In the losing distance convention, the longest club held by the couple is the 7 iron.
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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 a silver lining, various aches and pains, and a slower-than-ever swing speed, the famously self-effacing veteran retains 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 a club.
“A little 6-recue for the guys,” he said before changing direction to get the nod from his playing partner, Jay Haas.
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“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 said.
Time available for any golfer facing the ravages of time, brought to you by longtime Hall-of-Famer Allman's appeal.
There are other good stories in the post, including a little explanation of why she wipes the floor with a towel before every shot (“It's a bad habit,” she admits), and a story about her 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.”
When Couples are at their best, fans can never get too much.
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