It was a few moments after he signed his scorecard following the opening round of the 31st Connecticut Senior Open at Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton and Bill Hermanson was in mid-conversation.

He was lamenting a six he shot on the 380-yard, par-4 second hole and a few other missed opportunities he had on the way to firing a 1-over-par 72, as well as outlining the characteristics of a course he enjoys playing so much in Shennecossett.

Hermanson finally got around to detailing the impressive 25-foot putt he made to eagle the par-5 18th hole.

"I would have been thrilled with a birdie," Hermanson said of his finish that day in July. "… (The eagle) means I'm one stroke better. It's always better than being one stroke worse."

Hermanson, 56, is still adding to his list of accomplishments in his second year competing on the Connecticut State Golf Association's senior tour, a formidable task when considering the feats which already line his resume.

An East Lyme resident, Hermanson is a 23-time champion at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme – he won 19 straight from 1981-99 – distinguishing him as the most-decorated club champion in eastern Connecticut. He is the CSGA's former player of the year (1991), twice the runner-up for that honor (1981-82) and a former CSGA team captain. On Dec. 4, 2012, he was inducted as a member of the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame.

At the start of last season, Hermanson was featured on the cover of the CSGA preseason media guide under the banner, "For CSGA seniors, life begins at 55."

"I don't feel a day over 56," Hermanson said with a laugh. "You wake up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes. All these aches and pains … there's something about turning 50, you have to check all your body parts to make sure they work. I've never had it where I couldn't physically play, but I've had some days where I couldn't play well. I had wrist problems."

The other change competing against seniors, Hermanson said, is that some of them have known each other for more than 30 years.

"We're all still trying to beat each other, but you root for the guys you're playing with," Hermanson said.

From three birdies and an eagle on the first day at Shennecossett, Hermanson was forced to settle for a 79 on the second day after a birdie-less round. He tied for 43rd with a two-round total of 151.

By later in the week, however, he was back in form, qualifying for the prestigious championship flight of the 87th annual Norwich Invitational with a 1-under-par 70 at Norwich Golf Course.

Hermanson, who is self-employed as a manufacturer's representative, selling golf apparel and equipment in the western New England region, calls golf "a game of a lifetime." He works during the week, competing mainly on weekends in a sport he only began as a freshman at Old Saybrook High School when he and the baseball coach had a disagreement.

"I had to learn (golf). I learned it. Kids are great imitators," said Hermanson, who won two Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association championships as a member of the team at Old Saybrook before majoring in history at Connecticut College. "It was an immature decision (to quit), but it was the best decision I ever made."