Simon said he’ll have that hole-in-one.
It’s the rare feat that most golfers dream of pulling off just once, let alone twice, and for Shepparton’s Simon Michel, it’s a double he can say he has proudly accomplished.
Michel’s par competition round at Shepparton Golf Club on October 25 took a spectacular turn when he utilised his seven-iron to great effect, placing his tee shot on the 142m second hole only a few feet from the cup.
To the delight of Michel and his playing group, the ball kept rolling for the hole-in-one, the second time Michel has achieved the feat after acing the 12th back in 2019.
“It was a seven-iron that landed about a foot and a half in front of the hole,” Michel said.
“It sat for a little while and then disappeared which was nice.
“I was with Nigel Shellie, Brian Scott and Ricky Lancaster.
“Ricky's had two or three before; the other two haven't had one yet, so they were pretty happy.”
However, the golfing gods give and take in equal measure.
In a humorous turn and a perfect illustration of the peaks and troughs of golf, Michel’s third-hole tee shot ended up nested at the bottom of a tree, though it wasn’t enough to disrupt his charge to the A-grade win on the day.
The former Shepparton GC club captain and committee member recounted the story while on the course with son and pro golfer Kyle, who is working back into action after a lengthy injury layoff.
“He's four under through eight holes, so he's playing all right,” the senior Michel said.
“He's going all right; he had six months out of the game with his back, so he’s still trying to find his game again.”