Milford on Sea golfer Alan Clark, 71, has received a limited-edition BOSS watch after scoring a hole-in-one during a recent competition at New Forest and becoming the 100th recipient of the reward.
Clark scored his ace on the 140-yard, par-three 11th at New Forest, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, and the 18-handicapper was rewarded with membership of the exclusive BOSS Watches H1 Club and a specially-commissioned, commemorative timepiece.
Clark, who retired from his job in the financial sector in 1997 and took up golf in the same year, said: “I had just messed up the previous hole, a par-five, where I took a nine – so with a one on the 11th I’d played the two holes to my handicap.
“Normally you’d do it six and four but the nine and one had the same effect,” he laughed.
“The pin was at the back of the green and I hit a seven iron. We saw it land in front of the green and roll on and my playing partner said ‘that’s quite close’. But then we lost sight of the ball. When we walked on to the green there was no sign of it and I thought it must have run through over the back. However, when we could not find it we looked in the hole and there it was.
“It was my first hole-in-one in a competition – the other time was on holiday in South Carolina. I was quite pleased and my partner said it was like watching a dance round a maypole,” he smiled.
The luxury German brand, BOSS Watches, has pledged to reward club golfers with an exclusive watch for every hole-in-one recorded during a club competition between April 15 and October 31 this year. And, with nearly 4,000 holes-in-one recorded annually, BOSS Watches could feasibly be giving away £1m-worth in 2013.
Astonishingly, Clark’s ace was the 100th achieved by golfers in club competitions, all within just 18 days of the launch of the BOSS Watches H1 Club.
The scheme is open to any golfer whose club uses HowDidiDo – a free-to-use, web-based social network for golfers – and anybody playing in official club competitions will be eligible. Currently, more than 1,800 clubs use the website.
Stephen Brydon, commercial director for MGS Distribution, the official licenced UK distributor for BOSS Watches, said: “Congratulations to Alan on what, to most of us, is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. We’re also delighted that he is our 100th winner, a figure that has taken just over three weeks to reach, which is an amazing feat by golfers in the UK and Ireland.
“To the majority of amateur golfers, recording a hole-in-one will be the most memorable thing they achieve in golf – yet all many have to show for it is a dent in their bank balance after buying a round of drinks in the clubhouse.
“We aim to make it a lot more memorable for them by presenting them with an exclusive BOSS watch, only available to golfers who record a hole-in-one, so they are truly exclusive and will provide a constant reminder of the sight of their ball popping into the hole and the emotions attached to that very moment.
“It also adds a frisson of extra excitement to club competitions for golfers who may not be in with a chance of winning the event, for they know that every time they stand on the tee on a par-three, they are just one shot away from winning a stunning timepiece.”
In addition to the limited-edition watch, Clark is also awarded membership of the exclusive BOSS Watches H1 Club which offers its members access to exclusive benefits and merchandise.
No extra registration is required to participate in the BOSS Watches promotion as all official club competitions are recorded on the HowDidiDo system, so holes-in-one will be noted and automatically ratified by the golfer’s club.
HowDidiDo www.how-did-i-do.co.uk
New Forest Golf Club www.newforestgolfclub.co.uk
BOSS Watches www.bosswatches.co.uk