We set out early, hoping to beat both the heat and the crowds. One of the members had invited me to round out a foursome at Interlaken Golf Course in Fairmont, Minnesota—a beautiful, tree-lined track with fast greens and plenty of character. I was playing the brand-new Titleist AVX balls I’d scored in a deal—buy three dozen, get one free. Lately, my game had felt different. Sharper. My short game was dialed in, and my handicap had dropped to an all-time low. Something was clicking. Then came the third hole—a par 3 playing 170 yards that morning. The wind was at our backs, just a whisper, but enough to make you think twice. The hole was framed by two bunkers guarding either side of the green, like sentinels. One by one, my playing partners stepped up and hit solid shots, both landing safely on the green. I pulled an 8-iron. Took a breath. And swung. The contact was pure—one of those rare, buttery strikes where you barely feel the ball leave the face. It flew high, straight, and landed softly just in front of the flag… then disappeared into a patch of shadow cast by the trees, the morning sun still low in the sky. “I think that went in,” my cart buddy said, almost too casually. We all stared. It was hard to tell. The light was tricky. The green sloped away. Could it really have gone in? We jumped in the carts and sped up the fairway. As we approached the green, two balls sat clearly in view. Just two. One of the guys in our group broke into a run. He reached the hole. Paused. Looked in. Then turned around, eyes wide, arms in the air. “It’s in! You made it!” A hole-in-one.