It’s every golfer’s dream to make a hole-in-one, and for one Saskatoon golfer, that dream has come true. Except it’s not just one hole-in-one, he has made five of them, all on the same golf hole.
“I just get these random texts from people saying, ‘Dude you’re not going to believe this’ and they’re doing searching on Google and the internet and seeing what the odds are, and so my understanding is that not too many people have done it,” Vito Iula said.
His first hole-in-one dates back 11 years ago to April 2012, and then after a nine-year drought, Iula sank his second, starting a major hot streak.
“I’d say the last four in two years, it’s just crazy.”
The chance of a golfer making a hole-in-one is 12,500 to one, and making five on the same hole is even more rare. According to the National Hole-In-One Registry, only one other golfer in the world has accomplished this feat.
The magic hole is the No. 7 par 3 at Riverside Country Club.
“It’s a beautiful hole because you got a nice bunker in front of the green. It’s shaped beautifully, and I have to say, it’s my favourite hole on the course.”
Riverside head pro Earl Scott said it’s almost unbelievable every time Iula makes another hole-in-one.
“No, just come on, you’re pulling our leg,” Scott said. “It’s becoming quite something out here and there’s a little buzz around the golf club with Vito being able to accomplish this amazing feat, so we are very proud of him and he should be proud of himself. It’s something very special.”
Scott and Iula go back 35 years to when Scott was the head pro at Silverwood Golf Course. Iula’s dad would bring him to the course when he was eight years old and Scott helped get his first set of clubs. It’s a full-circle story for the pair, and Scott said this couldn’t have happened to a better guy.
Now with his love of the game, Iula shares the sport with his close friends, and even his children.
“Now I’m excited to hopefully get my kids into it. So my son has got a nice little swing, and our little girl, she says, ‘Daddy, lets go golfing.’ So we will see what happens. No pressure, though,” Iula said.
Iula keeps a jar that reads “hole-in-one” at home that now holds all five of his hole-in-one balls, still with a bit of space for the next one.