Mr ‘C’ still going strong

Golfers are still being told to ‘go see Mr C’ more than 60 years after he conducted his first lesson.

Leo Custodio, 86, has taught three generations of players on the island but rather than wind down his operation, the effervescent teacher is now planning to expand his clientele list and junior programme.

Well known over the years as the go-to man for expat and local golfers alike, Custodio ‘retired’ at 70 from running a successful clothing company.

An accomplished player in his prime, his love for the game of golf has never diminished — he even proposed to his now wife on the 9th hole at Belmont way back in the mid-1940s. 

As an amateur for 40 years, Custodio taught for free and claimed his PGA pro card only when he turned 60. Twenty-six years later he’s far from done. In fact, he believes he is ‘just beginning’ as he continues to teach out of the Golf Academy in Southampton, while also taking some of his young students up to the par 3 course at the Fairmont Southampton.

Custodio told the Bermuda Sun: “I don’t know how I look but I feel good!

“I’ve been successful in business but I have a passion for the game. I touch a golf club every day of my life, except for Sundays — and unless I get ill, I don’t want to stop.”

Custodio’s easy-going charm is popular with students young and old, while his work over the decades last year earned him the prestigious Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour.

He’s rightly proud of his ‘following’ and says people constantly stop him on the streets for tips to improve their game. 

“For some reason, I teach a lot of male and children but my biggest trade is the ladies,” he says, explaining it’s probably because he ‘makes them laugh’.

And his budding young golfers?

“I also teach four to five five-year-olds [at the moment]. I’m strict but I make them feel happy — I ask them about school, I get involved in their personal life and things like that.”

At an age when most of us would rather reach for the pipe and slippers than a five iron, Custodio retains the joy of helping people develop their game.

He said: “My biggest thrill is not that they pay me, it’s when they improve and then go and tell someone else [about my lessons]. I’ve met some good people and have a fantastic following from all walks of life.

He added: “I feel like I’ll be here for years and years. Obviously, I don’t know that but as long as I feel okay. 

“When I get up in the morning I thank the Lord every day that he has provided this for me.” 

Lessons with Mr Custodio are available by appointment from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday, in half an hour or hour slots. Group sessions are also available. Call 335 1195 for details.