"He's not just another old bloke with a golf club - Sir Bob is something special." Albie Reed may only be 14, but the budding golfer was totally awestruck by Sir Bob Charles when the two met at St Clair Golf Club yesterday. "The amount of tournaments he’s won - he’s a legend of the game. "It’s such an experience to be learning from him. I’m having such a good day." Sir Bob acknowledged an 86-year-old like himself and a 14-year-old usually had very little in common. But as soon as a golf club was added, it instantly spanned that generational gap, he said. With his trusty old putter which he has used to win many international tournaments over the decades, Sir Bob gave Albie and his fellow young golfers a masterclass in putting. And they were glued to every second of it. He told them the ability to putt well had won him a lot of tournaments. "The old adage is, you drive for show and you putt for dough. "If you can’t putt, if you don’t have a good short game, you’re going to struggle competitively in golf. "So I’m all in favour of starting the game by learning to putt." Young golfers (from left) Jamie Crashley (obscured), Joseph Devereux-Kilpartrick, Connor Howes, Archie Colquhoun, Kairangi Koni, Josh Scott, Will Summers and Albie Reed soak up all the advice they can get from Sir Bob Charles at St Clair Golf Club, in Dunedin, yesterday. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY The New Zealand professional golfer’s achievements over five decades rank him among the most successful left-handed golfers of all time, winning more than 70 titles and being the first lefty to win a major championship. He said he learnt a lot about the game by having fun while playing with his parents and grandparents at an early age. "The great thing about putting is, my grandmother could take me around the putting green and beat me. "No strength is required. All you need is a good eye and hand touch feel, and [to] knock the ball in the hole." He said the main message he wanted to pass on to young people was to get outside and make the most of the fresh air. "I think the young youth of today spend too much time sitting on their backsides and going with their fingers and thumbs [on gaming machines]. "Golf is the greatest game of all. It’s a game of a lifetime. "My dad played until he was 90. I started hitting balls at 3 and I’m still hitting a bucket of balls on a nice day." The game was two hours of fun, enjoyment, fresh air, sunshine and exercise, he said. "I’m in pretty good shape for my age. I think golf has served me pretty well and I’d like to share that with young people. "You can’t beat the outdoors." john.lewis@odt.co.nz
