Imagine if you’d played golf for 45 years and never had an ace. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that your time just might not come...
Well, Steve Cheshire was in exactly that boat until Monday 22 January, when his luck changed dramatically.
Playing in a seniors’ stableford competition at The Ashley Wood Golf Club, stepping up to the 4th hole with wind into face, Steve turned to his playing partner with his five-hybrid and said: “If I thin this, it’s going out of bounds out the back!”
The 68-year-old explained: “It was about 140 yards to the pin towards the back of the green and into a very strong wind. There’s a bunker in front and I hit a skinny shot which I thought might go long but I was unsighted.
“The players on the next tee were watching and one of them came running down the fairway waving his arms in the air, which was rather amusing. I turned to my partner and said: “What’s this idiot doing? He should be teeing off!”
“But of course, he was running towards me, shouting: “It’s in, it’s in!” and I was gobsmacked. After 45 years without an ace, it’s something I’ve reminded almost everyone I’ve played with over the past 10 years about, so it was a huge rush for me.
“It was high-fives all round with my playing partner saying: 'I told you it was going to be close!'. I was elated. I laughed a lot because it wasn’t a particularly great shot but it got the result.”
So what did he do with his special ball?
The retired ex-Army aircraft engineer admitted: “It’s hard to explain what it means to you after breaking a duck after 45 years. It affects the way you think for the rest of the day, and week, and annoyingly, I put the ball back in my bag and I can’t remember which one it is!
“But I’ve got a photograph and certificate from the club and my name on the register of holes-in-one, and that will stay with me forever.”
Asked about celebrations, the 11.9-handicapper revealed: “Our hole-in-one pot had been cleared out in December so there was only £11 left in it! It was £100 for the person before me! I put a bottle of scotch behind the bar and joked that, based on the time taken for my first hole-in-one, I could expect another when I was 112!”
It’s funny how things pan out.
After playing four more rounds over the next nine days, Steve organised a round with friends at The Ashley Wood (Dorset). Rolling up to the 9th tee on Wednesday 31 January, Steve decided to hit a four-hybrid against the wind on the 150-yard hole. “I could see the bottom of the pin at the back of the green,” he added.
“We watched it bounce and run into the hole and to see it go in was absolutely amazing. What made it more special was that there was a little gallery of four greenkeepers watching, as they’d stopped work to allow us to tee off.
“All eight of us celebrated and I was mobbed by three of my good mates who were made up for me. I was speechless. You wait 45 years for one and then two come in 10 days. I’d only ever seen two in my life before that.”
This ace came part of a General Play score registered for handicap purposes, so there was no winning pot for Steve on this occasion. He joked: “My only reward for this one was putting another bottle behind the bar! I actually received more for winning a Velcro golf darts competition last month than I did for my two aces. Perhaps a third ace will bring a bigger pot!”
Steve was named Seniors Captain at The Ashley Wood at the start of the year and added: “I’m anticipating the third one before I’m 112! As Seniors Captain, my nominated charities this year are Riding for the Disabled Association and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. I’m going to contact Ladbrokes or another bookies to see if they will give me odds on achieving another hole-in-one in 2024, so I can put £5 on it, and, if it happens, it’ll all go to charity.”
Playing in a seniors’ stableford competition at The Ashley Wood Golf Club, stepping up to the 4th hole with wind into face, Steve turned to his playing partner with his five-hybrid and said: “If I thin this, it’s going out of bounds out the back!”
The 68-year-old explained: “It was about 140 yards to the pin towards the back of the green and into a very strong wind. There’s a bunker in front and I hit a skinny shot which I thought might go long but I was unsighted.
“The players on the next tee were watching and one of them came running down the fairway waving his arms in the air, which was rather amusing. I turned to my partner and said: “What’s this idiot doing? He should be teeing off!”
“But of course, he was running towards me, shouting: “It’s in, it’s in!” and I was gobsmacked. After 45 years without an ace, it’s something I’ve reminded almost everyone I’ve played with over the past 10 years about, so it was a huge rush for me.
“It was high-fives all round with my playing partner saying: 'I told you it was going to be close!'. I was elated. I laughed a lot because it wasn’t a particularly great shot but it got the result.”
So what did he do with his special ball?
The retired ex-Army aircraft engineer admitted: “It’s hard to explain what it means to you after breaking a duck after 45 years. It affects the way you think for the rest of the day, and week, and annoyingly, I put the ball back in my bag and I can’t remember which one it is!
“But I’ve got a photograph and certificate from the club and my name on the register of holes-in-one, and that will stay with me forever.”
Asked about celebrations, the 11.9-handicapper revealed: “Our hole-in-one pot had been cleared out in December so there was only £11 left in it! It was £100 for the person before me! I put a bottle of scotch behind the bar and joked that, based on the time taken for my first hole-in-one, I could expect another when I was 112!”
It’s funny how things pan out.
After playing four more rounds over the next nine days, Steve organised a round with friends at The Ashley Wood (Dorset). Rolling up to the 9th tee on Wednesday 31 January, Steve decided to hit a four-hybrid against the wind on the 150-yard hole. “I could see the bottom of the pin at the back of the green,” he added.
“We watched it bounce and run into the hole and to see it go in was absolutely amazing. What made it more special was that there was a little gallery of four greenkeepers watching, as they’d stopped work to allow us to tee off.
“All eight of us celebrated and I was mobbed by three of my good mates who were made up for me. I was speechless. You wait 45 years for one and then two come in 10 days. I’d only ever seen two in my life before that.”
This ace came part of a General Play score registered for handicap purposes, so there was no winning pot for Steve on this occasion. He joked: “My only reward for this one was putting another bottle behind the bar! I actually received more for winning a Velcro golf darts competition last month than I did for my two aces. Perhaps a third ace will bring a bigger pot!”
Steve was named Seniors Captain at The Ashley Wood at the start of the year and added: “I’m anticipating the third one before I’m 112! As Seniors Captain, my nominated charities this year are Riding for the Disabled Association and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. I’m going to contact Ladbrokes or another bookies to see if they will give me odds on achieving another hole-in-one in 2024, so I can put £5 on it, and, if it happens, it’ll all go to charity.”
ENDS
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org