Stamford Women’s Golf Association (SWGA) member Cindi Hart, a golfer I have photographed several times over the course of this season, holed out her tee shot on No. 15 for a hole-in-one during the 18-Holers’ Stroke Play Event held on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, at Sterling Farms Golf Course.
Now, I caught up with Cindy yesterday, the 21st of July, and the very friendly Sterling Farms golfer told me a little about how it felt to make that one on 15. “It was 27 years in the making”, she explained, adding that the “beautiful thing is my three witnesses… all have had a hole-in-one in their career, and I was the only one outstanding.” Not anymore Cindi! Not anymore… Well done Sterling Farms golfer Cindi Hart!!!
Cindi, I noticed, is a straight hitter who made her ace using her trusty Callaway X-20 7-iron, said: “Now… the next one needs to be a downhill hole so we can watch it go in”. I like the sound of that, and would wager she’s a gonna do it!
Given we all know 15 has an elevated green, and Cindi could not see her ball go in that day, I propose the Golfing Gods part the waters for the avid SWGA player, and give her one she can see!
Ironically, that Tuesday I happened to be out on the golf course, and had shot a photo of Cindi pitching her second shot up toward the hole from the right of No. 5. (I’m sure she never imagined she’d be celebrating a hole-in-one on 15 that same day!)
Well, after a sunny July day of golf, with four holes left to play, Cindi used a 7-iron to put her tee shot into the hole, in one. Now, a 7-iron on 15 is what a lot of pretty strong men will use. Yes, we have scratch players who use less club, but I’ve seen plenty of hybrids being played on that hole too! Cindi, when I mentioned that, shrugged off her obvious power, and was just grand company. I have a feeling all of these SWGA members are, once you get to know them….
The fact that Cindi canned it with a 7 speaks to just how strong she is, and that 2-under-par hole helped place her 4th in that week’s 18-Holer Stroke Play event, with a net of 74. “Cindi is a really good player”, Jen Kaplan, the SWGA head of publicity later wrote to me in an email. I’ll say!
Have a look at this shot of Cindi playing that pitch shot I just mentioned!
Cindi was obviously in the company of three other 18-Holers who have all had aces before: Janie Cloutier, Sharon Clark, and Barb Bigda (thank you, Jen, for their names….). I’ll bet all of them must have been quite thrilled to discover Cindi’s yellow Titleist 2 resting in the cup, atop that piece of PVC, and could appreciate just how special an occasion it was for Cindi, a great Sterling Farms golfer.
