COLUMBUS, Ga. — Cecil Calhoun's golf seat stick left small indentations in the putting green as he moved around to watch the action Monday at the Country Club of Columbus. Calhoun was using it more as a walker, but I doubt whether he even needed the assistance.
To those in Columbus, the second largest town by population in Georgia, Calhoun is a legend. Now 92 years old, he graduated from Columbus High School in 1952, played on the LSU men's golf team and won a national championship in 1955 before serving his country as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force.
And this week, the lifetime member at the Country Club of Columbus was waltzing around the putting green, bouncing between watching the groups on the 12th and 18th greens while taking in tee shots
from the first and 10th, too. All of these shots are ones Calhoun has hit thousands of times, though he can't quite guess just how many rounds he has accumulated over his life. He has been playing here neatly a century, and this week he watched as his home course hosted the 2026 Haskins Intercollegiate, a premier women's college golf event, for the first time.
Calhoun used to live across the street from the fourth hole at the Country Club, sneaking on to play a few holes in the evening during his childhood before a fence was erected around the property. He has seen golfers like Jack Nicklaus, Larry Mize and others come through the course for different events, recalling a story about how Nicklaus hit numerous balls on the 18th hole from 70 yards out because he could not make himself hit the right side of the penalizing green.
For 92, Calhoun's mind is sharp, even if his body is slowly showing signs that he's on the back nine. But don't tell Calhoun that. He still walks the course when he plays while carrying his bag. He's often on the range still practicing as if he has a national championship to play for.
LSU women's coach Garrett Runion joked that Calhoun helped the Tigers win the title in 1955, and that was 50 years before Runion donned the purple and gold himself.
Calhoun is as big a part of the history of the Country Club of Columbus as Fred Haskins, the former pro who the Heisman Trophy of men's college golf is named after. The Haskins Foundation, which Calhoun is on the board of, is based at the Country Club and is running the tournament this week, and Calhoun wasn't going to miss any of the action.
Covering college golf, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to travel across the country and develop relationships with coaches, athletes, tournament directors and many more. Monday, I got to shake Calhoun's hand for the first time, and just chatting with him for 30 minutes made me wonder how many more incredible stories he could tell about his life.
I didn't tell Calhoun I was going to write about him, and I didn't expect to when we began talking. But as he told stories and talked about his life, I realized he was a big part of why this new college golf event was even taking place, and his impact on the Country Club and its members was a big reason why this tournament began and already has big growth plans ahead of next year.
Calhoun is proud to represent Columbus, Georgia, which sits along the Chattahoochee River along the Alabama border about an hour and a half southwest of Atlanta. Even after a life that took him to Baton Rouge, Oklahoma, for graduate school and Vietnam to serve his country, Calhoun always knew where his roots were.
That's why it's important for him to watch the 77 players in the field this week. It's why he advocates so hard for the Haskins Foundation and the Fred Haskins Award. He was one of the people who helped bring the Haskins Intercollegiate to life.
The Country Club of Columbus wouldn't be what it is today without Cecil Calhoun. In many ways, neither would the Haskins Intercollegiate.
Long after the final putt drops this week and the trophies are handed out, Calhoun will still be a familiar sight around the club, walking the fairways, carrying his bag and cheering for the next generation of golfers.
After nearly a century at the Country Club of Columbus, he's become more than a member. He's part of the course itself.
And judging by the smile on his face this week, there wasn't anywhere else he'd rather be.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: At 92, Cecil Calhoun still walks the course that shaped his legacy
