We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for a feel-good story in the recreational golf realm.
Some of us play our entire lives without experiencing an ace. I’ve never had one and still burn with jealousy every time I see someone celebrate an ace. I’ve hit thousands upon thousands of shots, have spent countless hours playing par-3s and have never experienced that one euphoric moment.
The Van Rossum family apparently does not have this problem.
Over a span of less than two months this summer, three generations of this Wisconsin golf family combined to make four aces (thanks to Rick Pledl at Wisconsin.golf for sharing this story).
And depending on how generous you are with the definition, they might have actually made five (more on that in a moment).
Before we start, a note for all the cynics: there were non-family members who witnessed all of these holes-in-ones. I don’t think we’re looking at the cheating scandal of the century here.
The ridiculous run started June 10 when 20-year-old Parker Van Rossum aced the 182-yard sixth hole at The Legend at Bristlecone. He used a 7-iron.
That alone would have made for a memorable family golf moment. Little did anyone know that it was just the opening act.
On July 23, Parker’s 75-year-old grandfather, Randy, made his own ace at Royal Scot Golf Course near Green Bay. Playing his home course, Randy used a hybrid from 151 yards on the sixth hole. Two aces by family members with 55 years of life in between them.
But wait, there’s more!
Nine days later, Parker’s father, Kevin, joined the party at one of the most celebrated golf properties in the country. The 48-year-old knocked in a pitching wedge from 139 yards on the eighth hole of the Short Course at Pine Valley in New Jersey (I won’t be hearing anything about how this doesn’t count. He made a hole-in-one on Pine Valley property, end of story).
At this point, three generations of the family had made holes-in-one in 52 days. That’s remarkable.
Somehow, they weren’t finished.
On Aug. 4, Kevin’s youngest son, 15-year-old Samuel, stepped to the 192-yard fourth hole at The Club at Lac La Belle during the second round of the Wisconsin State Golf Association Junior Boys Championship. Samuel hit a 5-iron and made the family’s fourth golf ace of the summer.
To recap: Grandpa, dad and two sons all made holes-in-one between June 10 and Aug. 4.
The odds of that happening have to be completely absurd. But the story gets even stranger.
On Aug. 1—the same day Kevin made his ace at Pine Valley—his 17-year-old son, Grayson, was playing his preferred sport of disc golf in Timberwolf, Mich. From 243 feet away, Grayson threw his disc into the basket for an ace.
“We all got holes-in-one,” Grayson now likes to remind the family.
Honestly, he should get to count it. I mean, come on, this is incredible.
My jealousy aside, the Van Rossums are exactly the type of family that deserves this profoundly weird run of golf fortune. Randy introduced Kevin to the game at Royal Scot years ago. Kevin passed it along to his three sons and the family now uses golf as a way to remain connected.
Now they are connected by 2026 aces.
Parker attends Marquette University and helps operate its club golf program. Samuel and Grayson attend Hartland Arrowhead High School (in Hartland, Wisc.) while the 75-year-old Randy still travels to watch his grandsons compete.
“I’m fortunate getting to still play with my dad and then passing it on to my three boys,” Kevin said. “It has definitely become a family focus and we prioritize it to spend time with one another.”
Four golf balls—and one disc—found the bottom of their respective targets. But the best part is that three generations were connected by all of them.
The Van Rossums didn’t just catch lightning in a bottle this summer.
They caught it five times.
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