Jean’s 25-year wait over

PERFECT: Jean Foot hit a hole-in-one on the seventh, Gisborne Park’s longest par three at 165 metres. Picture by Paul Rickard

Jean Foot waited 25 years for the perfect shot and when her hole-in-one arrived on Saturday, it didn’t seem too much out of the ordinary.

“You hit it and you think, ‘That looks all right’,” she said today, recalling her one wood off the tee at the 165-metre seventh, the longest par three at Electrinet Park Golf Club’s course.

Her hole-in-one did not come in a competition, but in a casual round with friends Pat Johansen and Blanche Walker.

Jean thought her tee shot must have gone over the back of the green and, after being unable to find her ball, checked the hole and there it was.

Jean was a primary and intermediate schoolteacher for 30 years.

She grew up Jean Pilmer, daughter of Matawai farmer Joe Pilmer and his wife Mary, who owned and ran the Matawai tea rooms once the children had left home.

After training college, Jean taught “in various places” and ended up in Wairoa, where she became deputy principal at Wairoa Intermediate.

For the last seven years of her career, Jean taught food technology.

It was in Wairoa about 25 years ago that she took up golf, and after she retired to Gisborne 12 years ago she joined the Gisborne Park Golf Club.

Golf roundupGisborne Park Sunday — Men’s stableford: S Phillips 37 on countback from B Huhu 37.

Two: J Glassford.

Women’s stableford: S Paku 36.

Two: K McDonald.

Saturday — Men’s stableford: H Schreiber 42, E Morley 39, A Nairne 37.

Twos: H White.

Sunday (December 23) — Women’s stableford: P Shaw 40.

Two: P Johansen.

Te Puia Springs

COMING UP: This SUNDAY (January 6), first round Summer Cup (stableford).