But in darts he has been his own man and is able to match the skills of younger members of the Otago Darts Association.
Girdler (69) is director of coaching for the New Zealand Darts Association and he practises what he preaches.
He demonstrated his skills this week by winning gold medals in the men's over-56 grade in the mixed pairs, fours and singles.
Girdler was then unbeaten when he won the singles on the final day of competition.
He had five wins in post-section play to beat Robbie Dick (Tauranga) on four wins and Colin Perriman (Dunedin) on two wins.
A feature of Girdler's play was his consistency.
"It doesn't matter what score you have," Girdler said. "It is the person who hits the double at the end that counts."
Included on his scorecard was one maximum of 180 with his 11 darts in one round.
Girdler emigrated to New Zealand from Scotland with his family in 1969 and quickly found his niche in Dunedin as a project manager.
He used these skills to improve the standard of Otago darts when he was forced to give up bowls because of two shoulder operations.
He set up a coaching structure for junior players in the province and his efforts were rewarded last year when Sander Dean became the New Zealand junior champion.
Girdler has always been a do-it-yourself man and it has enabled him to make an impact on the local darts scene.
"I enjoy the company and the people you meet," he said. "There is great interaction and bonding in team games."
The highlights of Girdler's competitive career were as a member of the Otago team that won the national zone tournament in the 1980s.
He also won the New Zealand championship open pairs in the same decade.
The gold medallists in other grades were Kirsten Tamoananu (Dunedin), novice women's singles, Maureen Stone (Dunedin), women over aged 56, Barbara Hewlett (Dunedin), women aged 46 to 55, Erica Jones (Australia), women aged 35 to 45 and Malcolm Wing (Dunedin) men aged 46 to 55.
