I recently served as a Rules Official for the Iowa Girls High School class 2A state golf championship tournament held at the American Legion Memorial Golf Course in Marshalltown, Iowa. In advance of the event I got to preview the course by playing it on May 24, 2023 with fellow rules official Mike Casey and two members of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, Robin Madole and Ginny Horsfield. I played the round with a 2021 Titleist ProV1 yellow ball. On the par 4 5th hole I got a great surprise when my second shot from 140 yards with a 7-iron found the green left of my aim line and then rolled into the hole for an eagle two.

Things became surreal when we got to the 16th tee. Mike pointed out a friend in the foursome on the nearby 12th tee who'd recently aced the par 3 9th hole here. I asked Mike what the tradition is at the Legion Course when one makes a hole-in-one? He didn't answer, but went over to visit the foursome on the 12th. I teed up the ball, took dead aim at the flag, and noticing how quiet the group on 12 had gotten as they watched me set up, let go with my best swing of the day -- the ball going high and straight at the flagstick. As it came down on the green one of the fellows shouted "go in the hole". And then it did! The high-fives were bedlam. And I was left pretty speechless for the rest of the round. The ball went to a safe place in the bag and now rests comfortably on my trophy shelf.

Mike told me on the way to the next hole that the tradition at their course was for the player to give the others in the foursome each $100. But he couldn't keep a straight face for long after saying it. The ensuing bar tab for the seven witnesses was not onerous. They were all very polite and took it easy on me. :)

I finished the round with an even par 70, scored with twelve pars, four bogies and no birdies! I wonder, how many times that has happened?

The photos attached include one of my three playing partners, Mike, Robin and Ginny.

If anyone who reads this knows the odds of one golfer making a long eagle and a hole-in-one in the same round I'd like to hear it. This was the second hole-in-one in my life, both made with Titleist ProV1's.