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.
Luis Almeida, The Pulpit Club – Paintbrush, Hole #16
What an incredible feeling! I used my 9 iron alongside Greg Pannia, Nick Stryland and Julie.
Mac Harrison, St Thomas Golf and Country Club, Hole #13
I was blessed to be playing with my friends Lloyd Graham, Sean Little and Tyler Friesen. We walked up to hole #13 and zapped the flag at 206 yards. Lloyd Graham hit first and managed to leave the green wide open for me (what a nice guy!) I stepped up to the tee with my 5 iron and took aim at the right side of the green. A 5 iron is a lot of club for me with this yardage and downhill slope, and I absolutely flushed it with a nice smooth swing. The ball took off with the slightest right to left ball flight. Lloyd Graham chimes in, “Hold that line!” We saw the ball hit the front of the green, hop and then land directly at the bottom of where the flag stick meets the cup, and it disappears! Our arms instantly shoot up into the air and we erupt with celebration, hugs and high fives. A moment I will remember for the rest of my life!
Noah Son, Hidden Lake, Hole #14
It was hole #14 on the Old Course at Hidden Lake in Burlington, Ontario. It’s a 150 yard par 3 with trouble on both sides. A high draw did the trick and we all stared in disbelief until I ran to the green as fast as humanly possible. An amazing day and an amazing experience for a 21-year-old! I’ll never forget the excitement of seeing the ball at the bottom of the cup.
Alwyn Rees, Northern Bear Golf Club, Hole #8
It happened at the Northern Bear Golf Club: 158 yards par 3. There were four of us, my mate Bob Cooper, a young student and a club employee. We were playing alternate white tees and I hit the shot watched the ball hit the behind the front bunker and bounce forward from there we lost sight of it. When we got up to the green, we only counted three balls. Bob said, “it’s in the hole”, and there it was!
Beverly Swan, Brudenell Golf Course, Hole #16
I was playing with my husband John and Marty Wry (who is from Moncton, N.B). I used my 3 wood, and it was 150 yards on hole #16.
Bill Finley, Westfield Golf and Country Club, Hole #2
I was playing with Dave Hache who works in the pro shop here and Carl Tilley one of my long-time regular weekday playing partners. There was a lot of dew on the ground and the sun was making it kind of a glare to see. Hole #2 is 155 yards from the white tees. I hit a 7 iron and Carl said he could not see it. I said it was going right at the hole but then we kind of lost sight of it in the glare, but we didn’t really see it go in. Carl drove ahead in his power cart and went onto the green, looked in the hole and raised his arms and so then I did. The ball was a Taylor Made TP5 that I had just taken out of the package on the first hole.
Bob Copeland, Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, Hole #14
I used a 7 iron on hole #14 at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club during our Club Championships. I was playing in a twosome with Janek Guminski. The yardage was 137 yards.
Bryan Nevison, Black Mountain Golf Club, Hole #4
I was playing with Grant Nevison, John Koning and Wendy Koning. The yardage was 183 and the club was 7 iron.
Craig McDonald, Fox Hollow Golf Course, Hole #15
I started playing golf at the age of 11 and have played fairly regularly throughout my life. On July 29, 2023, 41 years after taking up this wonderful game, I recorded my first hole-in-one! I was playing at my home course, Fox Hollow Golf Club in Nova Scotia. I also had the fortune to be playing with my regular weekend foursome and good friends Todd Black, Chris Villeneuve and Rob Peters. Hole #15 was playing about 130 yards that day. I hit a 9 iron that landed on the front of the green then disappeared. The hole plays slightly uphill with a dip at the front of the green, so we all thought the ball came to rest there. As we approached the green my ball was nowhere to be seen. Chris ran up on the green, looked in the hole and exclaimed, “it’s in the hole!” I was mostly in shock but remember throwing my hat in the air and letting out a yell. Finally, the eagle helped me shoot a 74!
Dana Haaf, Seymour Golf and Country Club, Hole #14
I am still on cloud nine about that accomplishment and though I acknowledge there’s a certain amount of luck, it does feel the efforts and recent lessons I’ve been getting are paying off.
Interesting story, I went with my daughters to Stanley Park Pitch and Putt yesterday and got another hole-in-one on a par 3 there. What an amazing weekend of golf after 40 years of never having achieved a hole-in-one before!
I was playing alone but the tee box for the 14th hole at Seymour is continuous with the tee box for #15 and is perpendicular. The group in front of me teeing off on hole #15 included a staff member of the club and he saw my tee shot as it was a laser for the flag. Though the green was raised, and we couldn’t see the ball drop, they did witness the shot and the scream when I reached the green and saw the ball in the cup. The yardage was 128 and I used a Ping G410 49.5-degree gap wedge.
Dave Chisholm, Royal Ontario Golf Club, Hole #11
I wasn’t supposed to play on Saturday. I was supposed to be spending time with my family that day, but the wife’s plans changed so I booked as a single at Royal Ontario with a 6:30am tee time. I got matched up with three guys from the area and off we went at 6:30am. I was hitting the ball well and playing a pretty typical round. We got to the par 3, 11th hole. I measured the hole at 110 yards. I had the honours, pulled out my 50 degree-wedge and let it fly. The ball came off the club well, one of the guys said, “that looks good”. We watched the ball land then disappear. A quick look of disbelief with the guys then high-fives and handshakes all around. It was the first hole-in-one anyone in the group had seen in person. I played the rest of the round with a smile from ear to ear.
David Connell, Fort McMurray, Hole #4
I was playing with my usual weekend group (Claude Howse, Brian Goodale and Rob Lacroix). The yardage was 189 and I used a 5 iron.
Derek Chalker, Dragonfly Golf Links, Hole #5
What a day!
Gennaro Iacobucci, Lakeview Golf Club, Hole #3
It was playing 119 yards to the flag from the blue tees on #3. I used a pitching wedge. One yard draw, dropped three feet in front of the flag and about one foot to the right of it. It spun left and toward the hole and what seemed like forever, it finally disappeared! The group on the tee beside the green were screaming, my foursome was screaming which included my good friend Jamie that I have been playing with for 25 years! It is the first hole-in-one for myself and I for sure woke up everyone in the houses behind the green!
Geoff McLean, Green Gables Golf Club, Hole #16
I hit a 4 hybrid into a moderate wind, not wanting to be short as the hole crosses a water inlet and that day’s pin placement was tucked in behind the beginning of a large green side bunker. It was well hit and on line but we didn’t see it drop or roll out. I was worried it was long. Hole #16 at Gables is a huge and fantastic green. I love to talk about Stanley Thompson shaping it in 1939 and how it remains so perfect 80 years later. It has so much undulation that often perfect shots end up 60 feet away. So, as we approached the green, I could not see my yellow ball and my assumption was that I rolled off and perhaps caught the bunker. I checked the green and the bunker and no ball, so I checked the hole and bingo.
It was a great day before and after the ace. I was happy to buy the beer and appreciated the gift of a flag from Green Gables to mark the occasion. Love this game.
Glenn Corbett, Whistle Bear Golf Club, Hole #17
It was 178 yards and I hit an 8 iron.
Hiep Ong, Kanata Golf and Country Club, Hole #16
I was playing with my friend James Salim (Greyhawk Member) and another member from Kanata. The flag was on the left side of the green playing at 117 yards that day. I used a 54-degree Vokey wedge playing for a high draw. When I hit it, I knew it was going to be tight. The ball landed five feet short right of the hole and rolled the rest of the way in. I didn’t quite believe it when I saw the ball disappear, but we walked up, and the ball was in the cup! First hole-in-one ever for me and will be quite the memory.
Ian McInnes, Prince George Golf Club, Hole #12
It was an amazing experience, my first. My son and grandson were playing with me, and they saw it go in. My eyesight isn’t the best and I knew it was on line but lost sight once it hit the ground. It was 185 yards into a breeze, so I used my 4 hybrid. One hop onto the green and the ball rolled into the cup. A pretty cool moment for sure. I shared my free jugs of beer with my men’s night group the next day.
Jack Merritt, Fundy National Park Golf Club, Hole #12
For the hole-in-one I was playing with my friend Liam Warr, the yardage of the par 3 was 175 from the back tees. I hit a 6 iron.
James Roberts, Heritage Golf and Country Club, Hole #5
I was playing with Kevin Gallinger, 140 yards with a 9 iron. I didn’t actually see the ball go in. There was a sand trap short of the green and the lip blocked the cup. I actually thought it had bounced into the sand trap. Kevin had a slightly better angle, he thought it was close, but I was sure it went in the trap. Walking up to the green I could see a pitch mark; I was still sure I was in the trap, but my heart started beating quicker. Once I could see the trap was empty and no ball on the green, I sprinted to the cup and sure enough, there was my TaylorMade sitting in the cup. 20 years of playing and finally got my first!
Janet Dutot, Kingsville Golf and Country Club, Hole #7
The hole-in-one happened on hole #7 red. It was 150 yards to the pin. I used a 5 wood. It bounced on the left side of the green. I thought it might go in the bunker but bounced up on the green. I did not see it go in as the pin was in the back of the green. I thought it had gone off the back of the green. I looked for it and could not find so looked in the hole not really thinking it had gone in and was pleasantly surprised. I was playing with Diane Piroli, Sue Marentette and Deb Kobayashi.
Janice Gould, Windsor Golf Course, Hole #10
I recently got a hole-in-one at Windsor Golf Course in Winnipeg. It was on the 10th hole which is 130 yards. I used my 7 iron. I saw it bounce and roll on the green. I was satisfied I made it to the green, so I turned around to pick up my tee. The people at a nearby tee box started cheering. I turned around and they were standing on our green yelling. To this day, I still can’t believe it. Every day I pinch myself! The ironic part is the hole before I was saying to my husband, “wouldn’t it be nice to have just one hole-in-one in our lifetime?”
Jeff Mcguffin, Forest City National Golf Course, #17
My first ever hole-in-one was on #17 at Forest City National Golf Course in London, ON. I lasered the pin at 108 yards. I went to my bag and pulled out my 54-degree Vokey wedge. There was a tee already in the ground at perfect height! I placed my ball on it a couple waggles and pulled the trigger. It landed six inches beside the hole, and it slowly rolled in! Everyone’s wedges went flying and all three buddies tackled me in celebration. We rolled around on the tee box as the other group pulled up to the tee. Best day of golf so far!
Jeremy Hunka, Glendale Golf and Country Club, Hole #7
It was quite the feeling getting my first hole-in-one! I was approximately 144 yards out to an upper right pin location. Heavy downhill to the back of the green with bushes behind it. I hit a smooth pitching wedge, the ball was hit high and started out just left of the flag, the ball was cutting slightly back towards the hole. It landed about three inches from the hole, one hop and in!
Jim Baker, Ardmore Golf Course, Hole #14
The 14th hole is a 110-yard par 3. It is a fairly narrow shot with a 1,500-year-old tree on the left and frost fencing on the right to protect the tee box. I was playing with my brother-in-law Ray Morris and a single we picked up on the back nine named Dan. We had a KP competition going for $0.25. I pulled out my 9 iron and hit my best shot of the day, right on the flag all the way. One big bounce onto the green and the ball rolled and rolled (we thought past the hole) until it disappeared out of sight. Our new friend Dan did more jumping up and down than I did. I got off relatively easily in the bar with a tab under $200. I still think the guy that gets the ace should get free drinks from everyone. Congratulations to the greens crew at Ardmore. The greens are as good as I have seen anywhere.
Jim Chobrda, Orchard View Golf Club, Hole #18
I hit a 7 iron 152 yards into the wind. There were three witnesses in my group including my wife, Nancy. It’s the fifth hole-in-one for me.
Jonathan Goodman, Greystone Golf Club, Hole #6
It was 158 yards, and I used a 6 iron. Dave Rogers and Scott Gamble were with me. This was my fourth hole-in-one and my third one at Greystone (I have also gotten a hole-in-one on hole #11 and hole #14).
Kurtis Atkinson, Peninsula Golf Course, Hole #17
I was playing with my wife Lindsay and son Bennett on July 24th at our local course in Marathon. On top of the ace, I also shot my career low! I lasered the flag at 127 yards and hit a 52-degree wedge. It landed about three feet short of the hole and tracked right into the cup. Fortunately, my wife got the shot on video and a bit of my celebration after it went in. This was the first in my life so it was a very special one to be able to do it with my wife playing alongside me and my son who will turn two in a couple of weeks.
Linda Prior, River Bend Golf Club, Hole #3
My hole-in-one was the fourth of my life. This one was very exciting as we saw it tracking all the way. It was 85 yards uphill over water with a tough right far front pin placement. I used my 9 iron. I was playing in our regular Ladies league with only two other ladies from the league.
Mark Smith, Pickering Glen Golf Club, Hole #2
I was playing with my friend of 40+ years Vince McCormack and his brothers Victor and Steve. We were playing the grey tees, basically the whites at most courses, and the hole was playing 155 yards to the middle. I hit a 5 hybrid that went dead straight and hit the green about 20 feet below the hole; we watched it roll closer and Vic said, “That might go in.” Interestingly, Vince got one on the same hole back in May.
Martin Snell, Georgetown Golf Club, Hole #12
The hole was listed at 177 yards but playing a little shorter, so I used a Mizuno MP-32 6-iron with a TaylorMade ball. My playing partners were long-time members Greg Tomlinson and Cathy Kearney (woman’s team captain), and a guest and friend, Chris Mundreon.
Maxine Clarke, Spallmacheen Golf Course, Hole #7
I scored a hole-in-one on hole #7 at Spallmacheen golf course, in Vernon, B.C. It was off the green tees 111 yards, using my 7 iron. My ball landed on the green then trickled right into the hole. What a shot! I was using a pinnacle soft ball. It could not have been a better day to do it because it was Wednesday, which happens to be ladies’ day at our club!
Mike Connor, Royal Ashburn Golf Club, Hole #16
My other players were Brent McCaw, Andy Macrae and Chris Thomson (all Golf Canada members). The hole played 152 yards (into the wind) and I hit a 9 iron.
Mike Kasubeck, Forest City National Golf Club, Hole #4
It was the 4th hole at Forest City National, from the gold tee block, playing 167 yards. I hit a 5 iron for my first hole-in-one, which took 59 years and 361 days to get! I was playing with Michael MacDonald, Kevin Laye and Brian Hodgert.
Nadeem Mughal, Cherry Downs Golf and Country Club, Hole #6
It was on the sixth hole at Cherry Downs from the white tees I used an 8 iron with a beautiful draw towards the pin. Of course, the pin was hidden at back middle so I couldn’t see it go in but as soon as I checked the cup there it was! My son Easa Mughal was playing with me at the time.
Nathalie Fugere, Blue Springs Golf Club, Hole #5
The details about my first hole-in one:
- Blue Springs, who is my home course. It was my first time playing there this season as my other course, Glen Abbey, is 5 minutes from my home.
- Witness: Debbie Rogers from Glencairn and a nice lady we talked to, who was taking care of the beautiful flowers at the tee box
- 120 yards with a red pin
- 7 iron
I hit the ball, and it went in the middle of the green and came down. I was assuming that my ball kicked to the left and it never crossed my mind that it went into the hole. My friend and I were looking all around the green and Debbie suggested looking inside the hole. I couldn’t believe it. We started to laugh and enjoy the moment.
Fun fact: five years ago, when I restarted playing golf (being a busy mom raising twins), I decided to play Glen Abbey when my husband was competing at the senior men’s tournament. I felt very comfortable as I was playing with a member that I knew and his son. His son used to be a junior there with my son. Another gentleman was with us and was playing only the front nine. This gentleman was giving me good advice, and I played my best game on that day. I had no clue who that gentleman was. The following week, a staff member asked me how my game with Laurence was. That was when I realized that I had played with Laurence Applebaum!
Our heart is with Glen Abbey as our son is an amazing player, thanks to Sean Casey, who was in charge of the Academy. And a big thank you to Ben Ferguson, who, each winter, helps me reach my wildest expectations.
Reg Gionet, Metcalfe Golf Club, Hole #5
I was playing with my wife Pam Gionet, Judy Schmidt and Jim Ewanovich who are all members of Metcalfe Golf Club. The yardage was 138 and I used a 7 iron.
Rick Hall, Pakenham Highlands Golf Course, Hole #4
I sunk my first ace at Pakenham Highlands Golf course yesterday. I used a 7 iron to land it short and run it to the back well past the 161-yard center. I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing it drop because of the contour of the green. The pin was at the back and when the ball disappeared, I thought it had rolled off into the rough. One of the other players announced that there was a ball in the hole, and sure enough it was mine. What a hoot!
Ryan Redekopp, Tower Ranch Golf and Country Club, Hole #5
It was hole #5 at Tower, playing 120 yards. I hit a 56-degree wedge, was playing with Brandon Forrester, Brent Barr, and Cody Carrier.
Ryan Sjoberg, Penticton Golf & Country Club, Hole #6
I was playing with a couple of friends Rob Cole and Alan Cohk and I hit a 9 iron. The hole was playing 142 yards.
Sebastian Bell, Osprey Links Golf Club, Hole #2
It was 143 yards, and I used a 9 iron. I was playing with Michela Chirico Bell and Ben Ayling.
Shawn Feero, Predator Ridge Golf Resort, Hole #13
It was on the 13th hole at the Predator Course using a pitching wedge. It looked like a one hop hit the pin and drop shot. I was there with a group of 15 people on a work trip with contractors and our top Edmonton Dealer. To have that moment with a great group of customers was extra special, we were playing team format and that helped us win the day. I want to say a big thanks to Doug Lemieux (birthday boy) and Tony Carroll from LBH Timbermart for organizing the trip.
Steve Hyatt, Picton Golf and Golf and Country Club, Hole #4
The hole-in-one occurred on the 4th hole of the Picton Golf and Country Club in Picton, Ontario. Fortunately, the pin was located on the front portion of the green therefore we were able to see the ball drop in the hole. Even though it appeared that the ball had dropped in the hole, unlike my playing partners Judy, John and Earl, I was guardedly optimistic. Once on the green and seeing the ball in the hole I was then convinced.
The interesting thing was the amount of notoriety that I received from this. Apparently, Judy wasted no time in posting a picture of me pulling the ball from the hole on Facebook for everyone to see. Everywhere I went I had people congratulating me on my hole-in-one. On one occasion I had a cashier say to me, “hey didn’t I see your picture on Facebook, aren’t you the guy who did something in golf recently?”
Steve Walter, Whistle Bear Golf Club, Hole #17
I was playing with three members, and I was a guest. Whistle Bear treated me like a king when I got it, and it was very much appreciated. Great golf club and great members there.
Tony Gilbert, Rivershore Golf Links, Hole #7
It was 153 yards with a 9 iron. I played with Ray, Scott and Brett.
Zach Weese, Sunningdale West Course, Hoe #14
It was 168 yards to a back middle pin, with a 7 iron. It helped me win our match play in the quarter-finals!