100-year-old Sugar Land golfer able to swing again thanks to mobility device

SUGARLAND, Texas - Anita Weiner celebrated her 100th birthday five days ago, but her real celebration took place Wednesday morning on the fairway.

Standing on the practice tee at TPC Houston in Sugar Land, Weiner gripped an iron, lined up her stance and took her first golf swing in eight years.

The birthday wish

The backstory:

Weiner did not pick up a golf club until she was 52, taking up the sport after knee problems ended her tennis days. What began as a recreational outlet turned into a four-decade competitive journey. She lowered her handicap to a 7, maintained an 11 to qualify for regional tournaments, and won the 1995 Texas Senior Women’s Golf Association Championship on the very course she revisited Wednesday.

She put her clubs away at 92, but as her 100th birthday approached, she told her family she had one wish: to swing again.

"I was worried that she would embarrass herself, embarrass the people that were providing the equipment, and that she'd have a lot of pain," said her older son, K.C. Wiener. "To see the joy in her face and the improvement on every swing that she took to adjust to get there and then hit the ball is pretty joyful."

An electric stand-up device

How this was made possible:

The swing was made possible by the VertaCat, an electric stand-up device designed to help individuals with limited mobility stand securely to play golf.

Anthony Netto, a South African military veteran and paralyzed golfer who co-developed the device and founded the Stand Up and Play Foundation, traveled from San Diego to fit Weiner into the machine himself.

"We're golfers, we like standing up," Netto said. "We don't like the seated version because I want to have the same fair swing. It's called the ability, not the disability."

Netto said his foundation has provided 300 to 400 mobility units to injured veterans and first responders nationwide, helping players return to the sport regardless of physical limitations.

Deep Houston roots

Local perspective:

Weiner’s return also marked a personal full-circle moment for collegiate athletics in Houston. Two decades ago, Weiner began advocating and fundraising to establish a women’s golf team at Rice University, where her mother was a member of the second graduating class.

Rice launched its inaugural women's varsity golf program this fall, led by head coach Joanne Berglund, who joined the gathering Wednesday to watch Weiner swing.

"Anita had this dream of women's golf at Rice back in the early 2000s," Berglund said. "To see it come full circle with her, and here we are 20-plus years later able to celebrate her 100th birthday, but also the inaugural season of Rice all kind of happening in the same year, is really exciting."

Weiner said she was cautious stepping into the machine, but had confidence in Netto and the crew supporting her. As for what advice she would offer to anyone hesitant to take up golf later in life, Weiner said age should never be the deciding factor.

"It’s never too late, always just start, just go out," Weiner said. "Don’t worry about being good, just worry about having a good time. It’s so beautiful to walk the land and walk the ground and walk outdoors. Just the walking is worth it."

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