In the thousands and thousands of rounds of golf and at least four times as many par threes I’ve played, I’ve never had a hole-in-one.
While I still don’t officially have one, I at least finally have my own hole-in-one story!
Several times a week, I get home from work and play a little 4-hole track in the back corner of North Hills Country Club that goes down the hill on six, across the river on the par three seventh, back across the river on the par three twelfth and then up the hill toward home on the par four thirteenth.
When my wife texted me she was leaving work at 5:15, I figured I had a little time on my own to head out and tool around the course. I spent some time practicing shaping iron shots right-to-left and left-to-right yesterday, and I was excited all day because I felt like I found something.
I started out on six pulling a couple of tee shots in to the woods, but hit some really nicely drawn iron shots around trees to get out of trouble. That felt good.
My range finder’s battery died this weekend so I took a guess that the blue tees on seven were set up somewhere in my 5- or 6-iron range. With a back-left pin on the other side of the greenside bunker to the left, I took my five and set up for a fade.
The swing felt perfect and the ball went right at the pin with a little left-to-right. It hit and I saw it kick a little to the right then disappear. Might be in?
It felt so good I had to hit another. Another perfect feeling swing and an even better, more lofted ball flight. This one was with a Bridgestone B330S #1 ball. It came down a little softer and again veered a little toward the right before disappearing.
The seventh plays way uphill, so it would be impossible to actually see the ball go in, but I had a feeling at least the second one was in. Sure enough, just one ball on the green and it was about ten feet past the pin.
The ball mark for the first shot was about five feet left of the hole, and there was another one five to ten feet short and just left… And then, of course, my B330S #1 ball in the cup.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t count as a hole-in-one for two key reasons: First because it was my second tee shot, and second because there were no witnesses.
I stuck around for about 5 minutes to see if anyone else came around – John and Ryan did, so I was able to find out how long of a shot it was that went in: 174 yards. Even though it doesn’t count, I took a little video to commemorate the occasion and at least now I know it’s possible!
Video: Pulling the ball out on my first ever [kind of] hole-in-one
The ball marks of my two tee shots from 174 yards on the par three 7th
Making the turn back toward home, the next hole I played is the par three twelfth back over the Menomonee River. I thought to myself it would be pretty crazy to get back-to-back holes in one, and when I hit my cut 6-iron over the river I started thinking it might happen. Landing 5″ from the hole, it rolled out to about fifteen feet and was an easy two-putt par.
That close to back-to-back holes in one (ball mark just to the side of the hole)
