Meet This 61-Year-Old College Freshman Golfer

Remember when Rodney Dangerfield’s epic Thornton Mellon character decided to go back to college in Back to School? Well Don Byers might not be as well-heeled as Mellon, but he is now a 61-year-old freshman golfer on the Bellevue University golf team.

Hey wait…I’m 61!

Golf.com has the details of an aged teammate who still has to do freshman chores.

Don Byers didn’t know he was auditioning for a spot on the Bellevue University golf team when coach Rob Brown joined his group as a guest at his club last August.

Byers was booming drives close to 300 yards, making his putts and under par after nine holes.

Brown asked the grandfather if he had any eligibility left. Byers thought it was a joke.

He’s a 61-year-old grandfather, after all.

“We laughed about it and moved on,” Byers said, “but afterward he said he was serious. I gave him my number and said if you are, give me a call. That’s the last I thought I’d hear about it.”

Brown called him a couple weeks later and said the offer stood. Now Byers is a freshman on the Bruins’ seven-man roster.

“Being a freshman,” Byers said, “I have to get their bags out of the van now and then. But we have a lot fun and they taught me a lot, and I’ve felt I’ve brought a little to the table, too, keeping it kind of light.”

The decision to go back to school and play golf wasn’t all that hard for Byers, who logged about 170 rounds last year. His job with the insurance agency he bought in the 1980s gives him flexibility. He also sees value in pursuing a college degree.

He’s had to adjust. He was accustomed to puffing a cigar and enjoying a beer when playing with buddies. Bellevue athletic director Ed Lehotak told him he had to drop those habits when representing the Bruins. He also had to get in better shape because he couldn’t fit into his team-issued golf pants last fall. The 6-foot-4 Byers joined his teammates in a winter conditioning program and has gone from 275 pounds to 230.

From one sexagenarian to another–good for Don. I’m a little jealous but not about the homework headed his way.