19th Hole
Fred Couples on Seattle, being a feel player, and what Phil Mickelson is the best ever at
Fred Couples joined Johnny Wunder for the latest installment of his “Gear Dive” podcast. Couples, as he approaches 60, is an interesting case from an equipment perspective, and he’s seen some major changes in the clubs he’s so fluidly swung across his career.
Particularly interesting is the fact that Couples seems to stick with a club until he wears it out. Look at his current driver (a 2013 TaylorMade SLDR) and 3-wood (a 2008 Callaway FT-i Squareway). Hearing what he has to say about those clubs and his equipment philosophy is darn interesting (and atypical).
That said, we’re pulling a section of the pod for further examination that has more to do with technique than equipment, as Couples had some interesting things to say about growing up as a feel player and learning to hit shots around the green.
Johnny: “You’re the epitome of a ‘feel guy’…growing up in Seattle, growing up in the Pacific Northwest, you have to be a feel player, you have to feel your way around a golf course…can you commentate a little bit on how to get yourself out of trouble…how to scramble? How did growing up in the Pacific Northwest teach how to play well hitting it straight and play well hitting it sideways?”
Fred Couples: “If you look at some of the shots some of us play. If you grow up in Seattle…I played at Jefferson Park…small greens; they called them ‘pop-up greens.’ If you missed the green, you had to have great feel, and you had to have touch to get it up in the air and to stop it fast. There weren’t many times where I took a 7-iron out and played a little bump-and-run; it was all sand wedge.”
“So when I got on the PGA Tour, ever time I used a club from off the green, it was a sand wedge…then as you go to Florida and you’re playing on Bermuda, that’ll make you look bad fluffing chips, so you just learn to play around the United States…”
“You mentioned a guy earlier, Phil Mickelson. People want to know how good he is–he’s probably the best player ever to judge a lie. Whether it was a bad lie, good lie, in the rough. We know he’s tried to hit drivers out of the rough and tried to do things, but more or less, that’s what makes Phil the player that he is…he’s got the feel for every shot, and he tries to pull off every shot. And if we’re anywhere alike, we’re like that…I do judge the ball well out of the rough.”
“Seattle, it certainly made me the player that I am. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Incredible perspective from Couples–although he did later say rain is his kryptonite, which is somewhat odd for a Seattle boy. Anyway, the rest of Johnny’s talk with Boom Boom is well worth your time.
Check it out below.
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19th Hole
“Is it a Titleist?” – Jerry Seinfeld shares never-before-heard details of iconic scene
On Thursday, legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the Rich Eisen Show and shared an awesome story from a “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Marine Biologist.”
In the episode, a golf ball goes into the blow hole of a whale. According to Seinfeld, that was never in the episode’s script.
Seinfeld recalls saying the night before the filming of the episode, “What if what puts the whale in distress is Kramer’s golf ball?”
“He’s hitting golf balls at the beach. George is at the beach with a girl, we haven’t connected them!”
“We write that speech the night before at two o’clock in the morning…The sea was angry that day my friend.”
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Kramer finishes the iconic scene by asking “Is it a Titleist?” Seinfeld told Eisen the show sought Titleist’s permission to mention its name, saying the ball had to be a Titleist. Fortunately for lovers of the iconic show, the company agreed.
If (somehow) you’re unfamiliar with the scene, check it out below.
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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19th Hole
Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game ‘on a much more global basis’
While speaking with Bloomberg, golf legend Phil Mickelson acknowledged that he is inching close towards retirement.
“I’m 53 now,” Phil said, “and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end.”
Mickelson added that one of his focuses now is helping other young players.
“Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game has provided me. I’d like them to experience that as well.”
The six-time major champion credited LIV with reaching new markets in golf to help it grow.
“I think that’s exciting for everyone involved in the game because we are going to reach markets that we didn’t reach before. I think it’s going to inspire more golf courses, inspire more manufacturers selling clubs and equipment, but also inspiring young kids to try to play golf professionally. I just see that the game of golf is going to grow on a much more global basis because of the excitement and the presence that LIV Golf has.”
Mickelson is playing at this week’s LIV Singapore and shot a first round 72 (+1).
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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19th Hole
Tiger explains why golf has ‘negative connotations’ for daughter Sam
While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.
On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.
“Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.
“We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”
The nine-minute interview touches on plenty of other subjects, such as Tiger’s relationship with his late father, Earl.
It’s arguably the most open we’ve seen the 15-time major champion in an interview and is most definitely worth watching.
Tiger Woods sits down with Carson Daly to talk about golf, growing up in Southern California, his father and his new apparel line, Sun Day Red. pic.twitter.com/2TFbSNxzxq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 1, 2024
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
New here?
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