I've been playing golf for over 40 years and had never had an "Ace". I'd holed out from the fairway from some distance but never a "hole-in-one".

I was playing in a group on the second day of a three day tournament on Cape Cod. The year before on this course(Cranberry Valley), the weather had been so bad that my score was 99 and I was a 10 handicap at the time. It was a perfect Fall day but after last year I had no real expectations. I was hitting the ball ok for early in the morning and actualy was one under after two.

The third hole proved to be a bit of a challenge but I scrambled for bogey to go back to even. I then stepped up to the 4th tee fairly loose from the scramble on the previous hole. Number 4 is a 168 yard par three. The pin was cut center-back in the shadows so we could not realy see the hole.

I hit a smooth 7 iron and it tracked dead at the stick. I knew it was going to be a good shot but had NO expectations of it going in. We got up to the green and we saw no ball. I immediately thouight "Damm, I flew the green and now i'm in the back bunker or back rough".

My patners suggested that I look in the hole but I was too nervous to even think that it might be in. I walked along the back of the green and still no ball. I gingerly started towards the pin, a little nervous and weak legged. I got to the pin, looked down and saw a black number 2 Titleist staring right up at me. I was in shock, not knowing whether to scream or faint. My partners were yelling more for me at that point than I was for myself.

Luckily, one of the group had a cell phone camera and was able to take pictures of me taking the ball out of the cup. Probably the hardest shot I had to hit all day was the tee ball on the next hole. It was only the 5th hole but as far as i was concerned my round was pretty much over. I was able to hold it together long enough to complete the round and shoot 79 (a 20 stroke improvemenmt over the previous year).

Even though I finished third in the tournament, the shot on the 4th hole at Cranberry Valley that day more than made up for anything else that week. My thanks to my playing partners Dave and Jim Bodenrader and Billy Lantagne for celebrating my "Ace" as well as keeping me upright the rest of the round!!