Golf Canada Hole-In-One Report – October 6, 2023

It occurred on the Sunday, after our men’s closing. Fortunately, the t-sheet was sparse, and the wallet didn’t take a real big hit. It was the 7th hole, par 3, 157 yards. I think the whole course heard me scream. The funny thing is this 112-year-old course has nine holes. The second time around, from 169 yards, I hit the pin and tapped in for a birdie and went out and bought a lottery ticket. Great day to remember.

I was playing with my good friend and my cousin at Carrying Place on a Sunday afternoon. The hole was playing difficult with a front pin location and a two club wind into us. The hole was zapped at 145 yards, so I took out my 8 iron and hit a high draw over the top of the flagstick. The ball landed three feet behind the hole and spun back into the cup. It was a very cool experience because I was able to see the entire ball flight, where the ball landed and how it tracked back to the hole because of where the flag was located. It was my first hole-in-one and a memory I will never forget.

I played with Matt McCallum, Adam Fox and Matt Morrison. It was 172 yards and I used an 8 iron.

Fourth hole at Sagebrush Golf Club on Saturday, September 30th with James Wise and Robert Hunter who was playing with us. The par 3, fourth hole is 165 yards and I was hitting my 7 iron.

On Monday September 25th, while playing with Larry and Mel at the Barrie Country Club. I was fortunate enough to make a hole-in-one on the 142 yard 13th hole using my Ping hybrid.

I was playing with Rita Scott and Yvonne Borrowman. The yardage was 100 with an 8 iron.

Unfortunately, I was playing alone. I did use a 9 iron into wind, pin in the front playing about 143 yards. The ball one hopped short of green hit the flag stick and dropped in the cup.

I have been playing golf since I was 20 years old on and off until about seven years ago when I semi-retired and I began golfing regularly three times a week. My first hole-in-one occurred on the 17th hole at Hidden Lake in Burlington. The pin was at the back of the green and I was playing with my regular Friday group. We did not see my 5 iron shot roll into the hole but heard the clunk when it hit the pin. What a thrill to experience my first ace after so many years!

On September 6th, I played with Dan Lavoie, Bruno Coté and Alex Sandahl, all from Montreal or the Laurentians. I was playing with 35 other guys on the annual Smitty’s Invitational, an informal group of guys hailing from all provinces from Newfoundland and Labrador to Ontario, plus a couple of guys from B.C. This is the 33rd Invitational and the largest so far. The last couple of “Western” venues were the Royal Laurentian and Niagara. In P.E.I. this year we played Andersons Creek, Glasgow Hills and, of course, Eagles Glenn.

For my hole-in-one it was on the 4th hole at Eagles Glenn. I was playing the green tees at 125 yards and used an 8 iron.

I am a 75-year-old retiree, who took up golf a little over a decade ago and play a couple of times a week. I belong to the Dunany Country Club and play at the Lachute Golf Club.

I was golfing with my three pals that day, Kevin Stewart, Chris Jung and Jonathan Lee, all Quilchena members. We were on hole #11 and it was a strong head wind that day. 148 yards to the pin but playing more like 165-170. I took my 7 iron and gripped down a little and let it rip. It looked like it landed about a yard short two hops and in. There were a few stripes of shade going across the green so we were not sure until we walked up and found it in the hole, at that point the celebration commenced.

It was hole #7 at the Barrie Country Club. This is an uphill par 3 with a green that kind of has three different levels or tiers, and generally slopes to the left. I was playing from the blue tees, about 141 yards out.

I teed up with a 9 iron, hit it to just right of the pin but because of the elevated green I didn’t see where it landed. As our group walked up to the green, I couldn’t see the ball anywhere on the green itself. I figured that it rolled off the left side as they have a tendency to do so. One of the guys I was playing with said, “You should probably check the hole” and sure enough there it was!

We were on the 12^th hole at our picturesque home club, Maple City Country Club located in Chatham-Kent, Ontario.   The 12^th hole is a short 104 yard par three over water to a green that slopes gently back to front, with the front of the green having considerably more slope towards the impending water. I normally use a 7 iron on this hole, but that day I choose to use my Callaway 6 iron to ensure I would clear the forever heightening reeds and grasses. After striking the ball, I watched it land on the green and run up to the flag pole which was positioned at the back of the green, and then disappear. I assumed that it must have rolled off the back of the green, however my golfing partner, Joan suggested she check the hole first. To our amazement my TaylorMade golf ball was sitting in the bottom of the hole! The best day ever!

I was on a trip with friends and colleagues to P.E.I. on June 9th and was playing my typical 90’s golf with the help of a few cold Gahan beers. I approached the 17th hole par 3 elevated green. From the whites, it was a 107 yards to the center with wind swirling at the top of the elevated green. I purchased all new Vokey Wedges this year and have been practicing my 100 yard game extensively. I decided on my 48 wedge off the white tees and gave it go. When we approached the green, we only found three balls and figured I must have gone over the back into the woods. It wasn’t until my buddy Remi Comeau looked into the hole and told me I got an ace. It was the single best golf experience I’ve ever had!

Golf has been my passion for the last 25 years and I am beyond thrilled. For some reason my swing that day was particularly smooth and relaxed so with my Cleveland Launcher XL 8 iron I hit a nice draw from an elevated tee that landed 10 feet in front of the flag which then rolled in. It was certainly a surreal experience and I’m just glad it happened while playing on our regular Sunday couples golf group.

It was a 9 iron from 167 yards in our Ontario University Athletics tournament while I was representing Queen’s University!

Like most retirees I didn’t take up the game until I left the office life behind. I have played mostly around Southern Ontario, Northern New York, and my favourite, Bermuda. I played the Mid-Ocean with my grandson, what a blast! I scored the hole-in-one on #14 at the Mountain Creek Golf Course, which is just south of Arnprior, Ontario. I play with a couple of buddies that I curl with and one new guy (retired RCMP) who keeps us entertained with his story telling. The hole is 125 yards from the green was 118 from the reds/yellow so I grabbed a 7 iron and teed up one of my special golf balls. I like to play with Callaway Super Soft, yellow balls, they are easier to see from the fairways and greens. When one reaches 80 years of age it is important to have golf balls that are easy to see, that way you don’t lose too many as you wonder around the course. I haven’t been able to repeat that feat, but I keep coming back knowing that if I did it once, I can do it again.

I was playing with a couple of buddies of mine, Dan Leier and Cam Bristow, when I got my hole-in-one on hole #17 at Dakota Dunes Golf Links in Saskatoon. The hole was playing 174 yards with a slight breeze into us. I used a 7 iron and hit a high draw into the green, landing about six feet from the hole before rolling in.

I golf at the Nanton Golf Club in Nanton, Alberta. On August 15^th 2023 I had a hole-in-one on the par 3, 8^th hole which is 136 yards using a 9 iron. In the same round, I had another hole-in-one on the 17^th hole par 3. That one is 191 yards using a 6 iron. Two holes-in-one in the same round.

I was playing with my girlfriend, Anna, and we were paired up with a couple of younger guys, Nick and Liam. It was hole #6, which is 122 yards long and the pin was located closer to the front of the green, so it was approximately 118 yards. We were straight downwind, and the wind was blowing fairly strong that day, so I played a 110 yard shot with the pitching wedge. It was struck really well and flew straight at the flag. We saw it land pretty close to pin and it danced around the flagstick with two or three little bounces and just disappeared completely. I was so excited my club just fell out of my hand and I ran over to celebrate with the group. I bought everyone a round of beers at the turn to cheers to the experience. What a great memory.