In golfing terms, one under par for a hole is a birdie, two under par is an eagle and three under par is an albatross - one of the rarest achievements in the game.
Most holes-in-one are scored on par threes and therefore are eagles.
Not only it is Rod's first 'ace' but it puts him on more than equal footing with father-in-law Bill Bartels and brother-in-law Kevin Bartels, who have previously scored holes-in-one.
Rod, a forklift driver for Waikato Valley Chocolates, reckons it is his turn to give 'the bird' to his competitive relatives.
"Let's get real here," says Rod.
"Those boys got their aces on par threes. Mine was an albatross on a real golf hole - a 266m par four.
"It's about time they started eating humble pie."
Rod plans to have the ball mounted and give it pride of place in his trophy cabinet.
