BALLWIN, Mo. — If you're hoping to get a tee time on a Wednesday morning at Ballwin golf course, you'd better have some seniority. I'd bet the guys who currently have that spot reserved, are going to have you beat in that department.
“This is the fourth generation we’ve had," golfer Raymond Rutter said.
Some of this Wednesday group has been playing together weekly for upwards of 30 and 40 years. And they know how to have a good time, too. Both before and after the golf.
“We always wait till the last group gets in to decide our score for that day, too," golfer Don Bennish laughed.
“Every Wednesday we have a good time. Especially after we’re all through. And get all the stories going", golfer Larry DiCampo said.
And when it comes to stories, nobody has more than DiCampo. And for a pretty good reason.
“I’m 103. Born in 1920," DiCampo said.
DiCampo may be one of the oldest golfers in the St. Louis area, and likely the entire country, but don't let that age fool you. He's still a valuable scramble partner.
Just ask his fellow Wednesday group members.
“I did remember a couple years ago he did birdie number nine basically by himself. I have never birdied number nine," golfer Rick Scott said.
“He shot a 90 at Forest Park on his 90th birthday," golfer Casey Hoehn remembered.
“His drives are not as long as they used to be. But when he gets around the green, he’s deadly," Bennish said.
But DiCampo is nothing if not humble.
“My golf skill? From zero to five... zero. At this point. It used to be a little bit better," DiCampo laughed.
A Navy veteran in the World War II era, DiCampo was in the Air Corps as an aviation mech and eventually ended up in cadet training. He was still in training when V-E Day came around on May 8, 1945, so he didn't see active duty.
“I went into the Navy and didn’t see the sea," DiCampo recalled.
He's a lifelong St. Louisan, graduate of Beaumont High School, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
“Basically a normal life. I did everything as a kid, and a lot of things I shouldn’t have done. But I got through it,"DiCampo laughed.
And through all of that life he's lived, the game of golf has changed a lot since he played his first round in 1936.
“My first round was about two-and-a-half… two dollars and a half," DiCampo remembered. “My first set of clubs, the irons were painted. Painted shafts. At that time the wood was called a wood. The 2 wood was called a mashie, and the 3 wood was called a spoon. All the clubs had names.. Supposedly we’ve all become better golfers because of the technology. But that isn’t true."
As the elder statesman of this rowdy bunch, DiCampo lends his golf skills, stories and friendship to the group who puts him at its heart.
“I am amazed by him. He makes me feel young when I play with him. And I am young when I play with him," Scott said.
And for DiCampo? Well, he's just happy being one of the guys.
“I look forward to it all the time. Wednesdays are set aside for golf. That’s it," DiCampo said.