"In the Hole"

By Roy Wood

My brother, Brian, is a talented and enthusiastic long-time golfer, who has never achieved his dream of a hole-in one, and he recently introduced our sister’s husband to the game. Within a few short weeks the inevitable happened and Richard, the newcomer holed out on the first, at the Sturminster Marshall course in Dorset, UK. When I finally stopped laughing, I determined to mark this whimsical event with a suitable memento and devised the following, which may be of interest to others:

Select a dark straight-grained timber, in this case Bubinga (62 x 36 x 203 mm). The finished item will stand about 150 mm (6”) tall, so leaving an inch of waste each end. Choose the plainest grain for the front with the straightest close pattern at the sides where a join will be less obvious, mark out the pattern (in this case the number one (see photo below), then establish the hole centre at the mid-point.  Engage the tailstock into the marked centre and fix the blank to a sacrificial wooden faceplate with screws in pre-drilled holes in the waste ends. If a steel faceplate is used, then 6.35 mm (0.25”) MDF or similar packing will be needed behind the balnk and screws inserted from the rear. Drill right through at  25 mm (1”) and lightly sand the edges. (Withhindsight, I should also have cross-drilled on the same axis before turning).

On a light weight card mark and cut the outline of a golf ball 42.7 mm (1.68”). Leave a ‘handle’ on the card and fold in half lengthwise.

Using a hollowing tool open to shape until the card, when opened flat inside has ample clearance. The internal finish is not critical, as only the four outer edges will be visible.

Remove from the lathe and make a saw cut across the wide section of the base to provide a start for a wide chisel or plane blade, then split in half lengthwise. Offsetting may be necessary to ensure that the split arrives near to the centre of the hole.

Once apart  the ball can be tried for a loose fit, and if required, the piece can be refitted to the lathe for more attention.

I have previously used this thinking to hide a joint, by breaking a drilled banksias nut bud vase through the stem in order to hollow out the bulb.

Once a fit has been achieved, remove the ball, drill and screw the two halves back together. Cut out the figre ‘One’ to shape on a bandsaw and finish all four sides to the desired standard. The only critical dimensions are the square trunk at 36 mm. Care must be taken to keep the hole central as there will be only small weak triangles left at the corners of the hole. All finishing, on the trunk at least, must be completed before replacing the ball.

Wrap the ball in cling-film, insert, glue and clamp the split which should then be almost invisible. When the glue has set, trim off top and bottom to length.

Finish with oil or wax, taking care not to mark the precious ball, remove the cling-film and add a suitable plaque if require.

This trophy has proved to be very popular, especially when explaining to gullible viewer how it was done………..

“Well, you drill a hole in the wood … ask your partner/wife to close their eyes and hold the wood firmly at about 5/10 yards ……….take out your Driver and ………..”

 

The end product .......