ACE ALERT

There have been plenty of memorable holes-in-one through the years

Gary Player will host the Nedbank Golf Challenge, back in its usual December slot, at Sun City. Amazingly, in the 40-year history of this event – formerly known as the Million Dollar – there has only been one hole-in-one!

Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti aced the par-three 4th hole in 2016, which Gary describes as follows: “With water in front of the green, if you miss the green right, you’re in great difficulty. The wind comes through that valley, which makes it even more difficult. It’s hard to read the wind. It has a great effect on the shot. From the high, elevated tee the shot goes higher so it stops quicker, so players are inclined to attack the pin.”

John Bland and Gary Player made over 30 aces in their golfing careers. Sam Snead made a hole-in-one with every different golf club in his bag except his putter and had 42 aces.

A hole-in-one had never been filmed up to the late 1950s, and a TV production company offered Snead $10 000 to keep hitting shots until he made one. He was a wily man and said he would hit 300 shots a day for 10 days if he made one, but if he didn’t, he would still get the cash. They set up to start at 8am and the cameraman told Snead he was ready. Snead got up and knocked it straight into the hole. The cameraman apologised and said he couldn’t follow the ball! Snead said: “There’s no way I’m going to make two aces in one day, so I’ll see you tomorrow.” No, he didn’t hole his first shot again, but he did score an ace by lunchtime!

At the 1971 Martini International tournament, John Hudson made two holes-in-one in a row at the Royal Norwich Golf Club. He first holed a 4-iron shot at the par-three 11th and on the next, a driveable par four, he holed out with his driver. Can you imagine checking that scorecard and seeing 1-1? I’ll bet there were some questions asked!

When you think how many golf tournaments are played where the sponsors give away huge prizes for achieving a hole-in-one, it’s surprising how few are made, especially by the professionals, but the great thing is anyone can do it.

A hole-in-one is often described as “The Perfect Fluke” – just ask Robert Mitara, who holed out from 447 yards at Miracle Hill Golf Club.

I remember a 36-hole amateur tournament at Ficksburg Golf Club years ago. One of the players holed out in the morning with a 7-iron. In the afternoon, when he got to the same hole, he told his caddie to give him the same 7-iron and, would you believe it, he aced it again. Same hole, same ball, same club, same score!

DID YOU KNOW?

During the SA Kids Junior Africa Challenge on 21 August 2024, Luken Meintjes etched his name in the golf annals as the youngest South African to score a hole-in-one.

The Krugersdorp Golf Club member was just six years and two months old when he aced the 9th hole with an 8-iron from 50m.

The previous record-holder was former SA Amateur finalist Chris Woollam, who was six years and eight months when he aced the 4th hole on the Woodmead course at Country Club Johannesburg.

Incidentally, Tim Clark was eight years and seven months when he holed out on the 9th at Umkomaas in July 1984 using a 2-wood. Trevor Immelman broke that record in April 1988, aged eight years and four months, when he aced Somerset West’s 12th hole with a driver (the hole no longer exists).

Art Wall, the 1959 Masters Champion and 14-time PGA Tour winner, made 45 aces using the Hammer grip. What an amazing achievement when you consider that Seve Ballesteros only made one, Ben Hogan four, Grand Slam winner Gene Sarazen seven, Bobby Jones two and the great ladies golfer Patty Berg only one. Hogan said he might have made more if he’d aimed at the flag more often!

Another great story was the father and son who played at Polokwane Golf Club. The father holed his tee shot and jokingly said to his son, “Match that.” The son teed it up, and as the ball dropped into the hole, he said to his dad, “Match that. I beat yours because I get a shot on the hole.”

Gary Player’s late wife, Vivienne, made two holes-in-one during a single round at The Wanderers – a feat not even Gary could match. And amazingly, she made two on the other par three. Five under on four par threes in one round is pretty impressive!

I had a wonderful hole-in-one moment myself in the days of our TV show, The Pitch & Putter.

We were filming at Leeukop Golf Club, and the first shot of the day was on the par-three 18th. I told our cameraman Wain Stanton that he should stand behind me because it was a downhill shot, straight into the sun. I hit the shot, and Wain followed the ball perfectly in the air. It pitched a couple of metres past the hole and spun back into the hole! A “Perfect Fluke” – the first shot of the day!

My favorite hole-in-one story is about a club professional’s daughter in the US who went out to play nine holes.

She came back to the clubhouse excited and told her father she had made a hole-in-one, and he asked her who she’d played with. She said she’d played alone and was told that she didn’t make a hole-in-one. She was crestfallen. Two weeks later, the father got a letter that said: “I am a train driver and was driving my train past your golf course. I saw a young girl on the par three hit a shot that went into the hole for a hole-in-one.” The dad called his daughter over and gave her a big hug as congratulations for her hole-in-one, witnessed by one person. What are the odds of that happening?

A hole-in-one is only the second best thing any golfer can achieve. For my money, the best is still to beat one’s age, something Gary Player and Denis Hutchinson do every time they play. There may be other South Africans, amateur and professional, who have done it. I’m never going to beat my age so I’m trying for the next best thing which is to break my weight!

South Africa’s Dale Hayes is a former professional golfer with an illustrious record in the sport. His 21 professional wins include the 1971 Spanish Open, the 1974 World Cup of Golf in partnership with Bobby Cole, and 13 titles on the Sunshine Tour. He also won the European Tour Order of Merit in 1975. Since retiring from the pro golf circuit he has remained active in the sport as the principal of an event management company and a popular and respected commentator.