RIVERSIDE, Iowa — A crowd of about 40 had gathered on the driving range of Blue Top Ridge Golf Course. They were all waiting for a single golfer to arrive.
Quiet murmuring could be heard when shortly after 1:15 p.m., the cart carrying him pulled up.
Under a sunny September sky, the crowd moved forward, eager to shake his hand and pose for photos with him before he moved on to the driving range for a quick warmup.
No, it wasn’t Tiger Woods or some other luminary of the game. It was Donald Johnson.
Donald Johnson, the retired Cedar Rapids restaurant owner.
Donald Johnson, the World War II veteran.
Donald Johnson, who at age 108 was once again ready to tee it up at the National Disabled Veterans Golf Clinic.
That Donald Johnson.
Donald Johnson, a 108-year-old World War II veteran, at the 2024 National Disabled Veterans Golf Clinic at Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Riverside, Iowa. (Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen)
People could hardly wait. His fan base, after all, had been waiting a year for this moment.
Last year was Johnson’s first at the event, and to say he made an impression would be an understatement. At the tender age of 107, he did no less than get featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day when he holed out a 15-foot putt.
Fitted with a special cart that supports him while he swings from a semi-seated position, Johnson still uses his own clubs. He was asked which one he wanted to start with on the driving range.
“3-iron,” Johnson replied, drawing some whispers from experienced golfers in the gallery, knowing that the 3 can be one of the more difficult clubs in the bag.
After a couple of clunkers, Johnson launched one in the air and down the range.
Then he did it again.
“I don’t think I’ve lost it yet,” said Johnson, born before the U.S. entered World War I.
After the warmup, he moved on to the course, joining a group on the ninth green. His first test wasn’t an easy one: a slippery, 25-foot downhill putt with a slight break to the left.
After lining it up, he confidently stroked the ball toward the hole. It looked like it would end up short, but he had played it perfectly. It caught the slope, gained a little speed, then curled a bit to the left to settle about a foot from the hole — a very good outcome by anyone on a challenging putt.
‘Can’t we play one more hole?’
Johnson would end up playing a couple of more holes as a Bluetooth speaker belted out his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, before…
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