Stuart Young had a good start to his round of golf Sunday morning at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club.
With a par on #1, a birdie on #2 and a missed putt that led to a bogey on #3, he was even-par through three holes.
Then it got a whole lot better.
Stepping up to the short par-3 fourth hole, he grabbed a wedge.
Young opted to tee it high, figuring he’d need the extra loft to ensure the ball dropped softly onto the green.
Everything went according to plan as he struck it perfectly, Young told The Lake Report.
“The ball plopped on the green, trundled up the slope to the top shelf and carried on its merry way and dropped into the hole,” he recalled afterward.
“That’s worth a gold star,” he thought as his playing partners Brian McKillop, Patrick Craig and Tim Arnott roared with delight, perhaps, he suggested, at the prospect of a couple of free drinks in the clubhouse afterward.
Normally the hole plays to about 120 yards, but reconstruction of the tee box has shortened it to about 80 yards temporarily.
Still, it can be a tricky shot, with three bunkers guarding the green. And Lake Ontario a few yards over the back.
“It is my first ace and it only took 40 years. I wonder, just like buses, if two will come one after another,” Young joked.
It was memorable and helped him forget about the bogey he’d just recorded.
“Still miffed at missing the par putt on 3, I stepped onto the fourth tee with thoughts of what might have been had I parred 3,” he said. He had visions of a great round.
“Little did I know what was to happen next.” Such is the unpredictability of the game.
In the aftermath, photos were taken and the players shared a couple of snifters from a whisky flask as their round progressed.
Prior to all the jubilation, they had hit the links just grateful to still be playing well into November.
“Trying to get a round in before the winter hiatus, we embarked on the 8:09 tee time and trudged down the first fairway with thoughts of this might be the last Sunday round of the season,” Young said.
Besides his ace, he shot a “very credible” two-over 38 on the front nine.
But, “not wanting to undo a fantastic memory, the group decided to retire to the bar to take full advantage of my credit card and we kicked off the festivities at 10 a.m.”
“The rest, as they say, is a blur on the day and a great memory never to be forgotten — until the next one,” Young said.
