Saturday 22 June 2024,

There was a sense of anticipation as the group of Rob O’Connell, and the Lamoureux clan – Gilbert, Jackie and Sasha approached the 8th hole. As Rob walked on to the 8th tee, the stage was illuminated by a shaft of brilliant sunshine and the whisper of a following breeze over his left shoulder.

Having birdied the 6th and narrowly missing a birdie putt on the 7^th, Rob’s prospects for the par 3 8th were tantalising – he had found that rare “purple patch” and was brimming with confidence.

The match committee, in its infinite wisdom, had considered all permutations and combinations of weather conditions and lack of grass and set the tee markers in a forward position.

Normally favouring a 6 iron as the go to option Rob dismissed that and chose an adventurous Titleist 7 iron. “The Plan” was to fly the ball over the bunker and draw it softly onto the green (and hopefully somewhere near the flag).

Three practice swings, an adjustment to stance, grip and alignment and Rob let fly with a “well struck shot”!  Unfortunately, that dream about the green and the draw were immediately erased from his thoughts.

The well flighted ball flew over the bunker and smashed into the adjacent gum tree. One startled koala was heard to mutter obscenities as the ball ricocheted toward the green.

Rob was looking for somewhere to hide as the embarrassment of the ball hitting the tree and coming to rest on the green was a real possibility. However, he watched in silence as the ball dropped onto and rolled across the green, it clattered into the brand-new English Javelin pin with fitted cup-saver, and disappeared.

Rob embraced the possibility of having scored a hole in one. The group on the 9th tee (who were somewhat startled by the splintering of tree branches, and lack of Fore call) whooped it up, confirming that the ball had indeed finished at the bottom of the hole.

 

Congratulations Rob O’Connell – a rare feat indeed, and just as you drew it up.

 

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