Most golfers know the odds of making a hole-in-one are 12,000 to 1. In continued discussions with seasoned golfers, this writer continues to learn that many fine players with decades of golf in their rearview mirror are still seeking their first celebration of that elusive feat. 

Enjoy these recent tales of millions to one odds scored by ordinary golfers – just like you and me.

Preston Miller and Ricardo Fernandez scored hole-in-ones using the same golf ball on the same day.  Preston, a 13-year-old seventh grader, plays varsity on the St. Louis Park High School Golf Team. He scored a hole-in-one on the 4th hole at Minneapolis Golf Club where he hit a solid 7-iron into the hole that played 121-yard hole into the wind. He said, “I jumped up and down and yelled for a little while then we kept playing.”

Three holes later Preston lost his keepsake hole-in-one ball when he hit a tree on the 7th hole. 

Ricardo was playing the 12th which is adjacent to the 7th when he found Preston’s Titleist ProV1, 4 with the SLP logo. With no golfer playing 7, he put the ball in his bag. A few holes later Ricardo lost his ball and reached into his bag, “The SLP ball was right on top, so I began playing it.”  On the 16th, 181-yard par-3, Ricardo holed his tee shot for his fourth lifetime hole-in-one using Preston’s SLP HS logo ball.

When he finished the round, Ricardo mentioned to the starter that he had made an ace on 16 using a ball he found with a SLP HS logo. The starter told him that a kid on the SLP HS team had made an ace earlier… but had lost his prized golf ball.

The team members were still inside, and Fernandez presented Preston with the prize.

Find that one in the record books!

Bill and Bob Anderson are identical twins who have been playing golf together for over 60 years. (I have been competing against them for 50. Bob pictured below told me the story last week.) There are three interesting stories involved with this tale of matching aces. A few weeks ago, while playing Bent Creek, Bob aced the 17th hole using an 8 iron. He said it was a perfect shot to a pin position where the entire group saw the ball go into the hole. The next day brother Bill aced the same hole using a 7 Iron. 

Bob explained that in the race for the most aces they are still tied. Bob’s Saturday ace was his eighth. On Sunday Bill scored his lifetime eighth ace. Talk about identical twins!!

Bob went on to say that Bill has been involved in several of his aces. He related back to 1970 when the twins were playing a high school match against Anoka HS at Greenhaven. The Hopkins team was loaded with the twins plus Gary Jacobson, the great Minnesota golfer who finished fifth in the 1977 U.S. Open at Southern Hills. 

On the 10th hole, a short par 4 in those days, brother Bill and Jacobson were on the green with Jacobson about to putt when brother Bill said, “Wait a moment Gary, brother Bob’s tee shot just landed and is rolling onto the green.” 

Bob smiled as he said, “My brother and my good friend witnessed my first hole-in-one.” Coach George Reynolds also witnessed the ace. That night Hal Scott (WCCO sports) said, ‘Here is something you don’t see every day, a hole in one on a par 4 made by Bob Anderson of Hopkins during a high school match at Greenhaven.’”

“We have been at Bent Creek over the past 24 years. We won the MGA Senior Best Ball in 2009 and have won three MGA Senior Master Division Best Balls.”

An ace is an individual thing, but no two are the same. Every golfer can tell you about each of his. Others talk about near misses.