Golf has a funny way of keeping you humble.

After 40 years of playing, I finally had my first hole-in-one last Tuesday, June 23, 2026, on the 14th hole at Engineers Country Club on Long Island. The odds for a non-professional golfer are 1 in 12,500. (professionals are 1 in 2,500)

I was playing in an outing with Neil Seiden, who I’ve known for about 20 years, his wife Janet, and Becky from Peapack. I wasn’t having the round of my life, but I was hanging in there.

Then we got to the 14th, the famous short par 3 known as the “Two or Twenty” hole. Hit the green, and you have a chance at two. Miss it, and your ball can roll down the hill, turning a simple-looking hole into a mess.

It was playing about 95 yards. I pulled a 9-iron, took an easy swing, and hit it a little left.

I thought it was okay, and from the tee, I couldn’t see much. But our caddie, who was standing near the green, watched it hit the fringe and start trickling toward the hole.

“It looks like it’s going in,” he said. Then: “Hole in one!”

My first reaction was, “No way.” I thought he was kidding. Janet and Becky were screaming, while Neil and I just stood there in disbelief.

Neil took a few photos and a video of me pulling the ball from the cup, which was good because part of me still needed proof.

That’s golf. Most of the time, it tests your patience. Then, once in a while, it gives you something impossible with a moment you didn’t see coming, and one swing you’ll never forget.