At Oxford Golf Club three amateur golfers made holes in one on the same day and all were at the 15th hole. Incredibly, two of the golfers were playing together and their ‘aces’ at this historic club were just seconds apart.
Michael Bidmead, 72, and Milos Bilic, 51, were competing in a ‘three-ball’ match when they both hit holes in one on the 201-yard par 3 hole. The odds of two players acing the same hole one after the other have been calculated at more than 17,000,000 to one, according to the National Hole in One Registry.
Milos, a gardener, teed off first, and struck the ball with a six iron towards the pin, but because the green is in a dip, the golfers could not see how his ball ended up. Michael, a retired kitchen surveyor, then struck a six iron straight at the flag and after the third player in their group had taken his shot they walked up the fairway together.
They were surprised when they only saw one ball on the green but dared not think ‘the impossible’. It was when they saw their two Callaway balls nestled in the hole that their surprise turned to joy.
“I was buzzing,” said Milos, of Marston, who plays off a handicap of ten. “It’s a bit of a blur, but we punched the air with delight, hugged and shook each other’s hands. Some guys on the next tee, who saw it, came over and congratulated us.
“I’ve been playing golf 18 years and it was my first hole in one. The following week I teed off on the 15th and ended up an inch away from the hole – it’ll probably be another 18 years before I hit lucky again!
“Someone told me the odds of two people getting a hole in one in a row are 17m to one. It was the best shot I’ve ever played, but it’s luck really – I should have got a lottery ticket that week.”
Michael, who has a handicap of 7, added: “We both hit the ball well and knew we were close – but we didn’t expect to see both our balls in the hole.”
After completing the round the pair went into the club house to enjoy the golfing tradition of buying the drinks – only to discover Alan Green, 60, of Thame, had already been lining them up, having aced the same hole earlier in the day.
“The bar man couldn’t believe it when we walked in and told him,” said Michael, of Blackbird Leys. “It’s tradition at the Oxford Golf Club to buy a bottle of spirits if you get a hole in one and Alan had already got a bottle of whisky in by the time we arrived.”
Alan, a builder, who also used a six iron to tee off, said: “It was my first hole in one and I’ve been playing 38 years. I was delighted, a few of my friends have got holes in one and it is something you dream about, so it felt fantastic.”
Alan, who has a handicap of 14, was playing in a competition and won a £250 Hugo Boss watch for his hole in one.
The trio have been the toast of the Club, based two miles from the centre of Oxford, since their astonishing feat. Stephen Nicholson, General Manager at Oxford Golf Club, in Cowley, said: “It’s a really special achievement and the boys have rightly been the talk of the club. A hole in one is what we all dream of, so to have three members achieve it on the same day and on the same hole will go down in folklore at Oxford Golf Club.”
Oxford Golf Club http://www.oxfordgolfclub.net/
National Hole in One Registry https://nationalholeinoneregistry.com/