In the 1980s, as I approached the age of 55 I began to think about trying out for the USGA Senior Amateur which only allowed players age 55 or over. At this time, 1986, I was playing 9 holes a week during the spring, summer, and fall on Mondays evening after work. Well, actually work was until 5PM but the company allowed the golfers to leave early to play as long as we made up the hour we were taking off.

In our company league I was one of the best players with an average of about 2 over par. Sometimes I would shoot under par but not often. On weekends I might play 18 holes with some friends as various courses around Columbus. My scores would be close to par but rarely under par. I thought my game was rather good.

I tried to qualify for the USGA Senior Amateur almost every year after I reached 55. I believe it was in 1987 that I signed up for the Amateur qualifier held at the Firestone CC in Akron, Oh on their north course. The south course was/is the one that the PGA tour plays on. The north course as much more water that comes into play and it is believed to be harder than the south course. It definitely is prettier to the eye.

My group of four guys started on the back nine and I was 5 over par by the time I reached the 17th hole, not a good day with too many mistakes. The 17th is a par three over water with a carry of about 170 yards. The hole is C shaped with an elevated tee box and water all "inside the C". I managed to hit a perfect shot that ended up about 12 feet above the hole. I didn't make a birdie but was very thankful that I got a par.

The 18th is a par 5 dogleg to the right with the drive having to carry about 180 yards of water. Unfortunately, at the time my misses were to the right and my tee ball failed to carry the water, i.e. sliced into it way right. I managed to regain my composure and get my 3th stroke in the fairway. My 4th stroke ended up in a front bunker with the hole cut on the back of the green on a slight rise.

Jeanne and Sam came to Akron with me in our motor home and came out to the 18th as I approached my sand shot. Unbelievably, I make a perfect sand shot and one putted for a bogey. I was not 6 over par and all the guys I talked with who had played in the qualifier at this course before said that you could make the cut, i.e. qualify, with a 6 over par. After making another bogey at the 1st hole I was downhearted as with 8 holes to go and 7 over par I didn't think I could even come close to qualifying.

The 2nd hole is a short par 4 with the 2nd shot uphill about 20-25 feet so you could not see the green but could see the flagstick. My 2nd shot hit the bank in front, bounced up on the green and rolled to about 4 feet away where I made the putt for a birdie and was not 6 over par again.

I managed to shot par on the last 7 holes, it still is a daze how I did that, and was at 78 or 6 over par. My group finished early as we had an early tee time so Jeanne, Sam and I had to sit around and wait to see what happened. This was the beginning of many years of coming close as later players came in at 5 over par and I missed the cut by one stroke.

Another qualifier played later on at North Carolina I was even par after 15 holes when I made a 25-30' putt for a birdie on the 15th par 5 hole. But a double bogey on the 16th, a very difficult par 4 with a green sitting at least 30' above the fairway, really got me nervous.

I managed to chip and putt for pars on 17th and 18th holes with the last chip was from about 80 yards and stopped about 2' from the hole. So I was at +2 but as I had a very early starting time, 8AM, it was now only 12:30PM or so and there was still 1/2 the field left on course.

After waiting around until 5PM I was still in qualifying range of 6-8 players but then the last 4-5 groups came in and knocked my out of qualifying with several scores of +1 or better. Oh, well, there always was next year but as I write the memory in the fall of 2004 I still have never come closer.

After retiring in 1991 and traveling for a year on the road in our motor home, Jeanne and I returned to Anderson, SC to build our home and take up retirement life in the south. We joined the Southern Oaks Golf Course in Easley where I managed to win the Club's senior championship four years, 1994-1997, come in 3rd in the men's championship in 1998, win the senior's match play championship at Boscobel Golf Club, which we joined in 1998. Also in 1998 I tied for 2nd in the Boscobel men's championship.

Since 1998 my back progressively got worse and my golf game too. I never got my form back and my handicap slipped from about 3-5 to 10-12 from 1998 to 2004.