Big dog brings ‘big surprise’ for Jonesy

who let the big dog out?: Nigel Jones did and achieved a golfing career-first hole-in-one on the Mahia course at the weekend. Picture by Carl Carmody

There's an old golf adage that is debatable: “Drive for show, putt for dough.”

Nigel Jones would certainly argue against the “drive” part of it after achieving the first ace of his 23 years playing the game.

“Jonesy”, a member of Poverty Bay Golf Club, used driver, aka “the big dog”, for the perfect shot on the 159-metre 15th hole at Mahia on Sunday.

“It was a big surprise,” said the retired builder, who has a bach at the popular beach spot.

Jonesy was playing in the annual Mahia men's two-day open tournament in a field of around 110 players.

The 19-handicapper reckoned he assessed the headwind (15 kilometres an hour according to his human anemometer — holding up a wet finger) and felt driver was “just the right club for the distance”.

He and his playing partners watched as his ball landed short of the green, bounced on and ran up to the hole.

Witnesses on the nearby seventh tee saw it all happen, let out a roar and jumped up and down.

“I jumped up and down, too,” Jonesy said. “It was a sweet shot. I knew it was going to be close (as he watched his ball) but thought that a driver might be too much.”

Jones, a junior club champion at Poverty Bay back in his day, started golf at the age of 48. He's now 71.

He has gone close in the past — putting his tee shot on the 11th at his home course to about six inches of the hole . . . not with a driver.

It is understood Jonesy's shot was the first ace on the hole in over 20 years.