Most Memorable Shot I've Ever Played

by Mark Klone, RLA, ASLA, Project Manager/Architect Genesis Group
(Jacksonville, Florida Area)

I was playing in a 2-day, 3-man scramble on a small-town, 9-hole course in Nebraska. After the first round, teams were able to enter into a 2-man, alternate shot, 9-hole "horse race." 10 teams started on the first hole, using an alternate shot format, with the highest score eliminated. The remaining 9 teams moved on to the 2nd hole. Anyone could bet on any team to win/place/show which meant you had to reach the 8th hole to "get paid."

I was playing with my older brother, who had just ended his "career" as a golf pro, I was still in college (and probably a 5-8 handicap). We make it to the 4th hole where my brother leads off and hits a drive down the right side on a sharp dogleg left. His ball rolls through the fairway and rests behind a cedar tree. The branches had been trimmed up slightly, maybe 3 or 4 feet above the ground, and I had a thin lie approximately 10 yards behind the tree. The trunk of the tree was directly in line with the flagstick. I could either play a low cut under the left side or a hard draw around the right side. I opted for the low cut.

I couldn't have hit a more pure shot. The ball started out low and about 15 yards to the left of the green, missing the bottom branches of the tree entirely, then got up in the air and cut right back towards the center of the green. Landing about 10 yards beyond pin-high, it backed up to about 10 feet. We missed a really tough cross-hill put for birdie but wound up winning the hole with par. Unfortunately, 2 holes later we putted ourselves out of the competition.

It wasn't a hole-out, it wasn't a chip-in, it wasn't anything over-the-top spectacular, or on a world-famous golf course...but it was by far the most memorable shot I have ever hit. It's been 10 years and I still remember it to this day.