Hole in one for local businessman
After 26 years of playing the beautiful game of golf, well-known city businessman Moosa Allee picked up his first hole in one at the Victoria Country Club at the age of 73.
He is the first golfer to achieve this at the club this year.
Allee, who has been playing golf since the age of 47, said he was excited when he hit the hole in one at the golf club on Monday last week.
He said he started playing golf out of curiosity about the sport.
"The difference between golf and other ball sports such as soccer, hockey and cricket is that, with other ball sports you are playing against a moving ball, whilst with golf you are playing with a stationary ball.
"You have 14 different clubs to hit the ball with but it's still challenging no matter which club you choose," said Allee.
Allee said that in golf there are many others competing with you. However, all competitors are actually competing with the golf course.
On the day he hit his hole in one, Allee said he was standing at the tee box when he hit the ball and saw it land close to the hole from where he was standing.
"You get three shots to get the ball in the hole, so I thought I would do it in two shots which is called a 'birdie'. When I got closer I couldn't see the ball because it was leaning against the flag stick."
Allee said that the flag stick was preventing the ball from going in.
"Suddenly the wind blew and the ball fell in. That was the moment I almost had a heart attack," said Allee.
In 2018, Allee put a car up for grabs at The District Community Chest Remarkable Man of
Golf Day fundraising event at the Victoria Country Club for the first person who achieved a hole in one.
Unfortunately, on that day nobody won the car, proving the difficulty of the shot.
"Now that I have achieved my own hole in one, I'm hoping that this will encourage the others to also aim to get one of their own at The District Community Chest Remarkable Man of Golf Day," said Allee.
Victoria Country Club Pro Shop and Golf director Mark Truter said in golf, a hole in one occurs when a ball hit from a tee to start a hole finishes in the cup.
A ball hit from a tee following a lost ball, out-of-bounds, or water hazard is not a hole-in-one due to the application of a stroke penalty.
"A hole in one is a huge achievement, with some professional golfers having only achieved this five times," said Truter.
The club congratulated Allee on his hole in one on the sixth hole. Allee's name will be added to an honorary board with those who have achieved this milestone at the Victoria Country Club.
According to the website American Hole-In-One, the odds of getting a hole in one are one in a million.
The site said that for professional golfers, the odds are stacked at 3 000 to one, while the odds of an average player making a hole in one jumps to 12 000 to one.
One player making two holes in ones in the same round holds a 67 million to one chance.