Jack Harris (golfer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jack Harris |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | John Bruce Harris |
| Born | 8 December 1922 West Footscray, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 22 August 2014 (aged 91) Melbourne, Australia |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Spouse | Grace McGregor |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1940 |
| Professional wins | 90 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 8 |
| Other | 83 |
John Bruce Harris (born December 8, 1922 – died August 22, 2014) was a very important Australian professional golfer. He played from 1946 to 1969. Jack Harris was a club professional who taught thousands of people how to play golf. He also won 90 professional tournaments in Australia. He even served in the Australian Army during World War II for six years.
Harris won the Victorian PGA Championship six times, which is a record! This happened between 1950 and 1963. Today, the trophy for this championship is called the "Jack Harris Cup" to honor him. In 2001, he became a life member of PGA Australia. This was because of his great work as a PGA member and his achievements in golf. In 2011, he was one of the first people to join the Victorian Golf Hall of Fame. Other famous golfers like Peter Thomson also joined at the same time.
Contents
Jack Harris: A Golf Legend
Early Life and War Service
Jack Harris became a junior PGA member in 1940, even before he turned 18. He learned golf from a professional named Colin Campbell at the Long Island Golf Club. However, his golf career had to wait for six years. This was because he joined the Australian Army during World War II.
He worked as a sapper, which is a soldier who builds and repairs things. He served in Darwin and later on Labuan Island in Borneo. Harris left the army in 1946 when he was 24 years old. He had missed an important time for developing his golf skills.
Starting His Professional Career
After the war, Harris met up with Colin Campbell again. They worked with Bob Spencer, who was Campbell's nephew. They ran a golf teaching school in Melbourne. Later, they taught at Hartley's sports store. During this time, Harris practiced by hitting golf balls into nets. He hit them off rubber mats.
In 1950, when he was 28, Harris won his first Victorian PGA Championship. He was still teaching golf at Hartley's sports store then.
Life as a Club Professional
In the middle of 1950, Harris became the club professional at Keysborough Golf Club. He stayed there for most of his tournament playing career. Bob Spencer later joined him as his assistant. As a club professional, Harris earned his living by teaching golf and running the pro shop.
Like many golfers of his time, he had very little time to practice for tournaments. Even so, Harris was one of the top Australian golfers in the 1950s and early 1960s. He played alongside famous golfers like Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle.
Playing Against the Best
Jack Harris won many tournaments even though he didn't play overseas. He beat many golfers who had won the Australian Open. Some of these golfers had even won major international championships. He also played against many top golfers from other countries. These included Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player.
Later Years and Legacy
After he stopped playing in tournaments, Harris spent 13 years at Sorrento Golf Club. He was the club and teaching professional there. He also continued to teach golf at his own school in St Kilda. Many people remember him for his golf segment on the Channel 7 TV show "World of Sport" in the 1960s. He appeared on the show with AFL legend Lou Richards.
Even in his 80s, Harris kept organizing golf events for older professional players. He was always happy to teach anyone who wanted to learn golf. He was still helping with lessons at Wattle Park Golf Club when he was in his 90s. Jack Harris passed away in August 2014 at the age of 91.
Achievements and Awards
Jack Harris received many honors for his amazing golf career:
- He was one of the first people to join the Victorian Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
- He became a Life Member of PGA Australia in October 2001.
- The trophy for the Victorian PGA winners was named the "Jack Harris Cup." This was to recognize how much he dominated that event.
- He won the Varley Trophy several times. This award is for the best yearly scoring average.
- He was also a member of the Australian International Squad.
Tournament Wins
Jack Harris won a total of 90 professional tournaments.
Major Australian Wins (8)
- 1950 Victorian PGA Championship
- 1952 Adelaide Advertiser Tournament
- 1957 Victorian PGA Championship
- 1959 Victorian PGA Championship
- 1960 Victorian PGA Championship, Victorian Open
- 1961 Victorian PGA Championship
- 1963 Victorian PGA Championship
Other Notable Wins
Jack Harris won many other tournaments throughout his career. Some of these include:
- 1946 Victorian PGA Foursomes (with Colin Campbell)
- 1948 Yarra Yarra Open
- 1949 Victorian PGA Foursomes (with Colin Campbell)
- 1950 Spalding Bowl
- 1952 Victorian Close Championship
- 1953 West Victorian Open
- 1954 Woodlands Open
- 1955 Arthur Findlay Cup
- 1956 South West Victorian Open
- 1957 Victorian PGA Foursomes (with Bob Spencer)
- 1958 Yarra Yarra Open
- 1959 Woodlands Open
- 1960 Yarrawonga Open
- 1961 Victorian Close Championship
- 1962 South West Victorian Open
- 1963 NSW/Vic Border Open
- 1964 Woodlands Open
- 1965 Woodlands Open
Team Play
Jack Harris also represented Victoria in the Vicars Shield team competition. He played in:
- 1948
- 1951 (winners)
- 1952 (winners)
- 1953 (winners)
- 1954
- 1955
