FOLLOWING a trip to watch the second round of the British Open at Royal Troon in July, father and son Carl Ham-Howes and Lewis Ham-Howes were obviously inspired by the quality of golf they had just witnessed.
Staying at Cameron House, Loch Lomond, the following day, the pair played the resident golf course, The Wee Demon, a tricky nine-hole course on the banks of the Loch.
On the 17th hole, a straight par-3 of 151 yards, Carl Ham-Howes played a 6-iron, feeling immediately he was in with a shout.
With son Lewis exclaiming that it looked bang on track, the perfect tee shot bounced twice on the green and disappeared in the hole.
Having played golf for 36 years – both right and left-handed – and never coming close before, Carl couldn’t believe his eyes until he picked his prized ball out of the hole.
Fast forward three weeks and Lewis’s stepfather, Paul Soares, was playing in his local club competition at St Clement and at the 5th hole, a par-3 of 134 yards, he too sunk his first-ever ace.
Lewis messaged his father to say “that’s you and Paul both with holes-in-one, me next”.
Well, he did not have to wait long before those words rang true.
Lewis played in the recent Jersey Golf Junior Festival at Royal Jersey La Moye, St Clement and Les Ormes.
During his round at St Clement, he stepped up to the fourth hole, a par-4 with his range-finder in hand and he assessed the distance to the pin from the tee to be 275 yards.
Anyone who plays the course regularly will know that the standard format is to lay up ahead of the ditch and then chip on to the green in the hope of a birdie or a par.
With a strong helping breeze, Lewis felt a 3-wood would provide the loft and distance to clear the hazard and make the green in one.
He hit it straight as an arrow, watching it sail over the ditch and land just short of the green, before rolling towards the hole and dropping into the cup.
Much celebration followed and, with it being a junior competition, many diet cokes were consumed in the bar after.
A hole-in-one on a par-4 is a feat that only seven professionals have ever recorded on the PGA tour.
But three hole-in-ones by three members of the same family is an astonishing achievement.
An England Golf spokesperson said: “While the odds of a hole-in-one are estimated to be around 12,000-to-one for amateur golfers, to get a hole-in-one on a par-4 (albatross) is estimated to be at odds of six million-to-one.
“Carl and Paul’s achievements are impressive while Lewis’ is remarkable, and the fact they’ve all picked up their first ones in the space of a month is astonishing.
“For everyone still dreaming of one, it instils that bit of inspiration and belief – and that’s why we love the game.”
