Fred pairs at the PNC Championship in December.
Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
There comes a point in almost every golfer’s life where they realize it’s time to ditch the long irons and switch to hybrids.
For most, this involves ditching the 4-iron in favor of a 4-iron hybrid (hopefully the 3-iron is long gone!), but in the case of Fred Couples – the 1992 Masters champion who played the tournament in an era where 1 -PW was still a typical iron group- he went a bit further.
Back in September, Couples was showing off a golf bag full of headwear! Seven, if you count the shooter, that’s half the bag! He carried a driver, two fairway woods and three hybrids, making the 7-iron the longest iron he played. GOLF’s Josh Sens described the new setup and people gathered to read why “Boom Boom” had suddenly broken a golfing stigma.
Fred Couple’s six-wood/hybrid setup
Telltale signs of aging: graying hair, pale rear, golf bag full of hybrids.
these days, Couples Fred it checks all those boxes. But even at 64, with a silver mane, various aches and pains and a much slower pace of movement than he once had, the famously quiet veteran retains his youthful spirit. And he is not too proud to make fun of himself.
A reminder came in a post on social networks from Pebble beachwhen Couples played at Clean Insurance Championship in September, on the PGA Tour Champions. The snippet is vintage Couples: cute, collected, self-deprecating.
With a camera on him as he stands on the fairway of the par-4 8th hole, Couples is asked about the arsenal of woods and hybrids he now carries. Six in total.
“Everybody keeps talking about them,” he says of his newly configured setup. Other golfers may be embarrassed. Couples simply shrug off the stigma. “I’m like, so I have my longest iron is a 7. Who cares?”
A former world No. 1 with 64 professional wins to his name, including 1992 MastersPairs was one of the game’s greatest players in his prime. Not for nothing, his nickname was ‘Boom-boom’. And, despite lingering back problems, his slow swings still have some rhythm.
But age takes distance from every golfer’s game, and, how Pairs detailed in Masters Early this year, the long and medium irons are not good for his weak back.
Informed by his frame that he has 177 meters left to the green, Couples does not hesitate in selecting the club.
“A little 6-save for the guys,” he says before launching into an approach that earns the approval of his playing partner, Jay Haas.
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“6?” Haas asks.
“6-rescue,” Couples replies. “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 stops. Smile.
“Too soft,” he says.
It’s a relatable moment for any golfer facing the ravages of time, delivered by a Hall-of-Famer who has long drawn everyone.
There’s other cute stuff in the post, including a semi-explanation about why he wipes his hands with a towel before every shot (“It’s a bad habit,” he admits), and a story about his former boss, Joe . La Cava, who ribbed Couples by telling him that his game had “a lot of stuff.”
“Very weak. Very tough,” Couples says. “How many balls do you want to hit? Not a lot.”
When Couples are at their easy best, fans can never take too much.
