HOLE-IN-ONE CLUB: AGE DOESN’T MATTER

Members discover you’re never too old, or too young, to sink a drive.

This issue’s inductees into our Hole-in-One Club prove that a coveted ace in the game of golf is both priceless and ageless. For example, Sylvia Trust, a member of Braemar Country Club near Los Angeles, reports that she is “81 years young” and recently experienced her second ace on the club’s second hole. Ironically, her first hole-in-one came on the same hole a mere 29 years earlier. Then there’s 17-year-old Holly Lampert, whose family plays at Porter Valley Country Club near Los Angeles. Recently, Holly, a senior at Chaminade College Preparatory who has college golf aspirations, was in a skins game with her friends when the group came to the 11th hole — a 265-yard, par-4 (white tees). With a 320 Ti TaylorMade driver (men’s regular flex) and a Lady Precept ball, Holly not only drove the green but holed the ball. Other stats on Holly: After playing only three years, she’s a 5 handicap. Stay tuned for Holly’s decision about college golf.

CREATING TRADITIONS
John David Crow, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Traditions Golf & Country Club in Bryan, Texas, is giving new meaning to the name of this club in development. As he awaits the building of his home course, he recently played golf with some friends at a course in nearby College Station, Texas. With a 7-iron, the 1957 Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M University hit a hole-in-one on a par-3, 162-yard hole.

With no traditions in mind, however, Ann Uhlhorn and her husband, Walker, started their round at Bear’s Best Las Vegas on the back nine. In fact, she claims her game was “pretty awful” that day. Things changed, however, on the front nine, especially when they came to the fourth hole. There, the Uhlhorns, members of the Crescent Club in Memphis, Tennessee, watched her ball roll into the hole. To add to her delight, a witnessing threesome in front of them included pro Pat Mastandrea. Walker notes, “I didn’t calculate how we stood after 18, but she must have won.”

FROM THE ARCHIVE
Some golf stories sound like tall tales, but Bob England of Kingwood Country Club in Houston sent a scorecard from 1979 to prove the legend that’s still circulating. His tale came during a club tournament, where the hero of this story got his hole-in-one on the 189-yard 12th hole. He writes, “The interesting part is this: My three opponents put their drives on the green from seven feet to 16 feet from the hole, they all sank their putts for birdies, and an article appeared in the Houston Chronicle.”

Another story for the record book comes from Rich Haggerty of Shadowridge Country Club near San Diego, who carded his seventh career ace on the 171-yard, 13th hole. His ace is likely to be the only hole-in-one ever made on this hole. After some reconstruction that required a temporary green, No. 13 is about to return to its normal status as a 385-yard, into the wind, over a lake, par-4.

Private Clubs wants to recognize members who attain a hole-in-one. Send your attested scorecard (photocopy acceptable) and story, along with your name, home club, phone, and e-mail address to Patricia Baldwin, Private Clubs magazine, 3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 350, Dallas, TX 75234.