Warrnambool Golf Club’s John ‘Jack’ Bullen shot five shots below his age to take out the veterans competition on Tuesday.

Bullen, whose golf career spans 81 years, had 46 stableford points, giving him 91 off the stick.

“I won it today, how? I don’t know,” he said.

“It was an amazing surprise. I haven’t played like this for years.

“I thought I’d be up among the winners but I didn’t think I’d have won it.”

Bullen has a handicap of 29 but he laments he “used to be a better golfer” and played off as low as eight.

He moved to Warrnambool from Point Lonsdale 14 years ago, quickly familiarising himself with the Warrnambool course. 

“This is a wonderful city, it’s got everything – even the people are nice,” he said with a chuckle.

Bullen credited an active lifestyle – he still rides his exercise bike most nights – for his longevity.

He lives with his dog Jedda who is “as old as I am”.

“I enjoy golf and the company and it gets lonely on your own, so why not,” Bullen said of his twice-weekly rounds.

Bullen’s mate Keith McLeod has been a club member since 1949.

He had a stint away from the sport when family and work commitments ramped up but he’s been a regular for three decades.

McLeod, 88, said “the thrill of hitting a great shot” kept him coming back.

“First of all, it brings you down a size. It’s a great equaliser – you think that you’ve got it and it just spits in your eye,” he said.

“We enjoy the challenge. Sometimes we say ‘that’s it, we’re never playing again’ but the next day you’re back.”