OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Bob Walls was getting set to tee off on the first hole at his home course last week when his partners interrupted his pre-shot routine. "We're playing blues today," Dawn Dozier said. "When you're over 100, you can hit from anywhere you want," he told them. Then, with a silky smooth swing from the forward white tees, he thwacked the ball down the right side of the fairway just short of the green on the 180-yard hole. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Not bad for a 103-year-old. A record 6.3 million Americans 65 and older played golf in 2025, the National Golf Foundation reported. The NGF does not track centenarians, but few play as well and as often as Walls. Walls is fit and trim and looks 30 years younger. He has survived a heart attack, multiple heart surgeries and a mini stroke. He credits good genes (both parents lived into their late 90s) and staying active. "I don't feel 103. I don't act 103. To me it's no big deal," he said.
Born in St. Marys, Kansas, in 1923, Walls moved to Omaha in 1947 after WWII. He owned a janitorial service. He retired at 74 and took up golf with friends' encouragement. Steve Hogan, Nebraska's first Black PGA professional, taught Walls. They became close friends. Walls honors Hogan by volunteering seven days a week at the course. He spends five or six hours riding in his open-top cart with a bucket of seed-and-sand mix.