Like he usually does on the first tee at Yellowhead Grove Golf Course, Mike Larmand grabbed his nine iron out of his bag last Wednesday.
It was around 10 a.m., sunny and warm with light breeze - perfect conditions for Larmand and his buddy to get in a round of golf as part of Yellowhead's men's night.
"I just teed off, it made two hops on the green and it rolled in the hole," said Larmand. "I watched it go in. The pin was at the back of the green."
Larmand had just made an ace on the par-3 hole - a hole-in-one, en route to carding a round of two-over 68 on 18 holes.
It was quite the birthday present for Larmand, a truck driver for Excel Transportation who celebrated 43 candles the day before. And he was also enjoying a staycation, spending a week of hard-earned vacation time in and around Prince George.
"The green slopes from right to left and the ball usually rolls past the pin," said Larmand of the 130-yard hole. "It didn't roll past it this time. I was fairly excited and I was vibrating a little bit for the next few holes."
Of course, the ace meant when he and his friend finished their round, Larmand bought a round of drinks for everyone at the clubhouse and he also pocketed $891 for his hole-in-one winnings.
It wasn't the first time he needed just one stroke on No. 1 at Yellowhead.
On Sept. 26, 2012, he aced it for the first time, claiming $2,062 in winnings. He has now earned close to $3,000 from the hole.
Prior to Wednesday, his 2012 ace was also the last hole-in-one recorded at Yellowhead.
"I've played for 20 years at men's night there, it's basically in my back yard and easy to get to," said Larmand. "It took a little bit of luck and last week I never really expected it go in."
