It took 63 years and some 2,000 rounds of golf but Harold Decksheimer finally has his first hole-in-one.
The 84-year-old Kelowna man made an ace on Monday, July 24 at the Kelowna Springs Golf Club on the par-3, 13th hole.
Using a No. 9 rescue/hybrid club, Decksheimer wasn’t certain his tee shot had even found the putting surface on the 145-yard hole.
But when Harold and his three playing partners reached the green, there was a nice surprise waiting at the bottom of the cup.
“It must have glanced off the burm on the left, then on to the green and into the hole,” Decksheimer said.
“It was like a dream come true. After almost 63 years, I never thought it would happen. It was an extremely happy moment, a beautiful moment to share with my partners Ben, Dennis and Paul.”
Harold went on to shoot an 85 for one of his best rounds in recent years.
“I’ll be 85 in January, so I shot my age six months early.”
Decksheimer, who began golfing in 1954 in Saskatchewan, moved to Kelowna in 1966 and soon after became a member of the Kelowna Golf and Country Club for 36 years.
Since 2003, he has played at various courses in Kelowna and area, usually playing about two rounds a week from April through to October.