She shoots, she scores. Big time.
NOTL’s Erin Howe-Hull notched the first hole-in-one of the season Monday evening at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club.
Despite her hockey-centric surname, she has no connection to the Original Six stars of yesteryear, but she nailed her tee shot like her namesake snipers.
Standing on the tough par-3 ninth hole, Howe-Hull drove her tee shot 167 yards into the cup for her first-ever ace.
It’s a difficult green for many golfers to reach, male or female.
So acing it is quite an achievement for someone who generally plays once a week and has only been at the game for about three years.
Playing with Robin Ridesic and Brianne Hawley in the club’s Business Ladies league, she teed off first and smacked her shot toward the green — but lost sight of it.
The shot “felt great. My partners, though, tracked it a bit better and said, ‘I think it’s in there.’ But I didn’t see it.”
“I just didn’t believe it and they had to hurry up and make their shots so we could all run up and see. They had me run ahead and check for certain that it was in there. And there it was,” Howe-Hull recalled the next day.
“It was all very exciting. We did a little happy dance all of us.”
Later when she arrived at the clubhouse, the crowd in the dining room gave her a rousing ovation.
Meanwhile, Carroll Baker had the best Business Ladies gross score this week, with 41. Other winners: Kim Breaksheare (longest drive #1), Susan Bologna (closest to 150 on #2), Mary Breccario (closest to pin #4), Jen Kroeker (longest putt #7) and Howe-Hull (closest to pin in two on #9 … with her ace).
It was a busy week on the NOTL links.
In Tuesday’s 18-hole women’s league, Christine Earl carded a net score of 68 to win the Roslyn Cup.
Diana Dimmer, closest to the pin on #4, also won low gross, shooting 88. Yolanda Henry was a shot behind at 89 and Louise Robitaille scored 90.
Brenda Bell had the fewest putts, with 29, followed by Gayle Tanner (30) and Carolyn Porter and Henry (31).
Birdies were recorded by Robitaille (#2), Cheryl Yamamoto (#4 chip-in), Cathy Dulder (#7), Sue Sherk and Dimmer (#13) and Martha Cruikshank (#17).
In the women’s nine-hole league Tuesday, Julie Smethurst was low net with 31, Deborah Williams was 35 and Shelley Samson and Joan Maida were 36.
Best gross score was Suzanne Watson with 46.
In the men’s Woofs league Tuesday, Jim Meszaros was tops for the second week in a row, firing a 1-over 37. Don Allen and Randy Churchill won the hidden hole with birdies on #7.
Peter Falconer was closest to the pin on #4.
Patrick Craig dominated the Thursday men’s league, shooting an even-par 36 to win low gross, one shot ahead of Jared Mines.
Craig and Mines shared low net honours with 34.
Other prize winners: Doug Hernder (longest putt #2), Devon Neudorf (longest drive #3), Rob Chubey (closest to pin #4), and Mark Derbyshire (closest to pin #9).
Michael Sanders scooped the lone gross skin, worth $220, with a birdie on #2. Net skins ($70) went to Don Stewart, Jeff Jacques, John Liotta and Sanders.
