In more than half a century, Chuck Lepisto never notched a hole-in-one. In the span of 104 days, he carded three.
Lepisto, a Conestoga Country Club member of 17 years, conquered the club’s 15th hole — and his hole-in-one haunts — in 2022. On July 17, he aced the 148-yard par 3 with a 6-iron.
“It was a perfect shot. I drew it up the right side. It hit the slope and went in,” Lepisto, 74, of Lititz, Pa., said.
Lepisto didn’t play golf the following two days. A comedown from the hole-in-one cloud, if you will. He returned to Conestoga for a round on July 20. More antics on the 15th hole, which measured 135 yards that day. Lepisto painted the flagstick with a 7-iron. Two aces in four days.
The odds of an individual carding two hole-in-ones in two shots at the same hole is 1 in 56,000,000, according to US Hole In One, a hole-in-one insurance provider located in Newtown Square, Pa.
Two months went by without a Lepisto hole-in-one at Conestoga. He certainly didn’t expect the 15th hole magic to return during the Superintendent’s Revenge event on Oct. 29.
“The pin was impossible. It was playing 164 yards,” Lepisto said. “I can cut a 4-iron, so I choked down on a 4-iron. I saw everyone in front of me was short of the green. I hit it right to the middle of the green. It rolled to the side, and [the hole location] was only two feet from the edge [of the green]. It rolled down a steep slope, hit the pin, bounced back an inch and went in. It was surreal. Everybody said, ‘Holy smokes.’ Everybody was three and four putting that green.”
The autograph line may not be long. The camera flashes may not be plentiful. But Lepisto is a Conestoga celebrity. For now at least.
“It’s been a lot of fun, but I’m not a real demonstrative guy. Some of my friends were more excited than I was,” he said. “I like it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m just not real demonstrative about it.
“And it cost me some money with the drinks.”
GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 340 Member Clubs and 100,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
