HILTON HEAD, S.C. — In his younger days, Dr. Nelson Carswell used to load his golf clubs into the cargo hold of his Beechcraft Bonanza, hop into the cockpit and fly the plane to the coast. When he got close to Hilton Head Island, Carswell would set his sights on Harbour Town Golf Links. He had an understanding, of sorts, with the head professional. “(I’d) circle the pro shop,” Carswell recalled. “They would recognize the plane and they’d send someone to the airport and pick me up. I really buzzed them. (It was) good flying time.” Good golfing, too. Carswell has come to the Sea Pines Resort each year to play in the pro-am at what is now called the RBC Heritage. And Wednesday was no exception as the 88-year-old made his 49th appearance. The spry Georgian doesn’t remember who he played with in the inaugural event in 1969 – “that was a long time ago,” he’s quick to point out. But he was quick to come up with the name of his favorite. “That’s pretty easy,” Carswell said. “The last one I played with, and I hope to get him again, was Charley Hoffman.” And why did Hoffman make such an impression? A simple act of common courtesy. “He was the only one out of all of them that I played with who wrote me three weeks later a letter thanking me for (playing) with him,” Carswell said. “And he wrote a short note, instead of scribbling things. He went way out of his way. “I can’t wait to see him. I appreciated it.” Hoffman, taking a break from his preparation on Wednesday, says he tries to send a letter to all his pro-am partners “but I’d be lying to say I wrote a letter every week.” He does it because “I know how vital the pro-am is to the PGA TOUR and our product.” And besides, playing with Carswell was special. “Here’s a guy who had played in 48 of these,” Hoffman said. “I was just blown away.” The veteran, who contended through three rounds of the Masters, last week, says he still tells people about the koozie that Carswell’s friends had made for last year. It had the names of all the pros the pediatrician has played with on it. “Everyone from (Arnold) Palmer to (Jay) Haas – the list goes on and on – 48 times,” Hoffman said. “It was really cool to play with him and be one of those 48. “He’s a neat guy, a great guy and he’s got a lot of energy. He really enjoys what he’s doing.” Carswell also had the opportunity to play with Arnold Palmer, who won the first Heritage Golf Classic, about 10 years ago. He remembers being excited when he birdied the 17th hole. “I heard a little bit of (clapping) right behind me,” Carswell said with a smile. “And then (Palmer) birdied. And the crowd just went wild. I thought, well, I got what I deserved.” Carswell, who is partnered with Aaron Baddeley this year, has been playing golf since he was a 10-year-old growing up in the Dublin, Georgia area. He learned with a wooden stick. At one time, Carswell’s handicap was all the way down a 4. He’s about a 30 now, though, and says, “That’s bad. I guess I can’t hit it very far, but I try. Sometimes I break 100 now.” He still plays three times a week and goes to work at the office he shares with one of his sons, who is also a pediatrician, two days a week. Not bad for the young-at-heart man who next month will celebrate his 89th birthday – “although I want to tell everyone I’m 70,” he said with a grin. “And I have great fun,” Carswell said. “Got a great little group I play with. Can’t lose a lot of money anymore. Used to be big time. But now they won’t let anybody lose more than five and you can’t win more than five. “That’s pretty cheap compared to what we did 30 years ago.” Carswell has five children, most of whom are here at Harbour Town with their families to cheer on the man they call “Golf Daddy.” He says he keeps coming back because he loves the game and looks forward to pro-am No. 50 next year. “Well, I hope I’ll be here,” Carswell said, before adding with emphasis. “I plan on being here.” Photos courtesy of Harbour Town GL.
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