Retired council worker Iain Robertson amazed members of Garmouth and Kingston course during a winter league event where he aced the 15th hole last month.
Miraculously, on the subsequent day, the very same Titleist 2 ball found its way into the 13th hole cup, with clubside pal Stuart McKay acting as the witness on both occasions.
Iain, 64, exclaimed: “There’s no secret really, just a bit of luck involved. To get two in two days, it’s never been heard of before.
“I’ve been a member here for about 55 years now and now that I’m retired, I get a game four or five times a week.”
His deep familiarity with the course clearly played a role, as Iain, who golfs several times weekly since retirement, said, “So a bit of course knowledge definitely helps.”
Having previously scored aces at the same 13th hole four times, his 120-yard shot became his unprecedented fifth.
Recalling the first success of the duo that weekend, he described, “I didn’t see that one go in.
“I knew it was going to be quite close and I saw it wasn’t over the back. I had a look in the hole not thinking it would be there, and it was, so I just shouted over to my playing partners.”
Iain offered a modest explanation for his first hole-in-one, noting the challenging conditions: “I was using a six iron. It was into the wind in my defence.”
A day later, his trusty nine iron did it again, alongside pals McKay and Rebecca Grant.
“I saw that one but we weren’t actually sure it went in, we thought it might have just been past and was hiding behind the pin,” he said.
Giddy with his double luck, he added: “We were looking at the side but when we got halfway up we thought, it must be in.”
Traditionally, a hole-in-one leads to a costly round at the bar, but Iain cleverly navigated this by treating his fellow enthusiasts to a bottle of malt on the house.
“The word got round the course quite quick and there were a few handshakes.
“I had a dram to celebrate, and I did stand my hand. I bought a bottle of malt and put it behind the bar.”
Iain reminisced about his early days playing golf and how now, in his retirement, he pitches in with upkeep: “When you went to secondary school you had to pay something like 50p to join.
“Nowadays I help out with cutting the fairways as well. There’s a few of us retired boys who help out in the summer. It’s something to do for us and there’s about half a dozen of us.”
As for the ball that danced its way into the cup not once, but twice, Iain muses over its fate: “I have actually kept it. I did think to myself ‘is it really that lucky? ’
“On a fine day I might use it again. Either that or keep it as a souvenir.”
Despite his achievements, Iain can’t claim the title of ‘ace’ golfer at the Moray coast club, even with an impressive nine holes-in-one at Garmouth and Kingston over 50 years—five on the same hole.
Fellow member Maxi Grant has achieved 12 aces, while Mort Cattanach boasts ten.
“I’ve got a wee bit of catching up to do on them,” Iain admitted. “That’s my new ambition, to get into double figures.”
