It’s winter and unfortunately in Germany we then often only play on front-laid winter greens. This means that the greens are just a small short mowed grass area with a bucket-like hole. This of course increases the probability of hitting a hole in one, as the hole is much larger. However, the turf is anything but level and a true putt is out of question!
But despite this, or perhaps because of it, I made a hole in one on such a green on 8.1.2022.
It was a Saturday, on which I actually only wanted to practice a little on the driving range. After an hour, I didn’t feel like it anymore. Since the pitching area and the putting green were closed for practice, I decided to play 9 holes on the regular 18 hole course.
Here, too, winter greens were in use and the ground of the fairway was terribly wet. Since I always have my problems with the irons, I thought to myself “ok, this time you always take the 7 iron from the fairway and tee”. Normally I like to play my hybrid, but I’m good at that. So today let’s learn.
It went better from hole to hole. At distances where I only needed 9 or 8 iron, the precision was amazing. I had paid a lot of attention to “ball first then ground” contact and put a tee close to my ball to control where the divot was after hitting. That was very helpful.
After almost hitting the ball straight in with the 9-iron on the last hole, I was wide awake and not a bit tired. It was already dawn, but there was still enough time for the last 2 holes of the short course. Besides, this was also a little shortcut to the parking lot.
At the tee of hole 8, I teed up the ball and took my 8 iron (last time, my 9 iron was too short for the hole – I still remembered that). It is about 110 meters to the hole.
During the practice swing and also during the real shot, I really didn’t think about anything. I was like in a bubble. After I hit the ball, I just thought “hmm, that was a good one.” I followed the ball; it went really high in the air – much steeper than usual for me. Then it landed about 1m from the flag, made a leap forward and disappeared into the hole. At least that’s how I thought I saw it. But since the ball sometimes gets stuck on the edge of the bucket, I wasn’t really looking forward to it yet….
I grabbed my smartphone, set it to movie mode and went to the hole. And lo and behold, the ball was in!
Have you ever had a hole in one (HIO)?
What an exciting story! It’s amazing how sometimes the most unexpected circumstances lead to the most memorable moments. Your description of playing on those front-laid winter greens really paints a picture of the challenges involved, yet you managed to turn it into an opportunity for a remarkable achievement.
Your dedication to practice and your willingness to adapt your strategy, even in less than ideal conditions, clearly paid off. The attention to detail in your technique, focusing on “ball first then ground” contact and using a tee for control, shows a commitment to improvement that’s inspiring.
And then, to top it all off with a hole in one on the last hole of the day – it’s like something out of a movie! The way you described being in a bubble, focused solely on the shot, is a feeling every golfer can relate to, albeit rare to experience.
Congratulations on your hole in one! It’s moments like these that make golf such a special sport, where persistence, skill, and a little bit of luck all come together in perfect harmony. Keep enjoying those magical moments on the course!
Thank you very much for the great comment (and the praise for my training and my approach).
Yes, these are the special golf moments that you will never forget…