Community

At this course, 90 is more than a good score

It can mean an extra perk for olderplayers: free rounds.

By KELLIE DIXON, Times Staff Writer
Published January 30, 2008

Eugene Sawyer, left, plays frequently with his oldest son, Robert, right, who visits from Michigan. The public family-run Triple-S Golf Ranch in Dade City, which offers golfers a down-home feel, gives free rounds to golfers age 90 and older.
	[Photo by Kellie Dixon]

ADVERTISEMENT [Photo by Kellie Dixon] Eugene Sawyer, 91, lives in Dade City three months a year and plays golf almost every day.

DADE CITY

Eugene Sawyer jokes that the Triple-S Golf Ranch might be in trouble 20 years from now.

That's because the course lets anyone age 90 and older play for free. The 91-year-old Michigan native spends three months a year living in Dade City where his neighbors are all around 70 years old.

"The club better watch it," Eugene Sawyer said with a smile. "Twenty years from now all those guys will be 90."

But Nancy Smith, general manager of the family-run golf course isn't worried about it. As far as she's concerned, that would be a great problem to have.

The club started offering free rounds to golfers 90 and older a couple of years ago. Smith said she and her family were impressed by how active some of the older golfers were.

"That's one of the reasons we did what we did," Smith said. "We wanted to say thank you and have respect for the elderly."

The reactions range from stunned to humbled. Eugene Sawyer, who golfs frequently with his oldest son, Robert, went through both emotions.

"We didn't believe it," Eugene Sawyer said.

Sawyer, who plays almost every day during the week, shoots in the mid 90s. Before he retired as a truck driver in 1980, he spent much of his time hunting and fishing. It wasn't until he had grandkids that he actually got into golfing. Then, he bought them golf clubs and a set for himself.

After awhile he stopped hunting and stopped fishing. Golfing, Robert Sawyer said, is really the one hobby that his dad still enjoys.

So to play it for free is even more exciting.

Comping rounds for Eugene Sawyer and his 90-year-old-plus colleagues is kind of fitting for the down-home golf course that prides itself on customer service. Smith and her family make it a point to know first names when dealing with the golfers.

When golfers arrive at the facility, old wagons and wagon wheels are situated on the expansive property. Each hole is named something like "Wyatt Earp" or "Sundance Kid."

And to folks like Eugene Sawyer, this is home. The free golf is just a bonus.

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[Last modified January 29, 2008, 21:14:34]