[Duncan Cheslett]

This week I celebrate my first anniversary as a member of Reddish Vale and so as a proper golfer, rather than a guy who may play one round every five years or so.

This afternoon while playing in the Wednesday Section competition, I topped a 7-wood off the second tee into the low winter sun in the vague direction of the green on the other side of a ravine. I didn't think I'd made the carry but my playing partners convinced me that the ball was on the green...




... it wasn't.


Neither was it in the short rough behind the green.

Finally I approached the cup for a quick look before declaring the ball lost and lo and behold - there it was!


Now this is supposed to be the ultimate euphoric moment in golf, yet I feel a fraud; for two reasons...

A. It was a crap shot.

B. I didn't see it happen.



I simply do not feel the way I thought I would. Even losing my virginity was more uplifting, and that was an embarrassing disaster!

Somebody please tell me that I'm not alone...

[David_Tepper]

Duncan -

I won a car on my first ace. For some reason, the two I have had since have not been quite as exciting!

DT

[Duncan Cheslett]

A car!

I won the opportunity to buy a drink for twenty miserable bastards in the clubhouse!

[Adrian_Stiff]

Ive had 4 proper ones and I have always felt a bit spaced out fer 5 minutes afterwards but I have always seen them and they were good shots, but I suppose your 'bad shot and blind' is kinda a horrible way. I think one at the 5th or 10th at Painswick would be okay as long as it was a good shot I hope you get rewarded with a nice one soon Duncan.

[PCCraig]

Wouldn't know!   

[Steve_Lovett]

There are no style points in golf.  I've made two holes-in-one, yes - both on good shots (but none with a fairway wood!).  And have made dozens of birdies that I never deserved and bogeys on holes where I never struck a poor shot. 

I say congratulations on your great achievement!

[Kalen Braley]

A car!

I won the opportunity to buy a drink for twenty miserable bastards in the clubhouse!

Duncan,

This is too funny!!  I've often felt it would be better to get that first one when no one is around!!   

[Sean Leary]

I did have an albatross, though, where I hit a perfect drive and 8 iron into the cup on hole 12 at Castelisland. Both pure strikes and the guys on the green ahead were hopping up and down gesturing that the ball had gone in. Man, that was a special day...

Sounds like a par 4 and you hit into the group ahead.....

[Michael Moore]

I was out playing multiple balls.

That ain't no hole in one.

[Kalen Braley]

I did have an albatross, though, where I hit a perfect drive and 8 iron into the cup on hole 12 at Castelisland. Both pure strikes and the guys on the green ahead were hopping up and down gesturing that the ball had gone in. Man, that was a special day...

Sounds like a par 4 and you hit into the group ahead.....

My question would be...

If he only had an 8 iron approach, why was he hitting while they were still on the green?  Unless he meant they were nearby on the tee box of the next hole.

[Jason Topp]

Duncan:

There are enough bad breaks in the game that you need to enjoy the good ones.  Congratulations!

[Joe_Tucholski]

Duncan,

First of all, congratulations!!

Secondly, I feel your pain. My first hole in one came one evening at Royal Mid Surrey - I was out playing multiple balls. The first ball I hit, I boned into the side of the hill fronting the green and it bounded over it, I assumed it was somewhere in the rough around the green. Horrible strike, I teed up another one and hit it nicely to the green. When I went up, I looked for my first for ages before checking the hole - I couldn't believe it. The fact that I had hit a second ball (but the first one WAS the ball that went in) really tainted it for me. That and the fact that I had hit such a terrible shot. Yup, I felt crap. I don't even feel as if I've had a hole in one. And I won't do until I have a "proper" one!

I did have an albatross, though, where I hit a perfect drive and 8 iron into the cup on hole 12 at Castelisland. Both pure strikes and the guys on the green ahead were hopping up and down gesturing that the ball had gone in. Man, that was a special day...

Driver - 8 iron how long is the hole.  I tried to check the website but they must have re-routed the course.

I haven't had my first ace yet but have yelled FORE on a par 3 and ended up winning the closest to the pin contest with the shot.  Felt kind of bad when shaking hands and taking the prize at the awards luncheon (felt even worse that I didn't make the putt and lost the tournament by one).

[Wade Whitehead]

Duncan:

Would you rather have hit a bad shot that didn't go in the hole?

WW

[Jeff_Brauer]

I've had two, and neither was a real thing of joy.  The first was exactly like yours - never saw it go in, but knew in my case it was a good shot.  The second was at SFGC, in front of some architects and on the duel hole.  We gasped the minute it left the club face.  Somehow, good shot vs. right at the pin is somehow knowable.

However, I was my own typical smart ass self almost immediately both times - as soon as I found my ball/saw it go in, I turned and said "Your shot is good!"

It may be that I know no matter how good, the ace is still a matter of luck.  I was more exhilarated at my first eagle on a par 5, first time breaking 80, and my first run of 3 birdies in a row....come to think of it, except for breaking 80, the other two were only one time events for me.

The three birds was the most enlightening, occurring right after I had announced that I was giving up on my round.  Not sure what that meant, but the minute score became unimportant, I started shooting lights out.

[Mike Nuzzo]

I'm with Wade
Congratulations
Now tell us about how you lost your virginity...
Cheers

[Matthew Rose]

I was in such shock after my first one that I double-bogeyed two of the next three holes and was basically a basket case. But I was 17 then and had terrible course management anyway.

My second one was more exciting, if only because I did it in competition, but like Jeff, it was also the first time I ever broke 80. 16 years later and it is still probably the best golf day of my life, even though I've shot many lower scores and played better courses since then.

[Terry Lavin]

I've had four and none was deflating!

[Colin Macqueen]

Duncan,
Congratulations!  How timely!  I had my first hole-in-one in competition a week past Saturday. Like your good self there were only 3 balls from the group of four to be seen on the green upon arrival and none belonged to me. However the perfervid Scot had hit a wondrous 20deg hybrid with majestic flight towards the pin 170 metres away. Hunting at the back of the green was to no avail and just as hope was giving way to despair the ridiculous notion to look in the hole dawned on the foursome. Eureka!
The hole is such that one cannot see the ball enter so that was a disappointment but finding it there was a joy...so mixed feelings so far!
Now, in Australia, a fearful tradition, for a Scot, of shouting the bar is ostensibly an ongoing tradition. This thought produced some deflation and must have struck fear into my heart as I proceeded to triple bogey, double bogey, double bogey my way in!
At my club you announce your success by ringing a big old bell which of course alerts a barful of Aussie boozers to the fact that the bar is "open". The wily old Scot however had had a quiet word to the barman and capped the largesse at $200! I thought I might get a wee bit of change from this amount. Not on yer life. The Aussie bleeders had knocked that dosh off within twenty minutes!

So disappointment, joy, deflation then fear of impending penury were my feelings at the time!

Cheers Colin

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Duncan,

A hole in one, IS a hole in one. Celebrate it. Welcome to the HIO club!

[PThomas]

i dont have one, but if my first is like that I would feel deflated

I told my wife that if my first one is like that, that i'd throw the ball away..she looked at me like i was crazy

[Tim Martin]

Duncan,

First of all, congratulations!!

Secondly, I feel your pain. My first hole in one came one evening at Royal Mid Surrey - I was out playing multiple balls. The first ball I hit, I boned into the side of the hill fronting the green and it bounded over it, I assumed it was somewhere in the rough around the green. Horrible strike, I teed up another one and hit it nicely to the green. When I went up, I looked for my first for ages before checking the hole - I couldn't believe it. The fact that I had hit a second ball (but the first one WAS the ball that went in) really tainted it for me. That and the fact that I had hit such a terrible shot. Yup, I felt crap. I don't even feel as if I've had a hole in one. And I won't do until I have a "proper" one!

I did have an albatross, though, where I hit a perfect drive and 8 iron into the cup on hole 12 at Castelisland. Both pure strikes and the guys on the green ahead were hopping up and down gesturing that the ball had gone in. Man, that was a special day...

Duncan-Congratulations  on your ace. Remember that there aint no pictures on the scorecard only a nifty looking 1.

Brian- I think that being able to claim an albatross is just as good and possibly(I don`t know the odds) rarer than an ace. Nice!

[Brad Tufts]

Way to go Duncan!

I think common sense must rule in weird hole-in-ones.  You didn't hit it great, but it went in...you would have taken a birdie if it hit a tree and fell a foot from the hole right?  That one doesn't bother me.

I also say Brian's is a legit hole-in-one too.  First ball in works for me.  I would feel weird like you do if I played 4 holes and made one...has to be a 9 or 18-hole round for me.

I made one once on a second ball, as I had spaced out while talking to my dad and pulled the wrong club when I meant to hit a different one (said "hit the 9" in my head, and pulled the PW out of my bag by mistake).  When I hit it short, I realized I was an idiot and hit one with the 9...jar.  I walked right by my first ball without picking it up (it was in front of the green), and put a 3 on my card.  Not exactly USGA-style (wasn't lost, although I acted so), but it worked for me, ha.  I still will not allow my dad to view this as a hole-in-one.

Luckily I made one at Chechessee (#7) 2 years later that was fully certified in my head and in the heads of others.


My dad actually made a hole-in-one for a car in a charity tourament in 2005 or so.  If I had only made my 8-foot birdie putt, we would have gone 1-2-3-4 as a group!

[astavrides]

I was out playing multiple balls.

That ain't no hole in one.

Not even if it's your first ball? Maybe not...

unless you declared your second a provisional, it is not a hole in one.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

As I was on the tee celebrating my second ace, I glanced over the shrubs to my left and saw a funeral procession drive by on the street. For some reason, that brought me down.


Congratulations!

[Sean Leary]

Mine happened on a hole at my old club that was 112 yards and very easy where there are dozens per year there. So it felt a bit cheap, maybe like 3/4 of a HIO.

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