‘It’s just crazy’ Calgary golfer sinks three aces in eight-day span

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Saturdays are for … aces?!?

That seems to be the case for Calgary’s Brendan Weiland, a smooth-swinging member at Springbank Links Golf Club.

Weiland achieved a rare feat on the first Saturday of July, with two hole-in-one celebrations in the same round. The 23-year-old buried his tee-ball on No. 5 and then skipped the putting portion once again on No. 10.

Fast-forward a week, to this past Saturday, and Weiland notched another ace on No. 10.

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“It’s just crazy,” he said.

While Weiland is a plus-handicap, proof that he hits plenty of good shots, nobody expects to card three 1s in an eight-day span. A modest sort, he’s clearly a tad uncomfortable with all the talk about his string of superb shots. (His career hole-in-one count has now been boosted to six.)

Weiland’s recent roll started with an awesome eight-iron on the 156-yard fifth hole at his home club, which requires a confident crank across a deep ravine. He nailed his next about an hour later, taking advantage of a tailwind and completing No. 10 with a nifty nine-iron that covered 165 yards.

“I’d just been in the clubhouse and told them, ‘Yeah, I just made a 1 on No. 5,’” said Weiland, who lives in the northwest corner of the city. “And then I get on the tee and make another one. It was like, ‘No way!’ Seeing that second one go in, it was ridiculous. It didn’t feel real.

“During the week, I played a few times and everyone was asking me, ‘Oh, how many did you have today?’ I’d say, ‘I got none, obviously. I’m not getting another one.’ But then (Saturday), on No. 10 again, it hits the stick and goes down. It didn’t even make sense.”

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That latest hole-in-one, by the way, was a stellar seven-iron from a distance of 172 yards.

The odds of making multiple aces in the same round are considered to be 67-million-to-1.

And what about three in an eight-day stretch? We like the way the staff at Springbank Links summed it up in an e-blast to their members: “The odds of doing this are can’t-count-this-high-to-1. We are working on the math.”

Another neat story

There’s an annual memorial tournament at Lakeside in Chestermere, a way to remember some supportive members and close friends, and Barry Porter has started another tradition: Porter has now drained an ace in back-to-back editions of the event — both on the sixth hole, both with his eight-iron and both to a blue flag in roughly the same location, which scopes at just over 150 yards from the tees.

Carla van Remmen, who is a junior member at Pinebrook and captained the girls’ golf team at Edge School, jarred an ace during the second round of the Alberta U19 Championships at Olds. She shaved a couple of strokes off her score with a sweet seven-iron — “a baby draw,” as she described it — on the 165-yard fourth hole.

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“I was in shock,” van Remmen told Alberta Golf. “It was unreal. It was so cool.”

At 12 years old, Kellan Lemieux already has a hole-in-one on his resume. The young sharpshooter made short work of the third on McCall Lake’s Par-3 Course, sinking a super seven-iron from 87 yards away.

Decked out in a cowboy hat for a Stampede-themed men’s night game, Russ Poffenroth buried a beauty on No. 5 at Links of GlenEagles. Poffenroth gave the boys something to yahoo about with a gorgeous gap wedge from the 120-yard blocks. 

Hole 13 at Maple Ridge proved lucky for Jinhwa Lee, who was one-and-done with a superb seven-iron from 160 yards out.

Rob Weaver was perfect with a pitching wedge on No. 17 at Carnmoney, which spans 141 yards.

Drew Horne and Mike McAllister could have split the tab after same-day aces at Winston Golf Club. Horne made the turn in fine fashion, swishing a smooth six-iron on the 160-yard ninth hole, while McAllister mastered No. 11 with one knock of a nine-iron.

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Julius Manaloto cruised through the third hole on the Hawk’s Nest Nine at Wingfield. Seven-iron was the right call for a 162-yard challenge.

Bob Matwichuk wasn’t intimidated by the wet stuff on No. 8 at Redwood Meadows. Matwichuk hoisted a nine-iron across the pond and was right on target from 123 yards away.

Dean Morrone will be saying only good things about his five-iron, his weapon of choice for a 177-yard memory-maker on No. 4 at McCall Lake.

Tyler Moffat was flawless on the fifth hole at Springbank Links thanks to a wicked wedge from 156 yards away.

Report the details of your ace to wgilbertson@postmedia.com

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