Terry Kuzma and Gord Pickup inducted into EG Hall of Fame
November 3, 2011 – Ottawa, Ontario. As rare as it may be, two participants on a this annual weekend golf trip hit perfect shots on the same hole (#16) at the picturesque Smuggler’sGlen Golf Course in Gananoque over the October 22-23 weekend.
First up, on Saturday, was Executive Golf Member Gord Pickup, with a 128-yard 8-iron. Because it was a shotgun event, this was his last hole for the day and because daylight is scarce in late October, Pickup did not get to see the result of his great shot. “I thought I hit it a little long and a little left,” he said. “But then (playing partners) Ian, Randeen and Donna started screaming ‘It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole!’” Pickup made his ace with a Callaway ball.
Terry Kuzma, a.k.a. “Cuba”, was next on Sunday with a pitching wedge from 108-yards. Amazingly, he had hit the same wedge the day before but was eight yards long, behind the hole. On Sunday, the pin had been moved back exactly eight yards and the conditions were virtually identical to that of Saturday’s round, so club selection didn’t require much internal negotiation. “It was obvious,” said Kuzma. “Why wouldn’t I just make the same shot?” Lucky for Terry, he was playing in an optional Slammer Tourmatch-play event, under the name “Cuba”, and took home a skin and a “doggie” (Slammer Tour lingo for closest-to-the-pin). This was Terry’s first-ever ace and he performed his perfect golf shot with a Titleist ball and a Taylor Made wedge.
Nicknamed “Shorty”, hole #16 at Smuggler’s Glen is a picturesque par-three where everything slopes to the right towards two big bunkers, thick forest and a gorge of death. Depending on your choice of tee blocks, the distance ranges from 88-128 yards. Pickup canned the shot from the tips and Kuzma from the blue tees.
The Smuggler’s Glen get-away is sponsored by Ottawa indoor club Golf-O-Max but organized by Executive Golf. Since 2007, it has grown into a highly-anticipated autumn event with 75 participants playing two rounds of their choice of social or competitive golf formats, and overnight accommodations and a Saturday dinner at the Glen House Resort. In addition to the many prizes awarded over the weekend, Golf-O-Max also provides every participant with a complimentary round at their indoor facility on Baxter Rd.
Executive Golf is a virtual golf club that allows its members to play 40+ Ottawa-Gatineau courses and conducts year-round social and competitive events, including The Slammer Tour, a variety of leagues and golf get-aways and the Ottawa Sun Scramble.
Pickup and Kuzma have been inducted into the EG Hall of Fame.
Congratulations!
