The Improbable Hole-in-One

As anyone would have expected, my bachelor party consisted of a lot of golf.

This is awesome for friends and family who are avid golfers, but that only accounts for some of the guests. Among the rest was my friend, Jason, who has played golf twice in his life. The other time was at Golden Sands in Cecil, Wisconsin together a few years back.

Jason’s a natural athlete and always has a great attitude. Even so, I was shocked when we finished the 18th hole at Greywalls Golf Club in Marquette, Michigan, and saw a text saying “Dude, someone in our bachelor party just got a hole-in-one! With a pink ball!”

Jason and my old roommate, Mike, drove up later and were playing in the last group of the round.

It happened on the short par three 17th: A fantastic little golf hole with a diabolical two-tiered green teed up from about 120 yards.

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Hole 17: Par 3 (137/137/121/94/94)

A fellow golf blogger and friend, Kris Halsrud of Kristazio on Golf, got video of the aftermath:


When their group got to the green on 18 where we were watching everyone finish, I asked who got the hole-in-one, still thinking it might have been a hoax. In the group of 18 guys, nobody else has ever had one, and I was amazed it was Jason!

I tried getting him to understand how rare it is. For example, supposedly one in 40,000 people who play the game of golf will get a hole-in-one during their life, and throughout thousands of rounds played it’s an elusive feat that’s always slipped through my hands.

Head PGA Professional at North Hills Country Club, Eddie Terasa, even has never had one and he is one of the greatest players in the history of the state.

Jason thought that was all pretty cool, but wasn’t too worked up. When I asked him if he was in shock or something, he said no but “It was a lot easier than playing the entire hole!” He figured he probably shot about 160 on the round. I said he should be really excited and he said, “Well, I wish it would’ve been you.” I told him I was pumped that it happened to him and especially at my bachelor party.

Maybe the funniest part of the story is what happened on 18. Not realizing it was a big deal at all, he teed up the same pink ball and shanked it dead left in to the woods. Kris was watching and said no way he was going to lose it. He went back and searched the woods, somehow found it and told him to put it somewhere safe for the rest of the round.

Hilarious. Jason didn’t feel a need to get the flag or report the hole-in-one; he just headed back to The Island Resort and Casino where we were staying, and talked to his father-in-law (an avid golfer) on the way who was in almost as much of a state of disbelief.

Golf’s a funny game.

We’ve all heard stories of people hitting shots off a tree branch and ricocheting on to the green and in the hole; maybe you’ve even seen it happen yourself.

I wish I would have been there for this one. Jason’s an awesome friend and I hope this will spark him to start taking up the game so many of us love more.

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