Ray Selph, Warner Robins
He has shot his age or below hundreds of times. Now in his early seventies.

"Play with young people. When you are as old as I am, shooting your age is pretty easy."

Dave Bridges, Warner Robins
Dave shoots his age or better most every day.He is 76. His most amazing feat is a 63 at age 65 at Maxwell AFB in Mongomery, Alabama. I saw the score card.

"Make a lot of putts."

Rick Farage, Warner Robins
Now in his early sixties. His most amazing feat is something probably only a few people have ever done - he shot a 59 at age 59. Wow!!!! He did it in 2007 at Southern Hills Golf Club in Hawkinsville . His comment: "Remember that I shot that before I had both knees replaced!" He still plays a good game and will shoot between par and 76 most days. Rick says, "I got nothin left but an arm swing and a pretty good short game."

How about you - have you shot your age? Have any tips on how others can do the same? Share them in the comments!

Here are a few facts that make Sonny’s history unique. He has attended PGA Tour qualifying school twenty seven straight times. His first try came in 1982 after a stint at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. “They couldn’t have the qualifier without me. I will be there again in 2009”, he said. He qualified for his PGA Tour card four times. “I am a good wedge player and I am very accurate out of the bunker”, Sonny explained. When asked about his weaknesses he said, “It is always very difficult to play at the highest levels if you are not a long player. You end up hitting mid irons into the greens when stronger players are hitting wedges. I have also had some injuries that have held me back. I have been sidelined with hip, knee, and elbow injuries, all on my left side.”

“I have had some great experiences out on tour. I got to play with Nick Faldo in the final round at Doral in Miami. I shot a course record 62 at the Buick Open in 1997. I played in my first major last year when I qualified for the PGA Championship. I am very blessed and thankful that I am still physically able to compete.”

Sonny played on the Nationwide tour for eleven years and still carries conditional (part time) status. Skinner is forty eight now and has his eyes on the Senior PGA Tour. He tells me, “The senior tour is a nostalgia tour. It is very difficult to break through and earn full time playing status. People want to see the big name players that were once a mainstay on the regular tour.” There are only seventy-six total spots available on tour and only six spots open for the qualifying school.

When asked who he admires on the tours, he mentions his friends Kenny Perry and Lauren Roberts. “They are both guys that are dedicated to their families and they are always giving back to communities and charities. I also admire Alan Doyle for his talent and perseverance. He has done a lot of work with the First Tee Program.”

Mr. Skinner won over $75,000 in purses playing at the club pro level in 2008. He finished second at the National Club Pro Championship at Reynolds’s Plantation. He is very much enjoying his new career as a teacher of the game. He credits amateur Wayne Cooper of Tifton for helping him to hone his playing skills. He has taken lessons from Gayle Peterson and Mike Shannon from Sea Island. They have very much influenced his teaching style. Sonny uses video analysis with his lessons and prides himself at being very deliberate and patient with his students. You can also find him playing in Middle Georgia at the PGA Central Chapter Dogfights played at different courses every Monday during the fall and winter.

Where can you get a lesson with a former PGA Tour player? Now you know. He charges sixty dollars per hour and uses video for all lessons. Give him a call at 229-206-1828. Sonny is a very down to earth person. Better players will be able to get a new perspective concerning what it takes to play on the big tour. You will be glad you called. 

In 1976 I was the golf professional at Owensboro Country Club in Owensboro, Kentucky. My assistant, Bill Crabtree and I were looking for some events to play in during the winter months. We found a series of events called “The Mexican Golf Tour” sponsored by the Copa Raleigh tobacco company. The events took place in Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City. The tour was a great value for $600. It included your entry fees and hotel accommodations. We sent our entry fees in and took off in Bill’s car for a three week golfing vacation in Mexico. The first event found us at Monterrey Country Club. The course was a beautiful, hilly, track just north of town. When we arrived for our first practice round we hooked up with a tour professional, Charlie Sifford, whom I hadn’t met but knew as a past L.A. Open champion. After the round Charlie asked us for a ride back to the Holiday Inn. He had flown down and did not have a car. On the way back into town we asked him to join us for dinner. There was not a lot to do in Monterrey, especially since none of us spoke Spanish.

During that week, Bill and I missed the cut but Charlie played well and competed on the weekend. We continued to give Charlie a ride to the course and back to the hotel. Breakfast and dinner became a regular occasion. The next event was in Guadalajara. Again Charlie flew and we drove a full days drive and ran into him again at the Holiday Inn. We scheduled a practice round together for the next day. As the week progressed we continued having dinner together and enjoying each others company. One night over dinner we discussed the fact that he was the first black players on the PGA Tour. I asked him about some of his experiences when he first got his tour card. Charlie told us he was the first black player to get his tour card back in 1961. he told us that he was the first black tour player to win a PGA event when he won the L.A. Open in 1965. Charlie did not particularly want to talk about the subject, but told us this story.

He said that the first year he played on tour, he entered the New Orleans Open. He checked into his hotel and then played in the practice round. He said that evening he had a knock on his door. When he opened the door, and I am quoting him, “There were three men dressed in white robes with hoods. The men suggested that I really didn’t want to play in the tournament that week. After a discussion, I told them that they were right. The three men helped me pack my clothes and escorted me and my luggage to the car. They told me to go on down the road.” He told this story to us in a very humorous way. That was the last time that he would mention his trials on tour.

Charlie played well in Guadalajara and finished high in the money. I played better and made the cut for the weekend. Our next event was in Mexico City at Club DeGolf C.C. Bill and I played well and made the cut but had an early tee time for Sunday. Charlie would be playing in one of the final groups. As we were having dinner he asked us to do a favor for him. He asked us to forecaddie for him because the spectators were kicking and throwing his ball around. It just so happened that some of the contenders were Mexican players and were being helped by the hometown crowds. We agreed and forecaddie for him on the final day. We did not have any problems with the fans but they were sure rooting for their national players.

We shared dinner after the final round and said our goodbyes. Charlie was flying home the next day and we had a two day drive back to Kentucky. This all came to mind when I watched the show, “Uneven Fairways”, on The Golf Channel. I realized how lucky I was to have met Charlie Sifford and been able to spend three weeks with him. I never realized what a pioneer Charlie Sifford was and how instrumental he was in the history of black professional golf. Charlie was known by the other black players as the Jackie Robinson of their sport. They stated that he was the ideal person to have broken the color barrier.

The color barrier was broken by Charlie and Stanley Mosk, the Attorney General of California. They happened to be playing golf together and Stanley told him he should play in the L.A. Open because he believed Charlie to be a good enough player. Charlie then explained the “Caucasian Clause” that was in the constitution of the PGA of America. With Charlie’s permission Attorney General Mosk contacted the PGA and notified them that there would not be any pro tournaments allowed in California unless the clause was struck down. The change was made within a few days and blacks were allowed to become PGA members.

In 1961 Charlie went through tour qualifying and earned his card. He was also the first black man to win on the PGA Tour in 1965. Charlie was recently honored when he was voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and was honored by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland for his accomplishments. In the television program “Uneven Fairways”, Tiger Woods proclaimed that without Charlie Sifford he may not have ever began playing golf, let alone accomplished what he had in the sport. I wonder if it is only a coincidence that Tiger’s son was given the name Charlie. I think not.