WESTBROOK – Some golfers never get a hole-in-one. Eighty-four year-old Warren Gilman of Westbrook just got his fourth.
Gilman aced the second hole at Point Sebago Golf Course in Casco last week. He didn’t see the ball go in, but his playing partners did.
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“He didn’t believe it until he walked up and saw the ball in the hole,” said Joel Marquis of Gorham, who was in the same foursome.
After Gilman saw the result of his shot, he said “I let out a yell and raised my arms”
Gilman didn’t start playing golf until his 30s.
“Raising a family, I didn’t get to play much until I retired,” said Gilman, a widower who was a postal worker in Westbrook for 32 years.
Now Gilman plays Monday through Friday. Every Tuesday, he plays with a group of 20 other retirees at different courses in southern Maine as part of the American Lung Card.
The other days Gilman plays at Rivermeadow in Westbrook, where he is a member.
Ironically, Marquis has been in Gilman’s foursome for his last two holes-in-one.
“If he gets another one, I’m going to eat my hat,” said Marquis. “No, I’m kidding about that. Being there was kind of exciting. It’s pretty remarkable that he’s (done it at) 84.”
Gilman’s first two aces were at Gorham Country Club in 1987 and 1991. They were on the sixth and fourth holes, respectively. Those, he saw go in.
He got his third two years ago on the 11th hole at Province Lake in Parsonsfield.
Asked his secret for his hole-in-one proficiency, he said, “A lot of luck. Sometimes you hit a good shot.”
Since undergoing throat surgery two years ago, Gilman has used golf to lift his spirits after his convalescence. At first he didn’t want to put in the effort to play golf.
But his friend, Dolores Champagne, urged him to get out and play, saying walking would be good for him. Gilman did plenty of walking as a letter carrier and rediscovered its recuperative powers.
“I’m feeling pretty good now,” said Gilman. “I have all of my strength back from before the surgery.”
“Anyone who golfs five days a week, I would say is an avid golfer,” said Champagne.
Gilman still walks 18 holes with his pull cart.
In his golf bag is his 1950s putter that he still uses. Gilman, though, has adapted to the times. Also in his bag is a rescue club — a hybrid that is easier to hit than low irons — that he used to score his latest hole-in-one.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at: tchard@pressherald.com
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