*Philip Brigdale.
FOR ANY golfer, professional or amateur, holes in one are rare so when one is recorded it leads to great celebrations.
The odds of recording two in the same round are sixty seven million to one so when Philip Brigdale achieved such an achievement at Ennis Golf Club recently, it led to major celebrations.
A member of Ennis for the past nineteen years, nineteen handicapper Philip was playing in the Cancer Alliance competition with his nephew Ethan Kerin, Gerry Hannon and Gerry Daly.
“As we were playing the first we were talking about a friend who had recorded a hole in one the previous day, never thinking that any of us was about to have a similar achievement”, explained Philip.
“I played a 7 iron to the second and while we heard the ball hit the pin we didn’t ever think that the ball had dropped into the hole. We didn’t know where the ball had finished until we got to the green and, obviously I was delighted when we found the ball in the hole. It was my first ever hole in one”, explained Philip.
“We were still celebrating this and I had a good score of 15 points going, despite recording a double bogey at the sixth, when we reached he seventh hole. I hit a 5 iron here, as sweet as I even hit one and we watched the ball role towards the hole before losing sight of it. The lads coming up the sixth saw it go into the hole but they didn’t know that it was my shot from the tee. It was celebration time again”, continued Philip.
Understandably Philip was “in a bit of a haze for the next few holes and I managed just two points over the next four before things settled down again”.
Philip has since received “loads of congratulations, including messages from the club captain and, and the achievement is to be honoured by the golf club. In fact it was to have happened last Sunday but storm Ashley meant that those plans had to be cancelled. The card has been signed and this has been reported to the GUI (Golfing Union of Ireland). A photograph is to be hung on the wall at the club”, according to Philip before confirming “I bought a round for all at the bar afterwards”.
