There’s no such thing as a normal hole in one.
Ask golfers who made them, and they’re apt to offer over-the-top details.
Some, though, are more unique than others.
Local golfers Carter Hassenplug and Jason Bish, who recently recorded their first career aces, did so with distinct caveats.
Lengthier luck
Hassenplug’s May 30 ace occurred on a familiar green. The new Allegheny College graduate, who was a three-time Presidents’ Athletic Conference medalist, achieved it on the ninth hole of North East’s Green Meadows Golf Course.
The same ninth hole on an 18-hole property Hassenplug’s family has owned or operated for 50 years.
What made Carter Hassenplug’s ace stand out is that it’s listed as a par-4. The former Gator choked up on a driver for his 315-year tee shot and then watched the ball check before it rolled into the green’s middle-placed cup.
“I’ve driven that green a handful of times,” Hassenplug said, “but I’d say never closer (to an ace) than 15 feet. But as soon as I hit that drive, I thought, ‘OK, this has a chance to be a good one.’
“Lo and behold.”
Witnesses to Carter Hassenplug’s hole in one included his younger brother. Leyton Hassenplug, a North East senior-to-be, is the other son of Green Meadows’ owners Troy and Adrienne Hassenplug.
Technically, the ace was Carter Hassenplug’s second “albatross” on his home course. The North East graduate, a member of its 2018 PIAA Class 2A boys golf championship team, said it was the summer of 2022 when he recorded a two on Green Meadows’ par-5, 462-yard second hole.
Carter Hassenplug defied six million-to-one odds with that feat, according to PGA of America odds.
Hassenplug, who majored in mathematics, is seeking work in the finance industry. Although his competitive golf career could be over, his days of drives, chips and putts absolutely aren’t.
“I’d be lost without golf,” Hassenplug said. “It’s given me so many blessings, and I can’t thank my parents enough for supporting me.”
Four-wheel incentive
Bish’s used a 6-iron for his June 23 ace on the 16th hole at Venango Valley Inn & Golf Club. It occurred during Mercyhurst Prep’s Green & White Classic, which the 1998 Cathedral Prep graduate entered at friend’s request.
The tournament’s top prize was a red BMW to be awarded to any golfer who aced that 197-yard hole.
Bish, who arrived at the Crawford County course in a Honda Pilot, departed with impending ownership of the New Motors vehicle.
“My dad (Jim) was there to see (the hole in one),” Bish said, “and that was the best part about it. We all just lost it.”
Although Bish posed with his new ride after the tournament, he’s yet to drive it. He still awaits paperwork clearance from Allen Yingling, New Motors owner and a Mercyhurst Prep graduate.
Bish’s second set of wheels could be a perk with a new job at his alma mater. He’s listed as an assistant director of football operations for Mike Mischler, who’s about to start his third tenure as coach of the Ramblers.
Contact Mike Copper at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County golfers record unusual aces
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