Personal Musings on Fred Couples

Day 179 without playing golf

Having lived in Seattle for 16 years, I know a bit about native son Fred Couples.

Couples grew up in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Fred was no rich kid, far from it. His family was working class and lived either on or near Jefferson Park, a municipal golf course.

Couples honed his game on the city track, which I’ve played on a number of occasions with my brother-in-law. We used to play Jefferson after work until dark. Seattle is far enough north that you have light until almost 10 o’clock in the summertime.

Jefferson is a par 70, and I can only imagine that Boom-Boom must have shot dozens of rounds in the mid to low 60s (and probably some in the 50s).

Legend has it that Freddy could shape any shot and learned the game without formal lessons. No surprise there. Who could teach such an unorthodox, graceful, powerful move?

A good friend of mine who played golf at University of Washington competed against Couples at least once when Fred was at the University of Houston.

No big news flash, but my friend told me that Freddy was the most talented golfer he ever played against. Even though Couples was low-key, his length and shot making were downright intimidating, my friend said.

Obviously, Freddy’s extraordinary talent and feel age well as he still competes with the world’s best at 46.

The Armchair Golfer