Bob Edelblut
The eighth hole of the MountainView Golf Course has once again yielded another hole-in-one. On May 13, Mike Taken and his playing partners Tom Creager, Ralph Leonard and Bill Hooks were enjoying yet another pleasant day of golf in SaddleBrooke, and it is probably safe to say a hole-in-one was not flashing on their radar screens. The flag stick was back left that day and Mike guessed the distance from his tee was about 130 yards. He chose an eight iron for the shot and although he knew it was well struck neither he nor his partners actually saw the ball go into the hole. They all agreed that the slope of the green was the reason they could not see the ball fall into the cup. Sure! It did not take long for them to realize, however, that Mike’s shot was in fact perfect and that he had just scored his second hole-in-one. Congratulations one more time.
Mike’s first memories of the game he has enjoyed for about 60 years were at the Knollwood Club in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he learned both to play the game and to caddy. He caddied seriously for over six years and was fortunate enough to win a coveted Evans Scholarship to attend Marquette University. As many of you know, the Evans Scholarship was founded by amateur Chick Evans who won the equivalent of the Grand Slam in 1915 and donated the winnings to help fund college scholarships for caddies. Thank you, Mike, for sharing with us your memorable story.