93-YEAR-OLD Cyril Payne retired from Sawtell Golf Club last month after a remarkable 60 years playing at the club.

Cyril turned 93 on Wednesday and couldn’t resist hitting a few balls and reminiscing over wonderful memories at the stunning golf club.

Cyril’s secret to longevity is “don’t worry, be happy”.

“If you play a bad shot; don’t worry, just keep going,” he said.

“You could get a birdie on the next hole that marks out the bad hole.

“Don’t get angry, that’s no good for you, play with a smile on your face, that’s what I reckon.

“Some people get cranky and throw their clubs.

“Don’t worry about it, just get onto the next hole and play each hole because each one is different.”

Club president Keith Rhoades proudly spoke about Cyril’s achievements, winning ten successive tournaments and inspiring others.

“What Cyril has done is a major achievement, to be a member of a club for 60 years is incredible,” he said.

“We have a lot of members still actively playing in their mid to late 80s who are very keen to follow in Cyril’s footsteps and keep playing into their 90s.

“They feel good, they’re still playing good golf and they want to continue.

“So age is no barrier, it’s been made a lot more accessible over the last few decades with the introduction of golf carts.

“However, the golfer still gets the opportunity to walk from the cart path over to their ball, which is exercise,” he emphasised.

“And when you swing to hit the golf ball you’re getting exercise when you’re bending down to pick your ball out of the hole.

“You’re getting exercise, so there’s a lot of benefits to playing golf, especially as you get into those later years where you’re still using a lot of those joints which can freeze up if not used.

“Golf is a wonderful thing for people of all ages, just look at Cyril, 93-years-old and he’s still getting around absolutely perfectly.

“Golf is for everyone, young, old, male and female.”

The golf club has seen many enhancements over the years.

Nine holes were added in the 1960s to make it an eighteen hole course and cart paths have been added, but it’s the friendships which are dearest to Cyril.

“When I look back over the past 60 years of playing golf, it’s the friendships I’ve enjoyed most.

“Bluey Robertson was the person I played with most and we travelled far and wide to many other golf clubs playing in competitions.

“Golf is a social game and I love the memories, even when our president (Keith Rhoades) beat me by one putt in a club tournament,” he laughed.

By David WIGLEY