I Made a Hole-In-One
and Won the Car
I’ll admit right up front you might have trouble believing this story. But, it’s absolutely true. I made a hole-in-one, the ever evasive ace to win a car in front of a gallery during the golf event that Fuzzy and I created and our company manages, “The Magnolia Health Systems Wolf Challenge.” Of all the great players who have been here for the event (Palmer, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh, Justin Leonard, Greg Norman, Fuzzy Zoeller, etc.) I am the one who aced it for a car. I simply believe it was meant to be. Trust me, it's not talent. Special thanks goes to Chuck Morris who took the pictures, and Ragan DuBose who was nice enough to email them to me.
My playing partners that day were Champions TOUR professional Walter Hall, WHAS radio personality Terry Meiners, brothers Scott and Greg Scinta, and Fuzzy’s daughter, Gretchen Zoeller. The 8th hole was playing 177 yards, and we had a slight breeze in our face. I was between a 4 and a 5 iron, and opted for a good 5. The pin was middle to slightly front left, and the green is two-tiered, with the pin being on the lower tier. The minute I hit the shot, I knew I had hit it where I wanted to (a slight miracle in and of itself the way I have been playing lately). My only concern was clearing the lip of the front trap which so many times has turned what looked to be a great shot into an almost certain bogey or double bogey. Once it landed on the fringe just past the trap, it released softly like a putt, and began curling to the left towards the hole. The gallery behind the green stood up, and their moan seemed to get louder as the ball inched its way towards the pin. All of a sudden, every person in the gallery let out a scream and hoisted their fists into the air. All pandemonium broke out behind the green and on the tee. The pictures on this page were the actual events, including the hole-in-one swing itself.
Word quickly spread around the golf course that an ace had been scored for the car. Ultimately, we ended up finishing third in the tournament. As tournament director, I decided to auction off the car that evening for charity, which brought in an additional $20,000.00 for Fuzzy's Charities for Kids.. Someone asked me why I had given up my prize. I told them that my prize was feeling the ultimate sports rush that all sports fans fantasize about. Making the half-courter at the buzzer, kicking the winning field goal as time runs down to win the game, making that long putt to win a championship, or in my case, feeling that for at least one golf swing in my life in front of a gallery and with a car on the line, I hit the best shot in the world. What REALLY made it even more special was that my son (Andrew) was right there with me as the standard bearer for our group, although he kept pestering rest of the day to keep the car!
Thanks for taking the time to share in my sports fantasy becoming a reality. Thank you to our staff (Lisa Daniels, Phil Lobeck, Brandon Briscoe and Blair Perkins) and to our key volunteers (Steve LaDuke, Wayne Nelis and Kirby Rhines) for giving me the flexibility to turn off my walkie-talkie and compete. Thanks also goes to Fuzzy for making all of this possible. Thank you Liz (my wife) for putting up with me through ten Wolf Challenges. It has once again reminded me that anything is possible in life, no matter how long the odds seem. I hope you apply my experience to your life, your family and your future endeavors on a daily basis for the betterment of all those around you. Dave Lobeck
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