By John Casper, Jr.
Published in the Eau Leader-Telegram, September 28, 2011
John Glenz said he might go to the casino.
Area golfers looking for their first hole-in-one may want to book a tee
time at Wild Ridge Golf Course.
The 70-year-old Eau Claire resident became the second golfer to hit two
holes-in-one in the same round this season at Wild Ridge when he aced No.
6 and No. 17 on Tuesday.
John Yule, an Eau Claire real estate agent, hit holes-in-one at No. 6 and
No. 12 on Aug. 4.
“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Glenz said.
“I didn’t know it happened before (at Wild Ridge) until someone told me.”
According to a study by Golf Digest, the odds of a golfer hitting two
holes-in-one in the same round are 67 million-to-1.
Glenz, who worked as an engineer for Uniroyal and UW-Eau Claire, hit his
first hole-in-one last summer in Minnesota.
“I’ve been playing a lot more since I retired,” said Glenz, an 11-handicap
who retired in 2001. “I didn’t have much time when I was working.”
He said he plays three to four times a week and was on the course Tuesday
with regular playing partners Dave Lund and Mike McAloon.
Playing from the white tees, Glenz used a 9-iron for the 109-yard hole. He
said the ball hit a little short of the hole, then rolled in.
“You can see it from the tee, but there’s always doubt,” Glenz said.
“You’re not 100 percent sure until you get down there and look.”
Glenz continued to use the same ball for the rest of the round — just like
Yule did. The ball from his first hole-in-one was “collecting dust” on a
mantle, so he didn’t feel the need to be sentimental about this one.
That is until he used a 6-iron on No. 17, which was playing at 147 yards.
Glenz played the difficult green perfectly as the ball rolled up the
slope, then back down toward the hole.
“It was unbelievable getting one, but really amazing to get two,” said
Glenz, who treated his playing partners to lunch at McDonald’s after the
round.
And the ball? Glenz said he’s keeping it safe now.
“I’ll retire it after two,” he said. “I’m going to mark it.”
