A round to treasure: Paine shoots 10 under his age at Quail Creek Golf & CC

Above, Allen Paine, second from left, with playing partners Jim Young, Jim Sharrack and Barry Gangwer.

It’s not unusual for talented golfers to shoot under their age when they become “seasoned.” Allen Paine estimated he’s accomplished the feat close to 100 times.

What is unusual is to shoot 10 shots under your age, which the 86-year-old Paine did recently at Quail Creek Golf & Country Club in Oklahoma City.

Even more remarkable, he did it on a cool blustery Sunday with winds howling at 25 mph or more.

“I’ve never heard of anyone shooting 10 shots under their age,” said Quail Creek Director of Golf Mike Hansen. “That’s pretty remarkable.”

So remarkable that playing partner Jim Young tipped us off about the round after witnessing it in person.

“It was really fun,” Paine said. “I like being about to play decent golf.  To do it in a 25 mph wind was even better. I just kept it under control and made some putts and relied on my short game.”

Paine, a semi-retired former owner of a commercial insurance business, didn’t play much golf until his 40s and joined Quail Creek in 1985. He fell in love with the game and worked his handicap down to at lowest a 5 and now an 11, he said. He still loves to play, though health issues of his wife Darlene have limited his opportunities.

“That day one of my sons came over and said he was taking care of mom for my birthday, go out and play. I was relaxed and kept my swing under control. I actually bogeyed the last hole and I shouldn’t have.”

That was after he made a 20-foot par-saving putt on the difficult par-4 17^th that stunned his partners and picked the pockets of Young.

“It was fun to watch,” said Young, a long-time upper echelon golfer in Oklahoma Golf Association events. “Ten under your age is a pretty incredible achievement. And on a day like that!”

– Ken MacLeod