Golf Canada Hole-In-One Report – October 27, 2023

Yesterday was our annual Tombstone Challenge for the Duncan Meadows Membership, which also doubles as our Halloween event. Our regular threesome of three retired Royal Canadian Navy Chief Petty Officers, Paul McCoy, Mark Chambers and I played as a threesome for the event. Mark and I decided to get into the Halloween spirit and dressed up as two of the three Hanson Brothers from the classic movie Slap Shot. Mark was Jack Hanson #16 and I was Steve #17. Wigs were worn due to both of us being follicly-challenged.

Hole #16 is short par three that plays slightly downhill. The white tees were up and the pin was on the front of the green. I have been informed by my playing partners that the yardage was 137. I am not a big hitter so it was an 8 iron for me.

The ball (a bright red Titleist which was part of a sleeve of previously used balls provided for tournament participants) flew pretty well off of my 8 iron, especially considering that alcohol had been consumed for 15 prior holes. I did say it was a fun tournament! The ball bounced on the front of the green twice and took the slight bend to the right and disappeared. Nobody was more surprised than I was and everyone participating in the tournament heard the celebration and knew what it meant. It all felt surreal!

Anyway, I thought that hole-in-one insurance was a waste of money for me, but it took a bit of the sting out of bar bill. On another note, don’t get a hole-in-one when the majority of your members are playing in a tournament!

Great way to end the season. It was our last day before Pine Ridge closed. I was with my friends Colette, Allayne and Anne.

I used a 4 iron (since it was cold and into a 2 club wind) to 167 yards. I played with Scott Mallender, Ed Claremont and Gino Morga.

It was on Saturday, October 7^th and I was playing with another member, Mickey Trader, from our “Happy Gang” group. I was not having a very good game that day until I got to the 17^th hole. Our club professional Victor Batiste haedppen to be at that hole doing a contest – pay $5.00 and get three tickets for a draw. We had to beat the pro on the first shot to qualify. The only stipulation was that he had to use the club of my choosing with the exception of a putter. I got up to the tee off spot, the yardage was 107 yards so I chose my pitching wedge. As luck would have it, when I teed off, I hit the green about three or four yards from the hole and nicely rolled in for the ace.

I started playing golf at the age of 53 at the Roberts Creek Golf Course and was thoroughly fascinated with the game. My wife and I moved to Osoyoos in 2014 and I joined the Nk’Mip Desert Canyon Golf Course. I belong to a group of seniors known as the “Happy Gang” who play twice a week. I’m now 81 years of age so this was a very memorable feat for me to accomplish.

We were playing as a fivesome since there was 13 of us in total playing in an over 55 mini tournament. We started on the third hole and my first swing of the day with a 7 iron from 160 found the bottom of the cup. We weren’t sure if it had gone in since the green slopes away, but it disappeared, so I was hopeful. This was at La Broquirie golf course.

My playing partner was Robert Rutledge. It was 140 yards uphill from the white tees. I used a 6 iron.

I have been golfing for 40 years and never thought I would get a hole-in-one and then it happened! On October 12, 2023, I was golfing with my regular Blind Partner League colleagues, John Pinnegar and Clete Pineau.  I was teeing off on hole #14 at the Kawartha Golf Club in Peterborough, Ontario. The hole is a par 3, 132 yards and you tee off to an elevated green that severely slopes from back to front, so much so that the pin is always at the back of the green. There was a stiff wind in our face, so I clubbed up to a 5 hybrid and hit a solid tee shot right at the pin. We couldn’t see it land so I thought I would be at the back of the green. As we approached the green, the ball was nowhere to be seen until John looked in the hole and there it was. Lucky for me it was a slow day at the course and the beer tab was not too bad! In addition, I also broke 80 for the first time on my home course shooting 79 thanks in part to the hole-in-one!

I got it with three others playing with me. It was towards the end of the round and nearing the end of the day. We had 138 yards to the pin, in which I hit a 9 iron with a slight draw. It hit about two feet below and right of the cup and took one hop and went in the hole! This is my second hole-in-one ever, I had my first one last year so that makes for back-to-back seasons!

Pretty excited as in the past two seasons I’ve gone from a 12.7 handicap down to a 4.7 with a lot of practice and hard work!

It was another beautiful September morning at Springbank Links where my wife and I are members. The course is beautiful and in fantastic condition with quick greens and lots of trouble on the front nine with what’s called the Devils Triad, holes five, six and seven are some of the toughest holes to attack at Springbank links.

We are playing the blue tees at 6,400 yards and the fifth hole par 3 is 154 yards with no wind and the sun shining. I hit an 8 iron fairly well just after watching my buddy Tony roll his ball within five feet of the hole and likely the snip for today. My golf ball had the perfect bounce and roll but Tony thought he would help by coaxing it into the hole, all I heard was him saying, “keep going, keep going” until the ball disappeared into the hole.

That’s my third hole-in-one and second on this hole, my first was on the 16^th hole at Springbank Links and also talked into the hole by my buddy Tony. The snips boys were happy to get a free beverage but not so happy on the payout.

I had my first hole-in-one at Rocky Crest on June 1st, 2023. It was a 7 iron to go 145 yards. What a great day!

It was an 11:51 tee time on Friday, October 20, 2023 at Shaganappi Point in Calgary. I was playing with my good friend Billy Dixon and our round started great. It was about 9 degrees and we were out as a twosome. I was sitting five over after two holes walking on to the tee box of hole #3. My rangefinder said 127 yards adjusted to 124 and there was a slight wind behind us. Since it was a bit cold, I pulled one extra club and decided to hit a smooth 9 iron. I tend to cut my irons a bit so with a front right pin placement I took aim at the center of the green. I put a nice smooth full swing on it, and it immediately looked pretty good. It was right at the center of the green and fading right towards the hole. As soon as it landed it tracked towards the hole. Billy said, “That line looks right on.” I was frozen on the ball rolling towards the hole fully expecting to see it slide past the hole but as it came in line, we watched it drop in the hole. I flung my club to the ground.

I turned towards Billy absolutely gob smacked to what I’d just seen. I stepped toward him and attempted a hug, but my excitement told me to run around the tee box twice hollering uncontrollably. A minute later once I had regained some type of composure and decompressed myself with a profanity laced hyperactive celebration, Billy took the tee box and proceeded to hit his ball on a very similar line. Billy doesn’t cut the ball like I do so when it hit the upslope mid-green and started to backspin and roll towards the hole for a second we thought we might be on the precipice of something inconceivable. Could it be, back-to-back aces? Billy’s ball was tracking perfectly but unfortunately came up a little over a foot short. Two amazing shots and an amazing moment. I started filming myself on my phone as we left the tee box as I wanted to freeze the moment in time so I could relive it as much as I could stand. As we pulled up in front of the green on the cart, I ran over to the hole giddy with excitement and when I got to the hole and saw the TaylorMade 3 ball in the cup I went bonkers all over again. A neighbouring group heard me screaming in celebration and they asked if I had got a hole-in-one. I couldn’t help but want to share my news with anyone who’d listen. As I walked a few steps back, I turned back to the hole and filmed Billy make a 15” putt for birdie. He gave me a hug and we walked off to the cart.

The white tee box was moved forward to accommodate repairs on the normal tee area. One of the guys scoped the yardage at approximately 142. I used a 9 iron with a gentle breeze at our backs. The ball had a high trajectory that landed near the front of the green and released toward the hole and dropped in the hole.

The other golfers who witnessed the hole-in-one were Jason Howson, Jeremy Hamilton and Dave Oxford. Afterwards, Dave Oxford went into the pro shop and informed the counter staff that I had achieved a hole-in-one. They were so nice to me. A picture was taken with me holding a flag with a Fergus logo on the flag, which I have put away as a keepsake. Also, I received a complimentary beer from a sponsoring beer company.

It was hole #17 at the Sault Golf Club, where I’m a long-time member. It was 183 yards to the pin that day, hit 6 iron, ball never left the flag, no one in my group could see it go in but we heard it hit the flag stick. It was exciting to walk up and find it in the hole. I was playing with good friends, Paul Robb, Carl Berkenbosch and David Baldwin.

My hole-in-one was scored on hole #7 at Club de Golf Hautes Plaines in Gatineau. It’s listed as 125 yards from the red tees, but I think it was playing around 110 that day. I used an 8 iron. My playing partners were Margo Allore, Lori Blencowe and Francie Ducros.

On October 19^th, 2023, I was playing with Ken Kratz, Robert Kucher and Rolf Boehme. The yardage that day was 139 yards, and I used an 8 iron.

Was playing 169 or so downhill into a very normal wind against us. I was with my two buddies, Tracy and Dave. I hit a 6 iron, probably one of the best golf shots in my life. The ball went straight as an arrow towards the pin, bounced a few times and rolled in. Was pretty neat.

It was the par 3 7th hole at Fairview Mountain in Oliver, British Columbia. The hole was playing 171 yards from the blue tees I used a 7 iron.

It was a crisp autumn day. I was playing with my good friends Jean Laflamme, Donna Laflamme and Maria Baptista. The sixth hole is a beautiful par 3 with an island green. The shot was about 110 yards into the wind, with a 9 iron. The ball took a small hop and disappeared into the hole. It’s my second ace, 25 years after the first one. What a great way to finish the season!

I was playing with my wife, Theresa Gill, and two other friends Marc and Santeena Hancock. The pin was 149 yards and I canned it with a Ping i525 pitching wedge.