HOLE-IN-ONE CLUB: DOUBLE DUTY

Associate member sinks two aces in a single round.

A hole-in-one must be golf’s ultimate reward. The odds of making an ace in a given round are some 5,000-to-1. But, oh, when it happens, what a feeling of belonging to the “club.” To debut our “Hole-In-One Club,” we offer three member stories, each special not only for the golfer but also for the ClubCorp club at which the ace occurred.

And, while we don’t like to play favorites, Gino Mortola’s story tops the list. Mortola, a member of Hackberry Creek Country Club near Dallas, made two holes-in-one in a single round on Dec. 1. The odds of two aces in a single round soar to about 67 million-to-1. Equally entertaining and memorable are tales from Fred Badyna who made the first-ever ace at Bear’s Best Las Vegas and S. William Dahar II who made the first hole-in-one at Piedmont Club near Arlington, Virginia.

Now, back to Mortola’s feat, which was the first of its kind in Hackberry Creek’s history. He aced the 143-yard No. 8 with a 9-iron and made an encore performance using a 6-iron on the 178-yard No. 17. Mortola was playing in the Saturday men’s league for the first time with partners he hadn’t met before that morning.

“We were all jumping up and down,” says Mortola of the first hole-in-one. “None of the other guys had ever seen a hole-in-one.”

Mortola, president of 2logo, a promotional products company in Dallas, has two brothers who are PGA professionals, neither of whom has ever scored a hole-in-one.

VEGAS ODDS
Badyna, a member of Brookhaven Country Club near Dallas, was in Las Vegas in November for an interclub match being played at the new Bear’s Best course that features replications of 18 of Jack Nicklaus’ favorite hole designs.

He sets the scene: “My opponent the second day was John Keller from Canyon Creek Country Club near Dallas. This 39-year-old with Popeye arms could easily crush a drive 300 yards, whereas this 62-year-old is lucky to crush a drive 240 yards on my best day.”

At the No. 4 tee box — their 13th hole since they had started on the back nine — the two were even. Keller was first to tee off and drove a magnificent shot about 10 feet left of the pin. Then Badyna stepped up with his 5-wood, took a nice, slow breath, and put a good swing on the ball. The ball, which he had borrowed from fellow Brookhaven member Bernard Mandel, sailed like a bullet straight at the hole and dropped in.

HIGH FIVES ALL AROUND
Boston College Club member S. William Dahar II was visiting fellow BC Law School alum Daniel Russo and his wife, Christine, who had recently joined the Piedmont Club, and they spent the weekend playing the course.

During one round, Dahar lined up at the blue tees on the 16th hole, which was playing 155 yards downhill. He struck a 9-iron and it went straight at the pin. All the players heard, Dahar recalls, was a loud “glug.” The hole-in-one was the first for both the player and the course.

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.