It’s hard enough for anyone to make a hole-in-one once in their lifetime, let alone record multiple aces on the same hole.
And yet, 86-year-old Carol Jones of Wyomissing defied the odds on Tuesday by sinking her third career hole-in-one, all on the ninth hole at Willow Hollow.
“A groundskeeper was cutting the grass and he was on the left side of the hole; of course he stopped mowing,” Jones said Wednesday. “When it hit the flag, it fell right down and he jumped in the air and yelled, ‘Hole-in-one!’ I wasn’t sure, but everyone else said, ‘I think it went in,’ and we were all very excited.”
Jones used a 9-wood to make the 80-yard shot. She used a pitching wedge on her earlier aces, but has grown fond of the 9-wood that seems tailor-made for the hole.
“I used a 9-wood that is probably 25 years old,” Jones said. “I got it out and I thought I’m gonna hit it over and I think if it wouldn’t have hit the flag it would have been over the green. But it’s kind of neat to have this club that I’m using mostly just for this hole.
“When I had the last one I just used a pitching wedge, but I am getting older; I guess maybe I need more club.”
A member of the Willow Hollow Ladies Golf League that meets every Tuesday, Jones made her first hole-in-one on Sept. 16, 1997, and has been an expert of No. 9 ever since. She aced the hole for a second time on Sept. 10, 2014.
“I have to tell you, I never worry about that hole (anymore),” Jones said. “But before I had that (first) hole-in-one, I went in the water four or five times and was like, ‘What the heck is going on?’
“The first one was in 1997 and on No. 9, you’re up high, so you look down on the water and the green. It was 125 yards out and everyone could see it going in on my foursome. And then the second one, I was playing with the senior men on a Monday, and the three of them were standing behind me. I used my pitching wedge and I could see it roll right in.”
Though a rarity for most people, holes-in-one are a tradition in Jones’ family. Both her mother and sons also accomplished the milestone. And like mother like daughter, age never seemed to be a factor in their ability to impress on the links.
“I come from a family of golfers,” Jones said. “My mother used to play competitive golf and she had a couple holes-in-one. In fact, she was 75 and I had her out at Moselem Springs because that’s where I golfed at the time, and my dad was in town. They lived in Florida and he said, ‘I’m not playing out there. That’s too hard.’
“So my mother and I went and we’re on this par-3, which is up the hill and banked with sand traps. And there were four men ahead and they said ‘Oh, come on, play through.’
“And she gets her ball and it goes up and in the hole, then all the men jumped in the air. It was thrilling that she had those four men witnessing.”
Having played for over 40 years, Jones has spread the love of the game down through the generations and has had grandchildren who were on the Schuylkill Valley and Wyomissing golf teams.
“I didn’t golf until my youngest went to kindergarten when we were in Latrobe,” Jones said. “But I only played nine holes because I’d have to take her to kindergarten, run out to Latrobe Country Club, play nine holes and run back and pick her up.
“Two of my granddaughters, one from each of my sons, were both around 15 at the time and one played for Schuylkill Valley and the other went to Wyomissing. I used to take them out to a par-3 course called Springside and they were pretty good.”
In addition to golfing, Jones, a retired registered nurse, is also an avid gardener. She said she believes that staying in shape is vital life advice that everyone can follow.
“You have to stay in shape,” Jones said. “Everyone says to me, ‘I can’t believe what good shape you’re in and everything,’ and I say, ‘Well, I work out and I eat right.’ I am a good cook and I try not to eat too many sweets or anything like that.
“After I retired I was going to Body Zone three times a week. I don’t this summer because I golf twice a week and I have six flower gardens.”
With perhaps more aces up her sleeve, Jones relishes the ageless nature of golf and will continue to play the game her family has always enjoyed.
“It was just what we did,” Jones said. “When my youngest was 5 I thought well I either have to take up golf or tennis. So I thought, ‘I better take up golf because that’s what the family’s doing.’
“You can play it much longer as long as you’re in good health. I played one year with seniors and there was a 90-year-old man that played.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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