Did you check the hole?

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Decided to go play a round today, and enjoy the last day before they turn the clocks back tonight.

Hole 2 is an uphill but short par-5. I had paired up with another single, and he looked to be fairly decent judging from his shots on the first hole and his drive on the second hole. My drive on the second hole got popped up but straight. Short though, so I played a 5W up the left side and got it up past the 150-yard stake. My playing partner lost his second shot badly right, over into the fairway on 3, a little bit after that I played as we had had to wait for the group in front clear the green.

I can hit my 7I around 150 level. I judged from where I was for the shot to be around 145 to the center of the green. So I took the 7, figuring with the pin up in front, and the uphill climb it should be right for me to go at with a solid swing, and not worry about hitting it softer or harder.

It was a good hit, and I could see that it must have hit up on the green, somewhat to the right of the pin. Couldn't see exactly where, because of the elevation, but it had looked about right to be up about pin-high and right some. I walked over some on my way up to help my playing partner spot his ball, and once he saw where it was, where he to wait for the group in front of us to finish teeing off of 3, I went up towards the right side of the green and pulled out my putter, figuring it would be up on the green.

So when I get up there, I'm looking, and can't find my ball. Huh, I think. Maybe it ran through? I go to the back, and look in the thick grass behind. Nope. Did it take a hard kick left, since I had put some hook on it and the front of the green area sloped some to the left? I go and even check the bunker. Nope. Check right bunker. Nope. Check to see if it's sitting down in the grass in between bunkers and green. Nope.

Hmm. Now I see a ball behind the green. I don't remember seeing it and walk to check it. "That should be mine," my playing partner said, and he was right.

I'm lifted my arms in an expression of "I don't know what happened to my ball."

"That's strange, it sure looked like you hit a good shot to me."

"I know, but where did it go?"

"Did you check the hole?"

I kind of stopped.

"Erm, no, maybe I should?" as I began to speculate about the unfathomable, and I then walked to the front pin location, and peer over the lip, and see my ball nestled down in the cup.

First eagle ever for me. First time I've ever holed a shot from beyond 50 yards even.

Did you check the hole?

[Slingblade61]

Bastard!

Congratulations!

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

It's a dangerous thing when it happens though. Somehow I managed not to leap up and chew up green with my soft spikes. So freaking unexpected, too. I've never holed a shot from off the green with a full swing.

The rest of the round got somewhat shaky at times, but that eagle was pretty sweet.

[Silver]

That's awesome man, what a feeling that must have been.

It's one of those days where no matter what the round was like, when someone asks you, you get to say "I got an eagle!"

[Big Brother Dunk]

Nice shot. I've had a similar thing happen to me.

I hit a 100 yard shot to slightly elevated green. I saw it bounce once then lost sight of it. When I walked up to the green, I didn't see the ball. I walked to the back of the green, thinking I had hit it long, but no ball.

Then I checked the hole and there it was...eagle 2!!

[LottaBalata]

Totally sweet man! I did something similar with the gap wedge about 2 weeks ago--my 2nd eagle ever. I could actually see mine roll in from where I was. So the stress of searching didn't come up. My first one was exactly the same, I hit a 5i from about 170 and holed it. Walked around for 10 minutes--I knew it had to be a good shot.

CONGRATS!!

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I was thinking about it more this morning, and if I remember the hole configuration correctly, I may have figured out how it happened. Now when I was up there before, I looked for a ballmark to repair, and found one, well to the right of the hole, but it looked kind of old. It didn't look too fresh. I don't think my ball landed there.

Instead, when it flattens out up top for the green, there is an area of fairway, rough near the right bunker, in front of the green. It's got a bit of slope to it near there that should likely make a ball kick left if it hits, so I'm guessing now my ball landed there, and kicked left with bounce onto the green and got rolling for the hole.

I'll have to look at that front area when I play there again, and if my memory is correct, I think I've figured out how it got moving left. It's one of those ones where you wish there had been cameras up and behind the green so you could see how it got in the hole.

[Tiger Who?]

I sometimes fall in the hole....:emot-ange

[EnglishGolfer]

After shooting a level par front 9 I proceeded to thin my 2nd shot on the par 4 tenth into the hole. It stung my fingers like hell and clattered the flag but it went in and put me 2 under gross!! I managed another birdie in the round to take me 3 under before the reality of what I was doing hit me and I dropped 3 shots on the last two holes.

Another gem was when on a par 5 I hit a great drive, topped the next shot about 60 yards, hit my third out of bounds and holed the next one with a 3 iron that I watched all the way as did the people who had just left the green (who hadn't see me hacking the two shots prior). Funny game innit?