It was Sunday 28th June 2020, 2 days before Adam's 37th Birthday and just over 6 weeks since Boris had allowed Golf Courses to re-open after the unprecedented 8 week lockdown which will go down in history for all the wrong reasons. The wind was blowing and the rain was intermittent throughout the day, I was having a strong round in comparison to Dave, Adam and Sparky and was taking the majority of the "Skins". On the 15th I had hit a lovely 6 iron into the green which disappeared from sight. Had it gone into the hole? I thought to myself. Had I got my first ever eagle? I felt it was unlikely and I joyfully regaled an old story of a good friend Dan Churchouse leaving his clubs on the tee and running with excitement to the green on the 5th, Par 3 at Dukes Meadows approximately 4 years ago only to find out that he hadn't hit the much coveted 'ace' but in fact that the ball was resting 10 foot short, out of sight, in a dip on the edge of the green. Alas, so was my approach shot, but I was hitting it well and even the excitement and anticipation of the mere possibility that your ball is nestled in the hole is a nice buzz.  Sinking that ball from your approach shot whether that is your 1st on a par 3 or 2nd on a par 4 would be a nice feeling. So it is an exciting feeling as you approach the green, even if you know it is highly unlikely and you try not to get your hopes up. Anyway me and Sparky half the hole and the 15th is a quadruple roll over.... On to the 16th (Mausoleum), the pin is front left, about 140 yards from the tee but  playing 150 uphill and with a slight wind in face. Sparky's Tee shot is good and ends up 20 foot from the pin right. 7 iron in hand, I step up and take aim approximately 2 foot left of the flag. The wind and danger on the front right making it the smart decision. I hit it clean and pure and it felt good. Pitching quite high it has a slight fade which starts to bring it in line with flag, one bounce on the green and I knew it was going to be good. "It's in" Sparky roared, "It's in" Dave shrieked, "That's in" Eggsy Exclaimed, "ha ha yeah, alright boys it's not in, i'm not Churchouse". "Colin that is in" insisted Sparky. The marshall was half way up the hill on the left.. "do you want to jump in and have a look?", "no I'm not going to get up there and only to find out I've missed". "Go and have a look" they all said. I'm not sure if it was the excitement of being out for golf for the first time in a long time, the first time we had seen each other for a long time in general or just because none of us had ever hit a hole in one but all golf etiquette seemed to be going out of the window at this stage. "Come on I said, Dave and Eggsy haven't had their shots yet let them have them and we will walk up, thank you anyway marshall". "Ok well I guess I will hear it anyway if it has gone in" he smiled, and he rode off down the hill towards the 15th. Dave and Eggsy also both hit nice tee shots, in fact Dave actually birdied the hole after leaving it 4-5 foot short but it wouldn't be enough for him to take the skin. As we walked up I discretely pulled my iphone out of my pocket and began to calmly walk up to the green so as to ensure that "IF" it was indeed in the hole that I captured the moment but, that if it wasn't, I didn't get too ribbed by the lads. Was it in?, Were they just trying to mug me off? Considering the story that I had just told only 5 minutes earlier on the previous hole I was sure that they were waiting for the look of disappointment on my face if it wasn't. However as we walked up the hill there was an air of excitement from all of us which then gave me more confidence that actually they all thought it was genuinely in. I still didn't want to get too excited as I still wasn't sure and I have played enough golf to know that quite often the ball is not quite where you expect it and the green can be deceptive. As we walked up... "Are you videoing yourself?" Dave asked... "No, no, no, not filming just holding my phone just in case" I jokingly replied with a wink. I could hear Sparky in the background begin his commentary.... "Colin Ekers, on the 16th, at the Grove, videoing himself, Par 3, we think he "may" have just done a hole in one." "I can't see it", Sparky's voice became more excitable with every word Dave exclaimed "I can't see it, No way" Sparky continued his commentary and with the excitement dropped his phone and slowed behind us. "Oh no" he said as he clambered to pick it back and up and get his trolley back on course. My walk up the hill became brisker with every step. As I approached the green it was getting clearer that there were was only Dave's golf ball which was on the green just short of the hole. So I became more and more confident with every step. My heart was racing, from about 60 yards in my walk became a jog and my jog soon became a run. "He's running, he's running" I could hear them saying. Dave was very close behind me. The Anticipation quickly turned into laughs and excitement. As I approached, I turned to try to get an angle just in case we were wrong but as we got closer and closer my confidence turned into certainty. It must be, I thought, so that was it, my bag was dropped from my back off the green and I saw the tip of the pearly white ball (which I hasten to add I hadn't lost throughout the whole round, which in itself as normally some achievement for me). The half cup's that had been introduced as part of the safe COVID return to golf helped me in this instance, as I could clearly see it, in all it's glory, resting against the flagstick. I laughed and screamed at the same time ensuring that my video captured the approach and the fact that the ball was definitely in the hole! "COME ON! COME ON!!! HA HA" Me and Dave embraced and for a brief 20 second period I celebrated as if I had won the lottery. What a rush, what a buzz, a hole in one, I couldn't believe it. For some reason it felt like a slightly emotional moment and I can only put this down to it being such excitement in what was an incredibly difficult time in the world for many reasons, for many people. We couldn't believe it, fist bumps and congratulations followed and the whole group was as happy as I was, it felt like we had all done it. What a feeling. We saw the marshall on the 17th tee box and he took my name and details, he also watched on and laughed as he watched me pull my next tee shot straight into the trees on the left. I would put this down to over excitement, but this happens too regularly for me to use that as an excuse. A good friend once said to me that Golf will take you from '*** of the Walk' to '*** up your ***' in a matter of moments and I guess this was one of those examples. The only difference here was that I couldn't care less. It didn't matter what happened from now on, certainly not in this round of golf. On the 18th I was met and congratulated by the Head Pro Tom with a certificate and photo of the 16th in hand. What a nice touch and a great way to finish the round. Unfortunately, or fortunately for me it was a cheap hole in one round as the bar was closed. Shame... but there was time for a quick round of beers in our 4 ball sat on the path outside the clubhouse (with the exception of Adam who was "secretly" taking part in a "Lockdown Revolution" diet which included no alcohol. Considering it was a: his Birthday, b: a post golf round drink and c: a hole in one round I'm not sure how he felt he would be able to keep that a secret but you have to admire his discipline I suppose.) Anyway that didn't matter, nothing else mattered, because for that moment I had completed golf and I had completed it surrounded by 3 of my closest friends. Whatever was going on in the world paled into insignificance, and so it should. Of course there are much more important things in the world than golf,  and I do not want to make light of the terrible challenges we face but in life it is important to live in the moment, to enjoy what is going on in life at that specific time. It is sometimes life's little pleasures which can mean the most and I am writing this mainly to get my free bag tag but also now that  I have written it down I will be able to look back on this brief moment of my life with even more fondness. Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long for my next one...