******

The Path Less Taken

I got my one and only (so far) Hole-in-One on the 7th hole of the Highlands
Country Club in Garrison NY, back in the late 1970’s. The hole is a 90+ yard
severe downhill hole, with bunkers in front and on the sides and a drop off
directly behind the back of the green to a thick forest.

I used a Ram Accubar Pitching wedge (not made since the early 80’s). The PLAN
was to get lots of loft to have the ball hit and stick on the green. The
EXECUTION was different. I pulled the ball dead left almost 45 degrees! It
rattled in the tops of a couple of pine trees to the left of the cart path.

After that the ball popped out and rolled across the path, and
dropped into the front of the left bunker. It rolled through and up onto the
green. From there it hit the pin and dropped in!!!

That shot is exactly why there is only room on the card for a number and not
an explanation.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it.   

Kevin Corbett

******

Hole-in-one at The Crossings

Playing golf in the San Diego area is always a pleasure. Playing there when you’re used to wet
winter golf in the Northwest is an almost ecstatic experience, regardless of how you’re hitting
the ball or how you score. It was without hesitation then that I accepted an invitation from my good friend Jim to play ‘The Crossings’ at Carlsbad.

The day was perfect, sunny and warm, and conditions were ideal. Best of all, my game was on point that particular day. However, my game began to falter as we hit the middle of the back nine, and the 16th hole brought me even further down to reality.

The guy we had been paired with, a strong former football player, had been a delight all day,
and he made a point of trying to lighten my mood as we walked over to the #17 tee box. That
day the hole measured about 150 yards, but it was severely downhill into the wind making it a
tricky shot to gauge. As I recall, Jim agreed that I could get to the pin with an 8-iron. But
something told me I was better off hitting a 7-iron nice and easy to avoid a spinner up into the
breeze.

I teed the ball a tad higher than normal, lined it up carefully from behind, took my stance, and hit
a soft high draw. I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter feeling shot. I’d hit it dead center on the
club face and knew it was going to be good, as long as I’d gauged the distance correctly. It hung
high in the wind and I kept thinking it would start to drift offline. Instead, it hit the green adjacent to the flag and hopped directly into the hole.

At first I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been lucky enough to have four holes-in-one in many years
of golf (three of them on a 17th hole, oddly enough). But shots like that always feel
slightly unreal, so much so, that it’s hard to register an immediate response.

The one thing I do remember clearly, though, is the ecstatic reaction of the stranger with whom
we’d spent the day. He tossed his own club in the air and began whooping and hollering like it
was his own shot that had found the hole. At one point he rushed toward me in a half crouch,
waving his arms and grinning broadly, and I thought he was going to lift me in the air and toss
me off the elevated tee.

Eventually he revealed to us that even after decades of playing golf, he had never actually witnessed a hole-in-one in person and was simply thrilled to have been along for the
ride.

I don’t remember much at all about the following 18th hole, or my final score for that matter, and
unfortunately there wasn’t time for a 19th hole celebration. But I’ll always remember the childlike joy of a gigantic middle-aged stranger witnessing in person his first ever hole-in-one. It was truly a memory of a lifetime.

******

Cherished Round with Dad

My dad, a Scotsman, taught me the grand old game beginning when I was about five. My first
full round took place when I was eleven, shot 121 counting many of my swings. I improved,
broke 70 a few times, played courses world-wide including the Old Course and even got married
in Dornoch, Scotland, playing the championship course as part of my honeymoon.

But my favorite golf moment was when my dad and I were playing our home course, Torrey
Pines. We belonged to the local men’s club and always played in the Christmas scramble, even
winning it one time (prize was two bottles of liquor each). This day we were playing just for fun.

On the eighth hole on the North course, a par three of maybe 165 yards, by dad hit a pure
three-wood that covered the flag, the ball bounced a couple of times and rolled at the hole but
not past as we expected. My thought was, “this can’t be right.” My dad stood silently, trying to
find the ball on the green. Neither of us had ever seen a hole-in-one and never expected to.

We were silent walking down the hill to the green, still looking for the ball, wondering why we
didn’t see it roll off the back. My father crept up to the hole, looked in and smiled at me. There it
was, the ball sitting in the cup, waiting for us.

For the next ten holes, my father and I walked in lock-step, glorying in what happened, how golf
was the greatest game ever and that we were the luckiest father and son in the world.

To have my aging father, the man with the 16 handicap, a slice swing, and who brought the
game into my life, enjoy a hole-in-one with me to watch, is the best golf experience I could wish
for; and I got it.

Bob Brown

******

Everyone is a Winner!

On June 15, 2011, I was invited by a friend / co-worker in Denver to play in a charity golf event called “Swing for Sight” which raises money for ocular melanoma research. It was a big event with a full field of 144 golfers at Bear Dance Golf Course, south of Denver. The format was a 4 man scramble. Our foursome started on the 12th hole and we played along nicely; then we got to the par 3 Seventeenth. It’s an uphill 135 yard hole with a blind green. We all hit, and I knew that my 8 iron was right at the flag. We drove up to the green but only saw 3 balls. When we looked in the hole – sure enough, there was my ball for a hole in one! Lots of whooping and hollering and excitement, but also a little dread on my part. I know the tradition is that I’d be buying a round of drinks for all the golfers, plus their spouses and friends who were all there – probably a couple hundred people. I did win $250 for the hole in one but I was guessing this would cost me a lot more than that. After we played the 18th hole, I went into the clubhouse to ask the manager if maybe I’d be able to buy a keg or something like that (which we’ve done at my club on occasion). He told me to go finish the round and come in afterwards and we’d figure something out.
 
We played the rest of the round and our team shot a respectable 61 – not good enough to win anything, but I did have a hole in one! When we finished, I went into the clubhouse to figure out what to do, and there was another guy who had also gotten a hole-in-one, on a different hole. He was talking with the event organizers and he came up with the brilliant idea of donating his $250 winnings to the charity. I was thrilled – what a great idea, I said. I will also donate my winnings to the charity. The organizers were very happy about that and when everyone got back into the clubhouse, they got the 2 of us up there in front of the (quite large) crowd and announced that we had gotten holes-in-one and won $250 each, and we were donating it to the charity! Big round of applause – we were heroes! I bought my foursome a round of drinks (or 2) and we celebrated my first – and so far only – hole in one!
 
I can’t believe it was that long ago…

Jim Gutowski

These Stories are wonderful and we would all like to enjoy your story as well. Please share your Hole-in-One with the visitors to Mr. Golf Etiquette