Royal Portrush Legend, Bill Tennant, Makes His First Hole In One!

[Michael Whitaker]

Jerry Kluger and I had the great fortune to play a match at Royal Portrush against Bill Tennant and his best friend, Ken Greer, during our visit following this year's Buda Cup. It was one of the most fun and entertaining days either of us have ever spent on the golf course, with story after story from Bill and Ken recounting 70 years of fantastic golfing feats... and, mishaps!

Bill is quite famous in Portrush golfing circles (and beyond) for one of the most amazing golfing accomplishments one can possibly imagine... he has scored a "two" on EVERY hole on the Dunluce course!!! An eclectic score of 36! 

Ken sent me the following notice and photo today announcing that Bill has finally accomplished something new after 70 years of golf... his first hole-in-one!


BILL ACHIEVES HIS FIRST ACE AFTER 70 YEARS

Bill Tennant, a member of Royal Portrush Golf Club for 68 years, is renowned for holding an eclectic score of 36 on the Dunluce Championship Links has finally achieved the coveted ace - his first and only one in his 70 odd years playing golf.

Playing in to a head wind at the 165 yard par 3 11th hole on the Dunluce his trusted five iron brought his new eclectic score to 35. Bill, now in his 80th year threatened to give up  playing once this was achieved. However, his playing partner, Ken Greer, who witnessed his last 2 at the 17th 35 years ago was also with him on this occasion and has persuaded him to keep playing and offered him a new challenge - to shoot 2's at the new Championship 7th and 8th.

Bill in the late 1980's twice successfully captained the victorious Ulster Team which included Walker Cup Captain, Garth McGimpsey, Gary McNeill (now Professional at Royal Portrush) and Open Champion Darren Clarke.


Congratulations to Bill. May you continue to play and enjoy this wonderful game. Do let us know when you get the 2's at the new Championship holes, 7th and 8th.

Bill is pictured retrieving the hole-in-one ball

[Mike Schott]

What a great picture! That's a happy man.

[Jamie Pyper]

I had the pleasure of playing a match with Bill Tennant and Ken Greer this past October at Portrush and have never enjoyed a round of golf more. Play was competitive and fast, but the wit and non stop stories on the likes of Joe Carr, Fred Daly and Henry Cotton kept me laughing and entertained from the first drive to the last putt. He told two versions on what would happen should he ever score a hole in one. 1. It would be his last golf swing ever, and 2) the good Lord could take him then and there as a content man. Please don't stop playing Bill, you epitomize what this game is all about! When we finished he gave me his book on his incredible feat entitled "I've Two-ed Them All" .

[Steve Lang]

Wrong date setting on camera has happened to me... so, ya might want to crop photo or discuss time travel...


certainly inspiring story whenever it happened

[Michael Whitaker]

Wrong date setting on camera has happened to me... so, ya might want to crop photo or discuss time travel...


certainly inspiring story whenever it happened

Steve,

It's the Euro setting for dates... day, then month, then year: 1 Dec, 2016.

[Steve Lang]

    Mike,


dang, never thought about that, should have guessed... in a land that drives on the wrong side of the road!


s

[Mark Chaplin]

Steve Lang - Great Britain and Northern Ireland is in Europe but drives on the correct side of the road, the rest of Europe drive on the wrong side of the road but like us write dates in the correct way.....

[Tony_Muldoon]

   Mike,


dang, never thought about that, should have guessed... in a land that drives on the wrong side of the road!


s

Sorry to labour a point , but I've always found Mnth/Day/Yr completely  AssBackmiddlef/up'd


You know what year it is, right? You have a good idea which month it is? So it makes sense to have the most frequently changing one up first?


Where's the logic in listing time any other way?  Hours, days, years. 




Smallest, large, largest. 


Not


Large, Smallest, Largest.




Some conventions need changing.

[Niall C]

so Tony, how do you feel playing a par 5, par 3 and a par 4 in that order ?


Anyway, I was fortunate to be playing with a very good friend this year when he had his first hole in one after 50 years of being a single figure handicapper. Well done to Bill.


Niall

[Sean_A]

   Mike,


dang, never thought about that, should have guessed... in a land that drives on the wrong side of the road!


s

Sorry to labour a point , but I've always found Mnth/Day/Yr completely  AssBackmiddlef/up'd


You know what year it is, right? You have a good idea which month it is? So it makes sense to have the most frequently changing one up first?


Where's the logic in listing time any other way?  Hours, days, years. 




Smallest, large, largest. 


Not


Large, Smallest, Largest.




Some conventions need changing.

Spangles


I think it is because many people would say December 1st 2016 rather than the more cumbersome 1st of December 2016.  When using dates in letters I always use the long form...1 December 2016 to avoid confusion, but I always say the month first in conversations.  I would never say the day first.


Whitty


How is it you happened to play with Bill Tennant?


Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Note closely the colour and markings of the golf ball. Big clue as to the ball used to accomplish this feat. Some nice free advertising here.
Congratulations to the holer-out.
Atb

[Jon Wiggett]

so Tony, how do you feel playing a par 5, par 3 and a par 4 in that order ?

Niall,


I doubt Tony would have any problem with this though no doubt he would shoot eagle, bogey, bogey to play them in level par 






My understanding is that days have names in the context of days of the week but in the format of a date the day does not have a name though naturally the month does hence the 1st day of December.


Jon

[Tony_Muldoon]

Spangles


I think it is because many people would say December 1st 2016 rather than the more cumbersome 1st of December 2016.  When using dates in letters I always use the long form...1 December 2016 to avoid confusion, but I always say the month first in conversations.  I would never say the day first.



Ciao

Fine with that as in most cases verbally you will be referring to sometime distant.  If we were speaking today, you might qualify the date by saying "last week on Thursday the 1st". Or another time “Next year, December the 1^st”. 
Anyways' I have no idea why this bugs me, but it always has. I have always found when in America there often seems to be more logic or common snese than in Europe. E.g. The numbering of highways or even naming streets in a city with ascending no's.  But then again, all your lifts are missing a button....

[Niall C]

....also can I point out that if that was where Bills ball ended up and he picked it out from there without letting it touch the bottom of the cup unaided then it's not a hole in one. Hate to think he had to wait another 70 years.


Niall

[Mark Chaplin]

It's obviously a cultural thing Christmas Day is on the 25th December not December 25. I'm sure the terrorists who attacked London on 7th July did so as 7/7 would cause no confusion with the old colonies.

[Michael Whitaker]

It's obviously a cultural thing Christmas Day is on the 25th December not December 25. I'm sure the terrorists who attacked London on 7th July did so as 7/7 would cause no confusion with the old colonies.

Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what they had in mind. 

[Michael Whitaker]

Whitty
How is it you happened to play with Bill Tennant?
Ciao

The club Secretary organized the game.

[Scott Warren]

I'm impressed that an 80-year-old hit a 5 iron 165 yards into a headwind!

[Michael Whitaker]

I'm impressed that an 80-year-old hit a 5 iron 165 yards into a headwind!

yYou should see his swing!

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

I can't get over how someone could score 2s at every hole at Portrush. It's just so hard to believe that someone could achieve such a feat.

In Sweden we write the date 2016-12-01 and sometimes 1/12-2016.

[Steve Lang]

   Wow, Love it.. date conventions and all, & i'm glad i didn't misunderstand something like commas and dots being used for thousands and decimal points across the pond in euro lands + the UK realm... 


How many more modern golf legends like Bill Tennant are out there which should be captured for posterity?

[Garland Bayley]

   Mike,


dang, never thought about that, should have guessed... in a land that drives on the wrong side of the road!


s

Sorry to labour a point , but I've always found Mnth/Day/Yr completely  AssBackmiddlef/up'd


You know what year it is, right? You have a good idea which month it is? So it makes sense to have the most frequently changing one up first?


Where's the logic in listing time any other way?  Hours, days, years. 




Smallest, large, largest. 


Not


Large, Smallest, Largest.




Some conventions need changing.

Bass ackwards Tony, Bass ackwards.
Everyone has it wrong. Should be year-month-day. Then things will sort automatically without reformatting.

[Garland Bayley]

Donal,


Good to see the Swedes have it right. Now, time to work on your homeland.

[Tony_Muldoon]

I'm impressed that an 80-year-old hit a 5 iron 165 yards into a headwind!

yYou should see his swing!

The one I want to see is just after Niall tells him it doesn't count!

[Michael Whitaker]

I can't get over how someone could score 2s at every hole at Portrush. It's just so hard to believe that someone could achieve such a feat.

I agree! It seems almost impossible when you really think about it. How many eagles or double eagles have you scored in your lifetime on your most played course? I've holed out on a few par 4's, but never had a two on a par 5.