Golf Canada Hole-In-One Report – October 20, 2023

A hole in one - say what? It happened on the closing night at Sunnydale's Thursday night ladies on the 136 yard hole 15. With the mixed sun and shady spots (and a red ball), we lost sight of the ball near the pin and did not see the ball go into the hole. Reaching the green, we could not see the ball and after searching the nearby bunkers, I looked into the hole and there it was! My first ever hole in one. It was a fantastic ending to the season.

It was 194 yards and I hit a 4 iron. I was golfing with my wife.

September 24, 2023 was a mild fall day with blustery winds. I was playing with two friends and having a decent round. The shot on the 11th hole was slightly left of the pin and based on the ball mark, landed three yards from the hole – bounced once and ran towards the cup and disappeared. The three of us thought it was behind the cup. As I walked off the tee, I could see that there was no ball on the green; raised my arms and said, “It went in.” loud enough, that my wife Claire, who also has two holes-in-one, and was putting on the 10th green, heard the excitement. I shot 76 and told the Golf Course Manager (Josh) who sent a notification to the Membership via Facebook. After 50 years with no aces, I now have two this year!

That day, Wednesday, October 11, 2023, my playing partners were Don Descotes and Lewis Murray, who are also members at The Quarry and with whom I golf regularly. It was hole #6 on Slate. It measured 138 yards into a slight breeze and I used a 7 iron.

We were playing the final round of our Men’s League season at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club. The format for the day was a shotgun start with a five-man best ball. My playing partners were David Drosky, Kevin Shaw, Fred Ciszek and Brad Splawinski. We were on the 130 yard par three 8th hole on the Orchard 9. It was late in the afternoon, and we were playing into the sun which made it difficult to see the balls land. When we got to the green the other guys all found their balls but mine was nowhere to be seen. Kevin suggested that maybe it was in the hole. Surprise! That’s where we found it. My very first hole-in-one.

This was my very first hole-in-one. I couldn’t have picked a better time for it to happen. It was during an annual trip with a number of buddies which is named the Fanatic’s Tour. This trip has been going on for 37 years in one form or another and this was the first ace in its history. For the past number of years, the tour has been played for five days in the Kimberley/Cranbrook area and the group has grown in size to 20 to 24 guys from Edmonton, A.B. and Victoria, B.C. This year we had one buddy come in from Ireland to play for the first time. He couldn’t stop talking about the amazing scenery and courses here he’s never experienced anything like it back home.

My hole-in-one was on Thursday. Sept 14^th which was day one of the Ryder Cup. It was on hole #12 at Wildstone in Cranbrook. It’s kind of an island green playing about 120 yards and I used my 9 iron. I hit it clean and saw it hit the green and then it disappeared. I didn’t see it go in, but my buddies Jim, Bill and Boyd all yelled, “It’s in the hole!” It wasn’t until I walked over the bridge onto the green and looked into the hole that I believed it. I can’t describe my feeling as I picked it out. I don’t think my smile left my face for the rest of the trip. All 24 of us plus a few more new friends we met in the clubhouse celebrated with a toast afterwards. It was a good bar tab but well worth it! The group at Wildstone was kind enough to present me with a flag in recognition of the accomplishment and it’s something I’ll treasure forever.

Definitively a special moment that I was fortunate enough to share with my Dad, old high school friend and his father. The hole was playing 185 into the wind with a middle pin placement. Hit a 6 iron about four feet short, hopped once and rolled straight in. Great way to end the golf season here in Northern Ontario.

I had my first career hole-in-one on Thanksgiving; Monday, October 9th, 2023. My group of Scott Secord, Ian Secord and Tyler Foster of Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary had the first tee time on our Ridge course. No frost delay today and it got hot in a hurry. The round didn’t start off very well as I had a double bogey followed by a bogey, so my expectations for the rest of the round were pretty low at that point.

We made our way around the front nine and I was able to keep it somewhat respectable. We had a little game going with Tyler and myself getting beat up pretty good by Ian and Scott. So, Tyler and I had a little pep talk at the halfway house. We knew we needed to get some birdies going if we were going to have any chance. We headed down to the 10^th hole. A par 3 playing 184 yards that day. However, just as we made our way to the tee, the wind started to pick up. I was a little behind getting to the tee as I watched from a distance, Scott and Ian hit their shots onto the green. When I finally pulled my bag up to the tee Tyler was just getting ready to hit. I asked the guys about distance and started doing some quick calculations to figure out what club I was going to hit. 184 yards is a stock 7 iron for me but as I mentioned, the wind was starting to blow. The gusts were pretty strong and I wasn’t confident in a 6 iron being enough club. I grabbed my 5 iron and decided to choke down on it, take some off and keep it down under the wind.

I hit it perfectly! The ball came off the club just as I had hoped and never left the flagstick! As I held my finish, we all watched that ball take one bounce short of the hole and then disappear.

The guys behind me went crazy and it took me a second to actually let myself believe that it went in, as I’ve had years of close calls and disappointments.

It took me about two holes after that ball went in to get my heart rate back to normal. But I was able to follow up the ace with a birdie on the par 5 11th, so that was sweet!

On Thursday, I was playing with my friends, Yvonne Higgs and June Fraser and we were on the 17th hole. My goal was to hit high and hope to place it well on the green. I was using my 5 hybrid. My ball flew high and I watched it land on the green, then roll into the hole, 135 yards, and I couldn’t believe it. I think we were all in disbelief. We had to walk up and check for sure and let it sink in. I think Yvonne was more excited than I, until it sunk in.

Piercen Hunt made his first career hole-in-one. Pitching wedge from 134 yards/123 meters on the par 3 fourth hole. It was the first WATC ace since the final round of the 2018 championship (Colombia’s Esteban Restrepo, 7th hole).

I was playing with my brother Len Kulperger, and fellow members Dan Demurak and Dwayne McDonald. The hole was set up short that day at about 70 yards. I used my sand wedge. My fifth ace, but my first at my home club. A truly tremendous feeling.

It was my first ace and was 150 yards with a 9 iron.

I was playing with my wife Cindy and two friends, Scott and Bob. I hit a nine iron to 131 yards on hole #2 on the Bally Haly North Course to record my hole-in-one. The wind was blowing a little to the right that day and Bob just hit a nice shot left of the hole. I said to Bob I was going to use his ball as a target. My ball went right over Bob’s and just found its way to nestle in the hole. It was a fantastic experience made that much better to have my wife, Cindy, with me. I believe Scott was more excited when I got mine then he was when he recorded his own a couple years earlier.

I was playing with friends and we all saw the ball fly over the pond and roll into the hole. Since we started on the back, this 8 iron was the first shot of the day.