He held a single figure handicap for 73 years — with a lowest of +3 — won eight Riverina Opens, six Inland championships at Albury and played exhibition matches against Gary Player, Norman von Nida, Ossie Pickworth, Bruce Crampton, Bobby Locke and Bruce Devlin.

In September 1994 he shot his age — a par round of 73 at the Corowa golf course.

He coached junior tennis and golf for 32 years and never charged a cent.

He was Terry Kennedy.

The father of golf at Corowa passed away on Monday aged 94.

Yesterday, his mate and former golf student Phil Rosser said to know the man was to like the man.

“Terry was a champion golfer, more than handy at tennis, but he was more than anything else a champion bloke,” he said.

“He could have turned professional but he had the sports store in Sanger Street and only retired when it burnt down.

“There are so many people now playing sport because of him — on a Wednesday he would teach all the juniors for free.

“You could set the rhythm of a pendulum off his swing and I still remember him shooting less than his age when we was nearly 74.

“He and Bernie Bell were the golfers you wanted to be.”

His entire life was spent at Corowa except for RAAF war service.

His wife, Laurel, died in 2010 after 68 years of marriage.

A plaque at the Corowa clubhouse carries his name and his many achievements.

He also shares the honour of being part of the first father and son to win the club championship, was president of the Murray District Golf Association and beat four US women touring professionals in another exhibition.

In 2012 he told The Border Mail he had never regretted the decision to turn his back on a professional golf career.

He confided in reporter Howard Jones that re-stringing tennis racquets had helped develop his physique.

“They used to be strung by hand and that was hard work pulling the strings tight,” he said.

By organising tennis exhibition games he became mates with, for instance, Ken Rosewall and Merv Rose.

The man who spent 43 years on the golf club board said poker machines helped boost Corowa.

A funeral service will be held at the Corowa Golf Club from 11am today.