Aces in the Hole

On Friday the 13^th, I witnessed a hole in one for the second time. I was playing with Seri at Mt. Pleasant. We had a morning tee time and got paired with two guys named John and Robert (which are such common names I think it's safe to use them). Looked to be a normal round (i.e. I was driving like crap and three-putting while "Fairway" Seri was striping drives down the middle and chipping close as can be), and then the extraordinary happened, the thing that all golfers dream about. The Ace.

It was on hole 6, a downhill par 3 of about 111 yards. I had a 7-iron since that's what I use for 110 yards. Seri used an 8-iron since it was downhill and reads more like 100 yards. She calculated it perfectly, since her ball started right and then curved ever-so-gracefully back to the left. Then we all watched in amazement as the ball bounced once and then dribbled into the hole. It was like watching a trickle of water run right down a drain.

We all screamed and jumped and clapped. "Oh my god! You made a hole in one!" I yelled, hugging and high-fiving Seri. John said, “Wow! This is the first time I’ve actually seen someone make a hole in one!” John had an iPhone so he had camera duty:

Seri standing on the tee ground for Hole 6. Why is there no ball on the green? Because it's already in the hole!

Me standing with the flag. That dark mark at the bottom of the picture is Seri's ball mark.

Seri retrieving her ball from the hole.

Me and Seri, sharing in the joy!

The snack shop at the turn is aptly named for occasions such as this.

Truth is, I would have been really jealous if I hadn’t already made a hole in one myself last October. So the first ace I ever witnessed was actually my own.

When you make a hole in one, word seems to spread like wildfire on the course. The players behind us also happened to see Seri's ace, so they told the ranger who was driving around. He called the pro shop, and he must have told other players too, because every time we passed some golfers, they said, "Which of you made the hole in one?"

At the end of the round -- we had to finish at least 9 holes to make the ace valid, but we played the full 18 -- we went back to the pro shop. They gave Seri a form to fill out and I signed as a witness to the miracle. Then they took a digital picture of Seri and said they would display it on the computer screen behind the check-in desk. They also said they'd send her a paper certificate commemorating her achievement.

I told Seri to go online and register at the official United States Golf Register, which is where I registered my ace last fall. There are actually lots of official and unofficial registries and websites claiming to be official. Usually they sell stuff like hole-in-one trophies and hats and glass cases to store your lucky golf ball and score card. Golf ball companies also have hole-in-one registries and they will send you free stuff, like the bag tag I got from Pinnacle since I used a Pinnacle ball when I made my ace. 

Funny thing about making an ace. If you start mentioning it to people around the golf courses, you start meeting lots of people who have also made holes in one. A golf course staffer I met recently said he’s made 7 holes in one. “Just made the latest one last week,” he said. Since my hole in one last fall, I've met at least half a dozen people who have done the same. Of course, you also meet lots of people who say, “Wow, I’ve been playing for 30 years and have never made a hole in one." 

The odds are pretty steep, after all. According to Golf Digest, the odds of an average player making a hole-in-one are about 1 in 12,000. Seri's one-shot hole-out was actually the second ace she's ever made. For some people, Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. But some people are just born lucky, no matter what day it is.