I made a hole-in-one. Not all people see it that way

A few weeks ago, I played the Wee Course, a par-3 seven-hole course at Apogee Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. In my group were colleagues Johnny Wunder and Adam Christensen and Top 100 Teachers Stephen Sweeney, along with some of Sweeney’s friends and family. If you do the math, that’s more than four golfers, but that’s the thing about the Wee Course: There aren’t many rules. Well, we didn’t even play the holes in order. Our first hole was the 4th on the card and our second was the 5th. It wasn’t until after 7 that we circled back and played 1, 2 and 3. Fun stuff.

But back on the 5th hole (our second), all 68 yards of it. Stephen struck first and threw the arrow to about 6 centimeters behind the flag, a gun that had a bad right to follow it. I went in with my new custom Ping S259 putter and hit a wide open drive that went just past the hole and turned at a 45º angle. As my ball headed for the cup, it swung to Stephen’s and . . . he disappeared. My second job is a hole-in-one. But that’s where the story begins.

Let’s set the scene

We weren’t at Apogee to film or create content. We were only there for pure enjoyment. As we walked around the area – each of us with just three clubs and a putter – the setting sun cast a soft glow on all the manicured surfaces. Perfection.

On our way to the first match, Stephen told me about the trophies the club gives to players who make an ace on the Wee Course. I didn’t think much of it, but Stephen said he didn’t have one (and neither did Apogee member Rory McIlroy); Stephen’s father, on the other hand, makes sure we all know him he did be one. The first hole showed what to expect after a long day of work and being tied to a car for a few hours: most of us missed the green. We laughed, poked each other and then dug out the hole. We didn’t expect anything from this round, except to have a good time.

In the next game, when Stephen’s shot shook the hole, our team was ready to explode, but the ball refused to drop. Then my luck came. Adam didn’t catch the ball that fell into the hole, but he narrated our reaction, which you can see above. Before long, Adam posted a video to GOLF.com’s Slack channel (our messaging platform), with the caption: “Does it matter?”

Our colleagues had ideas. But I’ll get back to those in a minute.

Not my first hole-in-one

This was not my first hole. About two years earlier I had made an ace at BryanGolf’s Battle on the Beach at Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, Fla. From 167 yards, I hit an 8 iron (little touch to be honest) into the blind pin and didn’t see it drop into the hole.

That conversion was especially meaningful to me because a year earlier I had lost my grandfather, who lived in Florida, and this was my full phase in the state since he died. When I found the ball under the cup, I was a little moved, as if somehow I was connecting with my grandfather. It’s a moment I’ll never forget, but the story of the Apogee ace is one I’ll always tell first.

Partner reaction

As the video of the ace circulated in our Slack group, a debate quickly raged as to whether my 68-yard ace on the short course should count as a … ACE. I have only been in GOLF for about six months and have never played golf with most of my partners let alone had time to understand their barometers of what constitutes a “real” hole in one.

The reaction was mixed. Jack Hirsh contested the hole-in-one anywhere the range of achievements to be celebrated; Zephr Melton, Josh Berhow and Alex Gelman, on the other hand, said the shot was not long enough for their liking. Tim Reilly argued that you should only be able to count a par-3 course hole-in-one once you’ve made a 1 on a regulation course.

That led to the classic “What about Pebble Beach No.7?” argument, a hole where golfers regularly hit 90-yard aces. My take? It was a hole-in-one by definition – and I will forever share my story. But I will never tell people that I have two holes in one. I will tell them that I have one hole, and one a short lesson hole-in-one. Why bother taking out a loan with a shorty? Because of the memory it produced; I never want that to die.

The story is the winner, not the ball in the hole

My work is a wonderful grind. Being a part of the Fully Equipped team is amazing, but also challenging in many ways with so much going on behind the scenes. Johnny Wunder, my boss, is a friend and mentor. Playing golf with him is always fun, but we often find ourselves playing “business” golf and rarely get a chance to enjoy playing together without strings attached.

This round was different. Pure joy. Stephen was kind enough to bring us to Apogee, which blew Johnny and I away with its beauty. It was also a pleasure to play with Adam, who has been running alongside me for the past few months as we have put together Fully Equipped platforms to deliver high quality and regular content to our viewers. But for this short walk around the Wee Course, we put everything aside.

Besides seeing the ball drop, there were many other moments to love. Johnny hit another one a six inch arrow immediately behind me. A group of boys saw my ball go in as they passed the green. A celebration from THEM! Complete strangers who were excited to see the ace. High-fives, first bumps, hugs. This was a celebration with friends. It didn’t matter to me that the shot was 100 yards shorter than my first hole-in-one. This meant a lot to me right away, which is why I care about it so much.

So, yes. . . hole-in-one. The 1 I want to talk about the most is because of the people who were with me when it happened. And if the day ever comes when I show Rory my medal, I’d love to have that conversation with him.

Until then, I’ll keep telling everyone.