After years without a hole-in-one, I had started to think my days of dropping one in on a single swing might be behind me. But golf, as always, finds a way to surprise us.

We had a strong turnout that day—three teams of three, all regulars I’ve played with for years. One of the guys in our group has now witnessed two of my most improbable moments on the course: my albatross from a couple of years back, and now this.

The round started hot—I birdied the first hole. Normally, that’s a bad omen for me; birdie the first and it’s all downhill from there. But not today. I added another birdie on the fourth and then came the moment I won’t forget: a hole-in-one on the seventh.

The back nine didn’t hold up quite as well. I carded double bogeys on 10, 14, and 18, but salvaged things a bit with birdies on 15 and 17. When it was all said and done, I signed for a 77. Not as low as I might have hoped given the highlights, but the memories made it one of my most memorable rounds in years.