Ron Brown

Ron Brown

My favorite personal hole-in-one story occurred a number of years ago at the short 8th hole across the pond at my local course. I was playing alone, but catching a slow group. So I waited for a single, whom I'd seen before but did not know, coming up the 7th fairway. As we walked to the 8th tee together, he asked if I'd ever made a hole-in-one on that hole. I thought it an odd question to ask since we'd just met, but said that I had earlier that year. But I pointed out that it would be hard to get to this pin as it was on the very front and right at the top of a ridge that bisected the green - any shot would feed away from the hole. Then, while my Pro V1 was in mid-air, he said, "Oh, that's going in!" It hit about a foot past the hole, hopped forward, and spun back into the cup. But what made the story interesting was after I finished the round and went into the pro shop to register it. When asked who could attest to the shot, I responded that I didn't know him - and he had already left the course. "But I know his name is Joe, so just put down 'Joe Smith', it can't possibly matter." I've since gotten to know him. His name is Joe Smith.