BY SCOTT
HADDOW
There's an elite golf championship being decided and Lively's
John Hastie is relentlessly hunting down his foes with grim
efficiency.
Hastie hoisting championship trophies has become commonplace in
Greater Sudbury and the surrounding areas recently.
Just over a week ago, Hastie captured his second straight
Sudbury Golf Championship at the Timberwolf Golf course by
vanquishing his opponents with stellar play and timely shots.
In the last 10 years, Hastie has carved out a name for himself in local golfing lore and has become of the Nickel City's greatest links masters.
He earned five Northern Ontario Golfer of the Year awards since
1997, including last year. In the 2005 Canadian Club
Professional Tournament, he finished seventh out of 120 top
pros from across Canada.
Like a fine wine, Hastie only gets better with age.
As a die-hard golfer in his late teens and early 20s, Hastie
ate, breathed, slept and even worked golf. He started golfing
at the age of 13 and began working at the Lively Golf Club pro
shop at 17. He has been the head pro of the Lively course for
the last 13 years.
He turned pro golfer at 19, but even though he was blessed with awesome natural talent and ability, Hastie never pursued a professional tour card.
He was his harshest critic back then.
"In my 20s, I wasn't good enough to be on a tour," said the
modest 40-year-old duffer. "My game wasn't at the level to make
money back then. If I played the way I do now back then, I
would have tried. I have no regrets not following that path. I
wasn't winning any tournaments at all in my 20s. My play now is
like night and day compared to the way I used to play. I had
trouble breaking 80."
Still, he stuck with the sport he loved and continued to plug
away at his game at various tournaments and events across the
north.
Hastie's rise from mediocrity began when he was around 28. That's when Tom Clark, an old friend, golf guru and current head instructor of Timberwolf Golf Academy, gave him some suggestions on how he could improve his game.
Hastie took them to heart.
"It all started to change when I got a few lessons from Tom
Clark," said Hastie. "He helped me with my swing and it all
came together from there. Tom got me hitting the ball better
and more consistently."
Clark saw Hastie as a fabulous sword just in need of a
little specific honing to make him a deadly weapon on the
links. Clark noticed Hastie's back right leg would straighten
during his back swing, hindering his hitting ability and got
him to change it.
"He had more power and no longer needed to make compensatory
moves going forward," said Clark about the change. "It
certainly made a big difference. John possesses a calm
demeanour on and off the course. He has great ability to
maintain his composure throughout the round and his recent
winning ways has him playing with a lot of confidence."
Hastie's game is methodical and unforgiving. Because of his consistent ball striking and sharp short game, Hastie makes few mistakes on the course and forces his opponents to do exactly the same, which isn't easy to do.
"He is a fierce competitor," said Sam Yawney, managing partner
of Timberwolf, Cedar Green and Stonehill Golf courses and owner
of Discount Golf. "He's trustworthy and plays by the rules.
He's certainly one of the best players to come out of Sudbury
in many years. If he is not the best, he is one of the best. He
is a talented golfer and a joy to watch. His game has just
blossomed and he has an amazing short game. He hits the ball
long and straight."
Hastie is respected as "the champ" in Sudbury.
"John carries the title with respect and he loves the
Sudbury championship," said Yawney. "I know John well and I
used to laugh at his swing...I don't anymore. He's a very
deserving champion as no one has been able to really touch him
for the last 10 years."
Even his opponents pay great respect to Hastie.
"He really loves to compete," said Pinegrove and Stonehill
golf courses head pro and fellow competitor George Lacko. "He's
very consistent and never gets too far off line. He plays hard
and has been playing so well the last 10 years. He's also fun
to play against because of his competitive nature."
Hastie has also benefitted from his home course in Lively.
"The Lively course is a great place to work on consistency,"
said the 27-year veteran of the sport. "It forces you to be
consistent. I don't make a lot of mistakes while playing and
that's a strength."
Even the best make mistakes though.
Coming into the final few holes of the 2006 Sudbury
championship, Hastie was neck-and-neck with Lacko for the lead.
"Coming into the last holes, I knew I couldn't make any
mistakes, but I tried my hardest to make one," said Hastie,
whose 18th-hole approach shot landed 25 feet from the cup.
"I made that putt for par...not to win the tournament, but
not to lose it. I almost let it get away."
Hastie enjoys the finer aspects of the game besides the rush
of beating his foes, and likes the way the sport is growing in
the community.
"Golf gives you character and helps you appreciate your
friends," said Hastie. "It teaches you respect. Golf, in
general, has become a lot busier in Sudbury. Just look at the
Lively course. Since I have started here, the amount of people
coming through to golf has doubled. Everything is going in the
right direction and it's nice to see."
Hastie and other top local golfers can be seen in action through to  Sunday as they compete in the Sudbury Ryder Cup at the Timberwolf, Lively and Idylwylde courses.
