‘I hit it 275 yards in my prime and I’m still about that at 55’
Colin Montgomerie first won on the European Tour in 1989 and he’s still threatening more wins on the PGA Tour Champions on a weekly basis. The 55-year-old might not be the gym bunny that the modern game is dominated by nor is he TrackMan obsessed like many of his peers but he’s still getting it done and showing no signs of his game going backwards.
You seem to have bypassed any unwanted afflictions. Why is that and what do you put your longevity down to?
Well I’ve never had any chipping or putting problems or injuries so I’ve been fortunate that way. Health-wise I’ve been good so that’s number one and I don’t think I’ve ever missed a tournament through injury.
If I’m over a putt my thinking is that the worst thing that can happen is that it can miss. So that’s OK so I may as well try and hole it then instead. That’s my psychology rather than thinking of everything taking it back. There are some pros when you think I’m not watching his stroke today in case it catches on.
You’re obviously from a different era to the modern-day players but does your longevity also come from keeping things simple?
The players these days are so technical with their TrackMans and everything else. I don’t think the guys who are now 21 will be playing golf at 55, they’ll more likely be in a straitjacket by then.
They are going to get more and more technical and trying to improve their speed and spin rates and angles of attack but then you will get on the 1st tee and it all changes, now you’re playing golf. Now it’s a matter of getting the ball round in the least amount of shots.
That shot of 137 yards to the last, which is a funny distance and you are between clubs, then you’re not thinking about angle of attack. It’s then all down to feel and trying to get the ball up and down. Monitors have their place but hopefully golf will remain the feel game that it is and that’s the beauty of it.
Interview continues on the next page, where Monty reveals how far he’s hitting it these days and how he thinks he would get on if he played on the European Tour…
Mark Townsend
Been watching and playing golf since the early 80s and generally still stuck in this period. Huge fan of all things Robert Rock, less so white belts. Handicap of 8, fragile mind and short game
