Bob Charles (golfer)
A New Zealand golfer who broke the mold, proving a left-handed swing could conquer the sport's oldest major championship.
Born 1936 (age 90)·New Zealand professional golfer·Birthday: March 14·The Silent Generation
Biography
Sir Bob Charles didn't just win golf tournaments; he changed the perception of what a champion golfer could look like. The son of a postmaster from Carterton, New Zealand, he was a natural left-hander in a right-handed world, teaching himself the game with a set of cut-down clubs. His silky-smooth putting stroke, honed on the greens of his home country, became his signature weapon. In 1963, at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, he etched his name into history by winning The Open Championship in a 36-hole playoff, becoming the first—and for decades the only—left-hander to claim a major title. His career was a testament to longevity and global success, with over 70 professional wins across six continents. Charles was a quiet, methodical ambassador for New Zealand sport, his success paving the way for future left-handed stars and proving that excellence knows no dominant hand.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Age 90 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1963 Open Championship, becoming the first left-handed golfer to win any of the sport's four major championships.
- Captured the New Zealand Open as an 18-year-old amateur in 1954, announcing his prodigious talent.
- Amassed over 80 professional tournament victories worldwide, spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s.
- Made the cut at the New Zealand Open in 2007 at age 71, demonstrating remarkable competitive longevity.
Did You Know?
He was knighted in 1999 for his services to golf and philanthropy in New Zealand.
Despite being left-handed for full swings, he putts right-handed, a unique hybrid style.
He designed numerous golf courses in New Zealand and Australia.
For many years, he and Mike Weir were the only left-handed winners of men's golf majors until Phil Mickelson's breakthrough.
“I proved a left-hander could win the game's biggest prizes.”
