I wanted to share the story behind a hole-in-one I made today, April 30th, 2026. I happened to be using a Titleist Pro V1 - one I won't use ever again.
My buddy Alex and I were out playing a round at Westwood Golf Course in Omaha, Nebraska, a 9-hole par 3 course. We played pretty well through the first 9 and, started to really heat up at the end of the round. Alex said he wished that we could play another 9 holes because of how we started to play, and I said that there was no harm in asking.
Luckily, the pro shop told us there was a tee time in about five minutes that we could jump on. I had a few reservations about taking the time, but ultimately decided I would love nothing more than to play some more golf (who wouldn't).
You may be wondering, why have reservations about playing more golf? Isn't that all a golfer could ask for? Well, it actually turns out that today is my 5 year anniversary with my girlfriend, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it back in time for our dinner.
It turns out that decision to golf was one of the best decisions I could have ever made in my life. On the second round, we got to hole 4 - a 135 yard hole slightly downhill. I decided to use my 7 iron, and hit it on an absolute rope. We tracked it through the air and it looked really good, we watched it bounce once, and then the ball was gone.
"Did you just make that" Alex asked as I quickly turned to him in awe. I didn't believe it. No way did it just happen like that. We ran to the cart as I pulled out my phone to start recording. As we got closer and closer to the green, it became more clear to me. The ball wasn't on the green.
We ran up to the hold immediately after pulling up, and there it was. That beautiful Pro V1 sitting inside the cup. My first Hole-in-one.
Funniest part about the whole thing was that I've never even had a solo birdie in my life. I started golfing in April of 2025. It really is funny how with just the amount of skill and luck, something so amazing could happen.
Oh yeah, and I also made it to dinner on time to cap it all off.
My name is Landen Thompson, if you made it this far, thanks for reading! What an eventful and awesome day it was!
