Family Connection

I scored my first hole-in-one on 9/21/13 at Sea Palms in St. Simons, GA. It occurred on the 6th hole (my wife’s favorite number), white tees at 158 yards, and I hit a 7 iron. I used a Pro V1 number 2 ball that my brother had given me over Labor Day weekend for my birthday, which was on 9/22/13 (my 40th).

It was my first time playing Sea Palms (I live in Woodstock, GA), but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I had tried to play it in 2011 during a family reunion to celebrate my wife’s grandparents 60th anniversary, but I canceled the tee-time because my wife was sad after family started heading home; I canceled the tee-time to comfort her.

Then, in 2012, I had another tee-time at Sea Palms when my wife and I took a trip to St. Simons sans kids. However, we cut the trip short to be with my wife’s grandfather, who passed away not long after we got back home. “Pop” (and his wife, "Mimi”) are the reason my wife and I still go to St. Simons, as they have a beach house there. My family and I were back in St. Simons over the weekend of September 21st to celebrate my 40th birthday, and my wife set up the tee-time. I was wearing a shirt that Pop owned. Mimi gave it to me after his passing, and I purposely wore it that morning.

Of all the connections, though, the connection with my dad is the craziest. His only hole-in-one happened 40 years to the day that I got mine. We know this because he got it the day before I was born. Amazing!

Sea Palms is now one of my favorite courses, if not my favorite. Even without my hole-in-one experience, my time at Sea Palms was fantastic. Incredibly friendly staff, and the course was in beautiful shape. Kudos to Rick Irwin, the Head Golf Professional there, and the entire Sea Palms staff.