Still great at 98: Walter Estby swings like a man half his age. What's his secret?

Golf Digest, Dec, 2003 by Shelby Futch

IN THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE WE showed you the winners of Golf Digest's Best Little Swings in America contest. Here we present the winner of our Best Older Swing (age 90 or older), and 98-year-old Walter Estby is our champion, hands down.

Walter has a swing that most 48-year-olds would envy. He's blessed with great flexibility, much like Sam Snead was. His setup is classic, though his two-knuckle grip--he can see the first two knuckles on his left hand at address--is unusual for older players. Many seniors use a three-to four-knuckle grip to generate clubhead speed and to square the clubface at impact.

As Walter starts the golf swing his flexibility is really on display. Halfway back he not only has the arms and club extended, he nearly completes a 90-degree turn of the shoulders, amazing for his age. He doesn't let the left arm or wrist collapse at the top like a lot of senior players do. And halfway down he looks like most guys on the Champions Tour, with the clubshaft and left forearm forming the classic "L" position. At impact Walter reduces the loft of the club with a bowed left wrist, just like Ben Hogan. He finishes in a three-quarter position.

In all, it's a phenomenal swing and one Walter has continued to refine well into his 90s. When he was 93 he drove from his home in Burlington, Wash., to Mesa, Ariz., to attend a five-day golf school. I guess you're never too old to improve.

A GAME for a lifetime

Walter Estby drives it 200 yards and regularly shoots in the low 90s on his home course, Skagit Golf & Country Club in Burlington, Wash. "I play about twice a week," the one-time 4-handicapper says. "My long game is OK, but my short game needs work."

To what does Walter credit his longevity? "I've never weighed much more than 160 pounds," he says. "I think eating kills more people than drinking.

"I played a lot of golf before the Great Depression," says the retired accountant. "But hardly anyone played during the Depression. I started up again in the '40s and haven't stopped."

When he's not playing, hitting balls or talking golf with his buddies, Walter likes to catch a little action on TV, particularly the LPGA Tour. "Karrie Webb is my favorite, but that young girl [13-year-old Michelle Wie] has a nice swing."