We’ve played golf in a lot of beautiful places, but Wild Laurel Golf Club in the mountains near Townsend, Tennessee, was something special.
We were there for a family trip and decided that, naturally, we needed a Family Golf Scramble.
We had a pretty large crew, but Wild Laurel couldn’t have been better about accommodating us. We split into groups of four and headed out for what we expected to be a fun family round in the mountains.
It was definitely that.
Then we reached Hole 10.
And things got interesting.
Patrick stepped up to the tee on Hole 10.
We had been told the hole measured around 230 yards but, because of the elevation, played much shorter, closer to 160.
That’s mountain golf for you.
Patrick clubbed down and hit his tee shot.
We watched the ball head toward the green.
Then it disappeared.
Uh oh.
There was water short of the green, so naturally we assumed that’s where the ball had gone.
Nobody started jumping up and down.
Nobody yelled, “Hole in one!”
We basically shrugged and figured Patrick had found the water.
So he hit a provisional.
Then we made our way down to the green.
We were getting ready to continue playing when Lauren looked at the cup.
“There’s already a ball in the hole.”
Wait.
What?
Sure enough.
Patrick’s first tee shot hadn’t gone into the water.
Patrick had just made his first hole in one.
And none of us knew it.
There was no dramatic moment on the tee box. No watching the ball roll toward the cup and disappear. No immediate celebration.
We thought he’d lost his golf ball.
Turns out he’d put it in the best possible place.
I think that made it even more fun.
Wild Laurel was already going to be a memorable round. The mountain setting was beautiful, the course was fun, and the staff did a great job handling our large family group.
Then Patrick went and made sure we’d never forget it.
We’ve had a lot of family golf rounds over the years.
We’ve had good shots.
We’ve had terrible shots.
We’ve had golf balls end up in places where golf balls have absolutely no business being.
But this was our first family golf scramble where somebody made a hole in one.
And naturally, when it finally happened, nobody even saw the ball go in.
Congratulations, Patrick.
First hole in one.
And probably the only time we’ll ever be disappointed to discover that a golf ball didn’t go into the water. ⛳
Read about our round and the fun we had and the challenges we faced in the November issue of Golf Up North Newsletter. Make sure you don’t miss an issue by clicking on Golf Up North Newsletter and subscribing to our monthly newsletter.
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