I did it!!!

[Ole Anderson]

I did it!!! A Hole-In-One on the 159 yard par 3 eighth (left) hole at Pontiac Country club while playing in the J&A-Waterford league. I feel bad for all of you that have played well all of your life and not had the experience. I didn't start playing golf until I was 61, 8 years ago. I am still a duffer, carrying an 18 handicap for 9 holes. It took me an six iron to reach the green, something most would do with a lesser club. I am getting better, very slowly, but have a long way to go. Wish the rest of my game had gone half as well... But who cares!!! Should pick up a skin and closest to the pin honors this week, usually I find myself just donating to the cause.

[Mike Henderson]

Congratulations! My wife got a hole in one last year and was as excited as you are.

Mike

[Mel Fulks]

Congratulations! I think the Walter Mitty in all of us longs for an Ace....but I don't play any more....most of the time I couldn't find the ball for the much needed second shot. You make a handsome pro and should pick up some good endorsements!

[Pat Barry]

Nice! Did you see it go into the hole? Sometimes you don't get the best view of it from the tee.

Oh yeah, I started playing when I was 13 and have never had a hole in one. I would probably have a heart attack if I get one now. LOL

[Jerome Stanek]

Now you have to buy a round for all us on this site

[Ole Anderson]

It cost me $120 to get out of the bar!

I had a pretty good view of it, trajectory was a bit low for a 6 iron, but it landed on the green in front of the hole, ran and then disappeared. Ran up to the green and didn't see the ball at first, it was hiding on the inside of the cup. Hit a long follow up drive, way right, and it was all downhill from there as what I did on the last hole sank in. Had trouble concentrating enough to add up the scores for the round.

[Jeff Bower]

Congrats! I've witnessed 5 in my life, I'd say you got off cheap in the bar!! Never had one in my 40yrs of playing the game.

[Raymond Fries]

Congratulations. Sounds hard to do. I have never played a game of golf. I have only played Putt Putt and no hole in one there. LOL.

[Joe Tilson]

I've been playing since 11 years of age and have never gotten one yet. I am the same age you are.

Congratulations!

P.S. Can't afford $120 bar tab, so I'll sneak off through the woods.:D

[Roger Feeley]

I never played golf. When a friend of mine told me that you have to buy a round, it sounded like a bad deal to me. They should be buying beer for you. I asked if you could take a mulligan on the hole in one. I thought he was going to fall of his chair laughing.

[Tom M King]

Congratulations!!! I've only had one, and it was a complete fluke. Playing the hole the link is to. It's a short par 4. Only par 4 because it's a hard right turn to the green, and you can't see any part of the green from the tee. It was also my first Par, my first Birdie, as well as my first Hole in One-that didn't count.

I hit a 5 wood trying to make the turn to the green. I heard it hit wood, but didn't see where it went. I hit a provisional to before the turn, and didn't see my first ball anywhere when we got to the second shot. I continued to play the provisional. Only when the first ball was taken out of the cup did my first ball show up. It had a big brown smear on it from a Pine tree. Of course, it didn't count because I hit the provisional ball a second time.

http://www.playlggc.com/pages/hole6.php

[Bob Turkovich]

Congrats, Ole!

I used to play in a Saturday AM league at Pontiac CC back in the 80's! Back then it was not the most difficult course from tee to green but (for a public course) the greens were fast and in "private course" condition which made it enjoyable.

Judging by the diagram on the rock shown in the last photo, they've changed the 8th hole quite a bit by adding a new green (which was under construction at the time I stopped playing there). The old hole design had a wide bunker in front of the green with a high lip so you could never see where your tee shot ended up until you got to the green.

For the record, I've played golf for 52 of my 65 years and never had or seen an ace (and I was a single-digit handicapper in the late 70's & most of the 80's). I twice made eagle on par 4's from the fairway.

Tom, I hate to tell you this but if you followed the rules correctly (as I would interpret them), you could have still claimed an ace. If you thought your initial shot had any chance of getting to the green, you should have not considered it lost until you got to the green. You could have played the provisional all the way up to that point no matter how many swings you took. Once you claimed the original shot lost, the provisional became the ball in play. Per rule 27.2-b:

When Provisional Ball Becomes Ball in Play
The player may play a provisional ball until he reaches the place where the original ball is likely to be. If he makes a stroke with the provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place, the original ball is lost and the provisional ball becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance
(Rule 27-1).

[Tom M King]

Yeah, I didn't, nor did my playing partners, think it had any chance of even making it to the green since it had obviously hit a tree. We all thought it had found that stream, and was long gone. It cost me a 6 on that hole, as opposed to a 1. I've always looked since in similar conditions, but so far, no more luck.

I've since changed that 5 wood to a 4 wood, and have that turn on a wire now.

[Dan Bundy]

"Of course, it didn't count because I hit the provisional ball a second time."

That's not true Tom. According to the USGA (and aren't we all fond of them after the most recent US Open?!), the hole was finished when your tee shot went in the hole. So even though you continued to play your provisional, you scored a 1 because the hole was over for you when it went in (sometimes the rules work in our favor). Congratulations! DB

[Rick Moyer]

Lots of dumb rules in golf, needing changed. I was fortunate to have had one hole-in-one, but it really wasn't a good shot. I congratulate you nonetheless; still neat to have. I know many folks who have them, some even several, but many are not very good golfers. It's much about luck. I always felt that an eagle (on a par 4 or 5) was more noteworthy as it took more than one good/lucky shot. I have a friend who has a double-eagle on a par five, now THAT is a noteworthy accomplishment.
As I said though, still cool to get one. Congratulations. We are playing in a two-day tournament this weekend and a friend had one today on an uphill par 3, his second hole-in-one. Always fun, regardless.

[Jason Roehl]

I never played golf. When a friend of mine told me that you have to buy a round, it sounded like a bad deal to me. They should be buying beer for you. I asked if you could take a mulligan on the hole in one. I thought he was going to fall of his chair laughing.


Now that's funny right there.

Well done, Ole!

[Brian Elfert]

Too bad it wasn't one of those corporate or charity events where a hole in one wins a new truck or something big like that. Most of the time the local car dealer brings over a truck as advertising expecting to drive it back to the dealer at the end of the event. Usually the event organizers buy insurance that pays for the vehicle if someone does win it.

[Ole Anderson]

I have played a number of events where there was a new car sitting behind one of the par 3 greens, just waiting for an ace. I could never hit the green. Funny, our league organizer said he had been thinking about buying hole-in-one insurance with a big payoff. Frankly, bragging rights, and just knowing you did it are reward enough.