CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Unless you've met him on a golf course, you've probably never heard of David Fairley.
And even if you did, Fairley probably didn't make much of an impression at first.
Fairley is 83 years old. He is 5-foot-8. He weighs 148 pounds, which is exactly what he weighed in 10th grade.
It would only be after you saw Fairley play a little while that you would realize that he has nearly perfected golf — or at least amateur golf played from the senior tees. Almost every hole plays out the same way for a man who has lived within a 3-mile section of south Charlotte his entire life:
Fairway, green and 1-2 putts.
In a moment, we will get to Fairley's four secrets for playing good golf at any age. You may be more willing to try a couple of them when I tell you he shot a 69 earlier this month — 14 strokes under his age — and walked the course while doing so. Or that he shot a 67 this summer.
But first, a bit of perspective.
Most senior golfers strive to shoot their age or better once or twice in their lifetime. It is one of the final mountains to climb for those in the twilight of their golfing careers. Shooting, say, a 74 when you are 75 years old is rare enough to be a cause for celebration. How many times has Fairley shot his age or better?
"I'm going to be conservative," Fairley said, "and say at least 700."
