Any golfer who has played the game for even just a few years dreams of hitting a hole-in-one.

Some achieve that, a few have more than one to their name, but for most it remains just a dream.

Last Thursday, the stars all rightly aligned for Niagara-on-the-Lake native Quinton Spagnol, who has only been playing the game regularly since the COVID pandemic.

Except he wasn’t watching when his ball fell in the hole. But a lot of other people were.

Playing in the NOTL Golf Club’s Thursday men’s league, he hit a pitching wedge from the black tees on the 129-yard fourth hole.

The 29-year-old watched as his ball hit the green not too far from the hole and started to trickle back toward the pin.

 A better shot than usual, he thought, but he had no delusions of grandeur.

“I watched it for a couple seconds and I’m like, ‘All right, that’s awesome.’ It’s getting a little bit better and then I looked down at the ground to see if my tee was still there.”

“Then all I hear is the group on number five tee block. They’re like, ‘No way!’ They’re all screaming, ‘No way!’ And I look up and there’s no ball on the green any more.”

Because it was in the hole.

Spagnol is one of 16 golf buddies who play in the popular Thursday league and the guys on #5 and with him on #4 are all friends. So are the guys who were behind him playing their approaches on #3.

The fourth group was walking up the third fairway after hitting their tee shots and Nick Elia texted the boys, “Who just hit a hole-in-one?”

They joined the party as soon as they made their approaches to #3 and it turned into a communal celebration.

“My group mauls me. The group that was behind us on three is sprinting over and the guys that were on the fifth tee block were running toward me, and we all just kind of jumped together. It was unbelievable,” Spagnol recalled.

While he remained in a bit of a euphoric daze for the next few holes, he somehow managed to stay focused and ended up shooting his best nine-hole score ever — a 1-over 37.

That tied him with Jim McMacken for low gross on the day but also won him the low net prize with a total of 31, one ahead of Stephen Fraser.

The ace also earned Spagnol the closest to the pin prize of a bottle of wine as well as a $45 net skin, which might help defray the costs of his post-round celebration. “The tab was hefty, for sure.”

Like a lot of people, he took up golf during the pandemic because, in those days, “that was the only thing that we could do with people.”

Before then, he’d play a few times a year with friends, but nothing organized. When he took up the game during COVID he didn’t even have a full set of clubs.

Now, Spagnol particularly enjoys the weekly men’s night and socializing with his large group of golf buddies.

And he offered a shoutout to pro shop manager Darren Smith and the entire clubhouse staff for making the whole golf experience special for players.

As for previous aces on men’s night, Smith and former club assistant pro Ricky Watson could not recall one.

Mark Derbyshire, who has won more club championships than anyone else, noted his father Al had one on #9 “way back when,” but he doesn’t remember anyone else scoring one since.

Other men’s league winners last week included: John Liotta (longest putt on #2), Colby Ostromecki (longest drive on #8) and McMacken (closest to the pin on #9).

Bill Smethurst and McMacken earned $55 gross skins for birdies on #4 and #9.

In Monday’s business women’s league, Claire Forbes was top shooter with 43.

Other winners were: Bobbi Epp (longest drive on #1), Doneve Karpman (closest to the 150 on #2), Christine Merza (closest to the pin on #4), Bobbie Corcoran (sank the longest putt on #7) and Tracey Peters (closest to the pin in two on #9).

Sue Sherk and Suzanne Watson led the Tuesday nine-hole women’s league as both shot 46. Sharron Marlow was next with 47 and Joan Maida had 49.

In the 18-hole women’s league, Yolanda Henry and May Chang were tops with 95. Carroll Baker and Peters both shot 97 and Cathy Murray was third with 98.

Chang also had the fewest putts, with 30, and was second in low net with 70 behind Christine Earl’s 68. Margot Richardson was third with net 73.

Closest to the pin shooters were Carolyn Porter (#4) and Baker (#9).