It ain't easy on the greens
CENTER TWP — Turning 60 in another week, John Aubrey Sr. still enjoys cutting grass — as long as it's on a golf course.
Involved in a partnership at Aubrey's Dubbs Dred with his mother and brother, George, Aubrey continues to oversee the family business.
"George runs his insurance business and my mother is 90," Aubrey said. "She still gets dressed and comes to work here every day.
"She helps take greens fees. I love the fact that she still wants to be involved."
Aubrey is involved with the course himself seven days a week. He's there at 5:30 each morning, mows grass for two or three hours, does repairs on mowers and carts, runs youth clinics and teaches a youth golf school.
A club pro for years, Aubrey has played in nine professional major events: three U.S. Opens and six Senior PGA Championships. His last major was last May, when he didn't make the cut at the Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club, near Cleveland.
Because of time spent working on the course, Aubrey has little time to work on his game.
"I may get out and chip some balls for a half-hour every other day or so," he said. "It's too hard to keep up anymore. I'll play competitively for another year or two and that'll be it.
"When you can hit a ball 250 yards and the other guy can hit 280 — you're just kidding yourself if you think you're gonna compete."
Even on the Seniors Tour, Aubrey now competes against golfers 10 years younger.
"Fred Couples just joined the Seniors this year at age 50 and he's already tearing up," Aubrey said. "That's how it works in the pro game: The older you get, the tougher it is."
Don't expect Aubrey to give up on Dubbs Dred anytime soon. His parents bought the then nine-hole course in 1962. Aubrey turned pro in 1976, but took a couple of years off to help the family put in the back nine.
Those back nine holes — ranked among the toughest in Pennsylvania — were completed in 1984.
"That area was all creeks, ravines and woods," Aubrey said. "George and I took chainsaws and bulldozers back in there and carved out nine holes.
"Yeah, they're narrow and it takes straight target golf to succeed back there. It's pretty tight. That's why we warn golfers who haven't played here before. It's challenging."
The green on the No. 15 hole is particularly hard to master.
"You're not going to roll a ball on there. It's just gonna roll off," Aubrey said. "You have to fly one on there. Our greens are the same caliber of Oakmont's.
"Guys pay $225 to play there, roll a shot off the green and it's a great experience. Same thing happens here and they complain — and they paid nine bucks," he added, laughing.
Coming out of high school, Aubrey was offered a full scholarship to play golf at Ohio State. He turned it down to stay home and help his father with the family golf course.
"Dad would have made it without me, but he needed the help and I couldn't turn my back on family," Aubrey said. "I wanted to help him.
"To this day, I'm glad I did."
