Greg Chalmers has enjoyed a career renaissance since joining the PGA TOUR Champions.
West Australian Greg Chalmers is renowned for his putting prowess — the flatstick helping to propel him to two Australian Open titles and global success across a 30-year career. Now, thanks to impressive gains in clubhead speed, he’s poised to keep cashing cheques on the Champions Tour.
Inside Golf’s Andrew Crockett caught up with Chalmers, affectionately known as ‘Snake’, during Autism Awareness Month to chat about golf, longevity, and how he and his wife Nicole are helping families impacted by autism — a condition sadly on the rise.
Most Aussie golf fans will remember Chalmers’ breakthrough win at the 1998 Australian Open at Royal Adelaide, where the then 25-year-old former Australian Amateur champion edged out stars like Fred Couples, Nick Faldo and Stuart Appleby to claim victory.
In his 11 full seasons on the PGA Tour during the Strokes Gained era, Chalmers has averaged 12th in Strokes Gained: Putting — and never finished outside the top 50, leading the PGA Tour twice in the stat. But how many know he’s also gone from 106mph to 120mph in clubhead speed? Or of his quiet but meaningful efforts in raising awareness and support for families dealing with autism?
I remember when you won the Australian Open back in 1998. How important was that victory for you, beating guys like Stuart Appleby, Nick Faldo, Peter Senior, and Fred Couples so early in your career?
Yeah, look, to be honest, at the time I probably wasn’t as self-aware as I should have been about how good that was.
When you’re in the thick of trying to build your career, you don’t always stop to assess your achievements properly. I think by the time I won again in 2011 I was much more aware and grateful.
In ‘98, I didn’t fully appreciate that not just the Open win, but the whole year was phenomenal — 25th on the European Tour Order of Merit, third at US Q School, winning the Aussie Open.
I just kept pushing forward without really reflecting. In hindsight, I should have taken more confidence and belief from it.
You’ve really seemed to hit another level physically in your 40s — which is rare and inspiring.
Yeah, it started because I needed to get pain-free from arthritis in my spine. I worked with a trainer on mobility and strength and found out that part of my lack of mobility was simply a weakness in key areas.
Once we addressed that, and I got pain-free — which took about 12 months — I decided I wanted to get healthier overall, not just maintain. I figured I had a five-year window, and if I didn’t do something, I’d lose speed and performance.
Now, at 51, I’m actually hitting the ball longer than ever. It’s been a cool journey — investing in myself has made a huge difference.
I’d encourage anyone around my age. Just move. Play squash, see a trainer, lift something. You’re going to lose muscle mass if you don’t get after it. The health benefits were first in my thought process… and golf improvement is just a bonus.
You were pushing 120mph clubhead speed a few years ago. Are you still around 115mph now?
Yeah, I comfortably cruise around 115mph without swinging out of my shoes. I can push higher if I really go after it, but it’s not super controlled.
Overspeed training — training your body to move faster — is really important. And the knowledge around how golfers train for speed has come a long way. For years there was a lot of confusion and fear around lifting weights, for example. There were all sorts of opinions from trainers on what might work to increase clubhead speed. After a decade (or more) of exploring speed training concepts, golfers now know what works and most trainers are on the same page.
We grew up in the same era, where swinging persimmons at 85% and getting it ‘out of the screws’ was the objective and many teaching professionals would advise to not swing it so hard. Now if you’re not swinging at 110%, you’re falling behind.
Absolutely. Speed has gone from being an asset to being a necessity — especially for young players.
Statistics show that players closer to the hole after the tee shot score better. So, it’s not optional anymore, you have to get after it if you want to compete at the highest level.
It’s definitely needed on the Champions Tour too — some of those courses are no picnic at over 7,200 yards.
Yeah, it’s plenty long out here some weeks. It’s not quite PGA Tour level in terms of distance, but distance is still a real asset. And it’s only going to get more important. In 10 years, the fields will be even longer off the tee.
There seem to be a lot of Aussies out there now. Is there a good camaraderie among the boys on the Champions Tour?
Yeah, it’s great. A few years ago at Q School, four of the five cards went to Aussies. Now you’ve got guys like Brendan Jones, Richard Green, Cameron Percy, Stuart Appleby, and Steve Allen all out here.
Everyone’s in a good place in life, grateful to still be playing. It’s a nice mix of competition and friendliness. It’s a great tour.
How many events are you planning to play this season?
About 23 or 24, depending on how I play.It gets busy after the British Open in July with a big run leading into the end of the year.
Talking about mobility, what is ‘functional range conditioning’?
Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) is about joint strength and mobility, not just stretching.
I’d encourage people to check it out — there’s a lot of good information out there if you research those three words. Also, on the TrainPMT website which is all about ‘progressive movement training’ golfers can read about my journey with it all. www.trainpmt.com/greg-speaks/
When I interviewed Gary Player, he talked about reciprocal training — swinging both right and left-handed to help the back. Have you tried that?
Yeah, when I had back problems, I used to warm up with a right-handed club by just swinging it, not hitting balls. Warming up both sides definitely helps and it makes sense if you swing the club one way for many years it could be wise to work out the other side of the body.
Most Aussies know you for your putting… especially short putting. Any quick advice for guys struggling from close range?
Plenty of things to try. First thing, if you can, go see a PGA pro. Otherwise, a good basic tip is to get your eyes over the ball — not too far over, and not too far inside.
It would be great if you potentially had a putt without a ball awareness. A lot of people get really nervous when they just look down at the ball. You could hit some putts either looking at the target or with your eyes closed. I find that really good for tempo and for feeling the flow of the putter head.
Potentially, another option would be keeping stabilised a little bit in the lower half. Don’t move your legs too much. I think that can always be pretty helpful for people, from short range particularly.
I have a good laugh with some of your posts on twitter, what other platforms should we point people towards if they want to stay tuned up to what Greggy’s doing? Or should we call you the Gregulator?
I have a great fun on twitter. I post on Instagram a little bit. Mainly, I tend to just share what I’m working on, or workouts. It’s just golf nerdy stuff. I also have a podcast that I do called Hack It Out Golf with two other guys, Mark Crossfield and Lou Stagner. We’ve been going for two and a half years now, so that’s going really well. Hack It Out Golf, it’s a game improvement podcast. We try to help people play better, so we attack it from different angles and it’s a bit of fun. www.hackitoutgolf.com/
Chalmers taking ‘Maximum Chances’ for Autism awareness
At what point did you realise your son had a health issue?
Pretty early. We were lucky… he was diagnosed around 24 months. There were signs at about 18–20 months, and the doctor recommended we see a specialist. Max didn’t speak until he was four. We taught him sign language and started speech therapy and behavioural therapy. As a first-time parent, it was quite confronting. You develop a new normal, and you adapt.
How much did you know about autism before the diagnosis?
Honestly, nothing. I didn’t really understand it at all. I just knew it meant a different way of thinking. My wife Nicole threw herself into learning. Over the past 20 years, she’s earned what I call a PhD in our son Max and his relationship with autism. She’s brilliant at researching therapies and approaches. We were lucky that many of them helped.
I imagine Nicole is sought out for her knowledge now?
Absolutely. Through our website, we encourage people to reach out. Sometimes talking to someone who’s a few years further along can be incredibly helpful. Nicole loves learning too. Every conversation often brings some new insight to share. It’s a constant process because we still don’t know enough.
Greg’s wife Nicole and son Max.
Is there any idea what’s behind the rise in autism diagnoses, particularly in the U.S.?
That’s a great question… and honestly, I don’t know. That’s well above my pay grade. What’s good is that governments and health officials are finally having serious discussions about it. It’s been a long time coming for the autism community.
The numbers are staggering… diagnoses have doubled roughly every decade. From 1 in 150, to 1 in 75, to now about 1 in 30. If that trend continues unchecked, the future impact would be astronomical. We need real answers.
Have therapies made a difference for Max?
Definitely. Speech therapy and behavioural therapy were huge for us. Max had speech therapy weekly for over 11 years. With autism, you don’t just go to the doctor once and it’s done. Behavioural therapy especially is ongoing. Even now, at college, Max still works with a mentor to handle new challenges. Therapy works…but it’s a long, demanding and expensive road for families.
Your charity, Maximum Chances — does it mainly help families with the financial side of therapy?
Exactly. We have a small but strong footprint around the Dallas Metroplex. We partner with therapists and providers we know and trust. We pay for speech therapy, behavioural therapy, doctor visits — and now, we’re also helping young adults on the spectrum transition to independent living.
Families apply, and once they meet our criteria, we try and fit them into our budget.
Where does most of the funding come from?
A lot comes from Skudo, a Dallas-based, Australian-owned company. They were looking for a local charity to support, and we became friends. They’ve been hugely generous. We also get individual donations from friends and local supporters. Importantly, we spend nothing on admin, rent, or overheads… the donations go straight to therapists to help families. It’s highly efficient.
For Australian parents facing an autism diagnosis — what advice would you give?
First, get aligned with your partner. Divorce rates are high… I think around 80% for parents with an autistic child, often because parents pull in different directions. You need to agree on how you’re going to approach therapies and treatments.
Second, understand that while the journey is different, it can be incredibly rewarding. I remember the first time Max made eye contact or said a word… things other parents might take for granted, we celebrated. You appreciate life differently and see the world a little differently.
Chalmers receives outstanding support from fellow professionals when staging his golfing fundraisers for his Maximum Chances charity initiative.
Did you and Nicole get aligned early on?
We did. We agreed that we’d do everything possible therapy-wise. Nicole did the heavy lifting in terms of education. One of the biggest challenges for me was being away 30 weeks a year on tour, then coming home and trying to stay consistent with therapy techniques, rewards systems, behavioural cues and everything needed to nurture Max’s development.
Is there much happening between golf and autism support in Australia?
Sandy Jamieson’s Reach and Belong program, with support from Golf Australia and the NDIS, is doing excellent work. It’s absolutely worth supporting: https://reachandbelong.com/
Ernie Els has spoken highly of your efforts. Are you getting support from fellow pros?
Definitely. When I ran charity golf days and needed 14–18 pros to give up their time for free, the Aussies you see on the PGA TOUR stepped up. Marc Leishman, Adam Scott, Jason Day. Leishman played every single event. So did Cam Smith, Rod Pampling, John Senden, Matt Jones… and many American players too.
There’s a great spirit among the pros. If you can help a mate, you do. I’ve played Leishman’s charity day for his Begin Again Foundation several times. You tend to see the same faces… a small club of people who care enough to show up.
