Lefty here. Huge shoutout to all the lefty golfers out there and how hard it still is to figure out which golf glove to buy:)
I had just broken 80 for the first time two days prior so I went into this round relaxed, happy and with no expectations. The day was July 27th, 2025 and I continued to play well into this early morning round but I just wasn't sinking putts and was on track to shoot mid 80's. As I was walking up the short par 4 on 16, I did have a small premonition that I or someone in my group would get a hole-in-one on the Par 3, 142 yard 17th hole.
It was insanely hot and humid in the Chicagoland area all week so the whole group was running out of steam. As I walked up to the tee box, I pulled out a Pitching Wedge and held it and waited for the others to hit. There was a small breeze coming at us so the hole was probably playing 145. Normally iI would have pulled a 9 iron out but I hit a few irons earlier that round way longer than I usually do.
After the other three members in the group hit, I remembered I came up short on the last par 3 of similar distance with a pitching wedge so I walked back over and grabbed the 9 iron and walked to the tee mentally noting to swing easy. Maybe a 3/4 swing.
I've been working on swinging more shallow and inside-out with my approach wedges. When I do that swing I tend to hit just slightly inside my chosen line so I picked a divot 6 feet out just left of the hole line. I took the club back for a 3/4 swing and kept a really good tempo on the downswing. I just pured it. It was the cleanest 9 iron I ever hit; like melting butter with a 1,000 degree Kelvin blade.
The second I hit the ball I know this shot was different and that it would probably go in. Another player in my group also knew it was going in as it was reaching it's apex and tapped my shoulders a few times. It was a cool, surreal feeling. Even with an inside out swing, my iron shots tend to be very straight. This one had a perfect baby draw to it.
As the ball descended and hit the green, we all saw it land but I didn't see the ball go in. I was too floored by the whole feeling of the shot itself. It's almost like it going in was inconsequential and less important than the feeling of the strike. Sounds crazy, I know. Two of the guys in the foursome were pretty confidant it went in. I was just in a daze and thought it could have been long off the green just as much as it could be in the hole. When I suggested that, the two assured me it was definitely not long (it was a middle pin placement and a big green).
As we got closer, one of the guys excitedly ran over to the hole and confirmed it was in. He almost grabbed the ball and the other guy said, "Leave it, let Randall take it out." I parked my push cart to the side, swore a few very loud celebratory profanities for all to hear, grabbed my putter and walked to the green. One member joked, "you won't need your putter." I laughed, threw my putter behind me and high-fived the guy who confirmed the hole-in-one.
Lucky for me, one of our group members had his phone out and ready and recorded the whole walk to the hole and pulling the ball out. He then snapped a few photos too so it was all captured right as it was happening. In the picture, you can see where it landed, about 7 inches above the hole and to the left before it gently spun back and slightly right to drop in the cup.
I just had a long conversation with a friend about celebrating oneself and the big and little victories in life. I usually don't celebrate myself and the wins enough but that is changing as I age. I'm soaking this first one up and will for a while.
Cheers!
-Randall