Thoughts on Playing Your Age

There is a saying in golf - I hope I live long enough to play my age. I've known a few golfers who can attest to this claim. I was reminded of this the other day while reading an obituary about a local golfer who died at the age of 95. He had been able to play his age up to four years ago, at age 91. I am usually happy with a round of 91 and I am much younger than 91. In fact, I think I have read that only about 10% of golfers consistently score below 100. Golf must one of the few sports that allows for a 91 year old to compete with most of the other people playing the game.

My father-in-law, Andy, came close to playing his age. He consistently broke 90 when he was in his seventies, but by the time he was 90 he was to frail to make it through a whole round. I don't know if his score and age ever coincided. I had him out to the driving range just before his 90th birthday and he was able to try out my new driver. He could still hit it over 150 yards and always straight. Around that time, he would occasionally ride along if we used a power cart and would get out and hit a few.

Andy didn't start playing golf until after he retired at age 65. He was a steam engineer and welder, a blue-collar guy, and always thought that golf was only for executive types. But with a bit of encouragement from a friend, he gave it a try and soon became obsessed with the game. He joined a club and played almost every day for the rest of his life. With a conservative game, well played, he was able to beat me most, if not all, of the time.

Last summer I played with in a tournament a group of guys I went to high school with have kept going for over 25 years. About 10 years after we graduated, one of our classmates, who everyone thought was destined to the life of a confirmed bachelor, succumbed to marriage, and the gang held a "memorial" tournament in his honour. His marriage didn't last, but the tournament did, with the core group gathering every year for 25 years, adding occasional players like me along the way. Hopefully, these guys will be playing their age.

A while ago I walked on a golf course in a small town where I was doing some work. I happened to get matched with a guy in his seventies playing with his grandson. As we went along, I found out that this fellow had been a club member for some time and had put in a lot of volunteer time in the development of the course. He was recovering from bypass surgery but was still able to play a decent game and mentor his grandson. I don't remember if he played his age exactly that day, but it was close.

I think part of the reason it is possible to play your age in golf is that golf helps to keep people alive. Just yesterday, my doctor was on my case about not getting enough cardio exercise lately. According to him, I should spend less time golfing and more time cycling and running. But I think it is more than the physical activity that golf provides that prolongs life. Most of the older golfers I have played with have developed an emotional maturity that helps them deal with the stresses of whatever comes their way. Anyone who can play their age is likely someone who has walked a lot, and, while they were walking, learned to empty their mind of their last shot. Maybe the expression, playing your age, has more to do with describing an attitude than it does the actual numbers.