U.S. Senior Golf Honorary Chair Hale Irwin sat down to talk with the BEACON ahead of the upcoming tournament at The Broadmoor.

World Golf Hall of Fame member Hale Irwin, 79, said he started playing some of the best golf of his life after he hit 50 years old, and you can too—with a bit of discipline, practice and the right perspective.

That’s advice the former Colorado resident offered during a Q & A with The BEACON at The Broadmoor. The world-famous hotel’s East Course will be the site of the 45th U.S. Senior Open June 26-29.

Irwin himself won the Senior Open twice—in 1998 and 2000—and is serving as the honorary chair of the 2025 U.S. Senior Open to help promote the event. While he no longer plays professionally, he actively publicizes the sport. 

Irwin played golf while attending Boulder High School, winning the individual state golf championship his senior year. He continued to shine as an athlete at University of Colorado Boulder, playing football for the Buffaloes and winning the individual NCAA golf championship as a senior in 1967.

He turned professional soon after, winning numerous PGA, USGA and other championship titles over the years. 

Irwin won the U.S. Open three times (1974, 1979 and 1990) before transitioning to the Senior Open.

Here are some highlights from the Q & A:

Q: Once you turned 50, did your game actually improve at the senior level? 

A: My career has two distinct chapters to it. Before I turned 50, I had a very good career with a number of wins—it was something I could only dream of. 

And then after 50, again, it was something I could only dream of. I probably hit the ball the best when I was 52 years old. Why? I don’t know. Was it the equipment? Perhaps. Was it technique? Perhaps. It could have been just my time in my life: the comfort of family and friends, the confidence I’d built up through the years. It was probably a combination of all the above. 

You don’t have to be 25 to accomplish something—you can do it later in life. You just have to make sure that the filter’s maybe a little wider and the funnel’s not so tight that you can’t have some successes. 

And that’s what I did. I got my regular career behind me. Then, knowing full well I couldn’t do what I used to do, [my game] was equally good if not better in some respects. 

Q: How does aging affect your training and your game?

A: That’s a good question, and I’m going to take training as being in shape. I used to work out diligently—I’ve lost that discipline, by the way—but I think part of being all you can be is being physically in shape to do that. 

It doesn’t have to be lifting the heaviest weights. It just means a continual workout. People that are 50 and older, we need to take care of our bodies. It’s been proven it can extend your life.

I think from the golf perspective, you have to understand that you are not 20 years old… you’re 50 and up now. And those things that affect me now at my age, I can’t do like I did when I was 50. 

Part of it is understanding what you’re capable of and being able to go out and enjoy the game. Maybe you used to be a scratch player and now you’re an 8. Well, go out and play the forward tees. 

Have fun at the game, because when you get to the age we are now, we have to have fun [to balance out] our aches and pains and worries.

Q: If someone over the age of 50 has never played golf, is that something they can pick up?

A: Sure! It’s a game to be played by all ages, and you can start at any time. I’ve seen it too many times: People who have not played prior to being a senior, and they pick it up to play with friends, and they say, “Hey, this is kind of fun. I wish I’d done this earlier.” 

The swing does not come naturally. It’s not a natural motion. Understand that you aren’t going to be as proficient as you may have been 30 years ago. 

But at the same time, it doesn’t mean you can’t go out and have fun. 

Q: Do you have any superstitions when it comes to playing golf?

A: When I won my first U.S. Open at Winged Foot, I got a Buffalo [Indian head] nickel in change that week. I wasn’t superstitious, but I used it during the tournament, and I won! So I started using it.

Then I had one of those brain spasms several weeks later, and I just reached in my pocket and spent it! So there went that superstition. 

As far as wearing a color, I like red because it means “under par.” If that’s superstitious, that’s just the way it is. 

But no, I don’t have any true superstitions. I try to keep that out of the equation because I don’t want that to interfere with [my] logically thought-through process. 

Q: Do you have any advice for long-term golfers to play at a high level as you have all these years?

A: I think fundamentally you have to keep yourself in shape and have good fundamentals: good grip, posture, alignment, all those things that we talk about on a very broad basis. 

But as a senior player, what I concentrate on, and what I tell some of my senior friends, is that we get slumpy… and when you get slumpy, it inhibits your turn and doesn’t let you get the club back as far as you possibly could. 

So I’d say to them, get in what I call an athletic position. Tuck your tummy. Stick your buns out. Get your back a little straighter because it raises your height ever so slightly, but that little adjustment makes a big difference in your back swing. 

That’s what I’ve been able to pass on to my senior friends: Get better posture. 

Q: Is golf a family affair?

A: My dad introduced me when I was 4, but I didn’t play a lot then, obviously. 

My son out of the University of Colorado turned pro and didn’t have the success that he wanted, so he got his amateur standing back.

I have two grandsons that play golf. My daughter’s a good athlete; she plays some golf. My wife plays at it. One of my granddaughters up in Denver is on the high school golf team and the other is learning how to play—she’s quite good. So yes, it’s in our DNA.

The East Course at The Broadmoor.

See the world’s best senior golfers!

A field of 156 competitors will vie for the Ouimet Trophy at The Broadmoor, which is hosting the U.S. Senior Open for a record-tying third time after hosting in 2008 and 2018. The high altitude adds a challenge—it’s harder for the golfers to dial in their yardages.

Get tickets, ranging from $29 to watch a practice round and up, by visiting the official site.

The site also includes a virtual course tour of The Broadmoor, and you can see statistics and brush up on the history of the event.

Get the “USGA” app for mobile devices to follow all the championships with leader boards, live streaming and more.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Dad the good golfer

Dad retired from golfing in his mid 80s. A couple of years later he offered me his new golf clubs and golf bag. Read More »