I got my hole-in-one on a day that didn’t even feel like it was going to be special. I’d shown up at the range and ended up joining a guy named Alan whom I never played with before. He mentioned he had a tournament the next day and asked, “Hey, mind playing from the gold tees? That’s what I’m using tomorrow.” They’re a little farther forward than I usually play, but I figured, why not?

We get going, and I’m playing a Pro V1. At Hole 5 at Los Posas Country Club, I find a Titleist Pro V1 #7 in perfect shape. I pick it up and joke to Alan, “Hey, lucky number seven. I think I’ll play it.”

Fast-forward to Hole 9, a par 3 playing about 185 yards to an elevated green. I pull my 5-wood and hit it and immediately think I pushed it way right. Then I look up and realize the ball is actually heading directly at the green. Because of the elevation, we couldn’t see the landing, but it felt like a pretty solid shot.

As we walk up, there’s nothing on the green. We check around… nothing. Then we look in the cup and there it is. That “lucky number seven” Pro V1 sitting at the bottom.

My first hole-in-one. With a ball I’d found four holes earlier. On tees I didn’t even plan to play. With a guy I’d just met. Absolute perfection.