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100-year-old golfer receives club honour

Ian PalmerSouth East
BBC An elderly man with glasses and a black cap. He is looking into the camera. The picture is taken on a golf course.BBC
Chris Martin is 100 years old and still plays golf each week

A grandfather from Kent has been given an honorary lifetime membership of his golf club - an accolade few would begrudge.

Former communications engineer Chris Martin celebrated his 100th birthday this year, and has played roughly 6,000 rounds at Canterbury Golf Club since joining in 1974.

Even now, Martin is still working on his game, saying: "You always want to do a bit better, you go out there and you're never sure how things are going to go... it's nice to be out."

When asked how long he plans to continue playing, he simply crossed his fingers and said: "That's the question...something I don't know and something nobody else knows."

Chris Martin A mother and father stood for a photo. The woman is smiling at the camera outside a house with her arm around the father, who is looking down at a baby in his armsChris Martin
Martin, his wife Nadia and their son

Martin was born in Canterbury and grew up in Challock, near Ashford. As a teenager During World War Two, he was a fire watcher in London, trained to deal with small fires during attacks.

He later worked in Lebanon where he met his wife, Nadia. They had a son, moved back to Kent and would later travel the world with Nadia after retiring.

Now, Martin lives alone, but still cooks, cleans and drives. He only stopped travelling four years ago.

An elderly man sitting on a picnic bench holding a golf club while looking into the camera. Sat on a patch of grass beside him is a man, also looking into the camera. Behind them are more benches, a small black building and a car park
Martin with Alan Holcroft, general manager at the golf club

But his main passion will always be golf, something he still does a few times each week.

To acknowledge Chris's milestone birthday, the club awarded him honorary membership and invited him to lunch and golf with club captain Nigel Fluet, vice-captain Chris Stephens and women's vice captain Elizabeth Carlotti.

They played three holes and Chris enjoyed his favourite meal - fish and chips. The honorary membership means he can play golf for free whenever he chooses.

Alan Holcroft, general manager at the golf club, said: "To celebrate someone who's played this game for 50 years, I mean what an incredible thing.

"It's our centenary next year. I'm glad he got there first."

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