Who says nobody's perfect? For one shot, any golfer can be.
On one hole, an 88-year-old man, a 10-year-old boy or a neophyte golfing grandmother can be sure that Tiger Woods or Ben Hogan couldn't have done any better. That's the appeal of the hole-in-one, one of the most exhilarating feats in sports.
A "1," or ace, is the perfect score. It is like a home run, only better and rarer. Even Hogan, it is said, never made one in competition.
Then again, aces are wild on Long Island these days. This page usually has room to list 16 a week. This reporter began this week with a stack of more than 50 reported by local golfers in the past few weeks (which explains why yours hasn't been in yet).
They come in all shapes and sizes, on exclusive clubs and crowded public tracks. Dennis Lynch of the Nassau Players Club made one on Bethpage Black's tough 17th in the Long Island Public Links Championship Tuesday. And, yes, we've heard about aces from an 88-year-old, a 10-year-old, a grandma.
So what's with this run of 1s? Good question.
"We know that the number of rounds is not up and we know that handicaps are about the same as they have been," said Michael Hebron, one of the nation's most respected golf teachers and head professional at Smithtown Landing Country Club. "It could be that the people who are playing are using better equipment and getting more results."
Brian Alchermes of Glen Cove, a former college golfer at Johnson & Wales and a three-handicapper at Nassau Country Club, said, "I've seen lots of shots go right next to the hole. Then luck takes over and it actually drops."
Alchermes was playing with his dad, Steve, in Nassau's Father-Son Championship on July 26. After a so-so front nine, Steve said they ought to start fresh. He just couldn't have envisioned this: The son stepped up to the 180-yard 10th with a 6-iron and drained it.
"We couldn't see it, it was over a rise," said Steve, also a three handicap. "We were playing with two other friends of ours. They said, 'It's in the hole!' We went nuts."
The very next day, Steve was playing in another foursome. He took out his 6-iron on the 155-yard third hole and, you guessed it. A father-son weekend quinella. "I really didn't see mine go in, either. I was picking up my tee," Steve said, adding that his buddy Vito Abbondondalo witnessed both aces and heard Steve say, over and over, "How can this happen?"
A similar report came from Timber Point Golf Club, where Chris Carrick had a hole-in-one on the Red Course in late May. His father, Bob, made one on the White Course (sixth hole, 138 yards, 7-iron) last Tuesday.
The point is, every hole-in-one has a story. Some are just more unusual.
Susan Wendroff of Merrick has been playing golf only four years, so she was as stunned as she was thrilled when she sank her 5-hybrid tee shot on the 85-yard eighth at Colonial Springs Pine Course July 22.
Ten days later, she still was riding that high when she was playing in a group that included her husband Harry on the Colonial Springs Lake Course. He used a 5-iron on the 125-yard third hole and it was déj ... vu, for Susan and her friend Lisa O'Mara, who had witnessed Susan's ace. "I was standing on the side, talking, while he was hitting, so I didn't see it," Susan said. "He didn't let me enjoy my fame for long."
You'll have a tough time topping the story that nearly happened Tuesday. The Alchermes, father and son, were playing in a foursome again, after having been photographed by Newsday for this column. They were still buzzing about Steve's ace on No. 3 when his brother stepped up to the same hole and hit a great shot that rolled, rolled, rolled-and stopped four inches from the hole.
Aces
Marguerite Dilimetin, North Hills Country Club, third hole, 148 yards, 5-wood
Ron Tarantino Sr., Huntington Crescent Club, 13th hole, 162 yards, 6-iron
Bob Nelson (East Williston), Waukewan Golf Club, Meredith, N.H., seventh hole, 165 yards, 7-iron
Paul Mitchell (Medford), Western Hills GC, Waterbury, Ct., 11th hole, 138 yards, 8-iron
