If you make a hole-in-one, but have no witnesses, does it count?
The short answer is “no”, according to the USGA.
The longer answer is “yes”, if you keep it to yourself . . .
Scorecard from Harbor Lights GC, 23-08-21
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Par 4 4 4 5 3 3 4 4 5
Score 3 5 4 6 1 4 6 4 5
#5 is 127 yards, with a smallish green protected by bunkers
both left and right.
In between the right bunkers and the green
that curls around the bunker
which is where the sucker pin was this day.
mainly due to the trough
between those bunkers on the right
and the green,
like an additional hazard,
a grass bunker, itself, almost, since it is so deep,
that catches any almost-errant shot
and buries the ball in deep rough, or
throws it into a bunker.
So I hoped just to plonk the ball
into the center of the green
and two-putt.
I hit what I would call a half-8 iron
because either I’ve lost a club-length
due to my age, or else the ball just doesn’t carry
as far at sea-level.
The trajectory was medium,
with a fade that made me pessimistic
about being in the rough trough, again,
but the ball bounced straightish,
a little rightish, off the frog hair
toward the pin,
but I didn’t see it go in –
I thought it had run off the back of the green,
to where I was trudging,
with only a perfunctory look into the hole,
but there it was.
I looked around,
but on Monday early afternoon,
the course was almost deserted.
So, that’s my 3rd hole-in-one,
depending on how you count
