For Dan Smith, a simple round of golf on July 19 at Heather Highlands? precision course in Holly became extraordinary when his tee shot on the second hole, a 121-yard par three, found the bottom of the cup.
‘The hole before I did really bad. The ball went really high in the air and hit right in front of the hole. I thought it was going to go over the green,? Smith said.
Smith’s shot from his pitching wedge did not sail past the target; however, the ball landed just in front of the pin and rolled into the cup ? giving him an elusive hole-in-one.
‘I didn’t believe it at first. I walked up and (the ball) was there in the cup. I still didn’t believe it after I got it out of the hole,? Smith said.
Smith’s friend Kevin VanBuskirk and brother Drew were also on the tee.
‘I thought his ball was behind the pin,? Drew said.
Smith’s mother heard, via cell phone, about the improbable shot soon afterwards.
‘He had an ear to ear smile on his face the rest of the day,? said Lisa Smith, Dan’s mother.
In the near future, Dan’s hole-in-one ball will be preserved along with the scorecard and pencil used that day as a keepsake.
Next year, Dan enters the ninth grade at Clarkston Junior High School. Aside from golf, he has a passion for hockey and hopes to make the Clarkston High School varsity squad this year.
Dan currently lives in Clarkston with his father, Bruce; mother, Lisa; and brothers, Drew and Joe.