losing distance convention, the longest club held by the couple is the 7 iron.
Getty Images
The defining signs of aging: gray hair, white back, golf bag full of hybrids.
These days, Fred Couples checks all those boxes. But even at 64, with silver linings, various aches and pains, and slower swing speed than he’s ever had, the veteran veteran has retained his youthful spirit. And he’s not too proud to make fun of himself.
The reminder came Saturday morning, on social media from Pebble Beach, where the couple are playing in the Pure Insurance Championship, on the Champions Tour. Captions are the classic couple: cool, collected, self-deprecating.
With a camera on him as he stands on the yard of the par-4 8th hole, Couples is asked about the number of woods and hybrids he now owns. There are six in total.
“Everyone keeps talking about them,” he says of his new setup. Some golfers may be shy. Couples simply reverse the stigma. “I’m like, so I got my long seven iron. Who cares?”
A former World No. 1, with 64 major wins to his name, including the 1992 Masters, Couples was one of the game’s greatest hitters in his prime. Not for nothing is his nickname ‘Boom-boom.’ And, despite lingering back problems, his painful swing still has pop.
But age takes a distance from every game of golf.
Informed by his caddy that he has 177 yards to the green, Lovers doesn’t hesitate in choosing clubs.
“A little 6-recue for the boys,” he said before changing direction and getting a nod from his playing partner, Jay Haas.
Fred Couples quick tip for improved tempo? Includes ‘dancing’
Nick Piastowski
“6?” Haas asked.
“6-recue,” answered the couple. “Better than 5. You know, I couldn’t hit that with a 6-iron. I’m not strong enough anymore. I hate to say that.”
He was quiet for a while. The grins.
“It’s very soft,” he says.
A beloved moment for any golfer facing the ravages of time, delivered by a longtime Hall-of-Famer with Everman appeal.
There are also some interesting stories in the post, including a small explanation of why he wipes the floor with a towel before shooting (“It’s a bad habit,” he admits), and a story about his ex-husband, Joe. La Cava, who used to catch lovers by telling him that his game had “too many things.”
“’I am very weak. It’s too bad,’” the couple said. “How many balls do you want to hit? Not too many.”
If the couple is in the best condition, the fans will never get too much.
Source link
