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  • Linus Buchheit, shown here in his home in Washington, shot his age on July 18th at Country Oaks for the fifth time in six years. Dennis Glade

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July 27, 2012

Buchheit shoots age for 5th time

By Dennis Glade Washington Times-Herald

WASHINGTON — Linus Buchheit accomplished the feat six years ago and every year since he has made it a priority to reach that goal by the end of the year.

Buchheit, of Washington shot his age of 84 on July 18th at Country Oaks Golf Course in Montgomery, equaling the feat for the fifth time in six years.

Buchheit grew up in Southeast Missouri north of Cape Girardeau and he didn’t pick up a golf club until he was 30 years old, when his younger brother, Marty suggested the game.

“I never had a golf club in my hand until my brother came down from St. Louis one day and he had his clubs,” Buchheit said. “We went back in my field and we hit a few balls and I was hooked.”

Since that first interaction with golf, Buchheit has enjoyed a 54-year love affair with the game which brought him to take a part time job after retirement shortly after Country Oaks opened in 1997. He tends to the golf carts on the course’s grounds as well as taking care of the soda machine and keeping the driving range area clean.

Buchheit doesn’t view his employment at Country Oaks as a job or a chore, he simply cherishes the time he gets to spend around the sport he loves.

“It was always a challenge and something new to try and the more I played it the better I liked it,” Buchheit said.

Over the last 15 years, Buchheit has noticed some changes at Country Oaks on the course.

When the course opened, there were a lot of beginners that he could see and today many of those beginners have turned in to some pretty good players, according to Buchheit. Those players, like Buccheit have taken a sense of pride with Country Oaks.

“At first these guys would go out on the course and wack away at the ball and now they respect the course a lot more than they used to,” Buchheit said.

 “If they see someone doing something wrong they will tell us about it, because they feel like it’s their course. I feel the same way, I don’t have any investment except time, but it’s my course and I want it kept up in good shape.”

As he gets older, Buchheit hopes that he can continue to play two or three times per week and chase 85 next year as he remembers all the joy that golf has given him.

“I used to play a lot more than I do now, I’m slowing down,” Buchheit said.

“A group of us would go and play 36 holes, 18 at one place and another 18 in another in the same afternoon.”

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