For golfers of any ability, making an ace is an unforgettable moment, although the odds are hardly favorable, with the chances approximately 12,500 to one.
Because of this, there is no guarantee that, even if you play regularly, you will achieve the feat over a lifetime.
However, for one player, that has not been proved an issue, and over the course of a month, she made an ace not once but three times.
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Lyn Parry achieved her incredible hat-trick at two clubs in Devon, England. The first two aces came at her home club, Downes Crediton, with the third at Tiverton Golf Club.
The 74-year-old explained: “The first one was on the day of our club AGM, the 3rd hole at Downes Crediton.
“It was a sunny afternoon and the greens had just been sanded, so I didn’t see it go in. I knew it was close and when I couldn’t see it, I was thinking ‘don’t tell me it’s gone off the back!’. But no, it was in the hole!
“Because it was the AGM, I was very popular as it meant everyone coming in was getting a free drink!”
Two of Parry’s aces came at her home club
(Image credit: England Golf)
Just 16 days later, on October 16th, she was at it again.
“This time it was our Ladies Day,” she said. “And we did see the ball go in on the 13th.”
“We all looked at each other saying, ‘Has that really just gone in the hole?!’ There was a little bit of jumping up and down and a photograph after that one, and so it was drinks all round again!”
Two more weeks went by before Parry, who took up the game 16 years ago at the age of 58, made her third ace in a month at Tiverton.
She admitted her shot had felt good the moment the ball left the club face, saying: “It was a social round with three friends at Tiverton Golf Club and on their 12th hole, I hit one and thought ‘that felt nice!’
“I saw it land just at the bottom of the little bank on the right, and thought it might be close. But I told myself it doesn’t happen in threes, that’s just silly. Then there it was, in the hole!”
Unfortunately for Parry, unlike the other two, on that occasion, she wasn’t able to celebrate immediately after her round.
She explained: “Sadly after the round it was dark and nobody wanted to stay around and the girls asked if we could save the celebrations for another day, so we didn’t go in – which is a bit naughty isn’t it?!”
Incredibly, she has five aces in her 16 years as a golfer
(Image credit: England Golf)
Incredibly, Parry’s unique trio of aces wasn’t even her first experience of the achievement. The final hole-in-one at Tiverton took her overall tally to five, having made her first two earlier in her career at Downes Crediton.
Parry’s most recent run of aces has also greatly improved her handicap. At the start of the summer, her Handicap Index stood at 19.4, but as she explained, it is a lot better now.
She said: “The gratifying thing is that my handicap has come down by nearly seven shots – and I’m old! It shows that you can never be too old! It will probably go up again soon because it’s hard, but it’s been a great year!”
So, what more does she hope to achieve in the game? The septuagenarian was realistic, saying: “Let’s face it, I’m probably not going to get any better.
“The holes-in-one have just come along a bit like buses, but it’s just for me about having fun. We have a good club, a good atmosphere, everyone’s very friendly and I just want to enjoy my golf at Crediton for as long as I can.”
