Bill Gardner has been swinging his golf clubs across the Southeast for more than 30 years.

He rarely played during his active duty in the Air Force but found a few more tee times while in the Army Reserve, on the weekends while working for TVA. Now he plays almost any day he wants after his daily volunteer responsibilities are complete at Brown Acres.

“I could play Monday through Sunday if I want to,” Gardner said. “I shoot in the high 70s or low 80s. But I don’t have to play the blue tees any more. I play the senior tees.”

Through all the years and places he’s played — Florence, Macon, Atlanta, Anniston, New Orleans and all but three courses in Chattanooga — Gardner has never scored a hole-in-one.

He’s been close. On one of the par-3s on the back nine of the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook outside Tampa, Fla., in the early 1990s, his tee shot hit the stick and dropped an inch away.

“That close,” Gardner said, squinting to see the small distance between his thumb and index finger.

He’s witnessed an ace as recently as two weeks ago at Eagle Bluff.

“I hit a shot on the par-3 and it ended up 12 inches,” Gardner said. “The guy I was playing with (Randy Freeney) showed me he could do better, and he hit it in the hole on No. 12.

“I hope I get one.”

Every week, Inside Area Golf will profile someone or some people who play the game or have made a contribution to golf. To suggest a person or group, please contact staff writer David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or at (423) 757-6484.