[Ron Farris]

Best Shot I ever hit ----

Place: Sand Hills of Nebraska
Course: Ainsworth Municipal Golf Course
Hole: 1st

The Shot:  I was a young buck, age 14, who had just taken up the game a couple of years earlier.  I had developed enough that people thought I had potential to be a good golfer, so with that in mind I set out to win the Ainsworth Open as a snot nose kid.  The first hole is a par five that runs along the gravel road entrance to the club.  About 200 yards out on the left side sets the pump station, with a big metal barrier in front of it to protect it from bad tee shots.  This was about 1971 or '72.  I hit my usual sweeping hook with the new driver from a set of clubs that  who family used to play golf with (Aluminum shaft).  The sweeping hook got caught in the wind (imagine that in the Sand Hills) and went crashing into the pump barrier and bounced out of bounds.  As a snot-nosed kid I proceeded to throw the driver  in disgust.  Out of the clubhouse came flying my father, the greenskeeper.  He embarrassed me by yelling and screaming that if he ever saw me throw a club again that he would never let me set foot on this golf course again.  I was sooooooooooooooo embarrassed that I don’t think I spoke another word the whole day.  I picked up the club, re-teed and actually played a descent round of golf.  It was a moment etched into my mind so hard that every time I see someone like Tiger throw a club in disgust that I have flashbacks.  The shot helped me become a better golfer who has more respect for the game and the course to throw clubs.  I know that I have thrown clubs since, but certainly not within 100 miles of my father who passed away several years ago.

[Peter Pallotta]

Two weeks ago, my first time out this year, on a vaguely Redanesque par 3, a high, slightly fading two iron 210 yards into the wind.

I hit the green.

The best shot I ever hit.

What a great game, isn't it, that THAT can be the best shot I EVER hit and yet I can't wait to play again.

Peter
Jonathan McCord - nice!  


 

[David Ober]

Canyon Crest Country Club #12. 448 yard par 4 that plays significantly uphill on the approach and is into a near constant prevailing wind -- especially in the afternoon.

About 10 years ago, I hit a low, cut 3-iron into the hole from 205 yards out to a back right pin (was playing about 220).

Definitely my best shot ever.

[Mike Benham]

I wonder what Evan Fleisher will say ...

[David Ober]

Best Shot I ever hit ----

Place: Sand Hills of Nebraska
Course: Ainsworth Municipal Golf Course
Hole: 1st

The Shot:  I was a young buck, age 14, who had just taken up the game a couple of years earlier.  I had developed enough that people thought I had potential to be a good golfer, so with that in mind I set out to win the Ainsworth Open as a snot nose kid.  The first hole is a par five that runs along the gravel road entrance to the club.  About 200 yards out on the left side sets the pump station, with a big metal barrier in front of it to protect it from bad tee shots.  This was about 1971 or '72.  I hit my usual sweeping hook with the new driver from a set of clubs that  who family used to play golf with (Aluminum shaft).  The sweeping hook got caught in the wind (imagine that in the Sand Hills) and went crashing into the pump barrier and bounced out of bounds.  As a snot-nosed kid I proceeded to throw the driver  in disgust.  Out of the clubhouse came flying my father, the greenskeeper.  He embarrassed me by yelling and screaming that if he ever saw me throw a club again that he would never let me set foot on this golf course again.  I was sooooooooooooooo embarrassed that I don’t think I spoke another word the whole day.  I picked up the club, re-teed and actually played a descent round of golf.  It was a moment etched into my mind so hard that every time I see someone like Tiger throw a club in disgust that I have flashbacks.  The shot helped me become a better golfer who has more respect for the game and the course to throw clubs.  I know that I have thrown clubs since, but certainly not within 100 miles of my father who passed away several years ago.

That's a nice story -- thanks for sharing it with us.  

[Jim Nugent]

In 1986, had barely played for six years.  But absolutely crushed a 4-wood over a stream to a small green surrounded by traps.  Ball  came down soft as an easy nine-iron, ten feet or so away from the flag.  My playing partners, who were members at the club, said it flew 245.  I think more like 230 or 235.  

Huck -- I think the hole you are talking about at Los Verdes is number 3.

[peter_p]

  My best chip in GCA outing at Kingsley #1 using beau coup
contouring. But not the best chip in a GCA event.
 Best putt (not made) from the back edge of Yarra Yarra #15 with the hole middle front, banked off the left fringe to tap in range. Best putt (on video) for birdie from the back fringe of Prestwick #17.

Best tee shot: the next shot at Prestwick to leave a tap in eagle. Best tee shot in GCA outing at the Devil's Cauldron, followed closely the next day at Cleopatra.

Best shot: butt in holly bush, had to aim 25 yds right of green,
hooded 7 from about 160-170, into the cup.

[Darren_Kilfara]

To quote from my book, "A Golfer's Education":

I’ve since compared my ace and the thought process behind it to another shot, one I made during my senior year at Harvard on the par-3 seventh hole at The Country Club. I’d blocked my tee shot into the bunker short and to the right of the green. Apart from a fairly good lie, nothing about my recovery shot looked easy. If I carried the ball even onto the front edge of the green, it would doubtless rocket well past the pin, for the hole was cut on a downslope, and the green was very fast. But I had to carry several yards of tangly rough to reach what was only a thin cordon of fairway-fringe on my line to the hole. And the green broke in two directions: quickly to the right at the start, then gently to the left at the end. In retrospect I can imagine Johnny Miller commentating, “Anything within 20 feet of the hole would be very good.” But I trusted myself to make no worse than bogey no matter what I did, so I focused upon hitting the ideal shot instead of what might have been the smart one. I landed the ball exactly where I wanted to, just beyond the rough. The fringe nearly slowed it to a stop, but as it fell onto the green it picked up the scintilla of speed necessary to propel it onto the downslope. At a veritable crawl the ball slid down the hill, broke right, then left, and with its final rotation it toppled into the hole – it didn’t even touch the flagstick, so impeccable was my touch. The shot took nearly 10 seconds to travel 50 feet from start to finish, and if it hadn’t have gone in, it would have stopped stone dead next to the hole. Not only did the intent match the result, the execution deserved it. I’m fairly certain that this shot was, by any reckoning of the word, “perfect”.

(By the by, this was part of a philosophical musing about how a hole-in-one doesn't have to be a very good shot, and how there are "degrees of perfection" in golf.)

Cheers,
Darren

[Simon Kofoed]

2 iron from 190 metres on 12th at Barwon Heads to about 15 feet from the pin. The hole was playing straight into a howling gale off Bass Strait, I would have been more than happy to have been 40 metres short of the green, it was the puriest strike of a ball I have ever hit.

[James Bennett]

A tie.

235 yard three wood for double eagle 2 at Riviera's par 5 second hole.

238 yard three wood for a one at MPCC's par three fourth hole.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to brag about this for the umpteenth time.

Bob

The 238 yard par 3 is on the Dunes (Raynor/Rees) course, to a biarritz green.  The day I played, it was to a tough pin position on the back tier.  I understand it is an easier shot to the front tier, but you can only hole out to wherever the pin is!  The hole (looking back from the next tee) is set out below.


Bob was resplendent on the second day on the Shore (Stranz) course, finishing his practice swings with fine form.  The follow-through isn't quite as impeccable though  when a golf ball has been hit.  Bob looks like a Patrick Mucci post, mostly green!


thanks Bob, I'll remember these two days with fond memories.  Your disks will arrive late May, I hope.  

PS  notice the californian sunshine that I was fortunate to experience generally when I played.

James B

[Steve Lapper]

  1) Pine Valley "Twin Towers Charity Fund Day 1"

   In front of Ernie Ransome and twenty or so other members on the 5th tee (along with 5 members on the 5th green), I nail a three wood 240 yds to three inches (the pin is back left) and the crowd goes wild. I'm told to wait one minute as two cocktails appear and are handed to me to walk with...ahhhh

   Of course, I go ahead and hit the tee shot on six into the wasteland

  2)  Two years ago, the Monday following the final Match of the US Amateur at WFW, I have 190 yds left on #18 (ball is just on the right shoulder of the fairway behind the right side bunker) and am only 6 over par at that point. The pin is in the infamous "Bobby Jones" position: mid-front right in the saddle. I hit 5-iron and the caddy and my member-friend go nuts saying that it's in the cup! Naturally it's not, but instead only 2 inches behind it, obscured from view.....best shot I've ever hit with a long iron and it cap's one of the best rounds I've ever had in my life.

   

[Eric Franzen]

Trump National - 11th hole.

Gusting winds from the right. Hit a perfect six iron into the wind over the bushes in the natural habitat area which sails in beautyfully just to land a feet from the pin. I surely surprised myself there by playing the shot just like I visioned it.

Worst shot ever hit? Well, teeing of on a course in Turkey in front of twenty german tourists who are waiting for their shuttle bus back to the hotel. To their enjoyment I hit a low screamer to the left which bumps into the bridge over the pond that are placed around 25 yards in front of the tee.
The ball bounces backwards in the air and ends up around 15 yards behind the tee. I get a big round of applause from the germans, who are practically dying of laughter.

[Evan Fleisher]

Kevin - that is fan-freakin-tastic.  PLEASE tell me you gave the proper wave to the crowd....

Which reminds me, I've seen a lot of great shots, but this one may be the best from one of my other best college buds, and this guy has a memorable ace and asterisk-filled double eagle to his credit (downhill 465 yard at altitude in CO "par five").

The Scene:
The Old Course, 17th hole.  Right side of fairway, underneath The Old Course Hotel, raucuous party going on spilling out onto the balcony 3 floors up.

The shot
After one of the partiers notices my friend about to hit, he does the classic hands up, quiet please pose and the party silences... My friend steels himself and laces a 3wood onto the green.  The party erupts.  My friend very classily tips his hat, hands club to caddie, marches on.

Great shot.

Of course it's not as completely skillful as the single greatest shot in the history of the game, but then what is?

Oh, you're wondering what I refer to there?

Shame on all of you.

Bill McBride's ace during last year's KP-IV.  A more perfect golf shot simply cannot be accomplished than his carved driver around a lake perfectly playing the break and dying in the hole.  There was one way and one way only he was gonna get that close, and that was it.

TH

TH,

Speaking of GREATEST SHOTS EVER and last year's KPIV...

...sorry to open up old wounds, my friend!!!  

[Evan Fleisher]

I wonder what Evan Fleisher will say ...

Benham...the above was just for you, baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How could I resist?!?!?

[Richard Pennell]

Well, I've got photographic evidence of one of mine

On one of Bel Air's long par 3's - I think it was 13 but we played the course out of order - a 2 iron that never left the flag, hit the flagstick square on and came back off the front edge. Upon closer inspection, I had damaged one of the club's beautiful handmade pins!



The super offered to mail it home for me and I neglected to get that in writing. Damn

[Tom Huckaby]

Jim N. - thanks - #3 it is - I do recall it being early in the round, and the drinking just starting.  

Evan - of course you KNOW as I typed that description of Ace's ace, I did figure your name would come up... damn you!

 

I am loving all of these stories.  And I think Mr. Huntley was trying to hide that day with James... the camoflauge is very effective.

It remains very interesting also to speculate on how, or if, George will tie this together... that is, what is the architectural point of this.  I have no doubt he will...

TH

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

Wonderful memories, everyone!

12th Hole, Tuxedo Park:  I lay up off of the the downhill dogleg left par 4 with the chicken stick and immediately have my manhood questioned by all on the tee, including my dquaker of a partner who had just eagled 10.

215 to the front edge left into the wind with a pin tucked right behind the bunker...

2 Iron again into the sun.  We saw the first bounce, and the bunker obscured the rest.  

I birdied 13 as well.  Our caddie who plays for Clemson and was qualified into the US Am at WFW the following week claims that he had never seen a holed 2 iron.  Smart player that he is, he ended up with my winnings.

And non-golfers wonder why we play this game (And keep coming back...)

JWK

Question:  Not much talk about holed putts here???

[Evan Fleisher]

In truth, three of my all-time favorite shots happened on the same hole at my home club...our par-3 third hole.  It is a downhill par-3 playing to a boomerang type green...



The first of my three favs...I was playing there alone one afternoon and pulled my tee shot right over near the reeds by the lake...pin all the way over on the left part of the green over the sandtrap.  I pull out the pitching wedge and hit a solid little bump and run across the green, which prceeds to roll all the way across like a putt and drops in the hole for a smooth 2.  I look around in dis-belief and realize I'm completely alone on the course so no one was there to witness the feat...until I hear some light applause from the trees up behind the green (which is the 17th green) as a group finishing up there had been watching my shot the entire time.  A tip of the cap and it was off to the 4th tee!

Fast foward to fav #2...playing in men's league two years ago and end up starting our match that day here on #3 against one of the better stick in the club, and I know I'm gonna get toasted.  I hit first (to a right-sde pin...green slopes SIGNIFICANTLY from back to front) and put my ball over the falgstick into the rough behind the green by about a yard or so...my opponent does what he is supposed to and hits a nice little shot just under the flag on the green (about 5 feet).  I'm away and have an extremely delicate downhill flopper that if I hit an opunce to hard is off the front of the green easily.  My 60-degree wedge slices under the ball which lands perfectly in the first cut, rolls onto the green and gently hits the flagstick still in the cup for an unbelieveable birdie.  My opponent misses his five footer and I go on to play other-worldy (for me, at least) and beat the guy 3 and 2 or 2 and 1.  What a great feeling!!!

Okay, last of the favs...this past year in league playing the same hole to another right pin location.  I put my tee shot waaaayyyyy left and long.  I'm in the first cut on the back left of the green, kind of between the two bigs trees...there is no way to putt the ball from there as I don't have enough green in the corner of the boomerang to keep the ball on the green, so I only have one choice to try and get the ball close.  I walk up into the hillside in that corner of the boomerang and pick out a spot in the rough to land my flop in.  Calmly hit the shot which floats up into the hillside hitting the area I chose...balls bounces gently a couple of times and hits the green surface at a crawl.  Ball tumbles slowly down the slope of the green stopping about 2 inches just next to the cup...playing partner and opponents are standing there with their jaws dropped open...and so was I!

[Brad Tufts]

This is a fun question, and I finally found a clear-cut winner last year, only to be rivaled by one that occurred this past Monday.  I've had about 20-25 eagles in the past 6-7 years, including one from 185, but I feel like alot of these are a solid shots combined with dumb luck.  I think the best shots are the wild shots you envision in your mind's eye previously, so here goes:

Hole 15, Old North State Club in NC, par four.  My tee shot trickles into the right fairway bunker, about 140-150 yards from the green.  As I get to my ball, I see that it has come to rest about 18 inches from the left edge of the bunker, the sand surface being about 2 feet below the level of the surrounding rough.  This lip continues around the left and front of the bunker on the line to the green, which sits on a small rise, bunker short left below the green, fairway leading to the surface at the front right.  While seeing if I can even hit this ball, the only way i can stand is with one foot in the bunker a few feet behind the ball, and the other 2+ feet above in the rough.  To make matters worse, I cannot seem to stand without my body wanting to fall over.  I finally get settled, my body tilted away from the ball at something like a 45 degree angle.  I have chosen a 4-iron for the shot, the only club with which I can reach my ball, due to my ridiculous stance.  Maybe the ball will somehow have a chance of running up near the green if the lip is cleared, but not a very realistic goal.

So i swing back and through, barely skulling the ball with the open-faced club, the clubhead slams into the bunker lip and i go backpedaling into the bunker.  The ball shoots out like a rocket, and slams into the rolled bunker lip directly above it.  However, the blow is glancing enough to change the spin of the ball from dead-pull to left-to-right, the ball slices about 40 yards as it flies, lands just above the greenside bunker, and rolls onto the green, about 15 feet from the hole.  I would have been happy to just get it away from the lip for the next shot from the bunker.  Probably my best shot ever.

My competitor happened just this past Monday at Jeffersonvilee in Philly.  Two or three times a year I pull the wrong club from my bag by mistake, when I'm not paying attention or I'm distracted.  This is what happened on #4, the 140-yd par three.  The pin was in front, and I wanted to hit an easy 9-iron.  After hitting my well-struck tee shot into the grassy depression short of the green i noticed I had mistakenly pulled my wedge.  So, just for kicks, I teed up a second ball with the 9-iron I really meant to hit.  I'm sure you can imagine what happened.  Landed 4 inches too far, but spun back.  Jar.  Saddest "par" ever.

[ChipRoyce]

13th at Pine Valley.... hit a weak drive down the right side back in the mid 90's and was left with 210 to the pin. Pulled my 5 wood and hit a beautiful draw down the middle of the fairway, turning right down the middle of the green and left me 5 feet for birdie. Made the putt... played one of the great holes in the world as it was intended.

[Evan Fleisher]

Richard P...great photo and story!!!

[Matt MacIver]

Don't have a laundry list to choose from and no great scoring or monetary outcomes, but these two were picture perfect shots, ball-flights and all.  

1) 6 iron from 190 yards to slightly downhill green, and a 1/2 right-to left sidehill fairway lie.  Landed pin high 15 ft away and parked.  Fantastic feeling fixing that ball mark.  Missed the birdie putt.

2) 3 wood ~250 yards to a slightly uphill green into an ocean breeze.  Group is on the green and since there is no way I can reach, I take a nice easy swing and....it lands on the first 6 inches of the green and gently rolls up to the middle.  Dumbfounded I materially pull my first putt but make the 8 footer for birdie.  

[Brian Noser]

Alright here is the senerio. College tournamnet at Ironwood golf glub. One of the few tournaments I played in where they re group after the first day I was in the final pairing after a nice 73 in the first round. We get to the back nine I am down by 3 at this point make a birdie to cut it to 2 make another to cut it to one. We get to 16 par 3  195 down hill into a little breeze over a little lake, at this point many from all teams are done so they have made there way out to the course to watch the final group. So I go first pull a 4 iron and thinking a little punch will get me there, I hit it it never left the pin hits the green one hop in the hole bounces out to about 6 inches. make birdie to tie, with 2 to go. That is the best one I have hit. He was flustered, all this happend with in like 4 holes. I had him on the ropes.

I got to aggresive on the next par five made bogey trying to reach in 2, for the nail in the coffin! lipped out birdie on the last to lose by one

With all the pressure that late in the round and people watching it was my best shot. long story for one shot but I liked it.

[Paul Payne]

I am still reviewing the film in my mind.

Last fall at Sand Hills.

#4 par 4 playing 425 yards that day.

Hit a perfect drive to the left middle of the fairway. I knew from earlier rounds that to hold the green you had to use the banked fringe on the left and let the ball run out. Anything to the middle or right middle on the green was going to roll off and down to the collection area.

I hit a downhill 8 iron 162 yards to the front left right on the banked fringe. The ball rolled across the green and into the hole for my first ever par four eagle.

The best part about it was that I had actually planned the shot (not that it would go in) so it wasn't 100% luck. More like 92% luck.

Still smiling.

[Jordan Wall]

How about the best shot that I have witnessed or...
My friends best shot...

btw, if this is too innapropriate, which I dont feel it is, someone tell me and I will get rid of this post.

My friend and I are having this match, for fun, but also for five dollars.  After the sixteenth hole he had a one stroke lead on me, and another buddy of mine comes and joins us.  I am about to swing, and right during my backswing he yells "You suck" and I snap it into the water.  He was laughing so hard, because I was better then my other friend but he was beating me.

So, my buddy goes up to hit.  My other buddy who just yelled at me (I didnt take it bad) started to help out my friend I was playing my match with with his swing.  My friend listens, takes a couple practice swings, likes what he is told, and so he goes up to hit the ball.  My bud who yelled at me during my backswing just smiles at me and says "That sucks, I'm not gonna talk".  He goes to the right of my friend swinging, lines him up, says good job, and he's like "I'm gonna stay here and see if you swing right".  Im like whatever...

So my friend starts his swing, with my other bud just in front of him and to his right.  Right at the top of his backswing I yell BALLS as loud as I can.  My friend totally shanks his shot--and you guessed it-- hits my other bud right where the sun dont shine.  He is down on the ground, and my friend and me playing the match were laughing soooo hard.  It was a mistake, but it was really funny.

A minute later he got up, said a few words for me, and then left.  He was fine, I dont think anything serious happened to him.  The match was called off and we finished our round with anything but the five dollars on our minds.  It was the funniest thing we had ever seen.  We were laughing so hard, it was really great.

To this day, all of us are still really good friends.

Nobody talks during anybody's swing at all.

And best of all, we all consider it the best --and funniest-- golf shot we have ever seen.

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