The women of Niagara-on-the-Lake tend to be very active, and the NOTL Golf Club hosts many active female members of all ages. Here, Sault Ste. Marie women, Helen Godson, Barb Mahon and Rita Kohut, offer some advice about staying active into the golden years
Three Sault women who are in their 90s – Helen Godson, Barb Mahon and Rita Kohut – are still active members of the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club.
Each of the women took up the sport in their 40s and 50s, at an age where professional women golfers begin playing on the senior tour.
Godson, 91, is an Alberta native who has lived in the Sault for over 50 years.
She worked as a nurse and has six children, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
“My husband Bud was a golfer. He liked to golf so I started golfing. We had the Bud Godson Tournament here at the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club and now it’s called the Godson Family Tournament. It’s held every year for the juniors,” Godson told SooToday.
Among her favourite golf memories is getting a hole-in-one at the club’s fourth hole many years ago.
“I can’t think of a better thing to do in the summer and it’s fun to golf with friends. I make some good shots, I make some bad shots. Golf is a lot of fun,” Godson said.
Mahon, 91, was born and raised in Kapuskasing.
After marrying, she moved to the Sault where her husband Pat Mahon co-owned the former Lou’s Esso at the corner of Trunk Road and Wellington Street East.
“He was golfing all the time and I was left at home so I thought ‘I’m not doing that.’ So I’ve been golfing for about 55 years. I’ve made a lot of really close friends through golf,” Mahon said.
She has three children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
“I just like the friends and the challenge of golf. And when you live alone it’s really important to have something to do,” Mahon said.
She has had three holes-in-one in her golfing experience.
“I used to be an OK golfer but now I’m pretty average. As long as I shoot below 100 I’m happy. I used to be a lot better but now I’m just lucky to be out there. The score doesn’t count anymore.
“We’re lucky to be out at our age. I didn’t expect to be playing this long,” Mahon said.
“I never golfed until my husband retired,” said Kohut, 92.
“When he retired he said ‘why don’t you take lessons?’ So, I took lessons from the person who was the golf pro at the club and I’ve been golfing since my late 50s. I like the social aspect of golf and I’m not that bad at it. If I could putt better, I’d be a better golfer.”
Kohut said that senior women – at least on the local scene – are better golfers than men.
“The women who I golf with never have to look for lost golf balls. The men are looking for lost golf balls all the time.
“They’re all over the place. The women are always on the fairway but the men hit them everywhere and if you golf with a man you have to do a lot of waiting because they’re looking for lost golf balls a lot of the time.”
Kohut has five children and eight grandchildren.
Each of the three women are widows who play golf three or four days a week.
What’s the secret to being able to play golf in your 90s?
“Keep active. That’s the main thing. If I’m not golfing, I walk,” Godson said.
Mahon agreed.
“I keep busy. I do a lot of my own house work. I love gardening. It’s important to keep active,” Mahon said.
Kohut also loves gardening and her flowers line the approach to the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club’s pro shop.
“I garden a lot and I cook. I’m of Ukrainian descent and I make my own perogies and cabbage rolls and I love to bake. I make my own cinnamon buns and take them to the boys in the pro shop.”
The three women are honorary Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club life members and said they intend to enjoy the links for as long as they can.
Reflecting on her life, Mahon offered some advice everyone should follow.
“Keep busy and try to be happy.”
