99-year-old woman turning heads on the golf course in Florida
Gladys Hayes is living proof that age is just a number. Hayes just celebrated her 99th birthday, but she can do anything she puts her mind to.
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"I played baseball, and we had a girls' team where I worked," said Hayes. "It was fun. I like sports, and I'm a good bowler, too!"
Every week, you can find her on the green, golfing with her friends.
"She bought two new clubs, and she just went out this past month. She practiced first and then went out and played three holes," said Judy LaBrun, Hayes' friend. "Can you imagine? I mean, that's just unbelievable!"
Golf has always been a big part of Hayes' life. She has played at different courses all around the country.
"Palm Springs, Florida. ... Oh, this is in Arizona!" she listed off as she flipped through old photo albums. "We golf wherever we travel."
She is definitely not one to be underestimated.
"She's pretty feisty," said Jim Keast, Hayes' former neighbor. "If you golf with her and you're in her way, she'll make sure she'll let you know to get out of the way."
Living just steps away from the course at Colonial Country Club in Fort Myers, she is often out honing her skills and making friends everywhere she goes.
"I am a person of faith," she said. "And I believe in living your life according to the scriptures and the Lord's commandments, and I do. Every morning, I read something from my little book of prayers and I try to live my life that way. If you want to have a friend, you have to be one. And this is why I have so many friends."
Hayes went all out for her birthday party in December with 162 of her closest friends, who traveled from 10 states and Canada, all there to celebrate her.
"We all love her, as you can tell by this party," said LaBrun.
"She is one of the kindest, nicest people I know," said Sue Armstrong, Hayes' friend. "To celebrate 99 years with her is absolutely a blessing."
She plays bridge, cooks for friends and hosts parties. Hayes is an inspiration to everyone who knows her.
"She's incredible," said Keast. "If you ever go to her house, you'll see the way she lives. It's a wonderful thing to know her."
She's always been asked what her secret is. She says it's pretty simple.
"I think everything keeps you young," she said. "The way you eat, the way you think, your character forms your life. I'm a person, I think, of strong character. And everybody asks me, 'What's your secret?' And I say it's friends. Friends are the most wonderful gift a person can have."
