Local Hits First Hole-In-One: Sylvan native Darrell Elsbett made personal history on hole 16

One thing everyone tends to agree on is that golf is not only a tough sport, but a mental sport. It can also be a sport of luck as much as it is a sport of skill.

When Sylvan native Darrell Elsbett showed up for his tee time on a slightly windy, cloudy afternoon at the Sylvan Lake Golf & Country Club, he was not expecting anything out of the ordinary. He has been playing golf for 35 years, and he has had some great rounds along with some abysmal rounds just like any other golfer. He has also only hit the pin once in his golfing days, bouncing the ball two inches left of the hole.

After playing through the first 15 holes, though, something felt different.

Maybe it was the feeling of the clouds rolling in and out. Maybe it was the fact that Elsbett was having himself a solid round of golf.

Regardless, when he stepped up to the deck of the 225-yard hole 16, he decided to pull out his 5-wood. And that may have arguably been the best decision of his life, along with not hitting it off a tee. He placed the ball on the ground and gave it his best whack.

“It means the world to me,” Elsbett said, reflecting on the succeeding moment. “I never thought I would ever get a hole-in-one. I hit my favorite club and it was a great shot. I thought if I ever got one, it would be a fluke. Not this one.”

A brief moment of shock took over Elsbett before a moment of joy and glee as he watched his shot go right into the hole. It was one of the proudest moments of his life, and in that moment he felt like the decades of agony playing the most mentally challenging sport in the world had paid off.

“This has boosted my confidence and now I am eager to try to get another one,” he said. “I play with some really good players and they have never got one.”

Now Elsbett has something to hold over his friends’ heads every time they hit the links.

Speaking of which, what made that moment the most special was the fact that he got to relish the memory with some of his closest friends. They got to celebrate alongside him, reminding him that, while they are always competing when on the golf course, they also want to always lift each other up.

“I hit my hole in one with a bunch of my best golfing buddies and my best friends, Lonnie and Zeke,” Elsbett said. “We golf, fish, curl and hang out all the time, and to do it with them there was pretty special. It was just a great moment to see they were as–if not more–excited for me to see this happen.”

This was certainly a moment in the record books not only for Elsbett, but for the Sylvan Lake Golf & Country Club. He will cherish this memory forever, but he said it is only just the beginning, as he plans to hit more hole-in-ones moving forward.