A SENIOR TOUR OF HIS OWN FOR 95-YEAR-OLD GOLFER, LOVE FOR THE GAME A TIMELESS PASSION.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Henry Sollima grabbed his putter, the same old-school one he's been using the past 50 years, and went to work on the Sunset Hills putting green.

As golfers zipped by in carts en route to the first tee, nearly all slowed to say hello when they spotted Sollima. Sunset head pro Matt Kalbak interrupted a junior clinic to greet Sollima. During lunch, Sparky Anderson - the Hall of Fame baseball manager - broke his stride and yelled: ``Henry - you better shape up, you hear?''

Sollima chuckled.

Everyone seems to know Sollima. Yet Sollima doesn't know many of them. He's a bit embarrassed by all the attention but smiles, politely waves and calls everyone ``Champ''.

``Guess that's what happens when you're the oldest guy at the club,'' Sollima said.

At 95, Sollima does own that distinction. He's also one of the most popular members at the club and seemingly everywhere else he goes. He's witty and old-fashioned. Funny and respectful. And certainly one of the most inspiring.

Sollima, who had a 5 handicap when he was 58, golfs his age and often shoots 90. He usually plays three or four times a week, sometimes nine holes and others 18. He's teaching his daughter-in-law how to golf. And he's teaching others how precious life is, even though he doesn't seem to know it.

``Sometimes my knees hurt or my shoulder hurts,'' Sollima said. ``Then I get out here on the golf course and it all disappears.''

When Sollima got out of his chair after lunch at the club last week, he mused that sitting around was what made him tired. Then after mentioning in passing that he had a broken toe, he got into his personal golf cart - decorated by an orange flag - and played golf.

He does it because he finds it rewarding. He's pretty good, too. He doesn't have a handicap anymore - much to the chagrin of his son, Bill - and he doesn't want one either. He said he wants to make sure golf is never anything other than an enjoyable experience.

``He's really - what's the word I'm looking for? - remarkable to be as active as he is at his age,'' Kalbak said. ``He has a real passion for the game of golf. He practices on the practice facility when no one else is around. He's always trying to work on his game.''

He can still hit the ball 200 yards, but he thinks nothing of it since he used to hit 280. He's consistently in the fairways and has a solid short game, something he honed when he lived on the course at Indian Wells for 14 years. But Sollima's life hardly begins and ends with golf.

That's just his afternoon hobby.

Sollima wakes no later than 6 a.m. every day and does three crossword puzzles. Then he works in his garden, tending eggplant, bell peppers and squash. That's usually followed by errands - he still drives himself - and golf.

Then he goes home to cook dinner.

``He doesn't sit around idly,'' Bill Sollima said. ``He's been blessed. He has good genes and he works hard. ... His doctor tells him, `They never taught me how to treat guys like you. You're my learning experience.' ''

For the past five years, Sollima has lived with Bill, his wife, Donna and their teenage sons. Anthony and Bryan. His wife of 52 years, Dalina, died about 20 years ago. They played golf together, too.

When the family went on an Alaskan cruise last week, Henry and Bryan stayed home. Henry can't play golf on a ship, so he passed on the vacation. He prefers Hawaii.

Sollima is always busy anyway. He's never without a project - be it yard work or writing e-mails. He often has his grandsons' friends to entertain.

``They love him as much as we do,'' said Bryan, 17.

Until last year, Sollima was the cook for the family's annual Christmas party, which boasts at least 100 people. He was convinced to let a caterer do the event last year.

When the family got back from its trip, Sollima had prepared eggplant Parmesan for dinner. He always cooks with fresh vegetables - he jokes he's the only one in Thousand Oaks who has a garden - and puts a dash of garlic in everything.

Donna calls him a miracle and constantly tells him he'll live to be 120. Sollima hates to be reminded of his age.

``Everybody enjoys talking to him and everyone can learn from him,'' Donna said. ``We talked about him on the ship. I should take a picture of him, we talk about him so much. We have pictures of our kids, but we're always talking about him.

``He's such a good cook, too. Everyone always asks me how it's working out living with my father-in-law. I tell them, `I don't cook. I don't clean. I don't garden.' I always tell my husband if we ever get divorced, I'm keeping (Henry).''

Sollima said he's still living - and living well - because he keeps his mind and body active. His age is irrelevant to him but surprising to others.

``I was shocked,'' Anderson said. ``He's a miracle man, the fact that he's in as good as condition as he is and he thinks as well as he does. He don't slow down.''

Just two weeks ago, Sollima and his son played with a twosome that included a single-digit handicapper. The man asked Bill how old his dad was and when he learned the man who walks, talks and golfs like he's 75 is really 95, he shanked his next shot.

``That golfer hadn't missed a golf shot all day, but that broke his concentration,'' Bill said.

Sollima made a promise that he'd always take care of himself. He owned a clothing factory, Damico Clothes, in Los Angeles for 50 years and hated to see some of his friends struggling in their senior years.

``We had people who couldn't wait to retire,'' he said. ``They'd come back two or three months later to say hello and they looked like they aged 40 years. They had humped backs, they were dragging their feet and they looked like they were really on their last legs. I vowed to never let that happen to me.''

Not when there's a family to feed, garden to work and golf course to play.

Jill Painter, [phone]

jill.painter(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Henry Sollima, a fixture and inspiration at Sunset Hills Country Club where he plays three or four times a week, is still golfing at 95 years of age.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer