I made my hole-in-one on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 8, at The Club at Cress Creek in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. I had gotten off to a great start and was already one under par through the first three holes when I stepped onto the 140-yard, downhill par-3 fourth hole overlooking the Potomac River.

I pulled my 8-iron and hit a soft baby fade toward the middle pin placement on a green that slopes from left to right. The ball landed about 10 to 12 feet left of the hole, took one hop and checked, then slowly began spinning back down the slope. We watched as it kept rolling until it finally disappeared into the cup.

What made the moment even more special was the personal connection to that hole. Eighteen years ago, my family spread my father-in-law’s ashes there, and there is a commemorative bench on the tee box where I hit the shot from. Making my 2nd hole-in-one on that hole made it a memory I’ll never forget.