Many golfers at the ages of 40-45 start to lose grip on their game. This is largely because of the physical strain golf puts on their bodies. But Justin Rose defies age. He finished in the top 25 in the last event he played on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. Rose can play like that because he takes care of his body. However, coach Mark Blackburn revealed that working with the 12x PGA Tour pro comes with its fair share of challenges.

“It’s a converted RV which has hot, a basically cold plunge, hot tub, sauna, infrared bed. Has obviously a shower. He can do oxygen rides in there,” Mark Blackburn said on Golf’s Subpar podcast. “Obviously, he’s worked with Fooch for a long, long time. Fooch came back on the bag a couple of years ago, and Fooch deserves a knighthood for some of the stuff he has to put up with.”

Rose travels with a converted RV that is stripped out and rebuilt as a rolling performance lab. It helps him treat his body immediately after rounds. And it was none other than tennis legend Novak Djokovic that inspired him to do so. Djokovic is 38 years old but still dominates the tennis court against many younger professionals. He uses a CVAC pod for recovery after an exhausting set. Rose found inspiration in him and commissioned his own recovery vehicles when he turned 40.

This close attention to his body is what Mark Blackburn feels can make it sometimes challenging to work with the 12x PGA Tour pro. His recovery RV drew massive attention at the 2025 Masters. Fans and the media described it as the secret weapon behind his late-career surge. But while this can make it challenging for some to work with Justin Rose, Blackburn also reveals why he is an excellent candidate to coach.

“But to work with him as a coach, he’s phenomenal. Like he’s really, really good. We’ve never had a cross word. He is brilliant. He wants you to tell him what to do. He wants to be coached. He wants to be pushed. I mean, he’s a coach’s dream, to be honest. Like really, really good,” Blackburn said.

Mark Blackburn and Justin Rose worked together in November 2022. During the fall, Rose was looking for a new coach after a period of inconsistent performances and connected with Blackburn. The duo worked together on the Englishman’s swing. Blackburn is the person to credit for Rose’s resurgence in 2023. His improvement reflected how Rose had adapted to Blackburn’s teachings.

Mark even gave an example of Rose’s work with Phil Kenyon. He said that Justin Rose wasn’t good with putting initially. However, since he started working with Kenyon, his putting skills have improved. Between 2012 and 2017, Rose’s putting was poor, and he usually ranked outside the top 100. He started working with Kenyon in the summer of 2016. And shortly after, Justin Rose won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

This hints that he can adapt based on what his coaches are saying, which shows why Blackburn thinks that Justin Rose is a great person to work with as a coach. Justin Rose’s commitment to the game and his body can inspire the next generation of pros.

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Justin Rose balances golf and life

Rose embodies Japan’s kaizen principle of continuous, incremental improvements across attitude, performance, and preparation. He prioritizes process over immediate results to sustain elite play into his mid-40s. This mindset, echoed in his fitness pyramid, teaches amateurs and pros alike to build foundational habits that prevent breakdowns and enable longevity.

The World No. 2, Rory McIlroy, is already following in his footsteps. “Look, I’m not getting any younger. If I want to play competitively for another ten years like Justin Rose has, for example, I have to remember that I’m not 23 anymore and I can’t play that schedule forever,” McIlroy said about reducing the number of events on his schedule.

While McIlroy is reducing the number of events, Justin Rose does it by taking care of his body. However, the factor they both have in common is that they think strategically about maintaining their bodies in top shape for a longer period.

Coach Blackburn reflected on the same and said, “There’s a reason at 45 he still plays like he does. I still think he’s going to have a good chance to win some majors in 26, hopefully into 27. So if you’re looking at, you know, how do you play the game tactically, strategically, there is nobody better.”

Justin Rose plans for everything, including his game, his body, his health, and his life. He has balanced it all to enjoy a long-term career.