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24 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, June 2, 2011 Coming up aces By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer Longtime playing partners Reg Finlayson and Bob Hebert found out recently during a Sunday round of golf at their home Club at North Halton course that lightning can strike twice. "We were playing on the same team and because we play a Skins' format with about 20 other guys, the first three holes are kind of the easiest on the course and we'd done nothing up to that point," said the 57-year-old Hebert, a North Halton club member for the past 18 years. "So Reg says, `Come on guys, we've got to do something.'" Hebert's 7-iron tee shot on the 150-yard par-3 4th looked like it was straight at the pin, followed by another good stroke by Finlayson, but the uphill layout of the hole makes it difficult to see from the tee box where the ball actually ends up. Upon walking up to the green and seeing just one ball near the pin, the suspense grew, although not all that much since both retirees had 14 aces between them prior to that round. "Automatically, I assumed that Reg was over the green and in the rough," laughed Hebert. "But when we got up to the green, I realized it was Reg's ball because he really marks it up with all kinds of paint. We walked over to the hole and sure enough, mine was in. Reg has had eight holes in one and he asked me, `How many is that for you,' and I said six. `You're catching up,' Hebert, a three-handicap, recalled his partner saying. Then on the 9th hole, Finlayson's 8-iron tee shot from 140 yards out rolled into the cup, eliciting a roar from the dozens watching from the clubhouse balcony and a lot of jumping up and down from the foursome, which also included Gord LeRiche and John Brenneman. "(Reg's) first reaction was to turn to me and say, `You're three behind again,'" Hebert chuckled. Whenever a hole in one is struck at North Halton, the golfer is invited to SPORTS & LEISURE a dinner at the end of the season and presented with a framed picture of the conquered hole. He or she is also presented with 60 beverage tickets to distribute amongst those on hand at the club so that the feat doesn't result in a hefty bar tab for the club member-- as is custom when a hole in one happens. "I think I went home with four (tickets). It was a like a hornet's nest over there," joked Finlayson, whose two-under-par score for that round matched his age, 70. "We also won the Skins' game and the team game, so it was a lucrative day." According to Golf Digest, the chances of hitting a hole in one are about 12,800 to 1 and while the odds for golfers from the same foursome getting an ace in the same round aren't listed, the likelihood of one person getting two holes in one during a round is approximately 17 million to one. The latter feat was pulled off at North Halton several years ago when late club member Jake Timpson had two in his round. Finlayson has now recorded aces on four of the course's par-3s-- the 4th, 9th, 15th and 17th-- with only the 13th yet to be victimized, with wife Gail having five to her credit. Hebert has attended the past two hole-in-one awards dinners at North Halton and while acknowledging that some luck is involved, he's alleging that a larger conspiracy could be at play. "Two years ago, there were 21 holes in one at our course and last year, only nine," he lamented. "(Course superintendent) Dean (Baker) keeps putting the pins closer and closer to the edges of the green, so I told him if you really want to make it hard, just put them in the bunkers or hide them in the bushes." Finlayson and Hebert play regularly together at competitive tournaments such as a Ryder Cup-style annual event involving about 40 clubs and they'll team up for the Golf Association of Ontario's Senior Men's Better Ball Championship in September at the Westmount course in Kitchener. The Club at North Halton members Bob Hebert (left) and Reg Finlayson had a memorable day on their home course recently when each hit a hole in one during while playing a round together, Hebert on the 4th hole and Finlayson at the 9th. Photo by Eamonn Maher Golf roundup: Spencer eighth in Ohio The month of May wasn't a complete washout for local junior golfers playing in tournaments both in Ontario and the U.S. Fourteen-year-old Samantha Spencer of Georgetown South was eighth in a field of 24 15-&-under competitors at the American Junior Golf Association's Junior All-Star Championships in Batavia, Ohio, recording rounds of 77-78 to finish as the top Canadian. She also placed 18th at the Golf Association of Ontario's Junior Spring Classic in the girls' 19 & under division with a three-round total of 255 at the Weston Golf & Country Club. Georgetown's Jamison Cass turned in rounds of 79-77 to place in a tie for fourth spot in the boys' 15-19 age group at last weekend's Canadian Junior Golf Association North America Cup Qualifier held at the National Pines course in Innisfil. Return to sender Alessandro Sant'angelo, 8, of Georgetown returns a shot during the recent opening day for the Gordon Alcott Tennis Club. Alessandro has been playing for four years. Photo by Calvin Dyke LEASE FOR 2012 Civic. There's one for you. NEXT GENERATION N NEXT GENERATION $ 250 @ 3.99 APR per month for 48 months % ** 2012 CIVIC SEDAN* 2 2012 CIVIC COUPE* $ 0 Down *** Security Deposit ** On approved credt OAC, payment plus HST due on delivery. ***First Payment plus applicable taxes. 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