I am not a great golfer but have played occasionally for the past 45 years, which is also my average for 9 holes. A course near our cabin started a membership deal 6 years ago ($175 for 3 years), so we picked up some clubs for the wife and joined.

At this stage of life I just enjoy being out there and hanging with friends. With all of the restrictions of social distancing this year, golf has been a great opportunity to get together. We are now part of three different informal groups, mostly other 60-something couples that aren’t very good either.

Yesterday the wife and I booked a tee time for early afternoon. I had very low expectations for a good round since I sprained my knee two weeks ago and spent a couple of hours early in the morning cutting up logs with my chainsaw for a friend. The muscles and ligaments were complaining.

Hole 1 was a 160-yard par 3, and I took a 5. Hole 2 was a 330-yard par 4 and I took a 5. On the 130-yard hole 3, I hit my 8 iron pretty well. I saw the ball land about five feet from the hole but then lost sight of it. My wife said that it went in but I didn’t believe it. Those things don’t happen to me.

Sure enough it was a hole in one. In typical understated Minnesota style, I let out a mild ‘whoop’. The two guys playing ahead of us saw it, so I was glad to have at least one witness beyond the two of us. It’s my first one ever.

So, many of you are regular golfers. Have you ever had a hole in one? Have you witnessed one? How common is it, anyway?

tl/dr: A poor golfer, I got a hole in one. Have you?