There’s an age old saying, the more you put in, the more you get out. In Neil’s case, he’s put in 50 long hard years of playing golf to get to the moment that every golfer dreams of, a hole-in-one. The special moment occurred at Red Rocks, hole 1, which can prove quite challenging depending on the conditions. Find out more about Neil’s magic moment below.
The Q and A:
Local Party Hole: Firstly, congratulations Neil. A huge effort getting a hole-in-one here at Red Rocks on Hole 1. How were you feeling before you headed into the round?
Neil: I sort of wondered. For some reason, I had this strange feeling that eventually it was going to happen.
And strangely enough, it did happen.
Local Party Hole: Talk us through the shot itself. Red Rocks can be a pretty intimidating golf course with all the water hazards around.
Neil: I had a five wood with a 27-degree loft. There’s water on eight holes out here, so it’s definitely not an easy course.
I hit it and watched it rolling. The other guys I was playing with started saying, “That’s going in.”
Then suddenly it dropped.
After 50 years of golf, it was a very, very elated feeling.
Local Party Hole: When it came off the club, did you instantly think it had a chance?
Neil: Not really.
When you’ve been playing golf for 50 years, you know every shot feels a little bit different.
At the time, it didn’t feel all that special off the club.
But seeing it actually go in was unbelievable.
Watch Neil’s hole-in-one here.
Local Party Hole: We’ve got a lot of younger golfers following along on our social pages. What’s the best piece of golfing advice you’d give them?
Neil: Keep trying. Don’t give up.
And don’t take too much notice of all the so-called experts.
You develop your own style. Play to your own strengths and just go for it.
Local Party Hole: Your mates looked absolutely ecstatic for you out there. Plenty of hugs and high fives.
Neil: I suddenly became a very good friend to everybody.
We had a very good day after that. The guys I play with are such a good group and it makes golf very enjoyable.
Local Party Hole: How did you first get into golf?
Neil: I started in a place called Hopetoun up in the Mallee, playing on sand greens.
Back then you had to rake the greens before you putted.
That’s where it all started.
When you’re younger, you don’t always get the chance to play as much as you’d like. It wasn’t until I retired around 20 years ago that I really got deeper into the game and started playing more regularly.
Eventually, after all these years, I finally got the hole-in-one.
Local Party Hole: You’ve clearly played some incredible golf courses over the years. Outside of this ace, what are some of your favourite golfing memories?
Neil: Playing Coober Pedy was unforgettable.
You drive into town and the first sign says, “Keep off the grass,” and there’s not a blade of grass anywhere.
Playing across the Nullarbor was another amazing experience. Eighteen holes stretched over 1,500 kilometres.
Kalgoorlie was one of the best golf courses I’ve played in Australia.
That’s the beauty of golf. There are experiences everywhere.
Local Party Hole: Now that you’ve got $10,000 coming your way, do you have any exciting plans for the prize money? Maybe a golf trip?
Neil: I’d love to do that.
But unfortunately I’m selling a unit in Melbourne, so a fair bit of the money will probably go toward sorting that out first.
Once all that’s done, things might change.
Local Party Hole: Because it happened on the very first hole, were you able to concentrate for the rest of the round?
Neil: I’ve always had this theory that if you get a par or birdie on the first hole, the rest of the round can become pretty ordinary.
So when you get a hole-in-one on the first hole, that feeling becomes even stronger.
You keep thinking back to it all day.
The rest of the round was alright, but certainly not the best round I’ve played. Although after a hole-in-one, it probably doesn’t matter too much.
Local Party Hole: Well Neil, huge congratulations again from the whole Local Party Hole team.
Neil: Thank you very much. And thank you to Local Party Hole for all of this. It’s really appreciated.
Keen to play golf for the chance of a cash prize?
