Aces up, part two

Editor’s note: Continuing from last week’s Berkshire Sports Guy, Dick Syriac discusses more of the locals to score aces.

In the “you can’t make this stuff up department,” I was in the group with Jim Modzelsky, Oak Ridge professional, in a Taconic Pro-Am two straight years.

An ace on no. 9 got you a new Buick. The first year, Modzelesky was one inch left of the hole, and a year later, his shot was one inch right of the cup. We could have driven back to Agawam in style, if we remembered how to get there.

If golf is a gentleman’s game, no one exemplifies that more than Vic Girardi, longtime Forest Park member. Vic was a three-time club champ and seven-time senior club champ and many times accomplished another rare feat in golf, shooting his age.

Vic, who is currently on the mend from some recent setbacks, shot his age every year from 69-84. While many that age are trying to find their shoes, Vic was still knocking flags down. Vic had one career ace, the popular no. 3 at “The Rock.”

Bob Ahlen of Berkshire Hills has shot his age more often than Billy Fuccillo has said “huge.” When Bob was 83, he carded a 72 in tournament play.

In a recent conversation with The Beacon, he was disappointed that his handicap went from seven to nine: “My back is a little sore, and I’m not making any putts so far this year.”

Among the many other accolades that he has received in his career, he can now claim to be the only member of Berkshire Hills to ever be sad to see his handicap go up. Shockingly, Ahlen has never had a hole in one, but don’t think he will stop trying.

When you think of North Adams Country Club in the 1960s and ’70s, the late Steve Kawa comes to mind. Regardless of where you were from, if you played Steve on his home course, most of the time, you lost.

His name was on the wall up there more times than a guy named “Exit.” The 11-time club champ had all the shots. His family totaled three holes in one. His wife, Helen, had two and daughter, Linda, has one. I would have lost that bet.

Then there was Pontoosac Lake legend Walt Kubica. I once asked him if he ever won the championship at his club, and he said, “Yes, 26 times.”

Other members knew that as soon as they signed up for the yearly event, they were playing for second. I’m sure there were a few aces along the way for Walter.

If you find Monks Professional Barber Shop in Lee closed early some nice afternoon, it could be that the proprietor is at Greenock Country Club trying for his third career ace.

Taconic member Dave Berasi will never forget his first visit to Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston, when it was a nine-hole layout. Playing his first four holes, he hit two of the best shots of his life and 14 of his worst. Starting on no. 1 (now no. 10), his score card read 7-1-2-7.

That’s right, he made an ace and an eagle, and after four holes, he was two over par. Welcome to “The Fox” – take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints.

Trevor Gliwski had two aces at his home course in Naples. If he had to set up the bar at twice at Tiburon Resort, I would guess that he had to sell his car to do it.

Amazing but true: Long-hitting Bill Priete, now of Taconic, who could hit it long before technology came along, made a one on no. 13 at Waubeeka, which is a par four. He hit a high draw over the trees and after looking in the woods for it, it was discovered in the cup.

North Adams Country Club’s tricky par-four fourth hole was no challenge for Rick Agnew years ago. His pulled tee shot rattled around in the trees in the hazard left of the green and was later found in the bottom of the cup.

Other ace facts
*The odds for a tour pro to make an ace is 3,000:1.
*A low handicapper, 5,000:1
*A high handicapper, 12,000:1
*At the 1989 US Open at Oak Hill, within a two hour period, four players aced the 167-yard sixth hole. The odds of that happening with 156 players in the field was 332,000:1.
*The youngest player to get a hole in one is Jack Paine, three years old, at a 65-yard hole.
*Oldest: Elsie McLean, 102 years young, 100-yard hole
*Longest: 517-yard hole, aided by altitude in Denver, shot by Mike Crean
*Most hole-in-ones: Are you ready? It’s 59 by amateur Norman Manley. Does this guy have a job? Behind Manley, club pro Mancil Davis has 51.

On a lighter note, you can watch PGA Tour member John Huh record a “hole-in-one” on a par four on YouTube. It shows an errant tee shot that hits a spectator on the backside as he was bending over to protect himself.

Posted by Dick Syriac on May 30, 2013. Filed under Berkshire Sports Guy,Columns,Opinion,Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry