By Justin Fedich | The Selma Times-Journal

The Alabama 60+ Golf Association hosted a tournament for its members at the Selma Country Club Tuesday and Wednesday. Roughly 70 members age 60 and above played in the two-day event, enjoying a nice trip in Selma.

“The golf course is always in great shape and very hospitable,” said tournament director Leon Davis. “Everybody here is great and the food is terrific. Everybody just enjoys coming to Selma.”

Old age didn’t stop golfers from competing in the tournament. Ray Martin, who shot 7-over par Wednesday, said there was a 93-year-old man who participated in both days of the tournament.

In the past, a 101 year-old man from Prattville competed.

“Some of these guys are amazing,” Martin said.  “We’re all old, but we keep moving.”

While scores were kept, there was not an overall winner for the tournament. The golfers competed in flights divided up by age groups. They were awarded five points for a birdie, three for a par, two for a bogey and one for a double bogey.

The golfers enjoy the friendly competition, but their favorite part of the Alabama 60+ Golf Association is all the people they meet along the way.

“You meet a whole bunch of people from all walks of life,” Davis said.

The golfers play six tournaments around the state of Alabama throughout the year, with the exception of one in North Carolina during the summer. Most of the members are from near Montgomery, but they come from all over. Jim Carpenter is a member who lived in Selma for seven years.

He said the Alabama 60+ Golf Association comes to Selma every other year, and that there are many aspects of the tournament that draw him to coming back to his old home.

“The hospitality and the course is in good shape,” Carpenter said.

While there was no winner at the tournament, the golfers were smiling throughout the day and enjoying each other’s comradery on two days with perfect golfing weather.

“It’s a social group,” Davis said. “People like to get together. They like to play golf, and they get a two-to-three day vacation every time we go on this trip with people you like, doing what you like to do.”