By ROY WARD
WHEN Bernard Stingel played his first game of golf as a 20 year old, he hoped one day to hit a hole in one.
That hope never left him for the next 56 years he played the game, right up to last Thursday when the 76-year-old hit his first hole in one, on the seventh hole at Oakleigh Golf Club in Park Road, Oakleigh.
Stingel said the best shot he had ever played came out of one of his more forgettable rounds.
“I was having a bad day and hadn’t found a good shot the whole round,” he said.
“We got to the seventh hole, which is a par three. As soon as I hit it I thought it was on line with the hole, then it hit the green, bounced once and disappeared.
“Being a bit older my eyes aren’t so good, so I couldn’t be sure it went in, but I was hoping it was the case.”
When Stingel, who plays off a handicap of 16, got to the green he was amazed to find his ball sitting inside the hole.
“I had been using the same ball for the past two months. We all had a good laugh about the shot and a few fellas took photos with their phones.
“After 56 years it finally happened. Who would have believed it?”
While the hole in one was a special moment, Stingel admits the rest of his round was hardly memorable.
“The rest of my round was no good either. I was too excited after the hole in one.”
Stingel plays golf once or twice each week and said it was an important part of keeping fit and active. “It’s a good walk and I enjoy the company. If you have a good round then it’s just a bonus.”
He also plans to mount his well-weathered ball as a trophy.
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