Pursuing that elusive first hole in one
Maybe it’s just me since I don’t have one, but doesn’t it seem like there are a lot of holes-in-one being made recently.
Lee Westwood recorded his 15th on Friday in the CIMB Classic in China.
My brother, who shall remain nameless (Steve), has six, one of which I witnessed, so at least I know what it’s supposed to look like.
And how about the older gentleman from Pittsburgh, 81-year-old Dom DeBonis, who’s originally from Sharpsburg? He had four holes in one on four different courses in three different states.
And then down at Hilton Head on Palmetto Hall Plantation’s Robert Cupp Course, three golfers from different foursomes aced the eighth hole from the blue tees.
The odds against getting even one hole-in-one are considerable. The odds against multiple aces are even more considerable.
And here I am, out there flailing away every chance I get and I’m still pitching a shutout.
I’ve come close on occasion, the most memorable being a 7-iron shot on the 11th hole at Dick Groat’s Champion Lakes course in Bolivar. The shot has to go over a pond and mine did just fine, hitting left of the stick and sliding just over the edge of the cup and finished inches from the hole.
The other came last year when I was fortunate enough to play the Lower Course at historic Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. Like Oakmont, Baltusrol is an amazing test of golf and features many wonderful holes.
The par 3 16th plays 180 yards and I hit a 5-iron about 10 feet left of the flagstick. When the ball hit the green, it took the slope and started rolling to the hole. Of course, considering my track record, it was right on line but stopped a couple feet short of going in.
I remain undeterred, however, and continue to avidly pursue that goal.
n One of the best guys in the golf business, Oakmont Country Club’s director of golf Bob Ford, is coming to the other side.
SiriusXM Radio announced this week that Ford will host a show on the satellite network starting in January. Playing for Pride will focus on amateur golf and amateur golfers and will focus on the best players in the country.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to do this radio show for SiriusXM on the PGA Tour network,” Ford said Friday from Seminole Golf Club, where he spends his winters as the golf professional. “We’ll bring the top amateurs in the country to life with our listeners. I think most of those guys will be easier to relate to than most of the tour players today.”
Just taking a wild guess here, but I’m thinking you might hear guys like Pittsburgh’s Nathan Smith, a four-time winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, and Sean Knapp, who has remained an elite amateur past his 50th birthday.
These guys have careers away from golf but have been able to keep their skills at the high level required to compete and win local and national amateur events and occasionally play in select tournaments against the world’s best professionals.
The show will air on XM channel 93, Sirius channel 208.
Like everything else Ford has done through his spectacular career, count on Playing for Pride being top-notch, too.
n Dustin Johnson won’t be playing next week in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions event were he is the defending champion.
Johnson took an indefinite leave of absence in September to deal with “personal challenges” that are rumored to be connected to chemical dependency issues. His fiancée, Paula Gretzky, is pregnant and the word is he won’t return until after the baby is born.
One of the hot rumors when Johnson left was that he had been suspended by the PGA Tour for those issues, but both sides have denied that.
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Do you have an interesting story about your club or course or an individual who has done something special, let me know. Send your story ideas to mike.dudurich@gmail.com.
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Mike Dudurich is a freelance golf writer and also hosts The Golf Show on 93.7 The Fan, Saturday mornings from 7-8 during golf season.