Golf Canada Hole-In-One Report – July 14, 2023

I was out for a round with my dad and his girlfriend. The yardage was 154 to a front middle pin and I used a nine iron to land it two feet from the cup which then rolled in.

I played Chateau Whistler, and the 10^th hole was 86 yards with a 54-degree wedge. One bounce and straight into the hole it went. I was awarded a gorgeous flag with details of the shot. I played a great game with nine pars which led to my lowest score of the year so far.

I was playing with Jim Spriggs and Paul and Cindy Pinder. The yardage was 119 and I used my pitching wedge.

On May 29th, I was out practicing for an upcoming tournament and was playing alone. There was hardly anyone on the course as I sailed around the front 9 in little time, and not shooting particularly well either. On the back, I was playing a little better and made a birdie with a couple of bogies. As I reached the 13^th fairway, I caught up with a group of three, and on the 14th tee, I realized that it was three of my co-workers with whom I’d never played golf with. They had all hit as I was putting out on #13 so I stepped up to the par 3 146-yard 14th hole with a pitching wedge and proceeded to hit a beauty right at the flagstick. It was a one hopper, one of the guys in my group said, “Go in” when it hit, and it did, disappearing into the hole to the disbelief of myself and everyone in the group. We all laughed and exchanged friendly banter as we went down to pluck the ball from the hole. I kept saying to them that I was so thankful that they let me join to have witnessed this as nobody would have believed it otherwise. The funny thing is, I was a 10 handicap at the time and the next hole was a par 5 which I went on to eagle and the next hole was another par 3 that I stuck about three feet and ultimately missed the putt, but for me to almost go -5 through 3 holes was a highlight of my golfing life! I ended up only shooting a 73 that day but I’ll forever remember being thankful I wasn’t alone!

On July 8, my friend Roy Turunen and I were partnered together in our “Beat the Pro” event at the Galt Country Club. It’s a net best ball event where you and your partner try to outscore the club professionals. We had a fairly strong front nine, but we were struggling somewhat on the back.

 The 16th is an intimidating par 3 with a large pond on the left and the Grand River to the right. It was 173 yards to the pin. I put a good stroke on a hybrid 5 iron and as it flew, we both commented on how good it looked. It landed near the front of the green, rolled for about three or four seconds then disappeared. I told Roy that I think it dropped and he told me to “Just hold your horses”. Sure enough, it was nowhere to be seen as we walked up!

I was golfing with friends Gary and Shannon Abbott, and Ken Koemsted. The yardage was 133 and I used a hybrid 5 wood. Gary worked at Two Eagles Golf Course & Academy for a couple of years and said they used to give golfers a flag for a hole-in-one, so he went to the proshop after our game to inquire and found out they no longer do. He and Shannon bought a ball marker for me instead. They went to retrieve the scorecard from a cart and the starter asked if they were with the person who got a hole-in-one and when they confirmed they were he gave them another ball marker. An anonymous golfer in the area of the hole had purchased one for me as well. We were very impressed with that random act of kindness from another golfer.

I was having a pretty bad round and decided my score was a wash, so I’ll just try to have some good shots and practice. I had barely gotten any sleep the night before and it was 7:30 in the morning. The hole was 102 yards and I hit a normal full swing 56-degree and I thought it was pretty good. It wouldn’t stop rolling until it went in the hole. It did not feel real. I’m pretty sure the people in the next postal code could hear me going crazy. I was alongside my older brother, which made the moment even more special because we’ve always had a rivalry on the course, but I could tell he was really happy for me (and maybe a little jealous).

I played the round with my friends Liam O’Donoghue, Matt Dipaolo and Kyle Harrington. My fiancé Bri had her bachelorette party planned over the weekend, so we opted to take full advantage of it and get out for a round of golf. We decided to make the two and a half hour drive north from Brantford to play Muskoka Bay for the first time and it was well worth it.

We played from the white tees and the yardage on the 11^th hole was around 135 yards which is a 9 iron for me. The ball landed a foot or two behind the hole before slowing down, catching a hill behind the pin, and started to roll towards the hole. We couldn’t tell for sure from the tees but luckily enough after a quick run to the green we found my ball exactly where we were hoping it would be.

The group was very excited for me, and it made an already incredible round of golf even better. We definitely hope to return soon!

I was playing with my dad who has four holes-in-one, and this was my fourth to tie him!

I was playing with Daniel Nicoletta, Robert Darnowski and Ryan Moore. The yardage was 147 and I used a pitching wedge.

I admit that I am still really excited about the hole-in-one. It was on the 3rd hole at Revelstoke Golf Club, where I am a member. It was from the white tees, which played 191 yards. It was with a TaylorMade Sim 2 Max D 5 wood. I was playing with my wife, Liane Dorrius, and fellow club members Frank Bafaro and Matt Graham.

I scored my first ever hole-in-one at my home course in Iroquois, Ontario. It was the 7th hole, a 158-yard par 3, playing from the blue tees. It was far from a textbook shot, hitting my 7 iron a little flat, but it did the trick! I was playing with my usual partners, Jim, Mike and Bill, two of whom witnessed the ball roll into the cup. The third, Bill, was busy digging in his bag, probably looking for another beer.

I was playing with three buddies on our home course, Sylvan Lake Golf and Country Club. I have been playing with these guys for years. It was hole #3 which was 178 yards. I got to tee off first, so I grabbed my 6 iron and a Srixon Z-star. This hole has an elevated tee box which overlooks some bushes and a creek with bunkers on both sides. I took a few practice swings, lined up and hit the ball. The ball started on the left side with a little fade to it, flew over the left bunker bounced on the middle of the green rolled up and could hear it hit the flag stick and disappear.

I stood there for a few seconds in disbelief before raising both arms then turning around to see my friend’s reactions. First, I looked at Lorne Goodman, he was looking in the bush to find a broken tee or a free golf ball for his shot. Second, I turned my head to see that Sean Groarke was in the golf cart scrolling for the next great song to play. Lastly, I turned to trusty Ron Feenstra and watched him raise both his arms and started cheering that it went in. Thank goodness someone was watching.

Thanks again to my friends for many great rounds over the years and looking forward to many years of golfing alongside them. Whether it’s looking for balls in the bush, listening to the next great tune or cheering on a heck of a shot! I would also like to thank the Sylvan Lake Golf and Country club for treating us so well over the years.

The yardage was 140 yards, and I used my 7 iron. The conditions were very good with minimal wind. My playing partners were Jim McIntyre, John Arsenault and Philip Hore.

I got the hole-in-one on Sunday during the second round of the club championship at Anderson’s Creek. I was playing with Mike and Magnus, two fellas that are members of the course but who I have never played with before. We got up to the fourth hole a par 3 131 yards downhill. I pulled my 52-degree wedge out of my bag knowing that it was the perfect club after playing this hole many times. The pin was close to the left of the green and we could only see the top half of the flag. As soon as I swung, the ball was tracking towards the flag. No one said a word, but we heard it smash the green with a thud. Our first thoughts were that it could be very close. I was walking and Mike and Magnus were riding in a cart, so they were first to the hole. As I crossed the gully I looked around and didn’t see my ball. Then Mike was giddy and ran over to the flag and yanked the pin out and the ball plopped right out of the hole. I couldn’t believe what just happened. I freaked out, we all freaked out. It was awesome.

I hit an 8 iron on the 142-yard par 3 at Walter Gretzky Municipal Golf Course. I knew I had smoked it and thought it might have to sit pretty quickly. I saw it bounce over the bunker but assumed it had rolled long. The view of the cup was obstructed by the bunker, so I didn’t see it go in but a player from the group ahead walked back onto the green and yelled at us saying it went in. A huge surprise!

It was a 7:30 am start time, first tee time of the day. I used a 6 iron on hole #5. It was a straight ball flight, one bounce and rolled about six to eight feet. I was playing with a dad and two sons from Washington and a single player up from Vancouver. One of the boys was just a ride a long and not playing but I ended up having four witnesses. It was a beautiful morning I’ll never forget it. I’m a member at Chateau Whistler and play there nearly every day.

I was playing with Bill Hilton, Paul Maynard and David Myers. The distance was 152 yards and I hit a 9 iron. It was the first hole-in-one that I have made.

It was a good day as I recorded my second ever hole-in-one. It was the seventh hole and was 135 yards. I used my 7 iron, and it took two bounces and dropped in the hole!

It was 143 yards to the pin, and I hit my 8 iron pure with a nice little fade seeking right at the pin. The ball landed about six inches to the left of the cup and had a single sideways hop into the cup. I could not believe it went in, I tossed my club, and it was chaos on the tee box. I was playing with James, Kevin, and my dad, all of whom had been golfing much longer than I have and could not believe I was the first to get an ace.