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.
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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…
How far do you hit it these days?
I hit it 275 yards on the main tour in my prime and I’m still about that now. My clubhead speed has reduced by 6mph but I’ve gained that in technology and through the club.
And your swing speed?
Around 104mph, I was about 110 so I’ve dropped 15 yards through that but the ball and club are giving me that back again so I’m the same distance. I’m OK at maxing things out, my smash factor is up around the 1.50 so I’m getting the most out of everything.
Can you give us an idea of how far your irons now travel compared to the 90s?
My 5-iron goes a lot further now as they’re all cranked up. My wedge is three or four degrees stronger, it was almost 50˚, now it’s 45 so that’s going to put on 12 yards with just my wedge. Things have changed, like tennis, cricket, football or rugby everything is faster, quicker, more physical, stronger, every sport has improved. They’re athletes now and doing things we never would do, it’s a power game.
You said in Dubai that you would be disappointed if you didn’t finish in the top 60 on the Race to Dubai if you played a full European Tour season. What would you need to do to achieve that?
I would have to putt very well and get my course management right. I would sometimes struggle for length so there would be a few seven footers for par. So I would have to putt as good as I did, 40 per cent of the game is still putting.
And set my schedule to avoid courses over 7,500 yards and go to the ones that are slightly shorter and do it that way.
What do you do better mentally at 55 that you might not have done in your heyday?
Let the bad shots go better, bouncebackability is it? If I make a mistake I’m now better at putting it behind me, I’,m more relaxed that way but I’m still as ambitious as I was at 25. Competition drives us.
Hale Irwin is 73 and still on the range until it gets dark, Tom Kite at 68 is the same. The competition from the younger end is getting stronger so you need to get the most out of every club in the bag.
When people come out on the Champions Tour they’re surprised at the level of golf being played, Retief Goosen has just come out and said the same.
You haven’t teed off and someone will have shot a 64 and you think what? So you then think you’re going to have to start pressing, it’s an incredible standard. And there are very few courses under 7,000 yards.
How much help do you get to keep your bodies in the right shape?
There’s a physio bus with four beds in it which are full all the time. It’s human nature that there will be more injuries and there’s another bus with a huge gym in it as well as gyms in every hotel which is full of players. The professionalism and quality of everything out here has shocked me.
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How do you stay so flexible?
I’ll go on the bike to warm up and then they stretch me on one of these beds but I keep it limited to that. I don’t overdo it as I like to play, I don’t want to miss a tournament because I’ve picked up a weight that is too heavy, that would be bloody stupid.
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Colin Montgomerie is an ambassador for Loch Lomond Whiskies, The official spirit of The Open. For more information and to buy the unique range of single malts, visit their website.
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