It really is as good as everyone says

[Jeff Shelman]

So humor me for just a moment or two.

I just turned 35 and have been playing golf since I was 10. I play a lot for a guy who has lived most of his life in Minnesota. And I do OK.

But I had never made a hole-in-one. That was until yesterday.

Playing with a buddy and a guest of his, I hit a great shot to a back pin. Saw it bounce once and vanish into the hole. Here are the particulars: Mendakota C.C. No. 2, 169 yards, 4-iron.

It's amazing that even after you see it go in, you don't truly believe it until you see the ball at the bottom of the cup. Absolutely one of the funnest days I've ever had on the golf course.

You can see a pic of the hole at www.mendakotacc.com. It's the hole on the main intro page.

An added bonus was that there was hardly anybody in the grill when we got done just before 9 p.m. last night.

[Brad Tufts]

Congrats Jeff!!

I've actually never had one, but I've had a few strange occurrences this year so far that makes me think I'm headed for one (although I know I'm jinxing myself here).

About a month ago, I had a second-ball hole-in-one.  I wasn't paying attention to my bag when I pulled one club too short (pulled a PW, when my mind thought I physically had pulled the 9I).  The shot was hit solidly, 10 yds short.  For kicks, and after realizing that I was an idiot, I hit a 9 iron that hit 6 inches behind the hole and hopped backwards into the cup.  The best 3 I've ever made.

Also, just recently, I holed two shots with sand wedges on the fly for eagles within 8 days of each other.  The first was the final shot of the day on #9 at President's Golf Course (Quincy, MA) from 70 yards, which won me $450 in skins in the tourney in which I was playing.  The second, on Monday, from 105 on the 2nd hole (11th hole in the round) at the 9-hole Mink Meadows course on Martha's Vineyard.  On both shots, I was telling the ball to bite when it landed directly in the hole for a 2.  I'll probably never do it again, but dunking two in 8 days is almost as good as an ace!

[Dave_Miller]

So humor me for just a moment or two.

I just turned 35 and have been playing golf since I was 10. I play a lot for a guy who has lived most of his life in Minnesota. And I do OK.

But I had never made a hole-in-one. That was until yesterday.

Playing with a buddy and a guest of his, I hit a great shot to a back pin. Saw it bounce once and vanish into the hole. Here are the particulars: Mendakota C.C. No. 2, 169 yards, 4-iron.

It's amazing that even after you see it go in, you don't truly believe it until you see the ball at the bottom of the cup. Absolutely one of the funnest days I've ever had on the golf course.

You can see a pic of the hole at www.mendakotacc.com. It's the hole on the main intro page.

An added bonus was that there was hardly anybody in the grill when we got done just before 9 p.m. last night.

Congrats Jeff.  I still haven't gotten one
Best
Dave

[Evan Fleisher]

Add me to the "Hole In None" society as well...we are ALL jealous Jeff, but great job!!!  

[Dan Kelly]

I just turned 35...

You lost my sympathy right there.

But congratulations, anyway!

[Mike Benham]

Are these your solitary footsteps walking across the green to pick your ball out of the hole?

Congratulations ...

You can see a pic of the hole at www.mendakotacc.com. It's the hole on the main intro page.

[michael j fay]

At age 57 with over 7,000 rounds of golf under my belt, I have never found the hole on 28,000 attempts from the par three tees. I am convinced that there is a particular golf god up there that has it in for me.

Congrats!

MJFay

[Glenn Spencer]

Jeff,

Looks like a great place to get a hole-in-one!! Don't know of a bad one really. I have never made one, so I hate all of you and that now includes you Jeff!! You hole-in-one getters all think you are better than us!!!

Congrats!!

Glenn

[George Pazin]

You hole-in-one getters all think you are better than us!!!

We don't think we're better than you, we just think we're better than Shiv and Huck. Which reminds me, we might have to bump this back up if Huck's not around....

Nice job, welcome to the club. There are some posters on here who are members many times over, and at some damn famous holes, too.

[Tom Huckaby]

I'm here.  I know all and see all.

But yes, thanks for the reminder, George.

Jeff - good for you, well done, huzzahs.

Tom "35 years of play and no aces, and in full agreement with Michael Fay that the golf gods hate me also" Huckaby
 

[E. Jean-Marc Monrad]

I had a hole in one during try outs for my college team...I am now a graduating senior from that team.  I thought it was rather anti climactic.  Maybe because I was more focused on scoring well then having fun that day but it really did not excite me that much.  I viewed it as lucky that i would have one fewer strokes at the end of the day (since I thought i woulda had a birdie anyways).  

Well anyways, congrats I am glad you found it more rewarding then I did!

[Garland Bayley]

Congrats,

I had my first a little over two weeks ago. I posted it on the greatest shot thread. You should look that thread up and post there.
Brad, you may be on to something. I holed out for my first eagle on a par 4 about a month before the hole-in-one.

As for being better than anyone, I have probably one of the highest handicaps on this site, so I am better than few, but those few include shivas and huck.

[Andrew Summerell]

Well done, Jeff.

I had my first Hole-in-one last October at the 6th hole at New South Wales GC. In discussions with friends a year earlier, we all nominated what hole we would want our first hole-in-one at in Australia. I nominated the 6th at NSW & a year later I did it.

Now, I'm quite a complex puppy, as I remember standing on the next tee thinking, "So that's it!". For me, it was like the dog that chases the car. He's never going to catch one, but if he does, he doesn't know what to do with it.

Congratulations

[George Pazin]

Now, I'm quite a complex puppy, as I remember standing on the next tee thinking, "So that's it!". For me, it was like the dog that chases the car. He's never going to catch one, but if he does, he doesn't know what to do with it.

You're the exact opposite of me. I never thought I'd get one, but now that I have one, every time I step up to a par 3 I think, I wonder if this will be the next one?

 

[Steve Lang]

 

I've got 1 in 45 years of playing, plus a handful of longish 150-180 yd eagles on par 4's but

Ms Sheila just got her 4th ace last weekend..  it never gets old.. only expensive

[Dan Kelly]

Now, I'm quite a complex puppy, as I remember standing on the next tee thinking, "So that's it!". For me, it was like the dog that chases the car. He's never going to catch one, but if he does, he doesn't know what to do with it.

You're the exact opposite of me. I never thought I'd get one, but now that I have one, every time I step up to a par 3 I think, I wonder if this will be the next one?

 

The Golf Gods don't like that kind of thinking.

[George Pazin]

Now, I'm quite a complex puppy, as I remember standing on the next tee thinking, "So that's it!". For me, it was like the dog that chases the car. He's never going to catch one, but if he does, he doesn't know what to do with it.

You're the exact opposite of me. I never thought I'd get one, but now that I have one, every time I step up to a par 3 I think, I wonder if this will be the next one?

 

The Golf Gods don't like that kind of thinking.

Obviously not, given my play of late....

[Bill_McBride]

Jeff Shelman, I'm now 64 and have been playing 50 years, so my first ace ever last year playing in the Kings Putter event in California was equally exciting!  #16 at Stevinson Ranch, somewhere there is a thread with photos, hole diagram and the whole nine yards.

I plan to repeat at this year's KP.    

[cary lichtenstein]

I had my first one 50 years after I started playing at the age of 7.

[Mike Benham]

I plan to repeat at this year's KP.    

Only allowed if you are on the north ... and it's not the 19th hole ...

[Dan Smoot]

Now, I'm quite a complex puppy, as I remember standing on the next tee thinking, "So that's it!". For me, it was like the dog that chases the car. He's never going to catch one, but if he does, he doesn't know what to do with it.

You're the exact opposite of me. I never thought I'd get one, but now that I have one, every time I step up to a par 3 I think, I wonder if this will be the next one?

 

The Golf Gods don't like that kind of thinking.

Funny that you would say that.  I absolutely believed that I would never have an ace if I thought about it.  So I just conditioned myself to never think about it.  I finally got one at age 47 last August, a few years after my Dad got his at age 69 (I sure did I hear about his).  

I hit it to a pin position that was blind until I was within 25 yards of the green.  I refused to go onto the green when I didn't see the ball (superstitious).  I started looking in the rough behind the green while my playing partners went to the cup.  I made them pull the ball out and throw it to me.   I found out later I really disappointed them when I didn't show much emotion but I had made up my mind I would never make a big deal about it.  
The best part about it was my wife had decided to walk with me  that afternoon.

[Rick Shefchik]

Glad to hear about your ace, Jeff.

You beat me by about 14 years (to be honest, I can't remember exactly which year it was that I got mine. A few years back, anyway...)

It never occurred to me that I wouldn't get one eventually, but I certainly wasn't thinking about it when it happened. I was on the 18th hole at Hollydale (you probably know the course, even if you haven't played it) in a state am qualifier, and I knew I wasn't going to qualify. Just getting the round over -- and I didn't see it go in, because there was a tree shading the hole. I thought it might have had a chance to go in, but I didn't know for sure until I looked in the hole.

The best part, of course, is the ace itself -- you can cross that off your list of things to do before you become immobile -- but my second-favorite memory of the occasion was similar to yours: there was no one in the clubhouse when we finished the round, one of the guys in my group went to his car from the 18th hole, and one was too young to drink. The ace cost me a $3.50 can of Budweiser for the other guy in the group.

Nothing better than a hole-in-one memory that won't be even slightly diminished when the Visa bill arrives.

 

[Doug Wright]

Way to go Jeff!

Enjoy it--except for TE Paul (who I think has said he has 18-20 of 'em or he's lost count) they don't come along very often. Only 23 years since my first--and last--one in 43 years playing this damn game...

[ForkaB]

I haven't had one for nearly 3 years now, and I'm getting REALLY impatient!

[Andrew Mitchell]

Congrats Jeff, been trying for over 30 years now and still waiting for my first ace!