Stonewater Golf Club to Host National Senior Games Event

If you don't believe that athletes come in all ages, nearly 11,000 people are ready to prove you wrong.

Cleveland is hosting the National Senior Games this year, with events scattered throughout Northeast Ohio, including Highland Heights. Stonewater Golf Club will host golf events from July 23 to July 26.

The Games kick off with an opening festival on July 19 in Downtown Cleveland featuring Rusted Root. Over the course of two weeks, athletes, ages 50 to 101, will compete in 19 sports.

"The main theme of it is ridding the stereotype of seniors," spokeswoman Grace Berry said. "It's a great family event. The children and grandchildren account for about 20,000 of the visitors we get for the events."

All events are free and open to the public. Click here for a list of venues and directions. The entire age-specific time schedule can be found by clicking this link.

Three golf divisions for men and women will tee off at 8 a.m. each of the three days events are scheduled at Stonewater — ages 50 to 54; 55 to 59; and 60 to 64.

The National Senior Games Association and the Cleveland Sports Commission estimate that 30,000 people will attend the games between July 19 and Aug. 1, providing an economic impact of about $35 million.

Ohio will be the best-represented state with 1,123 athletes, followed by 684 athletes from Tennessee and 589 from North Carolina. Fifty-nine percent of the registrants are male.

The Association is still looking for volunteers to fill roles ranging from greeters to scorekeepers. For more information, click here.