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