Each week we write to Golf Canada members who record a hole-in-one, congratulating them and asking if they’d tell us how it happened. These are their stories (edited for length and clarity).
Have you recently accomplished the feat of a hole-in-one? Tell us about it! Share your story, picture / video and course information with us at holeinone@golfcanada.ca.
Allan Reid, Bootleg Gap Golf, Hole #17
My playing partners were Eric Sundgaard, Leo Jansen and Cal Sawicki. The hole was playing about 120 yards with a slight breeze towards the tee box. I used a 9 iron, and we heard the ball strike the pin but unfortunately, the sun was in our eyes, and we were unable to see what happened to the ball until we got on the green. This is my first hole-in-one in about 49 years of playing golf. It was a great feeling to find the ball in the hole!
Alwyn Rees, Northern Bear Golf Course, Hole #8
It was on hole #8 which is 158 yards. It’s a par 3 and my club of choice was a pitching wedge.
Angela Welch, Woodstock Golf and Country Club, Hole #2
It was 140 yards. I used a 6 hybrid. It was my second hole-in-one!
Brent Kezama, Echo Ridge Golf Club, Hole #5
I was playing in the final men’s night, October 5, 2022, at Echo Ridge Golf Club. It was hole #5 with the back tees and a back right pin. I hit a small draw and watched the ball roll toward the hole and disappear. This green has a sharp drop off at the back. My playing partners said it rolled off the back, but I stated that if it did, it was directly behind the pin. Lo and behold, it was in the cup.
Brian Roberts, Gatineau Golf Club, Hole #16
I was playing a Father’s Day game with three friends, including fellow Golf Canada member Jim Sturrock. Hole #16 at Gatineau GC is 150 yards, and I used an 8 iron for a front pin position. The ball landed just on the green and tracked right into the hole!
Collin Babkirk, Talking Rock Golf Resort, Hole #8
The layout of the hole and pin placement did not allow me or our group to see the ball go in. I knew from the ball flight that it was going to be close, but I had no idea how close. As I approached the green, I did not see my ball so at that time I figured it rolled off the back of the green. At the back of the green there is a sharp drop off that leads to a pond. When I could not see it there I kind of knew that it was in the hole as it would not have reached the pond. So, it was a bit anticlimactic when I finally got to the hole and saw it laying in the cup. I let out a holler and told everyone the news. The group I was with Peter and Brenda Correy and Micheal Sturgeon play every Tuesday and Thursday and it was great sharing it with them. The hole was 181 yards that day. I used my Stealth 5 hybrid.
Craig Tomlinson, McCleery Public Golf Course, Hole #3
The hole-in-one occurred on Father’s Day, June 18th, 2023, on the third hole of McCleery Golf Course in Vancouver. The hole was 166 yards from the tee box to a forward flag that day. As it was an early morning round, I decided on a TaylorMade 4 hybrid. I was playing with seven other golfers that day making up two foursomes. In my group was Tony Tang, Peter Lee and Dick Eng. All these golfers are in a Sunday golf group collectively known as ‘The Golfaholics’. Very recently eight of the members of the Golfaholics (including myself) had returned from a golf trip to St. Andrews in Scotland where we played all the well-known courses that the town has to offer.
Crystal Chen, Mayfair Lakes Country Club, Hole #4
It’s a great experience that I got hole-in-one at hole 4 at Mayfair Lakes Country Club. That day was very windy and 117 yards against the wind. I chose the 7 iron, and I saw the ball was very close to the pin. I just thought it would be a birdie chance. Then, my partner told me the ball jumped into the hole. When I went to the green, I saw my ball in the hole. I was so excited and felt very lucky! It’s my second hole-in-one. My first was in 2019 at Bear Mountain Golf Course.
Daniel Abbott, Watson’s Glen Golf Club, Hole #13
Sunday June 18th, 2023, was a very special day that I’ll never forget. It was Father’s Day. Traditionally, my two older brothers Murray Michael and I, would take my dad out for a round of golf every Father’s Day. My eldest brother Murray was a passionate, avid golfer. Tragically he passed away in 2015. My older brother Michael and I have continued the tradition of golfing with our father every season on Father’s Day.
This season we played at Watson’s Glen and teed off at 11:20am. We had a perfect sunny day with minimal wind. I was playing from the blue tees and would be the first of our group to tee off every hole. From the blues, the score card said 155 yards. The flag was red and it was near the front of the green. I pulled out my favourite iron, my pitching wedge. I had a brief conversation in my head with my brother Murray. I asked him to help me do something memorable for dad and the group here. I hit a perfect swing and the ball flew high and right at the pin. The ball landed roughly four yards before the pin. One bounce and it rolled directly in the cup! Our fourth golfer Peter (Michael’s best friend) screamed that’s a hole-in-one! Michael and my dad were near the carts at the time and came running over screaming and jumping for joy. The course’s marshal happened to roll up on us as the commotion was taking place. He asked what was going on and we were mid-celebrating yelling hole-in-one! He drove his cart up to the green to confirm. As he approached the hole he looked down and gave us the big thumbs up.
Denise Cadieux, Camelot Golf and Country Club, Hole #11
I was very excited and happy to get my first hole-in-one. It was a very special day since it was my birthday and ladies’ day at Camelot. I used my “heaven” wood which is a 7 wood. The distance was 118 yards and it happened on the 11th hole. I was playing with my three friends Helen, Sandra and Pam.
Donna Butterworth-Popert, Granite Golf Club, Hole #7
I was playing with Granite members – Andrew Popert, Joanne Hart and Ian Morton. The yardage was 110 and I used an 8 iron.The 7th hole has a steep incline from front to back. I decided to take an extra club and lob the ball over the flag and use the slope to bring it back towards the hole. The plan worked as the ball landed about four feet past the pin. Gravity took over and after 20 seconds or so, the ball rolled into the hole. We weren’t sure at first and thought it might have rolled off the front edge of the green, which is visually blocked by a marshy area. We were pretty excited to see the result, a hole-in-one!
Ernie Chefero, Ballantrae Golf Club, Hole #6
This was my first ever hole-in-one! At 62 years old, it was a long time coming. Tim Smith, Brycin Morrison and Colton Wylie were playing alongside me. I used a knockdown 6 iron from 167 yards. It took one hop, hugged the flagpole a disappeared to our disbelief.
Errol Hartley, Glen Eagles Golf Course, Hole #5
It was my very first hole-in-one in over 30 years that I have played golf. I am 83 now. The hole-in-one was on the par 3 5th hole at Glen Eagles which is 110 yards. I used a 9 iron and it went in.
Frank Grigg, Cherry Hill Golf Club, Hole #16
It all started on June 23, 1965, at the Dorval Municipal Golf Club. My friend from school, Rick Martin, had invited me to join the club with him and we went out to play with his dad for the first time, right after school was over. The cost for a full season of golf was $25 and we could play 18 holes a day including weekends after 4pm. The golf course consisted of nine holes left from the Elmridge Club that had left town when taxes got too high. The city preserved the nine holes to protect the neighborhood from some of the noise from the airplanes taking off and landing right next door at the new Dorval International Airport that served all the Montreal area.
Fast forward 57 years and 11 months and 17 days later (but who’s counting?) and I finally got my first hole-in-one at Cherry Hill Golf Club in Ridgeway. I was playing with my spouse, Shirley Tom, and close friends Dave Ruttle and Victoria Matthews. When I hit the shot, it seemed that the ball bounced hard left and ran all the way off the green. Dave disagreed and thought that the ball had disappeared so quickly that it must have gone in the hole. Dave was right and I still have trouble wiping the grin off of my face. The only downside is that it took me exactly 100 strokes to play the other 17 holes. I think the hole-in-one was God’s way of telling me not to give up…yet!
Harold MacKinnon, Cambridge Golf Club, Hole #7
My playing partners were Gary Harney, Dan Steeves and Ralph Geimer.
Harvey Carroll, Wyndance Golf Club, Hole #17
It was on June 4th at Wyndance on the 17th hole. Playing from the blue tees it was 177 yards and I used my 7 iron (Mizuno JPX 923 Forged). I was playing with Steve Rapp, Robert Turnbull (club captain) and Gerard Chiasson.
Jagger Bitz, Dakota Dunes Golf Links, Hole #15
It was pretty exciting for sure! My buddy Dane Giesbrecht was golfing with me! I was playing the gold tees, and it was 152 yards. I used a pitching wedge.
Joe Chiuchiarelli, Hylands Golf Club, Hole #12
The yardage was 172 and the flag was yellow that day. I decided to use 5 wood. I had a hole-in-one back in 2002; Sunday, September 15 at the Champlain Golf Course. The yardage was around 170 and the club was a 5 metal wood. The yardage and 5 metal wood have been my lucky charms! Making a hole-in-one 20 years ago was always something I felt was a major achievement playing golf all these years, but to do it a second time is unbelievable.
John Cerisano, Brampton Golf Club, Hole #13
This was my third hole-in-one which occurred on June 9, 2023, at the 13th hole of Brampton Golf Club. It was 141 yards, and I used an 8 iron. It was truly a special day as it was my first round at Brampton for 2023 and I was playing with my wife Susan Allen and my good friends, Bill Chapman and Christiane Deschenes.
Karen Pywowarczuk, Thornhill Country Club, Hole #4
The Thornhill Club is such a great place that friends, staff and strangers alike were all genuinely happy and made sure to stop by with warm congratulations.
This is a round that almost didn’t happen. It was a bit drizzly, and rain was to come, so we hemmed and hawed about whether or not to go out. But, of course, like true golf women, we did. I was with my regular Sunday morning gang: Judy Manning, Doreen O’Neil and Andrea Aris. We did receive a good bit of rain on the first couple of holes, but things cleared up after that. I believe I was the first to tee off on hole #4. The scorecard had this as a 102-yard hole, but Superintendent extraordinaire Greg McFarlane always finds creative placements for the tee boxes and pins. I’m sure it was closer to 110 yards. It’s a pretty hole; you are hitting over a river on an angle, so you feel like at least 50 yards is water and you don’t want to overshoot the green as trouble lays back there. Nothing but an 8 iron for me since I wanted it to pop onto the green and stick. It was a pretty shot as it broke and went into the hole. It’s always nice to watch it go in.
Keith Hickman, Water Valley Golf & Country Club, Hole #13
On hole #13, which is 178 yards, I used my 4 hybrid to get a hole-in-one!
Linda Pirard, Oakfield Golf and Country Club, Hole #5
I had a hole-in-one on our #5 hole, a yardage of about 100 yards over water. I used my 8 iron, which is already one of my favourite clubs. I was playing with Denise Brown and two of the junior players from our course, who were of course, super excited.
I would also like to share with you a special tradition we have at Oakfield. When a player gets a hole-in-one, they are taken into the bar where we have a bell which we ring and announce our accomplishment. Then, we sign a book that is kept at the bar, and anyone who hears about your accomplishment can sign their name and the next time you order a drink the people who have signed pay for your drink. I think it says a lot about our club!
Margaret Crawley, Lambton Golf and Country Club, Hole #5
I was playing at Lambton GCC as part of our Quad Club Interclub matches. This involved Mississauga GCC, Islington GC, Lambton GCC and Toronto GC. There is a member from each club in each foursome. Each person plays a six hole match against each of the other three players. We were just starting our second set of matches when we arrived at the fifth hole at Lambton. It was a 108-yard par 3. I used my 6 iron. We watched it fade toward the hole and talked it into the hole, watching it roll towards the hole and then disappear! The other ladies in the group had never seen a hole-in-one before, so everyone was very excited. Of course, when we arrived back at the clubhouse and the bar was declared open, all of the other Interclub players were also excited!
That was actually my fourth hole-in-one. Interestingly, three of the shots occurred in match play. Last year, I had one on the third playoff hole of a two-ball match. Needless to say, we won the match!
Mark Attley, Royal County Down Golf Course, Hole #14
I was playing the 14th hole from the green tees on the championship course at Royal County Down. I was accompanied by Brad Boundy, Alistair Varley and Steve Pons (all Golf Canada members) along with our four caddies. The hole is a 195-yard par 3 on the card that plays downhill and was playing about 165 that day. I hit a 6 iron, got a lucky bounce and it went in!
Mark Bertling, Vespra Hills Golf Club, Hole #7
I got a hole-in-one on June 11th. It was at Vespra Hills Golf Club in Springwater. I was playing with three of my regulars, David Grimshaw, Rob Gordon and Mitch Eisen. The 7th hole of the Still Valley nine was set up with the flag in the middle and 117 yards. I hit a pitching wedge which landed a few feet in front of the pin and rolled straight in. I ended up shooting 74 that day.
In 2015, I played in a charity tournament for Junior Diabetes at the Shelburne Golf Club hosted by David Markle. It was the Monday after the Canadian Open that year and Nick Taylor was one of the professionals playing. I had bid on a Sandersons Farm Flag that Nick had signed. After the meal, he was gracious enough to join me in a photo. I have been a fan and have followed him ever since. The reason I will never forget this hole in one is because Nick Taylor and David Markle won the Canadian Open on the same day as my hole-in-one.
Neil Cerio, Guildford Golf and Country Club, Hole #17
On June 10 I was doing alright, a little bit of struggle on the front nine. I was five over and had a few bogies on the back nine. As my group and I walked up to the 17th hole, wind was blowing right to left with the pin on the back of the green, water in front of the tee box. My GPS read the distance as 156 yards to the flag. I was the third person to hit. When it was my turn, I had a 9 iron in my hands. I started my pre-swing routine and set up the ball aiming to the right of the green. The ball landed in front of the pin then one hop and it disappeared. I wasn’t too sure if it went in or rolled past the pin. Unfortunately, none of my group saw it either but I started to get so excited but still unsure. I told the group to walk ahead and check if there was a ball inside the cup and of course told them what ball I was playing. Their eyes lit up and they all gave me a thumbs up and said, “You aced it!” I was full of joy in that moment, one of the greatest feelings I have had on the golf course. That was my first time seeing an actual hole-in-one, and my first hole-in-one! I ended up shooting 79 on the day which was a great considering all the struggles I went through. I always have wished for a hole-in-one since I started playing golf but then it happens when it was least expected.
Oral Zihove, Sirocco Golf Club, Hole #14
I was playing with my three friends, Scott Dolanz, Jenny Hu and Stan Young. The distance was 148 yards, red flag over the water with a strong left to right wind. Scott hit first and could see the wind take his ball all the way from a good line towards the flag and into the bunker on the right of the green. My 9 iron is my 160-yard club but with that strong wind, I chose that over my normal pitching wedge. It hit the left side of the green, same as Scott, then the wind took it, but it bounced on the green and in. Amazing moment!
Pat Hess, Prescott Golf Club, Hole #9
It was amazing! I used my TaylorMade 5 hybrid for the 122-yard par 3 on hole #9. My playing partners were my husband Richard who saw my ball go in, my son Nicholas and a Prescott golf member.
Gilles Courchesne. They were all as excited as I was, it was fantastic. I’m sure they heard my excitement all over the golf course. I was still smiling on the last hole. My game had not been great to that point, and I told my son I needed to get the ball in the hole to be happy with my front nine.
Patty Case, Mabel Lake Golf and Country Club, Hole #6
I’m so excited and was even more excited when it first happened! I yelled and screamed and jumped up and down!
A group of us ladies have been going to Mabel Lake for a few years now and this was my second year. I missed last year because I got married, another exciting milestone! I was golfing with four of my friends – Clara Koehn, Lori Henderson and Carla Tetreau. We were doing our last nine holes for the week, and I was determined to get my ball on the sixth green. I took my time to line up my shot using my 3 wood and let go a nice looping shot. We watched the ball land on the green then it started rolling. Then we couldn’t see it anymore! Then I started yelling! I think the other ladies did too.
Reece Franczak, Jagare Ridge Golf Club, Hole #4
It was a pretty amazing experience. My co-workers and I all had the day off, so we decided to go for a nice relaxing morning round. The round was going pretty well and once we got up to the fourth hole, I hit my approach wedge into the 131-yard par 3. As soon as the ball got to the top of the arch, I lost it in in the sun and did not see where it landed. Once at the green, I was searching all around for the ball, becoming upset at the idea of dropping it when my friend said it was in the hole. I originally thought he was messing with me, but I saw the ball and started getting extremely hyped up. This hole-in-one helped me shoot one of my lowest rounds of the year and was a great memory I will keep with me. The head pro at the course made me a flag with the date and hole number on it to have another memento to remember the moment.
Robert Campbell, Greyhawk Golf Club, Hole #7
I played with Alex Chaiban, Jack Kilrea and Matisse Touchard. It was 157 yards, and I used a pitching wedge.
Rod Fredrickson, Cottonwood Golf Course, Hole #5
The hole was #5 and the distance was 128 yards. I used a 9 wood. I played with Walter Kaminski and Gord Bailey. It was my 5th hole-in-one, and I am 79 years old. I’m sad to say I didn’t see it fall but Gord Bailey did and told me.
Ryan Engel, Cottonwood Golf and Country Club, Hole #6
It was my third round of the year on hole #6 at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club. It was 148 yards, and I was using an 8 iron. I couldn’t see it go in because the flag was off to the left side of the green hidden by a small hill after the sand trap. But when we walked up and didn’t see it, we knew it must have gone in the hole. Very exciting!
Ryan Roe, Seymour Golf and Country Club, Hole #8
It was a two-man best ball match against Ray Stewart and Al Cross. My partner was Stu Ilott. I hit a 9 iron on the 170-yard 8th hole and hit it thin and yelled ‘Get lucky’, and it did!
Sela Ogada, Evergreen Golf Course, Hole #8
I checked the yardage with my rangefinder and found out that it was 110 yards, and luckily, I had a club just for that distance. At first, I was planning to club up in case I hit it poorly because even if I clubbed up it would still be on the green. But the front of the green looked a bit dry so I knew if I hit it a little short it would roll up there. I ended up deciding to hit my 110-yard club, but I aimed a little right of the pin because I had been missing it a bit to the left that day. I hit the shot, but it went straight where I was aiming. Then I just bent down to pick my tee up because I knew it was going to be on the green. But when I was picking my tee up, the other people in my group said, ‘get in the hole!’ and I looked at my ball. It was rolling and then I saw it fall into the hole! At first, I was so shocked, I couldn’t believe it. A lot of people that were watching were clapping, congratulating me and giving me high fives. When I got to the green my dad took pictures of me, and I didn’t use that ball for the rest of the round.
Steve Fleming, Pickering Glen Golf Club, Hole #2
I waited 40 years for my first hole-in-one! I play every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Probus (Professional Business retirement group). We have about 20 golf members and we play various courses in our region. On Wednesday May 31st, we played Pickering Glen. My playing partner and witness was Colin Whitehead. Hole #2 had a back pin measuring 161 yards with my laser. I hit my 6 iron to approximately ten feet and the ball tracked right into the hole. Jumping for joy was an understatement!
Susan Brooks, Fort William Country Club, Hole #14
This was my second hole-in-one. The first came in 2000, so it’s been a while. This was hole #14 at Fort William Country Club, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, so that makes it extra special. Hole #14 is right at the base of a mountain, and it was a beautiful day, but the wind was gusting. The hole was 123 yards, and I had a 7 iron in my hand, but at the last second, I switched to my 6 iron, due to the wind. I was with my regular foursome, which included Kim Paterson, Gay Becotte and Laurie Ryan-Cooper.
Ted Van Welter, Cowichan Golf and Country Club, Hole #8
What a great experience at Cowichan Golf and Country Club!
Tim Stewart, Lookout Point Country Club, Hole #8
The 8th hole at Lookout Point on June 10, 2023, was around 145 yards, 45 feet uphill to a blind green. It played into a stiff wind, and I used a 7 wood. I was playing with Gino “Bubba” Paolone, Carl Inacio and Bob Podio. When I hit the tee shot, I thought it was a little right, but the others thought it would be close to going in. Upon getting to the green I did not see the ball and went to the back of the green to see if the ball had gone into the rough over the green as that is what often happens often on this hole. Bob Podio went and investigated the hole and sure enough the ball had gone in. It was my sixth hole-in-one at Lookout Point and eighth overall. The other two were at the Cornwall Golf Club. What was even more special is that I now have aced all the par 3’s at Lookout Point.
Trevor Warke, Ardmore Golf Course, Hole #14
What a great feeling!