Swinging centenarian: Above par Cape Breton golfer aims to shoot his age
If you see Iver Gillis swing a golf club, you'd have a hard time believing his age.
Just to look at the Cape Breton centenarian you'd think he was at least 15 years younger.
But the long-time member at Lingan Golf and Country Club, just outside of Sydney, N.S. will turn 101 on November 28.
"I have my mother's genes," Gillis explains. "She was 103 when she passed away."
Gillis didn’t start golfing until he was 35 years old.
Now, he has spent more than 65 years playing the game he loves in nearly every Canadian province.
Gillis typically tees off at Lingan at least twice a week.
When asked why he still spends so much time on the greens during his golden years, his explanation was simple – and tongue-in-cheek.
“Why not?" Gillis asked. “If I laid around and just stayed in bed, I'd just have a sore back. So I may as well have it while I'm golfing, and enjoy myself."
Earl Leblanc has been golfing with Gillis for more than 30 years and says part of his friend's secret is the calm demeanour he keeps, even when things aren't going so well.
"Oh, I'll be lucky to stand up at 101, let alone play golf," Leblanc said with a laugh.
"(It’s his) even temperament. I've never seen him throw clubs, never seen him slamming clubs on the ground. If he misses a shot, he misses a shot."
Gillis said in his younger years he sometimes scored in the low 80s.
Now, he has a new goal -- to shoot his age.
"At the time that I was 90, I think. I was determined to shoot my age," he said.
Gillis says he still remembers a missed putt on the seventeenth hole that cost him that day.
A couple of weeks ago, he came close once again, shooting 104 at the age of nearly 101.
His friends say he’s not giving up on that goal, or the game he loves, anytime soon.
‘He went out and bought some brand new clubs," said Leblanc. “So I tell you, he's looking forward to another year."
Gillis admits with a wry smile that the longer he plays golf, the easier it might be to reach that elusive goal of shooting his age.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Canada Post’s newest stamp features special cookies for Islamic holiday
Canada Post’s newest specialty stamps feature “melt-in-your-mouth” desserts to mark two Islamic festivals, the crown corporation announced Thursday.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Canada's real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.