Eight RBIWGC members beat very long odds in 2021 to score a rare hole-in-one. Seven of the eight made their aces on the Rancho Bernardo Inn course, and one had a hole-in-one on Torrey Pines South. The odds of a golfer making a hole-in-one are 12,500 to 1, according to the National Hole-in-One Registry.
Here is a snapshot of how RBIWGC members scored aces in 2021:
- Golfer: Angela Schmidt
- When: January 19, 2021
- Where: RBI, No. 2
- Distance: 108 yards
- Club used: 5-iron
- Frequency: Second hole-in-one; first was in Sedona, Arizona, about 20 years ago.
- Reaction: “When I got to the green, I grabbed my pitching wedge and putter, expecting to find the ball in the shallow back bunker or in the rough beyond the green,” she said. “I was shocked to hear someone in my foursome shout that the golf ball had dropped into the hole!”
- Golfer: Maria Chavez
- When: April 21, 2021
- Where: RBI, No. 4
- Distance: 95 yards
- Club used: 7-hybrid
- Frequency: First hole-in-one
- Reaction: “I was participating in a SDCWGA team-play competition and was so excited that I was able to score my first hole-in-one on my home course.”
- Golfer: Donna Evans
- When: May 11, 2021
- Where: Torrey Pines South, No. 11
- Distance: 115 yards
- Club used: 7-hybrid
- Frequency: First hole-in-one
- Reaction: “I looked for the ball and didn’t see it. I had to see it in the cup before I really believed it.”
- Golfer: Alicja Alviso
- When: May 25, 2021
- Where: RBI, No. 2
- Distance: 115 yards
- Club used: 6-hybrid
- Frequency: First hole-in-one
- Reaction: “I was shocked and considered myself lucky that the ball went in.” She added that she had experienced a similar reaction the day before when her husband, Dennis, told her that he had shot a hole-in-one on No. 11 at RBI while playing with the RBI Men’s Golf Club. “My family and friends call us the luckiest couple,” she said.
- Golfer: Pat Bakke
- When: May 25, 2021
- Where: RBI, No. 2
- Distance: 115 yards
- Club used: 5-rescue
- Frequency: Fourth hole-in-one; the first ace was on No. 7 at Avila Beach in 2003; the second was on the same hole at the same course in 2010; and the third was on No. 16 at Rams Hill in Borrego Springs in 2015.
- Reaction: “I was amazed but very excited,” she said. “I was especially happy because my husband (Mark) already had four holes-in-one, and I needed to keep up!”
- Golfer: Michelle Long
- When: June 22, 2021
- Where: RBI, No. 4
- Distance: 92 yards
- Club used: 7-iron
- Frequency: First hole-in-one
- Reaction: “I was so shocked,” she said. “This was the first hole-in-one in my life – and I have been playing golf for more than 50 years. It finally happened, and it was quite a nice experience.”
- Golfer: Donna Dahl
- When: July 27, 2021
- Where: RBI, No. 13
- Distance: 84 yards
- Club used: 32-degree hybrid
- Frequency: Third hole-in-one, all three on the same hole
- Reaction: “I couldn’t believe it then, and I can’t believe it now,” she said. “No. 13 has become my favorite hole on the course.”
- Golfer: Bev Johnsen
- When: December 7, 2021
- Where: RBI, No. 13
- Distance: 84 yards
- Club used: Pitching wedge
- Frequency: First hole-in-one
- Reaction: “I was pretty excited – and happy for my scramble team, too,” she said. “This was my first hole-in-one, and I have been playing for a long time!”