Ron Owen of O’Hara is the “spring chicken” when enjoying a round of golf with longtime golfing friends at the Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel.

That’s because, at 75, Owen frequently covers 18 holes with his 86- and 90-year-old golf comrades Walter Meloy and Tom Bigley, both formerly of Fox Chapel and now living in Harmar and O’Hara, respectively.

“He’s a legend. He’s 90 and he shoots his age sometimes,” Owen said of Bigley. “There’s three most important things in golf — where you played, how you played and who you played with — and the first two are overrated.”

Bigley joined the Pittsburgh Field Club in 1980 after being given a choice from his employer, Ernst & Young, of membership at Oakmont or Long Vue country clubs or the Field Club.

“I had a lot of friends and clients at the Field Club, and I felt the Field Club was the type of golf club I would enjoy the most,” Bigley said.

Bigley’s wife of 68 years, Joan, 89, encourages her husband’s golf game.

“I’m delighted he enjoys it, and he always did have a competitive nature in a friendly way,” Joan Bigley said.

Golf historian and consultant David Moore of Lower Burrell praised the club’s sporting attributes.

Incorporated in 1882, the Pittsburgh Cricket Club became the Pittsburgh Field Club in 1896 with the addition of tennis and golf.

“It isn’t the first to have golf, but it’s the first to offer sports to the citizens of Pittsburgh,” Moore said.

The original clubhouse burned down in 1924 and was rebuilt the following year.

Moore serves as a consultant to the Pittsburgh Field Club and describes it as one of the best in Western Pennsylvania, adding the 12th hole was included in “Arnold Palmer’s Best 54 Golf Holes” book.

Moore is as consultant for numerous country clubs and golf clubs nationwide.

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Joyce Hanz | TribLive
Avid golfer Tom Bigley, 90, enjoys the course May 2 at Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel. Bigley of O’Hara stays active by golfing several times a week. He’s been golfing at the Pittsburgh Field Club since 1980.
 

For Bigley, the Field Club course is a home away from home for him and about 15 other retired golfers who rotate playing.

“I think, mentally and physically, it’s very good for me. Most of us beyond the age of 80 aren’t into aerobic activity, but playing golf is fun, competitive and it’s in a beautiful environment,” Bigley said.

Bigley was raised in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood and graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1956.

He retired at 60 and considers golf his “thing.”

“I try and shoot my age, and every year since I’ve been 78 I’ve done just that,” Bigley said.

The Field Club course is beyond familiar to Bigley, but hole No. 3 still gives him the most trouble, due to a par 5 that’s uphill, long and difficult.

“You get to know the course quite well, no question. But every day is different and your body reacts differently, and you have to battle your physical conditions,” Bigley said.

Joan Bigley has been a steadfast cheerleader for her hubby, especially when Bigley chimes in with complaints of aches and pains.

“I tell him to take a Tylenol and that he’ll be fine,” she said. “He’ll be disappointed if he can’t play. Socially, it’s important as a senior citizen to get out there. You can’t be in a cocoon.”

And 18 holes is the go-to for Bigley, grandfather of 10 and great-grandfather of seven.

Meloy credited his father for exposing him to the game at an early age.

A 12-year-old Meloy was the recipient of golf lessons from a pro at South Hills Country Club, where his dad was a member.

“I really started playing when I was about 20, and I’ve been playing ever since,” Meloy said. “I threaten to quit every year though.”

Meloy graduated from Bethel Park High School in 1955.

After earning a degree in electrical engineering from Penn State University, Meloy climbed the corporate ranks to a national level at Harbison-Walker Refractories Co., retiring from there in 1997.

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Joyce Hanz | TribLive
Active golfers and friends Walter Meloy (left), 86, and Tom Bigley, 90, hit the links May 2 at Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel.
 

In retirement, both gentlemen have transitioned from walking the 18 holes to using golf carts.

“We have a lot of fun and we’re all in the same boat — retired — with time on our hands and we enjoy golf,” Meloy said.

Meloy said despite a few aches and pains that accompany advanced years, a steady golf regimen with his friends provides friendly competition (betting moderately) and socialization.

He chose to join the Pittsburgh Field Club decades ago partly because the late vice president of U.S. Steel, Bob Smith, was a member.

“I used golf as my business in my career,” Meloy recalled.

Meloy said sometimes he’s frustrated with his golf score.

“I had a 5 handicap and shot in my mid-70s. Now I have a 20 handicap,” Meloy said. “I would get disturbed by that, but the idea is to enjoy the game and not let it torture you.”

Meloy recalled a proud golfing moment decades ago at the Field Club when he hit a hole-in-one at No. 4.

“It’s a par 3. I was surprised and we celebrated. I still have the plaque from that one,” Meloy said.

Moore expressed amazement at both men’s enduring love of the sport and for maintaining a regular golf routine.

“I’m sure they’ll tell you the game always brings you back for more,” Moore said. “I hope I can say the same as them when I reach my 80s.”

Owen described the friendships and memories made on the course as meaningful.

“The camaraderie, that’s the beauty of golf,” Owen said. “Bigley, for his age, he’s well beyond the norm. He can throw pars up, and he’s just a wonderful human being.”

Owen said both men serve as golf inspirations.

“Walter is wonderful and, for me, it’s a motivation you gotta be active. Stay active, keep moving and be a people person and don’t isolate yourself,” Owen said.

Mary Ann Meloy of Harmar is thrilled her husband’s golfing pursuits keep him happy.

As a young married couple, the Meloys played golf together when they lived in Birmingham, Ala.

But that was short-lived.

“I tried to golf, but I never really concentrated on it. Walter tried to play with me on Sundays. After a couple of attempts of that, he joked, ‘Please don’t play golf anymore,’ ” Mary Ann Meloy said, adding, “I was very bad.”

The Meloys have been married for 64 years, and Walter has no plans to hang up his putter.

“He plays three times a week, and during the winter he will go and visit friends and golf in Florida. It’s just what he loves to do,” Mary Ann Meloy said.

Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com