Florida man makes three holes-in-one in five days: ‘I just have had a lot of luck’
Jim Wolklin had three of a kind from Feb. 12-16 at Heritage Bay Golf & Country Club in Naples.
Three of a kind as in three aces.
“Just a wild time,” Wolklin said last week.
Golf has been pretty wild for Wolklin since he got back into the game in the 1980s. The three holes-in-one at Heritage Bay gave him a total of 11.
“When you least expect them, they go in the hole,” said Wolklin, 68. “It’s when you’re not thinking about it, and you’re just trying to make par.”
Wolklin’s wild stretch started on Feb. 12 on No. 13 on the Cypress Course, holing out with an 8-iron from 144 yards with Gary Bradbury, Brad Kroll and Randy Johnson witnessing. Three days later, Wolklin made his second on the 148-yard No. 21 Oak with a 7-iron, with David Foltz, Anthony Nizzardo and Michael McCarthy witnessing. The third was the next day, with his wife Cheryl, Steve Kosek and Mary Kosek witnessing the 9-iron from 130 yards on No. 26 on the Oak Course.
“It’s regular rounds playing with friends,” Wolklin said. “I hit a good shot and then it’s one or two bounces right in the hole.”
Wolklin almost got to witness another ace that wasn’t his on the first one. Bradbury nearly put his ball on top of Wolklin’s.
Naples’ Jim Wolklin recently made three holes-in-one in one week at Heritage Bay Golf & Country Club. That gives him a total of 11 in his career.
“I actually thought his was in,” Wolklin said. “Another player standing on the tee box said it rolled right by the hole.”
On the second one, Wolklin’s playing partners had never witnessed an ace.
“You’re not going to believe this, but I had one on Friday,” he told them afterward.
On the last ace, his wife Cheryl got to witness it when the two of them and another couple were playing near dusk.
“We got up on the green and there was one ball on the green, and we knew that there were two balls going toward the green,” he said. “We were getting closer and closer, and there’s definitely a ball in the hole. I look down and it’s my ball in the hole.”
Mary Kosek’s ball was the other on the green, and 4 feet away. She made her birdie putt.
“That was one of the most rewarding things,” Wolklin said.
Wolklin, who played golf in high school, has been at Heritage Bay for two years after being a member at Lost Lakes in Hobe Sound. His home club is Stanton Ridge Golf & Country Club in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Seven of his aces have been there, with the other coming at Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, New Jersey. For that one, his son Luke was caddying for him.
“I just have had a lot of luck,” said Wolklin, who owned boat dealerships and catering halls, and still owns a hotel and one hall. “I don’t know what to tell you. I play with pros and some of them don’t have any.”
But there is that expectation from his playing partners when Wolklin steps up on the tee at a par 3 he has to try to block out.
“When we get to a par-3, and I set up, the people are expecting it to go in the hole, which adds a little bit of pressure,” Wolklin said.
