He also won a number of other seniors events around the world, including in South Africa, Japan and Australia.
Born in Carterton, a small town in the Wairarapa district in New Zealand's North Island, Charles lived in Masterton, where he worked as a bank teller, before moving to Christchurch in mid-1956.
Charles reached the final but lost 3&2 to Tim Woon, the defending champion, in the 36 hole match.
[3] Charles also reached the final of the New Zealand Amateur in October 1956 at Christchurch Golf Club, but lost again, 3&2 to the Tasmanian Peter Toogood.
[4] In September 1956 Charles had been a member of the 4-man New Zealand team in the Sloan Morpeth Trophy match against Australia at Wanganui.
[5] Charles left New Zealand in January 1958 for a tour of the United States and Britain, travelling with Ian Cromb, and returning in August.
They spent the early part of year in America, playing in a number of professional events, ending with the Masters for which Charles had received an invitation.
Charles reached the quarter-finals of the Amateur Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews, before losing to Alan Thirlwell, and later finished tied for 9th place in the Brabazon Trophy at Royal Birkdale.
[10] Charles was selected for the 4-man New Zealand team for the inaugural Eisenhower Trophy competition on the Old Course at St Andrews in October 1958.
[16] Soon after turning professional, Charles won a 36-hole event at Queens Park, Invercargill, eight strokes ahead of Kel Nagle.
Had a number of good finishes and was runner-up in the Dunlop South African Masters behind Denis Hutchinson.
He won the 36-hole Bowmaker Tournament, two strokes ahead of Hutchinson and Nagle, and had a number of top finishes including a tied for 4th place in the Martini International.
He finished third in the Martini International at St Andrews and tied for the win, with Dai Rees, in the Daks Tournament.
[27][28] In the 1962 Open Championship he finished in 5th place, although a distant 14 strokes behind the winner, Arnold Palmer.
[42] Later in the year he played on the New Zealand Golf Circuit, winning the Wattie's Tournament, and competing in the 1963 Canada Cup in Paris.
[48][49][50] Charles showed a return to form in 1967, with eight top-10 finishes on the 1967 PGA Tour, including winning the Atlanta Classic.
[51] He again played on the New Zealand circuit towards the end of year, winning three events, and again being the leading money winner.
[52] Charles had another successful season on the 1968 PGA Tour, with a win in the Canadian Open, and six other top-10s in official events.
[6] He made his debut in the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship, losing in the final to Gary Player.
[51] He had three more tournament wins on the 1968–69 New Zealand circuit, including the Spalding Masters which he won by 10 strokes with a score of 260.
[39] Charles won the 1969 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship beating Gene Littler with an eagle at the 37th hole in the final.
[64] Charles had a better year on the 1974 PGA Tour, winning the Greater Greensboro Open and having three other top-10 finishes.
[67][68][69] In 2007, at the age of 71, Charles became the oldest golfer to make the cut in a European Tour event, at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open.
[72] Charles was the first left-handed golfer to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, in the veterans category.
[75] In December 1962, Charles married Verity Joan Aldridge in Johannesburg, South Africa.
They met three years previously at the Commonwealth Golf tournament when it was held in South Africa.
He is a successful golf course designer having had major input into the Formosa Country Club east of Auckland, Millbrook at the resort town of Queenstown, and The Dunes course at Matarangi on the Coromandel Peninsula.