I was working as a Starter/Marshal on March 30, 2006 at Signal Hill Golf Course in Panama City Beach, FL. I was playing lots of golf since starters were allowed to play free. I like that word free. The 16th hole at Signal Hill is a 155 yard par 3 uphill with trees and heavy foliage on the left jutting out into the fairway. The fairway slopes to the right and the green is radically sloped to the right also. Balls tapped on the left side of the green can sometimes wind up 70-80 feet away after rolling off the green and down the steep right side of the fairway. The left side of the green is a ridge running from the front of the green about three fourths of the way to the back. The apron of the green slopes sharply to the left and the return chip is almost impossible to stop, especially late in the day during the summer. A ball pulled a little further to the left will almost surely end up in the treed, Palmetto bushed hillside sloping down to the cart path and the 17th tee box. The only reasonably flat part of the green is located on the top one fourth of the green.

On this particular day the pin was cut about eight feet from the front of the green and also about eight feet from the right edge. Anything shot at the pin would surely wind up in the gulley off to the right of the green.

I hit a five iron and played it just to the right of center and a little short of the green. The front apron had a slight slope to it so when the ball hit about two feet short of the front of the green it hopped almost straight up and landed on the front edge of the green with just enough backspin on the ball to stop it momentarily and then it caught the slope and rolled slowly down to the right and into the hole!

Now I was playing alone but I noticed some shouting from the 15th green which was located to the right of the 16th green and about midway between the 16th green and tee box. They had a better view of it than I did. It just so happened they were also Starter/Marshal's at the golf course. I had my witnesses so I could register my Ace!

We went to the clubhouse where I got my certificate and the newspaper noted it in the sports section. I went home that night and checked the internet to see how to be recognized by the PGA for my feat. Unfortunately Signal Hill did not have a PGA Certified Professional working there so I found out I couldn't be recognized since one of the requirements is the course has to have a PGA professional working there. Oh well.

So I sent an email to Titleist, since I was playing a Pro-v1x. They sent me a nice letter and a pewter bag tag which recognized the fact I shot a Hole-In-One! Thanks Titleist. You'll always be No. 1.