Senior golfers: Still swinging

Don’t be fooled by their ages. This foursome of golfers still has plenty of swing left.

Harvey Reed, age 98, his brother Don Reed, 93, Claude Miestrup, 84, and Buzz Toft, 80, each teed up balls on the first hole at Aspirin Acres 10 days ago when the sun was out for one afternoon. They admit they’re fair-weather golfers. It’s understandable that at their ages, their bodies aren’t as limber and willing to play the game in cold, drizzling conditions, even though mentally the men still have a passion to get out and play.

They each smacked the ball good down the first fairway of the nine-hole course at the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Their drives weren’t necessarily boomers, but they were in the right direction. They got in their carts and rolled forward toward their balls. Their ensuing fairway shots put the balls on or near the green and then, with a couple of putts, they completed the hole.

The golfers moved on around the course during the afternoon. If not spectacular with their shots, they were steady and consistent, keeping their shots in play.

They’re also an inspiration for anyone who needs a boost to get out the door and be active outside. All four of these golfers took up the game during their mid-life years and still play several times a week, especially during the warmer months of the year.

“I play for the exercise,” said Harvey Reed, who has been hitting the little white ball for about 30 years now. “But it can be mentally frustrating.”

Don Reed has been playing for close to 50 years.

“It’s a good reason to get outside, to get some exercise,” said Don Reed. “And you try to sink a putt now and then.

“Playing keeps us young,” he added. “It keeps the muscles kind of limbered up.”

Miestrup has also been hitting the golf ball for about 50 years.

“I love it,” he said between making shots on the Aspirin Acres course. “It continues to be a good test of skills. I’m still very eager to play. We have a lot of fun out here.”

Toft has been a golfer for 35 years. He switched to the sport from bowling when a neighbor asked him to come and try the game.

“I was bowling at the time and that was hurting my back,” Toft said. “I tried golf and that didn’t hurt my back, so I’ve been playing ever since.

“I just love to play,” he added. “I don’t take it real serious. It’s relaxation. I don’t worry about anything when I’m playing golf. I get totally wrapped up in it. I play and forget all my problems.”

Miestrup is the best golfer of the four, according to the other three. He played to about a 6 handicap for many years and shot his age or better a couple times on the par 72 Roseburg Country Club course.

“Now I’m about 18 handicap,” he said with a laugh.

Both the Reeds had aces to their credit. Don Reed scored his hole in one in 1984 at the age of 70. Harvey Reed notched his ace in 1990 when he was 81.

All four of the golfers walked the courses while playing for many years, sometimes carrying only a half set of clubs, but for a couple years now they’ve been using carts because of aches and pains in the feet and legs after walking and standing while playing a two-hour round.

“I don’t mind walking, but the calves on my legs begin to ache,” Toft said. “I used to walk every day. I don’t have any regrets using a cart because I don’t think I could walk nine holes anymore. My legs just give out on me.”

None of the four has suffered any injuries from playing the game other than taking some fun mental abuse from their golfing buddies.

“Off and on I get a kink here or there, but overall the game has been good to me,” said Miestrup.

Last summer the four friends grouped up and played in the 18-hole Elks Lodge Charitable Tournament, a scramble event at Aspirin Acres. Of course, they were the oldest team in the competition. They didn’t win, “but scored well,” said Don Reed. The team finished in the middle of the standings in the event that drew about 10 teams.

“I try to do my very best,” said Toft of his golf game. “But I play for fun. I don’t get too serious. I don’t need the stress. Life is easier that way.”



• You can reach Features Editor Craig Reed at 957-4210 or by e-mail to creed@newsreview.info.