Golfer scores his second hole-in-one on Kloof course

KLOOF retiree Dave Wickham scored a hole-in-one at Kloof Country Club on October 5.

The golfer was playing in a four-ball when he struck gold on the 18th green, on a 3-par hole with a drive of 178m, using a 3 rescue iron. He said that the slight slope meant he couldn’t see the ball go into the hole, but he knew he’d had a good drive.

Wickham, a member at the club for more than 20 years, said, “There are many very good golfers that have never had a hole-in-one, and there are many poor golfers that have had several; so, there’s quite a bit of luck involved – a certain amount of skill, of course, but a large amount of luck. I’ve had lots of close hole-in-ones, but it’s got to go in and stick. The ball must stay in.”

ALSO READ: Aweh! Find out what’s popping in Durban this weekend

The Kloof resident plays regularly at the Kloof Country Club, up to thrice weekly, and says that he loves the sport.

“It’s wonderful exercise to walk around a golf course and have fun with your mates, while playing a sport. This is my second hole-in-one on the course. My first was eight years ago on the 11th green. I was long overdue for a second one,” said Wickham.

Kloof Country Club has a hole-in-one prize fund, where the seed portion is sponsored by Pam Golding Properties.

Wickham says, “Each week, people pay a certain amount towards the fund as part of their golfing fee, if they want to participate on that day. The fund grew slowly over the year to R57 000, which is when I won it. The club has a camera to make sure that everyone is being honest about it. There will be a video of the actual shot when it went in the hole, and you also must have people playing with you as witnesses.”

The golfer says that it is challenging to achieve a hole-in-one on the 18th green at Kloof Country Club.

“At Kloof, the 18th hole is notoriously difficult for getting a hole-in-one, however, in the last year, there’s been several hole-in-ones before mine, but none of those players had taken a ticket to participate in the prize money,” says Wickham.

Ironically, one of the golfers in the four-ball Wickham played with had scored a hole-in-one two weeks before but neglected to take a ticket in the prize fund for that day.

ALSO READ: Safety measures in place for Amashova Durban Classic Race

“When I scored my hole-in-one on October 5, I was playing with a friend who got a hole in one two weeks before me, but he hadn’t taken a ticket. It was bittersweet for him to be in the four-ball with someone who did take a ticket, only two weeks after he got one,” said the golfer.

Wickham says it is impossible to give advice to other golfers on how to achieve a hole-in-one, but he would rather give encouragement.

“The only way to get a hole-in-one is to keep on playing golf, and if it’s your lucky day, then it’s your lucky day,” he says.

Pam Maybery congratulated the golfer on behalf of Kloof Country Club.

For more from the Highway Mail follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram