Sept. 3 was one beautiful day, especially for the people who played in the 32nd Annual Golf Fore! Health Tournament at the Brunswick Golf Club.

I had never had the pleasure of playing in this tournament, but Tim May, the facilities manager at Thornton Oaks, asked me to join the team. He had heard that I used to be a decent player. He hadn’t heard, no doubt, that I had played only a few times since moving to Brunswick in 2002. I even gave away my clubs five years ago. Ah, well. “What’s the worst that could happen?”, I figured.

As it turned out, everything worked out well. It was a great tournament for a fine cause: All proceeds benefitted MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital Center for Community Health & Wellness programs and services.

The weather fully cooperated: gorgeous blue sky, little humidity, no wind.

The many volunteers were tremendous; they were everywhere — always upbeat and cheerful, happy to answer questions.

The golf course was in tip-top condition, a far cry from when I first played it way back in 1960 as a freshman on the Bowdoin College golf team.

The tournament featured many interesting wrinkles: awards for longest drive, straightest drive, closest to the pin and “best putter,” determined by a contest held after your team played the 18th hole. You could bet $10 that your tee shot ended up on the green on the 16th hole. A team could even contribute $10 to have the local pro hit your team’s drive on the third hole.

Everyone was in good spirits, thanks in part to the scramble format in which all players hit the drive; then all players hit from the spot of the best drive and so on. If you had a bad shot, so what, because one of your teammates could come through.

The four members of the Thornton Oaks team — probably the oldest among the 22 teams in the tournament with an average age off 77 — fared well. We came in second place net (with handicaps figured in). Credit goes to my three team members, each of whom came through when needed. As for me? Well, I sank a 10-foot birdie putt and made a few decent chips. My highlight occurred on the tough 10th hole. Our ball was on the green but over 30 feet from the hole. I putted second, our normal order. I miss-hit the putt and the ball kind of bobbled along but with a mind of its own. It went in a straight line right into the cup. Boom. My teammates stopped laughing long enough to give me high fives. “It’s not how, it’s whether,” I declared, relieved that no one had taken a video of the putt.

So, kudos to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital for hosting such a spectacular event. Kudos to all the volunteers who made the event run like clockwork. Kudos to all the golfers who freely pitched in for all the extra chances to benefit the event. And finally, kudos to Mother Nature, who was at the top of her game.

I hope to return next year to play in this great tournament. Again, it was one beautiful day.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.