What better way to enjoy your first 18-hole round than with your first hole-in-one?
Jacob Smith, 11, on the first reaction to his hole-in-one: "Everyone was shocked. My dad said, 'Aw, you little stinker.'"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nine questions with Jacob Smith, who scored a hole in one in just his fifth time on a golf course, and his first 18-hole round. Smith recorded the ace July 5 using a 6-iron on the 125-yard, third hole at Deer Pass Golf Course in Seville. Smith, who is entering seventh grade at A.I. Root Middle School, was playing with family, including his dad, grandpa, an uncle and two cousins. Combined, the family members have played golf about 100 years. This is the family's first ace.
Age: 11.
Residence: Medina.
Q: How long have you been playing?
A: I started last year in the middle of summer. I learned from my dad [Mark]. He showed me the right way to grip and swing.
Q: How many times have you swung that 6-iron?
A: Probably 10-15 times.
Q: Describe the hole in one.
A: I went up and hit it. My uncle [Dick Duncan] said. 'That's right where you want to be.' We saw it bounce and it disappeared on the green. Everyone asked where it went. My uncle said it's in the hole so I ran up and it was in the hole.
Q: What was the reaction?
A: Everyone was shocked. My dad said, 'Aw, you little stinker.' He just looked at me with a grin on his face.
Q: What was your score for your first full round?
A: 109. I had one par.
Q: What kind of ball were you using?
A: A SpongeBob SquarePants ball. That's my favorite cartoon. It was a birthday present from last year [Aug. 12]. They were brand new out of the box.
Q: Are those the only kind of balls you're going to play with now?
A: I lost the other five balls that came in the box in the woods or the lake. I have one left, the hole-in-one ball that we saved. I'm probably going to try to get more of those balls.
Q: What are your golf goals now that you have the family's first-ever ace?
A: I'm going to try to get more pars and better scores for 18 holes.
Q: How did you celebrate?
A: I got a couple phone calls and everyone was saying, 'I've been playing forever and I've never had one.' I got a T-shirt and hat as a gift from the course and met the manager. We drank a Gatorade at the turn. Everyone was saying, 'You owe us a round of beer' and I said that's on my dad."