REMEMBERING A GREAT TEACHER AND GOLF COACH

            By Kevin Buda, Mountain View, CA

I had a standing lesson time on Saturdays right after Rick Hingle at the old Bonita golf course.  Most pros only teach you how to hit regular golf shots, but Bill would also teach you what to do when there were problems.  Knock down shots into the wind, hook shots and slices to get around trees, lob shots and bunker shots.  I remember a one lesson in particular where he showed me how to hit a bunker shot buried in the face of the bunker.  Most pros teach you to hit the shot out to the side of the bunker and move on, but Bill showed me how to close the club face and scoop the ball out like I was using a shovel.  This is a good description of that lesson, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOEMXAdNLJo.  He loved to make lessons and practice fun.  He taught me several trick shots, two balls side by side at the same time, also one ball balanced on top of another so that when you hit the shot the top ball pops up and is caught either in your hand or in your shirt pocket.  He always had an easy smile and a wad of cash and the racing form.  I also remember him being fond of Canadian Whiskey, but cannot remember whether it was Canadian Mist or Black Velvet, but we made that a Christmas present for him a few times.