Print this page  |  Close Window

By Chip Beck, Special to PGATOUR.com

Editor's Note: This season, Chip Beck is giving PGATOUR.com a little insight on what it's like inside the ropes during his rookie season on the Champions Tour. In the first few weeks of 2007, Beck has enjoyed his encounters with some special people, including his amateur partners and a few legends of the game.

I've had some really good pro-am partners out here and have immensely enjoyed playing with the amateurs. The amateurs have a really good time out here on the Champions Tour because they seem more relaxed. They always tell me that they like playing with the Champions Tour guys and feel at ease with them, so there must be some truth in that. They've all been really nice, kind and courteous. A lot of the tournament directors have come up and introduced themselves, so that's been kind of fun putting the faces with the names now and finally getting to meet some of these fellows and women.

Chip Beck feels like his game is improving. (Levy/WireImage)

My game is improving. We are playing a great golf course this week but it's going to be cold, which is rare for Florida. It's one of the best TPCs that I've played, so in this weather, if you shoot par and under par for sure, it's going to be a great tournament. A very interesting one, I believe.

I saw Mark O'Meara today and he looked really good. He seemed excited about coming out. Nick Price looks good too. We are going to have a great number of players coming out on the Champions Tour this year. It's great for the Tour -- it's very competitive and I've had a few people tell me it's so interesting to watch now. I think it's only going to get better. Look at Price, he's won 18 times with a bunch of majors too. It's nice to see the World Golf Hall of Famers get out here.

In the last few weeks, I've played with Gary Player, Tom Wargo, Bob Murphy -- the veterans. It's been really neat to see these guys. It's funny, I can kind of see my future before me. They're in great shape and are playing golf and enjoying it. They are playing well, too, so it's pretty fascinating.

It's kind of like that country song says, "I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was." Those guys, they hit some great shots and you think, "That was spectacular." But then they don't shoot 65 like it looked like they were going to when they have those amazing shots.

It's still pretty interesting to watch, though, and it's been fun being paired with a lot of the veteran players. I think they do that with the rookies coming out, to teach us the ropes and help us to understand how the game is played on the Champions Tour. Our generation still has so much respect for the older guys. I saw Chi Chi Rodriguez and he said to me, "Do you remember who taught you how to hit wedges?" Of course, I not only remember who, but I can recall the spot. We were out there at the course in Cromwell, Conn., the site of the old Hartford Open, now the Travelers Championship. And Chi Chi said to me, "You are the worst wedge player I've ever seen. Get over here and let me show you how to hit a wedge." So that was kind of fun.

This week, I've got my wife and family coming out so it's going to be really nice. So far, this is a great Tour. It's really a lot of fun and I'm going to enjoy it.