uy McManamay might not be the oldest active golfer in Virginia, but it’ s reasonable to assume that he’ s near the top of a pretty short list. And it’ s likely there’ s not a bigger character.

McManamay is 91, plays out of Bowling Green Country Club in Front Royal, where he epitomizes that English idiom“ Hail Fellow Well Met.” Inside the club, he greets practically everyone he sees with a hug, a smile and a word or three to amuse them.

“ I’ m well-spoken,” he said.“ I can say just about anything to people and they like it. They’ re just amazed at what I can say to them, but I do it in a joking way, and I can get away with it.”

“ Cadillac Mac,” that’ s his nickname. He’ s been called that for years, ever since a golfer from West Virginia spotted him pulling his Caddy into the parking lot at Bowling Green and proclaimed,“ Well, here comes Cadillac Mac.”

A Winchester resident, he is part of a group of golfers ranging in age from the 40s to, well, 91. They meet at Bowling Green mornings Monday through Friday and often have as many as 15 to 20 take to the course.

McManamay used to play every day, but his friends say he is slowing down“ a bit.” Really, that’ s how they phrase it, because even now it isn’ t unusual for him to play three times a week.

“ Personally, he’ s an inspiration for me, playing with a guy that old and in that good a shape,” said Bob Schonder, a member of the group who under different circumstances might serve as the inspiration. But he’ s only 75.“ I think I’ m doing good myself, playing at 75,” Schonder said.“ I’ m bragging and patting myself on the back. Then I see him show up. You know what I mean? He

gets in and out of that cart like he’ s 60, or even younger.”

Bernie Hayes, another 75-year old, oversees a system where players in the group earn one point for bogey, two points for par and three for birdie. McManamay, he said, averages 20 points a round.

“ He’ s one of those guys who can do everything, from fixing a car to fixing a refrigerator to putting down hardwood floors. It’ s incredible.” – Bernie Hayes

Hayes said that’ s the equivalent of shooting 87, or playing to a 15 handicap. You know all the fuss we make over golfers who shoot their age? McManamay does it virtually every time out.

“ It’ s a miracle,” Hayes said.“ He’ s about 6-feet, 180 pounds, got a full swing, gets the club all the way back, and he hits it hard. He doesn’ t look 91, he doesn’ t act 91.”

McManamay doesn’ t think it’ s such a big deal.

“ I’ ve worked all of my life and I’ m still strong,” he said.“ I’ ve got good muscles. I’ ve got some heart problems but I just keep going. I won’ t stop.

“ I’ m saved. I married a young woman and she’ s been a lifesaver to me. She kind of got me out of the ditch because I was a bum.” He laughs.“ You know how a young person can be.” He and Margie have been married for 45 years, or when he was 47 and she was 23. That was long after he quit school in the seventh grade to help support his impoverished family, mostly in Northern Virginia. It was long after his family

spent about 10 years working and living on Wolf Trap farm.

And it was long after his World War II stint in the Navy, where he desalinated water at 1,000 gallons an hour for the ships on which he was assigned.

From there he returned to Washington, D. C, where for 30 years he installed and maintained backup generators for Army, Navy and Air Force communications and did similar work for the Pentagon and, occasionally, the White House.

The work led to what Hayes thinks is one of his friend’ s most amazing qualities.

“ He’ s one of those guys who can do everything,” Hayes said,“ from fixing a car to fixing a refrigerator to putting down hardwood floors. It’ s incredible.”

He didn’ t start playing golf until 1950, and then only sparingly. He’ s had but one hole-in-one all these years, on what he recalls a hole measuring 148 yards.

“ That was probably 25 years ago,” he said, laughing. And what state is his game in today?“ Honestly, my golf is better now than when I was young,” he said without a trace of bragging.

ADAM ENGLEY