Where Age has no cut Line

At the age of fifty, most athletes are invited to the sidelines, to commemorate, to reminisce, to be applauded for what once was, to give their bodies a rest. Not for Paul Smith, 50 was a reset and a chance to dream big once again.

Speed, power, flexibility all have a habit of starting to wain in the back nine of life. In golf, however, the story is deliciously different. While the floodlights dim early in so many other pursuits, where tendon, torque and time conspire against ambition, the fairways remain stubbornly democratic. Not being overly reliant on any one attribute the swing may start to evolve, change path, the yardage recalibrates, but guile sharpens, nerve steadies, and experience that has been hard won over decades, becomes its own competitive advantage. After all there is no ticking clock on a player’s touch. No expiry date on feel, arguably these things become more refined with years in the bag.