Five years after retirement, Brian Caspersen continues to play the long game.
Brian Caspersen learned an important lesson about aging long before he had to worry about it. He watched his grandfather remain active well into his 80s and 90s.
Caspersen wanted the same thing for himself, so fitness was never going to be a temporary pursuit. It was going to be a lifestyle.
“I’ve always wanted to do things that allowed me to do that,” Caspersen said.
At 69, that philosophy is paying off – particularly on the golf course.
Caspersen has played golf for 57 years, starting when he was 12 and his father took him to the YMCA to hit balls indoors. Within a month, he entered a nine-hole tournament and finished third.
He was hooked.
Golf became a lifelong pursuit, one filled with highs, lows and three holes-in-one. But perhaps nothing shaped Caspersen's outlook more than a frightening health scare six years ago.
His back had been bothering him, but initially Caspersen was told there wasn't anything seriously wrong. Eventually, doctors discovered a staph infection that had spread through his body. Further testing revealed the infection had reached his heart.
Caspersen, who had always considered himself physically fit, needed open-heart surgery. He lost 15 pounds during the ordeal, saying, “I don’t have 15 pounds to lose.”
His comeback, however, provided one of his proudest golf moments. Exactly one year later, Caspersen won the B Flight of the Club Championship at Detroit Golf Club.
Several months after that victory, he visited the Rick Smith Golf Academy at Doral. During a session with instructor Josh McCumber, he was introduced to GolfForever.
McCumber brought out the GolfForever Swing Trainer and Caspersen immediately understood the concept. He already knew the importance of the core and rotational power in the golf swing.
He ordered GolfForever immediately. He hasn't stopped using it since.
Caspersen has now used the program for more than 230 consecutive weeks, typically working out four to six times a week.
That remarkable streak helped make him GolfForever's Forever Summer Challenge Consistency Champion.
But Caspersen isn't chasing a streak simply to watch a number grow.
“I want to play pain free,” he said.
Doing that requires preparation. If Caspersen has an 11 a.m. tee time, his golf day starts hours earlier. He works backward roughly 3½ hours to give himself time to eat properly, hydrate and prepare his body. He uses GolfForever before leaving home and arrives at the first tee already thoroughly warmed up.
“On the first tee, I’ve already been warmed up for an hour,” he said.
The results are difficult to argue.
Caspersen carries a 5.2 handicap and says he can still compete with almost anyone he plays. Since retiring five years ago, he estimates he has played an astounding 475 rounds.
For him, though, the attraction isn't simply competition. He loves being outdoors. He loves blue skies. Most importantly, he loves playing golf with friends.
Now retired from a career in the auto industry, Caspersen is moving from Michigan to Palm City, Fla., where there should be even more opportunities to play.
He has also learned to pay attention to the details that allow him to keep going. He hydrates, adds electrolytes to his water, eats properly before and during rounds and puts considerable work into maintaining his endurance.
GolfForever has become part of that routine.
“It’s been a perfect match,” Caspersen said. “I almost immediately understood the system and how it was helpful.”
After 57 years of golf, Caspersen isn't interested in slowing down. He still wants to play in tournaments. He still loves competition.
And if all that preparation allows him to follow his grandfather's example, Caspersen sees no reason those rounds need to end anytime soon.
“I think I can play at a pretty high level until I’m 90.”
