Howard Northcott, after recovering from a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery, was finally able to play his first round of the season — and he made it a memorable one. Northcott aced No. 17 at Fox Hollow, finding the flag-stick with one stroke of a six-iron from 145 yards away. This special shot also completes his career hole-in-one hat trick.
Heritage Pointe staffer Nick Vance came up clutch during his Player Ability Test (PAT), one of the requirements to earn a pro card and become a member of the PGA of Alberta/PGA of Canada. Vance was taking his entrance exam at Lakeside, where he aced the sixth hole with a nifty nine-iron from 150 yards out. And yes, he passed. Well done, Nick.
Ryder Robertson, a junior member at Turner Valley, buried a beauty on the seventh at his home club. Robertson, 17, was precise with a pitching wedge from the 135-yard blocks.
Irene Pollock apparently wasn’t distracted by the stunning views of the downtown skyline on No. 14 at Shaganappi Point. Pollock drilled a driver and her aim was outstanding from 99 yards away.
Linda Shepel will be saying only good things about her three-wood, her weapon of choice for a 129-yard memory-maker on the eighth at Douglasdale.
Roy Anderson was perfect with a pitching wedge on the third hole at Maple Ridge. Anderson was watching from 109 yards away as his ball bounced once and disappeared below ground level.
Brody Pierson and Doug Kabeary could have compared notes after a pair of rapid-fire aces — they were just three groups apart — on No. 17 at Carnmoney. Pierson potted a pitching wedge from 138 yards, while Kabeary nailed a nine-iron from that same distance.
Karlee Shields skipped the putting portion on No. 4 at Fox Hollow, instead finishing her business with an awesome approach wedge from 115 yards back.
This was a case of Crazy 8s for Gerald St. Pierre. He aced Hole 8 at Maple Ridge with one crack of a — you guessed it — eight-iron from 138 yards out.
Lara Akande cruised through the fifth on McCall Lake’s Par-3 Course. Six-iron was the right call for a 132-yard challenge.
John Mahon mastered the sixth hole on Highwood’s Heritage Nine. Mahon was right on the money with an eight-iron from 128 yards away.
Also at Highwood, George Ching made short work of No. 5 on the Mountainview Nine thanks to a stellar six-iron that covered 162 yards.
Steve Dowler was one-and-done on No. 8 on Wingfield’s Hangar Nine, sinking an excellent eight-iron from the 142-yard markers, while Cathy Day completed that same assignment with one smooth swing of a nine-iron from 92 yards.
John Taylor had an ace up his sleeve on the fifth hole at Hamptons. Taylor was spot-on with a six-iron from a distance of 141.
Bernice McAllister thumped her five-wood on No. 7 at Turner Valley and then made the 127-yard commute to retrieve her ball from the bottom of the cup.
Suzanne Farrell scribbled a ‘1’ on her scorecard after a precise pitching wedge on the third at Maple Ridge, which was playing 90 yards.
John DeSorcy sized up the fifth hole at Shaganappi Point, selected a nine-iron and was right on target from 126 yards out.