I made a hole in one. But not everyone sees it that way

A few weeks ago, I played the Wee Course, a seven-hole par-3 course on the Apogee Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. In my group were my colleagues Johnny Wunder and Adam Christensen and Top 100 Teacher Stephen Sweeney, along with some of Sweeney’s friends and family. If you’re doing the math, that’s more than four golfers, but that’s the thing about the Wee Course: There aren’t many rules. Heck, we didn’t even play the holes in order. Our first hole was the 4th on the card and our second was the 5th. Just after 7 o’clock we circled and played 1, 2 and 3. Fun stuff.

But back to the 5th hole (our second), all 68 yards of it. Stephen struck first and dropped a dart about six inches behind the flag, a shot I had the unfortunate privilege of following. I entered with my new one custom lobster Ping S259 and hit a flight par that landed just past the hole and bounced back at a 45º angle. As my ball tracked toward the cup, it waved at Stephen and then. . . disappeared. My second career hole-in-one. But this is where the story begins.

Let’s set the scene

We were not at Apogee to film or create content. We were there just for pure enjoyment. As we walked the property—each of us with only three wedges and a barrel—the setting sun cast a soft glow across the manicured grounds. Perfection.

On our walk to the first tee, Stephen told me about the medallions the club gives out to players who make an ace on the Wee course. I didn’t think much of it, but Stephen said he didn’t have one (and neither did the Apogee member Rory McIlroy); Meanwhile, Stephen’s dad made sure we all knew that he He did you have one. The first hole went about how you’d expect after a long day at work and stuck in a car for a few hours: most of us missed the green. We laughed, hit each other and finished the hole. We had zero expectations for the round, other than to have a good time.

On the next ball, when Stephen’s putt spooked the hole, our group was about to explode, but the ball refused to drop. Then came my fatal swing. Adam didn’t catch the ball going into the hole, but he did chronicle our reaction, which you can see above. Not long after, Adam posted the video to GOLF.com’s Slack channel (our messaging platform), with the caption, “Was it worth it?”

My colleagues had opinions. But I’ll come back to those in a minute.

It’s not my first hole

This was not my first hole in one. Almost exactly two years ago I had an ace in BryanGolf’s Battle at the Beach at Hammock Beach in Palm Coast, Fla. From 167 yards, I hit an 8-iron (a touch thin if I’m honest) into a blind pin and never saw it drop into the hole.

That swing was especially meaningful to me because the year before I had lost my grandfather, who lived in Florida, and this was my complete tour of the state since his death. When I found the ball at the bottom of the cup, I got a little emotional, like I was somehow connecting with my grandfather. It’s a moment I’ll never forget, but Ace of Apogee’s story is one I’ll always tell first.

The colleague’s reaction

As the video of the ace marinated in our Slack workgroup, debate quickly erupted as to whether my 68-yard ace on the short course should count as… AN ACE. I’ve only been working at GOLF for about six months and haven’t played golf with most of my colleagues, much less had time to understand their barometers for what constitutes a “real” hole in one.

Reactions were decidedly mixed. Jack Hirsch argued a hole-in-one from any distance is an achievement to be celebrated; Zephr Melton, Josh Berhow AND Alex Gelmanon the other hand, said that the shot was not long for their liking. Tim Reilly claimed that you should only be able to count a hole on a par-3 course if you’ve already made a 1 on a regulation course.

This led to the classic “What about Pebble Beach No.7?” argument, a hole on which golfers regularly celebrate 90-yard aces. My opinion? It was a hole in a definition – and I will forever share my story. But I will never tell people that I have two holes in one. I’ll tell them I have a hole in one and one short course hole in one. Why bother getting a shorty loan? Because of the memory it produced; I never want this to die.

The story is the winner, not the ball in the hole

My job is a wonderful job. Being part of Fully equipped the team is amazing, but also challenging in many ways with so much going on behind the scenes. Johnny Wunder, my boss, is a friend and mentor. Playing golf with him is always a treat, but we usually find ourselves playing “business” golf and rarely get a chance to enjoy playing together without strings attached.

This round was different. Pure bliss. Stephen was kind enough to bring us to Apogee, which blew John and I away with its beauty. It was also a pleasure to play alongside Adam, who has been in the trenches with me over the past few months as we’ve improved the Fully Equipped platforms to deliver higher quality and more frequent content to our audience. But for this short walk around the Wee course, we leave everything aside.

Beyond watching the ball drop, there were plenty of other moments to love. Johnny hitting another one arrow six inches right behind me. The group of guys who saw my ball came in as they were walking past the green. Celebration from YOU! Total strangers who were excited enough to see an ace. The heavy weights, the first kicks, the hugs. This was a party with friends. It didn’t matter to me that the putt was 100 yards shorter than my first hole. That immediately meant more to me, and that’s why I care so much.

So, yes. . . it’s a hole in one. 1 that I want to talk about more because of the people who were with me when it happened. And if the day ever comes when I can show Rory my locket, I’d love to have that conversation with him.

Until then, I’ll keep telling everyone else.