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100-Year-Old Marin County Golfer Still Shooting His Age

NOVATO (KPIX) – A couple weeks ago during coverage of the 100th PGA Championship, CBS aired a vignette profiling a 100-year-old golfer. It was 15 minutes of fame for Marin County resident C.D. Madsen who is a beloved member of the Marin Country Club in Novato.

"48-year-old Phil Mickelson… 42-year-old Tiger Woods," Madsen said in the CBS piece. "Wait a minute, 40 is not that old!"

Instead of teeing it up with his buddies Al and Bob like he normally does at Marin CC, Madsen spent an afternoon with the production crew staging shots and reciting lines.

"I asked the fella how many other people he's interviewed that are 100-years-old," Madsen said. "He said you're the only one."

It's one thing to simply meet a person who has lived over a century, but it's downright remarkable to watch them play a full 18-hole round. Madsen swings the sticks four times a week, and he says golf is a big reason why he's still going strong.

"I want to wear out, not rust out," he whispered in between shots. It's a mantra that might one day end up on a bumper sticker made for his golf cart.

Madsen began his love affair with golf 55 years ago. He took a lesson and surprised himself how well he did in his first attempt at the game. He said he whittled his handicap down to an 11 over the years.

A native of Minnesota, Madsen moved to Sausalito in 1924 before both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges were erected. He graduated from Tamalpais High School, is a veteran of World War II and worked for a quarter century as a contractor. He was married and has one son.

And if you ask him what C.D. stands for, you'll get an eye roll.

"Carrol Dwight," he said reluctantly. "It's a lady's name."

But he's known as C.D. at Marin Country Club. The initials are permanently etched on a plaque near the 16th hole which is the site of his only hole in one. It was 99 years in the making.

"It's a miracle the damn thing went in the hole." Madsen hit a 6-iron from 120 yards. "I was shocked, everyone else was shocked too."

Madsen chalks it up to luck, not skill. He's convinced that same luck saved his life four days before his 100th birthday when he fell and hit his head, suffering a hematoma.

"They drilled a hole in my head, and I laid there for about a week while it drained out," he said. "I'm lucky I'm here, believe me."

Those who know him believe luck isn't the only factor.

"He's part cyborg," said Marin CC executive Ken Doherty. "I don't know he's go inside of him, but I want a piece of it"

Madsen says he was shooting in the 90s before his fall, but after he got out of the hospital his game has suffered a bit.

"I'm around 100 now," he said with a little disappointment in his voice.

Hard to imagine a weekend hacker being unsatisfied with shooting their age. Then again, there aren't many weekend hackers in the triple digits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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