'Pretty amazing': Aiken golfer accomplishes feat that is rarer than just a mere hole-in-one
· Yahoo Sports
AIKEN — Ron Basile knows that the odds of making a hole-in-one in a round of golf are pretty high.
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For the average amateur, they are about 12,500 to 1.
Basile, an Aiken resident who is a regular at Aiken Golf Club, has defied those odds regularly since retiring to Aiken in 2008.
Not only has he made nine holes-in-one in the past 18 years, he also recently completed an even rarer accomplishment: aces on all five of the par-3 holes at Aiken Golf Club.
His most recent one came last month on the 11th hole at Aiken Golf Club, perhaps the most challenging par-3 at the course.
“Normally I’m on up the upslope,” Basile said. “I couldn’t find the ball, so I went up and there it was. Of all the holes-in-one, I’ve only seen one go in.”
Playing from the senior tees, Basile used a driver. He said he doesn’t hit the ball as far as he used to, but he’s pretty accurate off the tee.
“They call me 'Down the Middle,'” he said.
Basile now has seven aces at Aiken Golf Club: three on No. 4, and one each on Nos. 9, 11, 16 and 18. He also made an ace on the difficult par-3 16th at Palmetto Golf Club and another at Hickory Knob in McCormick, S.C.
No one at Aiken Golf Club has heard of another golfer who has accomplished holes-in-one on all of the par-3 holes there.
“For Ron to score that many holes-in-one in such a short period of time since his retirement is a pretty amazing feat,” Aiken Golf Club owner Jim McNair Jr. said. “I’m sure most of the golfers that play Aiken Golf Club would agree due to the difficulty of our five par-3s. Congratulations to Ron, well done.”
Basile credits an active lifestyle to his success.
“You gotta keep busy. That’s the main thing,” he said. “I play four or five times a week, go home and read the paper. Then I’ll go out and walk a mile. I keep busy.”
Golf is a family affair for Basile. His wife, Becky, plays, and his son Jay and grandson Chandler are also accomplished golfers.
Basile also credits his amount of play for giving him the chance to make so many aces.
“When you play close to 200 rounds a year, it improves your odds,” he said. “It’s really a thrill to get a hole-in-one.”
It’s customary for a golfer who makes a hole-in-one to pick up the bar tab after the celebration. But that hasn’t been a problem for Basile.
“A lot of guys I play with don’t drink,” he said with a laugh.