Anendra Singh The reactions of golfers may differ but there's no disputing their emotions once they have realised the ultimate dream of scoring that elusive hole in one.
Brendan O'Connor let out an ear-splitting "yee-hah" but Peter Clayton was more circumspect when the golfers aced their par 3 holes at the Hastings Golf Club (Bridge Pa) last Friday.
What made their feats remarkable was that they did it during the same Malaghan Institute of Medical Research 18-hole charity tournament after a shotgun start off the white tee markers on an unpredictable day punctuated by sun, rain and wind gusts.
O'Connor, 41, of Havelock North, claimed his on the 16th 132m Gulf hole using his 7 iron club and an Optima 4 ball.
"I did a big yee-hah and turned a few heads across the road," said O'Connor, a manager at Whakatu Coolstores. It was the nine handicapper's second hole of the day and he carded 81 off the stick.
"It felt perfect, just the right swing and follow through, although there's always an element of luck involved.
"It's a great feeling. The rest of the day was a blur, mate. The refreshments from the cart was a help for the rest of the round," the Hawke's Bay Golf Club member said with a chuckle.
"I rang the missus (partner Tammy Ebbitt) from my cell (phone) but she obviously had her cellphone tucked in at the bottom of her handbag, as she usually does." O'Connor started playing golf six years ago after many years playing hockey. The former Hawke's Bay rep played senior club hockey for the now defunct Hastings City Hockey Club.
For Clayton, 50, a Dannevirke businessman, it took a few minutes to reach seventh heaven on the Murley's 170m 13th hole, using his 5 iron and a run-of-the-mill ball the tournament sponsors supplied.
"I thought I hit the ball too long but my playing partner thought it was short. So we spend some time looking for it before finding it in the hole.
"It must have gone in straight on the fly," said Clayton, who has been playing the game since he was a high school student in Wanganui.
"You could say it was one big fluke," the Norsewood Golf Club 14 handicapper, who hit a tournament-winning 82 off the stick for 40 stableford points, said with a laugh.
Clayton won a barbecue set for his hole in one but donated it back to the charity, which auctioned it for about $1500. He took home a sandwich maker for winning the tournament. O'Connor won a $200 meal voucher to a Napier restaurant.
The tournament organiser, Denise Bull, said the institute had taken the golf balls to mount for the players. The Wellington-based biomedical institute, an independent charitable trust, raised about $21,000.
"Our mission is to alleviate and treat the illnesses affecting New Zealanders like cancer, asthma, multiple sclerosis and infectious diseases," Bull said. A similar tourney is held in Wellington and Auckland.
GOLF: Ace-in-the-hole heaven
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