One shot from 175 yards for the grand prize
CULLMAN – Ever had one swing for $1 million? With a bunch of eyes watching?
I have. It happened recently in the Cullman Regional Hospital Foundation Golf Extravaganza. And here’s the story.
But first, a little background. The tournament is a four-person scramble that raises funds for the hospital’s foundation. Basically, it’s one of those tournaments we all play in, never expecting to win but do it to support the charity. In that regard, it is a tournament I have been playing in for the past few years courtesy of an invite to play on the Cullman Times team. So, it was thanks to my friend Jake Winfrey that I was even in position to take a shot at a hole-in-one for $1 million.
The tournament takes the four closest to the pin winners and puts them in the shootout. One swing. If you jar it, you win a $1 million annuity payable over 40 yearly installments, so it’s not like they hand you a big check for the entire amount. But money is money, right?
I was kind of lucky to get in the shootout. Terri Pines Country Club, a city-owned golf course, features four par 3s of varying lengths. The fifth hole was playing about 190 yards. The eighth hole was playing about 141. The 12th hole, which is where they do the final shootout, was 175 yards. The final one, the hole I qualified on, is downhill and playing about 150 yards.
One of my teammates, Jerry Felts, hit a great-looking shot that ended up about 10 feet behind the hole. It went right over the flag. I knocked down a 6-iron that ended up 4 feet, 9 inches from the hole. Because each par 3 offers a hole-in-one prize, there are observers watching and measuring for the closest-to-the-pin shots.
My shot was actually the second closest on the hole, but the person who was inside me said he could not participate in the shootout, so I kind of backed into the whole thing.
We were the next-to-last group to come through No. 17, so I only had to sweat one more team before finding out if I made the shootout.
The prize for closest to the pin was an Ogio stand bag, courtesy of Pepsi, and a dozen Titleist Velocity golf balls, so I was already ahead of the game before taking my swing at the $1 million.
Finally, as the sun was setting, the four finalists made their way out to the tee at No. 12, which is a really good par 3 over water to an elevated green with a grass bunker guarding the front of the green. A narrow bunker is left of the green and anything to the right feeds down toward the cart path and water.
When we played the hole earlier, we were into the wind and I pulled my shot left of the green. It hit a tree and I never found the ball, so I didn’t really have a ton of confidence heading into the shootout.
Taking a shot in front of Cameras, witnesses
I didn’t know all of the ins and outs of the contest, but tournament officials said there had to be several witnesses just in case somebody aced it. Those witnesses needed to be a tournament official, a PGA of America professional, a police officer and somebody videoing each shot.
The first guy to take his shot at the $1 million let his shot drift right of the green. We were surprised when they measured it, but then we were told that there was a separate prize for whoever got the closest.
The second player in the shootout pretty much topped his shot. He just laughed.
I was third up. On the way to the tee box I remarked to Jerry that I just wanted to get my shot on line with the pin. Just give it a chance.
I grabbed a tee out of my pocket, adjusted my glove and lined up my Sub 70 3-hybrid. One hundred, seventy five yards is just about a perfect yardage for my soon-to-be 68-year-old swing.
I wasn’t nervous. Well, maybe a little. But only two things were going to happen – it was going to go in or it wasn’t. But I didn’t want to embarrass myself with a bad swing and shot.
I do have a history with holes-in-one. I have made six during my 50-plus years playing golf. The longest was 180 yards with a 4-iron. My most recent was in July 2023 at Gunters Landing when I topped my playing partner’s ace with one of my own on the same hole.
“Just make a good pass at it,” I told myself. “Get the club set at the top, everything in sync. Stay down and through the ball. Hit it solid.”
My usual shot shape is a baby cut, so I played it about five yards left of the hole. I saw Jake and my other teammate for the day, Joel Gafford, standing behind the green as I stepped up to the shot. The PGA of America professional who was an observer was Charlie Krenkel, a frequent playing partner.
The shot came off just how I envisioned it. High and just left of the flag.
I told it to cut. The ball cut. Just enough. For just a moment, my heart fluttered. Could it? Would it?
I knew it was a good shot. But good enough to win $1 million?
Nope. It wasn’t. My Wilson golf ball finished 15 feet from the hole. No $1 million. Not this day.
There was one other player left to take his shot at the grand prize. He chunked it. Nobody was going home a millionaire on this day.
My prize for being closest to the pin in the shootout was a huge Magellan cooler. Not bad for one swing. I’m not sure what I will do with it. Sell it, probably because I don’t really need it. I’ll keep the Ogio stand bag, though. Coincidentally, the night before the tournament I was online looking at stand bags because I need a new golf bag and was going to suggest one for my Christmas gift.
But man, that $1 million sure would have been nice. Maybe next year.
Gregg Dewalt is the editor of Alabama Golf News
Have a story idea or a news item to report to Alabama Golf News? Email gregg@alabamagolfnews.com
Featured image of No. 12 at Terri Pines Country Club by Gregg Dewalt
