Gordon Elliott finally has his first

Gordon Elliott enjoys his moment.

Gordon Elliott enjoys his moment.

Bob Edelblut

That age old quote “No one ever said it would be easy” must have been coined to describe just how difficult it is to make a hole-in-one. Don’t you agree? The odds against doing same are about 12,500 to 1 for an amateur and 2,500 to 1 for a professional. No wonder so many of us labor for years and years before that elusive reward finally lands in our hands. Congratulations, Gordon Elliott, for your first!

On Saturday, August 26, Gordon was playing at the Preserve Golf Club with friends Skip Lee, Bob Brussel and Dick Rouse. Yes, they all confirmed that it really happened. Everyone knows that the eleventh hole at the Preserve is a daunting par 3. To reach the pin you must first avoid the water and then carry the monstrous trap guarding most of the front portion of the green and then gauge the distance properly as the shot is very much uphill. Have you got the picture? Gordon felt his shot was just short of 130 yards and he chose to hit his eight iron. No one in the group saw the ball reach the cup but Gordon acknowledged that the shot was hit well. Nonetheless, his expectations were low as he approached the green. It took only seconds for Gordon to realize that his ball was not resting on the green and that it may in fact be in the hole. Seconds later Gordon reached into the hole to retrieve the ball that helped him record his first ever hole-in-one. The 25 year wait was over. Congratulations one more time!