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.
Tom White, Falcon Ridge Golf Club, Hole #2
I was playing in the final round of the 11th bi-annual Toronto Gentlemen’s Golf Club Tournament (TGGC).
The TGGC has been held every other year since 2001.
The TGGC is made up of a group of people who have come to know each other
through work in the financial services industry and share a love of golf.
I was playing with Mike R., Scott F., and Jim S.
The hole was playing 136 yards, so I used an 8 iron!
Sandy Byckowski, Brampton Golf Club, Hole #3
So, it was Halloween day and apparently I came dressed as a golfer that day. Our 3rd hole at Brampton was measuring 88.5 yards. I used a smooth choke 9 iron. It looked good from the start. It landed a bit in front of the pin and disappeared.
My playing partners, Pat Waite and Brenda DeCoste, broke into a run to get to the green to check it out. It is my 13th hole-in-one.
Edward Oulds, Kedron Dells Golf Club, Hole #5
It was a great feeling to finally get my first hole-in-one. I was playing with Pete and Helen who were very nice. I used a 173 yard 7 iron.
Carol Wright, Ladies’ Golf Club Of Toronto, Hole #13
I played with three lovely women from the Ladies Golf Course. We all saw it land and roll into the hole as the 13th hole has a tee box at the top of the hill and you hit into the valley. The pin was 110 yards and I used my trusty 6 Ping hybrid.
Tony Leblanc, The Toronto Hunt
I was playing as a guest of my brother Michel (Mike) LeBlanc along with his daughter Lake Martin-LeBlanc, as well as his great buddy Ken Mulgrew (ParaGolf Ontario Instructor and President).
An assist goes to Mike and Ken as I followed them off the tee. The pin was 130 yards into a very stiff wind. I took extra club and went with a firm 8 iron after they both came up well short of the green.
The ace was particularly special for two reasons.
First, we didn’t see it go in the hole, as it appeared to land and then disappear after going over the crest of a ridge running across the middle of the green. It was only when we got to the green and saw no ball that I/we got excited.
Secondly, it was my second hole-in-one in over 45 years of golfing. I was playing with Mike on both occasions which is an incredible coincidence (for most of the past 30 years we lived a good distance apart) so it was just awesome to have him there, especially since he paid for the golf!
Adil Mughal, Station Creek Golf Club
I was playing with two of my good friends: Nicholas McNeilly and Faiz Lakhani. We were also grouped with a single whose name was Zack.
We played the white tees, and the hole was exactly 135 yards. Wind was blowing into us around 10 kph. I hit a full 9 iron that had a very straight and high flight. The ball bounced about two feet behind the pin and didn’t hit the green a second time, but instead went straight to the bottom of the cup! It was a joy to watch from the tee as the ball one hopped and disappeared!
Ken Woolford, Cedar Brae
It was approximately 150 yards and I used a 6 iron. My playing partners were fellow Cedar Brae members Jonathan Levitt, Tim Rooney and Barry Downs.
Bob Husband, Gorge Vale Golf Club, Hole #14 & Hole #2
Bob Husband got his first hole-in-one in 50 years of golfing on October 3, 2023 on the 14th hole. He followed it up with a hole-in-one the very next day on October 4, 2023 on the second hole.
Brent Borne, Lookout Point Country Club, Hole #8
It was quite unbelievable to say the least. The yardage was about 130 playing closer to 145 uphill into a small breeze. I used an eight iron. I was playing with three other members who took pictures and enjoyed drinks and such after.
Robert Corn, Granite Ridge Cobalt, Hole #5
Right of the green is a pond. Sand trap guarding the front of the green. Tough and intimidating hole to at least get it on the green. The pin placement on this day was front left which takes a precise shot to get it close. I had to do a reset as I just didn’t feel comfortable. Being a lefty player with a left to right draw. My aiming point was 10 yards left towards the farmer’s field. With my 9 iron I put a crisp shot on it and as I picked my head up to see the flight “please be the right club” I said. The ball was turning right towards the green bouncing on the green just left of the flag, rolled about six feet and it disappeared right into the hole. Finally! I belted out. Relief that I finally got an ace after all my 54 years of playing. Lots of high five’s.
Bob Saye, Algonquin Golf Club, Hole #12
My first ever hole-in-one happened November 2nd on the par 3 12th hole at Algonquin Golf Club in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. It was a little cool but lots of sun so not a bad day at all despite the temperature being close to 6 degrees celsius.
I played with Bob, we’re all members of Algonquin and I played with them throughout the season. The guy in the back with his hand raised is Dan Roe. In the front from left to right are; Bill Peppard, Dale Clarke, and me with the Montreal touque.
I play from the silver tees so it’s normally 132 yards. Because the hole is downhill, on this day it was playing between 115 and 120 yards with a slight breeze behind us. I used an 8 iron hoping to carry the front bunker.
Saw the trajectory of the ball and knew it was on line but none of us saw the ball land. Went to the green. It wasn’t in the front bunker or on the putting surface. I assumed it was over the green so went looking for it. Couldn’t find it so played another ball.
My playing partners had already finished up. They didn’t sink their putts but were close enough to pick up, so no one actually looked in the hole and we hadn’t taken the flag out. One of my playing partners, Dale Clarke, was standing close to the hole and was waiting for me to putt. He happened to look in the hole and said, “There’s a ball in the hole.” Turned out it was mine. If I had putted and had a “gimme” for my next one, we could have walked off the green without ever knowing my tee shot was actually in the hole. A nice surprise to say the least.
I’m not the best golfer so as an added bonus I broke 100 on the round and shot 96. I know, not a big deal for most golfers but it is for me. A good way to end the season.
Peter Cavin, Wailea Golf Club, Hole #10
I was playing with my son Andrew Cavin and two locals Brandon and Brock.
The 10th hole was playing 151 yards and I hit a 7 iron. I couldn’t see the ball once it landed as the green was uphill from the tee box.
Shot looked good but as we drove up to the green, we couldn’t see my ball and I thought I must have hit it long. I walked towards the back of the green to look for the ball in the rough. My son decided to walk to the cup and he started yelling. He found the ball in the hole. Still was such a great feeling even though I didn’t see it go in. It was my first hole-in-one after 40 something years of golf.
Mark Merlau, Otter Creek Golf Club, Hole #12
I was playing with my friend, Steve Locky when I recorded the second hole-in-one of my career. Anyone who plays this par 3 knows how much of a brute it can be! It is almost impossible to stop the ball on the green and everything tends to roll off the back. Needless to say, I haven’t had much luck on this hole before.
The hole was playing 169 yards into a slight headwind, so I decided to choke up and hit my 18 degree hybrid. The shot came off the club perfectly and headed straight towards the pin. Although I didn’t see the ball go into the hole, it was still a surreal feeling to find it in there! What a great way to end the season!
Sandy Marsellus, White Bear, Hole #11
I hit a beautiful 6 iron on the par 3 165 yard 11th hole. The course was White Bear in Saskatchewan.
Richard Edwards, Silver Creek Golf Course -North/West, Hole #4
I was playing with my wife Irene and we were on the 4th hole of the North course from the white tees and is 141 yards. It is funny because as I walked onto the tee box Irene and I were joking with each other and I said “Ok. Hole-in-one hole”. I played a 9 iron which is my 150 yard club and it fitted well as there was a breeze coming straight into us. I got a clean strike, and it was on a great line. I started doing the head bob looking at the ball and at the pin then back to the ball and so on. It landed, took a bounce, a roll and disappeared.
My brain took a moment trying to understand where the ball had gone before I realized, and my wife started yelling, “oh my goodness, you called it!” I got to the green and the pitch mark was about four feet from the hole. One of the green keepers came running out and told me to go buy a lottery ticket (I did and that failed).
In true form my wife tried to show me how easy a hole-in-one is and on the same round at the 12th hole (the West #3) she hit the pin and finished a few feet away! I may have muttered words to the effect of, “Couldn’t let me have the day to myself.”
A once in a lifetime thing no doubt but having the right person there with me made it better.
Kathleen Houghton, Oyster Reef
I played with my husband, Sid Dickinson, and Rick and Cheryl Field, all from Ontario.
I used a seven iron for 123 yards.
Jeff Macks, Markham Green Golf Club, Hole #3
The big news here is that it was my first ever hole-in-one. I have played golf since my late teens and am now 72. I had almost given up hope that it would ever happen but it goes to show you are never too old and it’s not too late for magic to happen.
As far as the actual shot it was not a pretty or amazing shot, I’m sorry to say, which you’ll see below. I am a 15 handicap so not a bad golfer but the closest I’ve ever come before was maybe two or three feet. On that day I was playing with a good friend and got paired with two other guys. Hole #3 at Markham was about 125 yards to the pin from the whites for that round. You hit over some long grass and a small stream to a very small, back to front tilted, fast green. We hate that green! If you are not below the hole, you have no chance to stop a downhill putt even from a few feet away.
I hit the ball slightly off the heel with my 8 iron, it went left, hit the side of the fringe with a lot of spin and proceeded across the green, hit the flag and in. If not for the pin it would have ended up 20 feet away off the green due to the slope. Pure skill – NOT Pure Lluck – YES! But I will take it.
Dawn-Marie Hunter Sharp, Superstition Springs Golf Club
I was playing with my family David Hunter, Susan and Andy Bilinski. The yardage was 117, I usually use my 8 iron for that distance but the green has a super high elevation so I clubbed up two clubs to my six.
Marlene Proc, The Vancouver Golf Club, Hole #3
On the 11th month, of the 11th day, of the 11th hour, just as the horn blew from the clubhouse to begin the Saturday shotgun, I took out my 8 iron and hit my first shot of the day on hole #3 at Vancouver Golf Club. I was blinded by the sun trying to break through and did not see the shot.
My playing partner, Marnie, commented that it looked right on line with the pin. We heard it hit the pin hard and saw something recoiling back towards the front puddle of standing water that was on the green. It was a 112 yard shot with a front red pin. Not that I measured that day.
Upon walking down towards the green, we commented on the position of what we thought was the ball, but what we spotted was actually a leaf with the ball nowhere in site. As I walked up to the flag, with putter in hand, there was the ball sitting peacefully at the bottom of the cup. What a way to start the round and to connect to Remembrance Day!
The rest of the game was pretty solid and ended with a score of 79. Now, if I could
only score so well during the golf season!
This event marks my third hole-in-one although my first at the Vancouver Golf Club.
Colleen Kaspersion, Pine Ridge Golf Club, Hole #16
My first hole-in-one. Great way to end the season. It was our last day before Pine Ridge closed. I was with my friends Colette, Allayne and Anne. Par 3. White flag, tucked in the gully. 116 yards. 9 iron.
Richard Bennett, Avon Valley Golf & Country Club
I was playing with friends Mark, Brandon and Dudley and used a 7 iron from 136. Don’t judge, it’s severely uphill and was into heavy wind! I’ve been playing for over 20 years and it’s the first I’ve even seen.
Daniel Bruce, Poppy Estate Golf Club, Hole #5
Have had the pleasure of joining a great group of guys. It’s the “Norm’s” group. Norm Trudel and Norm Seifried are the coordinators of our club. We have sometimes, up to 24 guys playing. This day we had 12, and in our group there was Billy, Norm T, Todd and me.
The 5th hole at Poppy Estates is a tough one. From the whites it usually plays around 190 yards and 205 from the blues. November 11th it was playing 183 yards (red flag) from the whites. Until that day I had never been on #5 in regulation. There is a small water hazard about 15 yards before the green and water to the left and right. It’s a tough hole. We usually play from the blues but it was cold and wet, so we decided to play from the whites. I used a 5 iron and aimed to the right a bit because I can sometimes pull my 5 iron. I pured it, with a bit of my usual pull, and it landed pass the pin (two yards) and to the right. I had thought it landed and rolled forward and hid behind the pin. Billy said it went in but I didn’t believe him. The remaining guys hit their shots and we proceeded to the green. As we got closer it was clear it wasn’t hiding behind the pin, but I didn’t get my hopes up. Billy got out his phone to record my reaction. As I got up to the hole, I slowly approached from the opposite side of where it would have entered. At first, I didn’t see it and then boom, it hit me, there is was. My Callaway 4 Hex Tour with my happy face marking looking straight up at me.
It was euphoric. Huge hugs and high five’s, lots of screaming and cheering. At the end of the round, we stopped for a bite and a drink. We had a few to many shots on the course so we didn’t get into it at the clubhouse. Billy presented a trophy #1 that he had made and brings to every round just in case someone gets an ace.
It was a great day and look forward to many with this great group.
Ryder St. Laurent, Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club, Hole #9
I was in Arizona for the MJT Nationals which was held at the Wigwam golf and country club. After the tournament, my family and I stayed a couple extra days in Scottsdale. My dad and I decided to play our last round at the Starfire golf club. On the last hole of the day #9 which plays 230 yards. Back pin playing almost 240 yards I hit driver and it curled in for a hole-in-one. I was super excited to end the year with a hole-in-one. Thanks.
Lee McGuire, Highland Pacific Golf
Callaway Warbird ball. Taylor made 8 iron. 3/4 swing. 130 yard Pacific second hole over water. Attessed by Andy Wells and Brad Main.
Joyce Ireson, Elmira Golf Course, Hole #6
I have aced the 6th hole at Elmira Golf Course in Ontario twice in the last four years. The first time was Aug. 21, 2020, and the second was June 20th, 2022. I did not see the first one go in, but I did see the second. One member of my regular playing group witnessed both. Not bad seeing as I am 88 years old.
Dexter John, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Hole #14
I was playing a round at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. It was a shotgun start 730 am. We started on hole #12. Did not have a lot of warm up so the first hole was not particularly great. We come upon hole 14 an par 3 168 yard protected by water in the front faces our group. One of the men teed off first and hit a perfect shot landing on the green. I tee my ball up and just take a deep breath as I just wanted for the ball to not go into the water. I pulled out my 6 iron to guarantee distance and hit a high lofting shot I landed squarely on the green and start to roll in the direction of the flag. I had already started to kick up my tee and return my club when I hear the group screaming that the ball is going to go in the home. When I look up the ball is gone, and they are telling me it went in. Of course the screaming and hollering commenced but it did not sink in until I saw the ball in the hole. I was ecstatic and overwhelmed with joy. Could not wipe the smile off my face all day. The club gave me a certificate and now my name is on the wall with all the other individuals that have played there and got a hole-in-one.
Derek McGee, Sandpiper Golf Club
I was with three of my buddies! Nathan Eeg, Ty Emmerson and Colby Bolster.
The hole was a 170 yard par 3 and I used my p790 7 iron!
Ray Portiss, The Oxford Hills, Hole #3
I had a hole-in-one on Friday June 16, 2023 at The Oxford Hills golf course in MT ELGIN Ontario. This is my second hole-in-one.
The third hole is 135 yards and I used my wedge. Did not see the ball go into the hole. On the fourth tee box four players saw it go into the hole and started jumping up and down.
Pina Luomala, Las Barrancas
It was quite exciting! I was playing with Barb Dery and Nancy Bickell. It was an 80 yard par 3 and I used my pitching wedge.
Andre Martel, Bandon Resort, Breezy Point Resort, Kingswood Golf Club
I had three in 2023. The first at Bandon Preserve in March during trip to Bandon Resort in Oregon. My second at Breezy Point Resort (Traditional course, hole #11) in Minnesota in May. The third occured at Kingswood Golf Club on hole #5 in LaSalle, MB in July.
Vivian Mohoruk, Pentincton Golf & Country Club, Hole #6
Our club has paintings of each of the par three’s and when a member gets a hole-in-one, they have the option of receiving a personalized print of the painting. As this was the second time, I was lucky on Hole #6, I had the date of my first one included. I was golfing with Mo Bildfell and Caroline Palmer.
Chris Woodland, Saskatoon Golf & Country Club, Hole #15
I was playing with a friend, Kevin Kowbel. It was in the 15th hole which was playing roughly 128 yards that day and I hit a pitching wedge that I watched bounce once and then land in the hole.
Lynne Maillet, The Hamptons Golf Club, Hole #9
I had my first hole-in-one on August 21, 2023 while playing with Denise Hay, Sharon Jamison and Carol Freeman. I hit my magical shot on hole #9 at the Hamptons Golf Course from 89 yards and my 6 hybrid (Ping). I was playing a Golf Alberta ProV1 #4.
Lawrence Yang, Alta Vista Golf & Country Club, Hole #13
My return for the Christmas season to visit my parents became even more memorable when I scored my first ever hole-in-one since I started playing 17 years ago on hole #13 of the Alta Vista Golf & Country Club in Cebu last Thursday, January 4. I used a Mizuno MP-5 6-iron and a Titleist Pro-V1 ball in scoring the ace from 127 yards with my high school buddies Jimmy Chua, Sherwin Lim and Rex Carampatana watching.