INDIANAPOLIS — John Durant, the club president, says you need to know a few things if you want to become a member at Old School Players.
Durant clarifies that Old School Players are not a group of men “running with young women”.
The Old School Players don’t run much at all. It is a senior club that follows standard bi-laws as well as a unique set of unwritten rules.
Durant, 75 says that Wednesdays are golf days. “No Wednesday doctor’s appointment or any type of business meeting.”
He says that this rule is important for a group of 55-year-old men – some with knee replacements and some with hip replacements – who take two Aleve tablets before they start to tee off.
Friendly trash talk is part of the game, too. “You have to be able take it.”
Durant said, “And if your don’t know how you play,” “you don’t learn in our group.”
You might be called a “fellow player” if you are not a member of the Old School Players. There are only 24 of them.
John says, “Fellow players will play with us if there is a vacant position.” It’s almost like a waiting-list.
In the unlikely scenario that an Old School Player is forced to quit, such as “a bad knee”, a majority-rule voting system can make a fellow player an Old School Player.
Old School Players can be found at various courses throughout the city, from Pleasant Run to Sarah Shank.
They are able to carry the legacy of Indianapolis Black Golfers like Forrest T. Jones Jr. who was the first Black golfer on IU’s campus and also served as the team’s captain during the 1950s.
They’re there mostly to have fun, even when Durant is having bad days.
Durant claims that golf is a game that you love. “I have always had fun.”
