Two golfers hit the elusive shot at San Juan Oaks Golf Club
The odds of making a hole-in-one are about 12,500 to 1. The odds
of two people making hole-in-ones on the same day at the same golf
course are 156,250,000 to 1. What happened at San Juan Oaks this
past month falls somewhere in between.
Two golfers hit the elusive shot at San Juan Oaks Golf Club
The odds of making a hole-in-one are about 12,500 to 1. The odds of two people making hole-in-ones on the same day at the same golf course are 156,250,000 to 1. What happened at San Juan Oaks this past month falls somewhere in between.
On July 7, 58-year-old Bill Gonzales, of Hollister, aced the 16th hole at the Fred Couples designed layout. The following Sunday, 10-year-old Ryan Han, also from Hollister, carded a 1 on the par-3 eighth hole.
For both golfers it was their first time hitting golf’s most-storied shot.
“When I hit the shot, I thought that it was going to just go close to the hole, I didn’t think it was going to go in,” said Han, who was playing that day with his dad, Sung Han. “Usually shots like that end up close, not in.”
Han hit his memorable shot from the seniors tee box. It was a perfect, 130-yard shot that he struck using a 5-iron. Han hit the shot that most golfers never are fortunate enough to enjoy after only playing the sport for a little more than three years.
“It just rolled and disappeared. I was thinking wow,” said Han, who one day hopes to either play professional golf or be an aerodynamic engineer.
The weekend before Han picked up his ace, Gonzales grabbed his using a 52-degree gap wedge on the 108-yard 16th hole.
“It was exciting, one of the most exciting things in a person’s life,” said Gonzales, who also happens to work in the course’s pro shop. “I’ve been golfing now for 15 years… All golfers dream of hitting a hole-in-one. It felt really great.”
Gonzales knew when he came to the 19th hole, he would have to fulfill one of golf’s timeless traditions after getting a hole in one – buying everyone at the bar a drink.
“It was late in the day and there was a wedding going on so the area was closed to the public. I guess you could say I was either lucky or unlucky,” said Gonzales
Since Han isn’t over 21, it wasn’t a concern for him.
Gonzales did buy the other three friends in his group a drink.
He carries a 9 handicap and tries to get out at least twice a week when he’s not working in the pro shop.
On Tuesday of this week the two golfers met for the first time. Han explained what he enjoyed most about the sport.
“Golf is very challenging,” he said. “If you do well, you always feel really good. If you mess up, you can always go to the (driving) range and try again next time.”
This was one time when both golfers didn’t need to go to the range. As they both reached the sport’s nirvana of shots for one brief moment in time, which also happened to take place at nearly the same time.
