Herbert Dixon, a former professional golfer, hits the links daily at Bartow Golf Course, still regularly scoring in the low 70s.
"(It's) very boring sitting around the house, looking at TV. I don't want that," Dixon told BayNews9. "So I choose golf, and that's it."
Dixon started playing at 14. He learned the game by watching the players he was a caddy for. Decades ago, during segregation, he played the Bartow course, but it was only allowed one day of the week. A tournament in his honor is now played at the course.
"I used to play professional in the black league. During that stage, I won over 50 golf tournaments," Dixon told BayNews9 about his time with the United Golf Association Tour. "Coming up, I wasn't allowed to play in PGA. A lot of times, you (weren't) allowed on the golf course."
He's scored eight holes-in-one including one Sept. 18, two days after his 100th birthday. He was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 1998 and the American Golfers Hall of Fame in 2012, the Lakeland Ledger reported.
Dixon shared some advice to stay on the course.
"Living day by day. Staying out of trouble," Dixon told BayNews9. "Don't smoke, don't drink and try to eat the proper foods. That's it."
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