BUTLER TWP — Looking to master the game of golf?

“Play at least twice a week, take lessons and clear your head,” Vince Cammisa says. “The game is all mechanics and mental.”

Don't discard such advice too quickly.

Cammisa, 83, of Butler Township recently shot his age during a round of golf at Yankee Run, a course near Sharon. In March, he carded a 77 while playing in a league in Mesa, Ariz.

“That round in Mesa, I just had a lot of pars,” Cammisa recalled. “I don't think I had any birdies. I don't think I have ever shot a 77 before.

“My best scores have been in the low 80s the past five or six years. I'm getting old. I don't have the big drive anymore.”

Cammisa shot his age while playing with a golf group known as the “Dirty Dozen,” which travels to courses all over the tri-state area for a round of golf each week.

“There's 24 of us. We play for money — all in fun — and we travel all over the place,” Cammisa said. “It's all about getting together, having a good time and bringing my 'A' game.”

Ed Schoeffel, 79, of Evans City was one of Cammisa's playing partners at Yankee Run. He shot an 83 as well.

Schoeffel marvels at the consistency of Cammisa's game.

“His drives are always down the middle. He hits very few bad shots,” Schoeffel said. “When his putting is on, Vince can come up with scores like that. That day, his putting was very good.

“His drives have a nice draw to them. He always gets a nice roll out of it.”

Cammisa never started playing golf until he was 28. He said he learned the game on the old Oak Hill course near Butler County Community College.

“I tried it and I liked it,” he said. “Once I took some lessons and straightened out my shots, I really enjoyed it.”

A former Marine, Cammisa learned how to style hair while in the service. He opened a hair styling business in Butler in 1968 and maintained that business for decades.

But he's always found time to golf.

“I can still drive the ball 180 yards or so,” he said. “When I shot that 77 in Arizona, it was part of a Sunland East league and I won it that day. I was one of the oldest guys out there.

“I only won that league one other time. I shot an 80 or 81 about seven years ago.”

Cammisa spends his winters in Arizona.

He's never had a hole-in-one, though “I came within six inches a couple of times when I was around 40.”

He's not planning on giving up golf anytime soon.

“I'll play until I physically can't do it anymore,” Cammisa said. “Hopefully, that won't be for a while yet. I'm still getting along pretty good.”

Vince Cammisa