Fred Couples smashes golf stigma with new club setup

With a camera on him as he stands in the fairway of the par-4 8th hole, Couples is asked about the arsenal of woods and hybrids he now carries. Six altogether.

“Everyone keeps talking about ‘em,” he says of his newly configured setup. Other golfers might be embarrassed. Couples simply shrugs off the stigma. “I’m like, so I got my longest iron is a seven. Who cares?”

A former World No. 1, with 64 professional wins to his name, including the 1992 Masters, Couples was one of the game’s biggest hitters in his prime. Not for nothing was his nickname ‘Boom-boom.’ And, despite longstanding back problems, his languid swing still has some pop. 

But age drains distance from every golfer’s game. 

Informed by his caddie that he has 177 yards remaining to the green, Couples doesn’t hesitate in club selection.

“A little 6-rescue for the boys,” he says before flushing an approach that earns the approval of his playing partner, Jay Haas.

“6?” Haas asks.

“6-rescue,” Couples replies. “Better than the 5. You know, I couldn’t hit that with a 6-iron. I’m not strong enough anymore. I hate to say that.”

He pauses. Grins.

“Very 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 had an Everyman’s appeal. 

There are other charming tidbits in the post as well, including a semi-explanation for why he wipes his grips down with a towel before every shot (“It’s a bad habit,” he concedes), and a story about his former caddie, Joe La Cava, who used to rib Couples by telling him his game “a lot of too’s.”

“’Too weak. Too much rough,’” Couple says. “How many balls you want to hit? Not too many.”

When Couples is at his easygoing best, fans can never get too much.

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.