25+ Years Later - My First Hole in 1!

OK, so it's not wine or restaurant related, but I have to talk about it! The draught is over! Finally! Today was a golf outing to raise money for T.A.P.S.-Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. T.A.P.S. is an incredible not for profit organization that provides assistance to the family of military members who have passed away, and they are truly an amazing organization.

The tournament was held today at Sun Eagles Golf Course at Fort Monmouth, NJ. Fort Monmouth is an Army base located near Eatontown, NJ. The format for the tournament was a 4 man best ball, and I was paired with Jason Ragel, a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, and George Calandriello & Bill Haggman, both contractors working for the U.S. government.

#7 is a short, 113 yard downhill par 3, with a small pond protecting the front of the green, and small bunkers front left and right, and also a bunker in the back right. Today the pin was placed in the back right hand corner, about 10 feet from the edge of the green, tucked back perfectly between the two right side bunkers. and there was about 10 feet from the right corner of the green and the pin. SSgt Ragel was already on the green, so there was no harm in me trying to get one close to ensure we had a good chance at making our birdie. We were already on the dance floor, and I was going to go for the pin. This was a text book shot, and was something right off of the TV set. I choked down and hit an easy pitching wedge, and as soon as the ball came off of the club face, I knew it was all over the stick. I made contact with the ball as good as I could, taking a small divot, and knowing that I hit the ball nice and clean, with some good spin. I couldn't have picked the ball up any better! Looking at the ball in flight, I wanted it to come left just a tad, and it continued to do so with a very slight draw. The ball hit the green about a foot right of the hole, and 6 inches past the cup. It took once bounce forward, and spun back about 5 feet, right into the center of the hole.

This was absolutely nuts. Did I just see that go in the hole? Has my 28 plus year wait finally come to and end? It did indeed, and what a moment. Even as I write this, I am still in shock, and I can't even remember what I did! Jason was screaming, and Bill and George were giving me high fives!

As I walked back to the cart, I was absolutely glowing. We drove down the hill to the green, and I walked onto the green, fixed my ball mark, and proudly removed the ball from the hole.

It finally happened, and my wait is over! My first hole in 1!