I was playing in an annual golf outing when we reached the 3rd hole, a par 3 with an elevated green. The flag was playing 178 yards on the rangefinder. Normally, that’s a smooth 6-iron for me, but with the elevation and a slight breeze in my face, I decided to go with a 5-iron.

I’ll admit, I hesitated. The 5-iron isn’t always my most consistent club. But as the last one in my group to tee off, I committed to a nice, smooth swing.

The ball came off perfectly, starting just right of center and turning over with a slight draw. The pin was tucked back left. We watched the ball land about halfway onto the green, tracking straight toward the hole. As it rolled, it picked up a gentle left break from the slope… and then suddenly disappeared.

Since this outing had a hole-in-one car giveaway, there were three volunteers stationed just behind the green. A second later, they threw their arms in the air and started running toward the hole, pointing. I was in total disbelief. The group ahead of us ran back to the green from their tee box, cheering and shouting as well.

Then I heard it, my buddies yelling, “You just hit a hole-in-one!” followed quickly by, “Dude, you just won a car!”

We drove up to the green, and sure enough, there was my ball sitting at the bottom of the cup. Safe to say, I wasn’t very focused over the next few holes as I was still trying to process what just happened.

Being a golf outing, the news spread fast, and I found myself retelling the story all day to anyone who asked. Without a doubt, a day and an experience I’ll never forget.