In December, Fred Couples competed in the PNC Championship.
Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
There comes a time in almost every golfer's life when they realize it's time to ditch the long irons and switch to hybrids.
For most, this would require ditching the 4-iron in favor of a 4-hybrid (hopefully the 3-iron is long gone!), but in the case of Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, An Era of the 1-Iron on Tour.
Back in September, Capps showed off a golf bag filled with headgear! Seven, if you include putts, that’s half! He carries a driver, two fairway woods and three hybrids, making the 7-iron the longest iron he plays. GOLF's Josh Sens documented the new setup, and people flocked to read why the “Boom Boom” suddenly broke golf's stigma.
Fred Couple's Six Wood/Hybrid Setup
Signs of aging: gray hair, stiff back, golf bag full of mongrels.
Today, Fred Couples checks all of those boxes. But even at 64 years old, with a silver mane, various aches and pains and a swing speed much slower than before, the famously laid-back veteran retains his youthful spirit. And he's not too proud to laugh at himself.
The reminder came in a social media post from Pebble Beach when Capers competed in the Insurance-only Championship at the PGA Tour Champions in September. The clip is an old-fashioned couple: cool, collected, self-deprecating.
As Capps stood on the fairway of the par-4 eighth hole, with cameras trained on him, Capps was asked about the woods and hybrids he now carries. Six in total.
“Everyone's talking about them,” he said of his new configuration. Other golfers may be embarrassed. Couples just shrug off the shame. “I think my longest iron is a 7. Who cares?”
Capps was the No. 1 player in the world, had 64 career wins, including the 1992 Masters, and was one of the best hitters in the game at its peak. Not without reason, his nickname is “Boom”. And, despite chronic back problems, his languid swing still has some popularity.
But age affects every golfer's distance, and as Couples detailed at the Masters earlier this year, the long and mid-irons weren't good for his stiff back.
When his caddy told him he still had 177 yards to go from the green, Couples chose his club without hesitation.
“It was a little six-point save for the boys,” he said before flushing the play, which earned the approval of his co-star Jay Haas.
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“Six?” Haas asked.
“6-Rescue,” Cabos answered. “Better than the 5-iron. You know, I couldn't hit that shot with the 6-iron. I'm not tough enough anymore. I hate to say it.
He stopped. Grinning.
“Very soft,” he said.
For any golfer facing the ravages of time, it's an empathetic moment, delivered by a Hall of Famer who has long appealed to everyday people.
There are other fascinating tidbits in the post, including a half-explanation of why he wipes his grip with a towel before every shot (“It's a bad habit,” he admits) and a story about his former caddy, Joe. LaCava once mocked Couples, telling him there was “a lot of excess” in his game.
“Too weak. Too rough,” Couples said. “How many balls do you want to hit? Not too many.
When Couples is at his most easy-going, fans can never get too much.
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