Hole-in-one – on a par 4? It’s a million-to-one shot for Turnbull
A HOLE-in-one is every golfer’s holy grail. But what if that ace is also an albatross? It all adds to up to a million-to-one shot for Goswick Links’ incoming captain Keith Turnbull.
Just days before the 51-year-old assumes office at the Berwick-upon-Tweed club, he hit a perfect drive at the par 4 304-yard 8th hole and was delighted to find his ball in the hole.
Turnbull’s only other ace had been a mishit pull on a par 3 but there was nothing fortunate about his draw off the tee this time.
“It was a good shot,” the 5-handicapper said of his effort during a club roll-up.
“I know how it sounds but I thought it was in the hole. You can’t see the front of the green on the 8th but I didn’t see it go off the back either.
“One of my playing partners pulled his shot and we ended up looking for his ball for five minutes. I could see the front of the green and the apron and I knew it wasn’t there.
“When I got towards the green I thought ‘don’t look in the hole’. I walked round the back of the green because how many times have you looked in the hole and it isn’t there?
“It was quite surreal and I didn’t want to tempt fate.”
But the shot had found its target, and some experts estimate the chance of making an albatross at around 1 million to one – or 80 times harder than making a hole-in-one on a par 3 (1 in 12,500).
Turnbull, though, believes Goswick’s 8th is a perfect fit for his game – and was happy to put a bottle of whisky behind the bar, despite his feat failing to come in a competition.
He added: “Bizarrely, it suits the way I hit my driver. I’d hit the green 6 times out of 7 (before the ace) on the winter tees and it’s a stroke hole too.
“I think I’m going to pick up some points and I have had a few 2s. This was a 6-pointer, we had to work it out! I have never had a 6-pointer before.”
Turnbull, who has been a member at Goswick (pictured above) for 7 years, says his proudest moment at the James Braid-designed layout was winning the Matchplay Mens Foursomes in 2011 with his then 14-year-old son Jordan.
On becoming captain, he said: “I am immensely proud. I couldn’t wish to play a better links course. People come from all over to play and they are all different holes – even though it is a links course.”
Can you match Turnbull’s albatross heroics? Leave a comment below or get in touch with Steve Carroll at [email protected] or tweet @SteveCarrollNCG
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.