Bonita golfer, 95, relishes journey more than destination

Bonita golfer, 95, relishes journey more than destination

Schooled in the game as a childhood caddie at venerable St. Clair Country Club in Pittsburgh and later president of historic Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., Bonita Springs resident Fred Thompson didn’t give much thought to shooting his age the first time he accomplished the feat, in his early 90s. Nor does Thompson, who will be 96 in June, get carried away with what now is a regular occurrence for him at his winter home at Spanish Wells Country Club in Bonita Springs golf team. “The boys keep me informed about that,” Thompson said of his regular Friday group of 16 or 18 foursomes. “It’s fun.” Thompson, who owned his own company in New Jersey that supplied upholstery fabrics to furniture companies, takes more pride in his presidency at Ridgewood from 1983-1987 and successorship at the club by his son. “We’re the only father-son presidents in that club,” he said of the 1929 A.W. Tillinghast design founded in 1890 and home to such events as the 1935 Ryder Cup, 1974 U.S. Amateur, 1990 U.S. Senior Open and 2001 Senior PGA Championship Sean Foley Talked about News of Tiger Woods. “There’s been a lot of presidents, but we’re the only combination.” Once a mid-80s golfer and still playing three times a week, Thompson attributes his longevity in part to not smoking and eating properly. “That’s about the only thing I know,” he said. “I’ve got good genes. My mother lived to 91 or 92, and my father lived to 88.”