3 Aces In 5 Days - 'Golf, As It's Meant To Be Played'

Adam Sans plays to a two-handicap when he's not setting lobster traps in the waters off his native Nova Scotia. But in this past week Adam's catch was more than most people can fathom.

Sans recorded three holes-in-one in a span of just five days on the same Stanley Thompson-designed Highlands Links Golf Course.

Last Friday (September 11) Sans recorded his first career ace on the 171-yard, par three 17th hole using a nine iron.

"My first reaction was: 'There's eight guys I've now got to buy drinks for,'" said Sans.

Two days later, playing the 164-yard fifth hole, he chose that same nine iron and got the same result--an other hole-in-one.

This past Tuesday (September 15) Sans stood on the tee at the 160-yard par three third hole, paused momentarily, then, not knowing what to expect, selected his pitching wedge. When his ball landed on the green and then rolled into the cup Sans began to experience a physical reaction.

"My whole body started to shake actually. You play 20 years and don't have any holes-in-one, then you get three in five days, it's amazing."

The HIghlands Links, first conceived in 1939, actually has five par three holes and, depending on your choice of tee boxes, can play to either a par 71 or 72. Either way, Highlands Links was chosen the #1 Public Course in Canada by ScoreGolf Magazine in 2008 and was selected #79 among the Top 100 Courses in the World by Golf Magazine in 2007.

As for 34-year-old Adam Sans, he's certain to agree with a statement on the Cape Breton Highlands Links Golf Course website which proclaims, "Golf, as it's mean to be played."

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Editor's Note:

Moments after posting the above article, our BC Golf News California correspondent, Melodie Richards, filed the following report of a 35-year-old Utah restaurant manager who, despite having a sore wrist, was encouraged at the last minute to enter a $1 million hole-in-one contest. Jason Hargett didn't even have his own clubs so he used his brother's nine iron from 150 yards out.

To see the result take a LOOK HERE

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And we're not finished yet.
Returning to the east coast comes this item from Moncton, New Bruinswick. by Times & Transcript staff reporter Brent Mazerolle

Patrick Daigle, the Atlantic Lottery vice-president may be a pretty positive person most days, but it was a whole lot easier to be chipper Thursday, after he had just won the $100,000 Bud Light hole-in-one contest at the 34th annual Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce golf tournament. The avid golfer won big on the par-3, ninth hole, a feat that was witnessed by the other members of his threesome, golfers from other parties and independent judges stationed at both the tee and the green.

"My first thought, 'was where'd my ball go?'" Patrick said of the moment it dropped into the cup. "It just disappeared."

If it was hard to grasp at first that he had been so successful, he did manage to pull himself together enough to finish the rest of the course, even more impressive because the tourney had a shotgun start and Number 9 was only the second hole of the day for his party.

The ball hit the green about three or four metres (nine to 12 feet) from the cup and kept rolling.

"Stuart said 'hey, that's got a chance!' and I'm thinking, 'all right, you know, enough,'" Patrick said. "And then all of a sudden it was gone."

As you might expect, Patrick is hanging onto the ball, a Nike X Velocity, no doubt for the rest of his life.

Tournament chairman Mike Weir -- a coincidence, but no, he's not the famed Canadian golfer -- was delighted.

"We started this last year with the $100,000 prize, and it's nice to give it away," Weir said. "There's been a few close before, but this was great."

For those unfamiliar with such jackpot prizes at sporting events, the prize is guaranteed through the purchase of an insurance policy that pays out in the event a contestant is successful. Proud Chamber member Assurance Goguen Champlain Insurance has the honour of paying out Patrick's prize.