PEABODY — Golfers have different goals, whether it’s breaking 90 for the first time, driving the ball 300 yards, or simply becoming a consistent one-putter.
But one goal nearly every golfer dreams of is hitting a hole-in-one.
Peabody’s Chris Collins, a newcomer to the sport and playing just his 39th hole, buried a hole-in-one this week.
Playing at The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course, Collins recorded an ace on the 312-yard, par-4 third hole. Using a driver from the white tees, the ball disappeared into the air — and, eventually, the hole.
“Me and my brother (Sean) were playing with a couple of randoms, and I decided to hit my driver just to see what would happen,” Collins said. “When I hit it, it went over the rocks, so we lost it in the air.”
Collins and the group searched for about five minutes — checking the adjacent fairway and around the green — but couldn’t locate the ball.
Assuming it was lost, Collins took a drop near the rocks and chipped onto the green, where his brother was already waiting.
“I was a little mad because it was a good drive,” Collins said. “My brother was on the green, standing by the cup, and he looked down and saw the neon yellow ball. He was like, ‘no way,’ and we all went crazy.”
It was Collins’ third round of golf.
“I just started this year,” said Collins, who got into the sport after buying a $50 set of left-handed clubs from his brother Jake, who couldn’t use them himself.
“We played two rounds at Wenham, and then, on the 39th hole I’ve ever played, I got a hole-in-one,” he said.
Now part of an exclusive club, Collins has taken the opportunity to joke around with his dad, Stephen, a longtime golfer who has yet to record an ace.
“I’ve been saying, ‘Golf really isn’t that hard — you still haven’t gotten one?’ But in reality, the sport is hard. I just got really lucky,” Collins said. “I don’t get a hole-in-one in my third round based on skill. I have a lot of respect for the game. It’s frustrating when you’re at the range and not hitting your shots. To get an achievement like that — I’m really grateful. I know it was luck.”
Collins is a sophomore at Assumption University and member of the football team. He graduated from Hamilton-Wenham Regional High in 2024.
