Larry Hedderman had a theory about the location of the fountain of youth. He may have been wrong, but he has no regrets.

“I thought if I walked to the top of that hill every day,” pointing to the green on the third hole at the Powell Golf Club, “it would keep me young.”

“It’s not working, but I’m not giving up,” Hedderman said.

At 69, he heads out on the course as often as possible.

“Rain or shine, he’s always here,” said club employee and bartender Jess Herweyer.

Hedderman, co-owner of Wyoming Real Estate Network, first teed off at the Powell Golf Club when he was a junior at Cody High School. He played that round with his mother. Back then it had only nine holes — the present day back nine. It had oiled-sand greens and “you’d take a rake and make a line to the hole,” Hedderman recalled. The course was flood-irrigated, with irrigation tubes crossing the fairway.

Hedderman’s pace is quick, amounting to a roughly 2 1/2-mile speed walking regimen. He can finish the scenic front nine in as little as 80 minutes. That is, if he can time his assault on the hill correctly.

He avoids early morning rounds. There are quite a few “early birds” who don’t mind getting their feet wet walking on the dewy grass around sunrise. Unless you’re first to tee off, play can be slowed. And, Hedderman admits, he’s not a huge fan of the early morning hours.

The next group of players to hit the course is the “10 to 3” crowd. Many of the players are retired, he said, and make the day of it. Play can be slow, and Hedderman hates to wait.

After 4 p.m., the “working stiffs” hit the links. Again, the pace is too slow if you’re looking at the game as a way to keep in shape. But, if he times it perfectly, he can pull out his driver 90 minutes before sunset and start a round at a near jogger’s pace, avoid catching up to the 4 o’clock crowd, and finish his round with enough light to see where the ball lands on his drives.

Of course, perfection is hard to attain and he is often playing the ninth hole when most couldn’t see a ball.

“He’s got the eyes of a hawk,” Herweyer said.

Hedderman explains that having a clear course is worth sometimes playing in the dark; he plays so often he simply heads in the direction he thinks the ball went and it usually works out.

If it sounds like Hedderman is intentionally avoiding folks, you might find some truth surfacing. He fully admits he struggles at attempts to be a people person.

“I’ve never really liked being around people all that much,” he explains. “For me, golf is like primeval aggression therapy. At the end of the day, you get to come and beat [stuff] with a stick.”

Yet, he’s been in sales and the real estate business his entire career, so his motive isn’t all an attempt to avoid human contact. It’s important for him to stay fit.

He hits the links as soon as possible each year; 45 degrees F is his comfort zone to start the season.

“I have everything you need for all weather conditions right here in my bag,” Hedderman said, pointing to his near-apartment-sized kit.

He bought a Chrysler based solely on the trunk size to accommodate the bag, along with the attached caddy on wheels. His pace is so quick, he often gives the push cart a shove, hoping to move it to a convenient location for a quick exit from the green to the next tee. He complains about his scores — somewhere between four and seven over par on average for nine holes — but being great at golf isn’t really the end goal.

“I have a love-hate relationship with the game,” Hedderman admits. “I always say if a person doesn’t have quite enough frustration in their life, they just need to take up golf.”

He refuses to give up on his daily walks, although he recently moved to the gold tees.

“It was time,” he said, admitting he hasn’t found the fountain of youth. But, he still refuses to use a cart. And you can almost set a clock to his timing — Hedderman will be there about 90 minutes before last light.

It’s how he likes it.

“This is how I got my own private golf course,” he said.