Long Drive
At age 87, Les Carney still golfs nearly every Tuesday at Mud Run Golf Course & Driving Range — and even plays at the back tees with the younger golfers. He also happens to be an Olympic silver medalist in the men’s 200-meter dash and the oldest active member of the Akron-based Tiretown Golf Club. Playing golf with Tiretown might just be his secret to aging well.
“Normally when I golf, I get in between 10 and 12,000 steps during the day. That helps keep me physically fit,” says the club secretary and Summit Senior Golf of Akron board member. “When you stop using your body, your body quits working for you.”
Carney began playing golf in his early 40s at the suggestion of his O’Neils Department Store co-workers when he got too busy for competitive track in the ’70s. He kept meeting Tiretown members at golf courses and joined the club in the ’80s. At the time, he wasn’t playing with many Black golfers, and since Tiretown has predominantly Black membership, he liked the idea of having that camaraderie.
“When I joined, it was almost like a big family,” he says.
Tiretown has come a long way, as it started in 1950 when golf was not a welcoming sport for Black people. At that time, most golf courses banned Black players, and there were only two area spots where they were allowed to play: J.E. Good Park Golf Course in Akron and Ridge Top Golf Course in Medina.
“In 1950, no one wanted anything to do with us,” says club president Ralph N. Paulk. “Now people ask us to come to their golf course. That is a seismic shift.”
Throughout those challenging early years till now, Tiretown members have always taken pride in displaying good sportsmanship at the now 20-some courses its 40 to 50 golfers regularly play while outfitted in matching caps, yellow shirts and slacks.
“It’s the way our members handle themselves and how we respect the game, respect the courses,” Paulk says. “As a consequence, people respect who we are.”
While still predominantly Black, the club is now more diverse with members of various races. “Golf brings different nationalities together,” Carney says. “Not looking at color but looking at skills. You become better friends.”
He says he’s pretty competitive and boosts his skills by playing with both new and older members.
“I’ve watched some of the better golfers in Tiretown,” he says. “You watch different techniques, and then you practice on the side. If you can incorporate them, it helps your game.”
Carney loves how golf challenges his mind and encourages him to get better each time.
“Last time I played against the better golfers: Did I do what I needed to do to come out on top?” he says. “You have to think on every shot. Depending on your lie, Where do I have to swing to try to get the ball in the hole with the least number of strokes?”
Like Carney, Paulk joined Tiretown at the encouragement of co-workers, while he was working at the Akron Beacon Journal in the ’90s, and he became president in 2017. The 64-year-old loves golf, but Tiretown has allowed him to use it for a greater purpose.
“What really drives folks in the club isn’t so much the game, but it’s what they give back with the game,” he says.
Since its first stroke, Tiretown has provided scholarships and financial assistance to Akron schools and several local charities, such as Akron NAACP, Akron Urban League and First Tee Greater Akron, which is a mentorship program that educates kids on life skills and character-building through golf. The club hosts a Nine-hole Scholarship Tournament community event at Mud Run Sept. 18 and a scholarship banquet Oct. 16. The latter event, where members honor Distinguished Service Award winners and Akron Public School students for perfect attendance and good grades, is one of Paulk’s favorite events because he can see the impact of their work. Several members also mentor kids through First Tee.
“So many young Black kids need to start off in the right direction. It’s getting there and trying to give them something positive,” Paulk says. “We’re trying to find a kid who can find something good about himself in golf.”
He illustrates that impact by telling a story about an interaction with a First Tee kid. They were at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, and a kid said, Mr. Paulk, is it possible I can be this good if I practice all the time? “I said, You can be anything you want to do, and you can certainly be a good golfer,” he recalls. “Everything in life takes practice, and it takes hard work. The fact that that kid understands that made me feel good.”
It makes Carney happy to volunteer twice a week at Mud Run and see the young golfers progress. “It’s fun to watch them grow in golf and life especially,” he says.
Joining a golf club like Tiretown allowed him to forge bonds, stay active and make a difference. It has been a driver that’s kept him going.
“You can meet people and develop friendships through golf,” he says. “It’s good health-wise.”