Windy boggy but sunny day on the 9th of march 2025, greens had been battered by rain but had hung up and come through well from the night before.

120yds about 10/12ft uphill with a wind blowing from left to right, possibly 12mph, white flag, so pin at the back, 12 foot from the fringe and about 4/5ft from the slope in the middle of the green, I took out my pitching wedge, wind is strong but not too strong, it’s uphill, where I’d usually go for a 52 degree so I went with the pitching wedge. I never tee up always ball on ground, unless driver, Shape up, take a practice swing feel great.

So I take few moments to see where I want this land, and I’m hoping for it land left side of the pin, as the winds coming left to right, so I aim about 4 foot to the left of the pin, for the wind to have an effect on the ball, I take this perfect divot, and this ball is absolutely striped towards the pin, I can see the hole, from where we are standing, playing in a club comp along side my Dad and Brother-in-law, we want the ball down and see a bit of chew bacca on it, but the ball doesn’t creep it comes right back then starts to slow approaching the pin. My Brother-in-Law screaming it’s going in, it’s going in. Me and my Dad looked at each other as this ball goes missing and just chuckled because it’s either gone in or it’s come down the slope and we just can’t see it, so I go running with my cart and clubs up the footpath and just start laughing. See 2 balls, not 3, go across to the hole and I’m presented with a HIO using a titleist pro v with support for prostate cancer printed on it.

I was embarrassed to have a photo as I’m a bit of a shy guy but I got made have one by my Brother-in-Law, I was told to put the ball in my bag, not carry on with it, I get onto hole 7 which is S.I 1 forget I’m still using my HIO ball, hit, nearly lose it and after finishing up I put it straight away and have it in a glass case.

Played for 20 years off my life, never had one before, but at the ripe old age of 27 I had my first HIO.