SPORTS

Grandfather's first hole-in-one is for Lexi

Bob Gerkin, 77, holes long-awaited ace Monday at Breakfast Hill

Pat Gerkin
Bob Gerkin retrieves his hole-in-one ball at the fourth hole at Breakfast Hill Golf Club. [Courtesy]

Editor's note: This account of Bob Gerkin's hole in one was written by his wife, Pat.

GREENLAND — It has been said that a hole-in-one is rare on a golf course. And Greenland's Bob Gerkin, 77, was certain that he would never get one, not after playing the game for 60-plus years without one. After all, his game isn’t what it used to be and his hopes were dimming for the elusive prize of golf. While most hole-in-one stories barely raise an eyebrow these days, this one has an interesting twist.

On Monday, Bob Gerkin and three of his golf buddies — Dick Desrosiers, Jerry Stow and Dick Davis — set out for an ordinary round of golf at Breakfast Hill Golf Course in Greenland. When the foursome approached the fourth hole, a 137-yard par-3, each man took his turn at the tee box. When Bob stepped up to the tee, he hit a good shot that sailed straight and true into the air and dropped softly just shy of the hole, tracking directly into the hole.

His friends grew excited for him but Bob, doubting the golf ball’s final destination, declared he would not believe it until he saw it. His friend, Jerry, considerably taller than Bob, assured him that he had seen it roll in. As they approached the hole, one of the golfers took Bob’s iPhone and starting snapping shots of the scene. Sure enough, the little yellow ball was perched in the hole with the name “Lexi” written on it.

Golfers mark their balls to ensure that they don’t hit the wrong ball on their way to golfing immortality during their rounds. Some use dots or hearts or initials to make their special mark. It’s well known at Breakfast Hill that Bob marks his balls with the first name of his severely disabled granddaughter, Lexi. Bob likes to take Lexi with him when he golfs as a reminder of how special she is. When friends find an errant “Lexi” ball, they keep it for Bob and return it to him. Once, a golfer insisted that he wanted to keep the “Lexi” ball he found because he said it made him play better.

Lexi is 16 now. She and her family, who live in Brentwood, are in fact the reason that Bob and I have lived in New Hampshire for the past 11 years. Rob, their oldest son, asked if his parents would consider retiring to New Hampshire to help out, since Rob and his wife, Audrey, were about to have a new baby girl, their third, and could use a couple extra hands for a while. Bob and I took a deep breath and said yes, and that’s how we came to New Hampshire. As you may have guessed, Bob (“Papa”) has a very close relationship with his granddaughter, Lexi, and marking his ball is how he keeps her close. Bob and I are able to enjoy all three granddaughters now — Lexi, Bella, and Shayla.

The pictures below tell the rest of the golf story. Once the foursome determined that the hole-in-one was legitimate — and he had three witnesses to relate the story — Bob’s golf buddies called the clubhouse to order four celebratory Bloody Marys to be ready at the turn. At the turn, they toasted the hole-in-one golfer, and Breakfast Hill staff took pictures of the foursome and posted it on their Facebook page. As word spread through the golfing community, other golfing friends who weren’t playing that day even came to the course to congratulate the septuagenarian for a job well done. After all, for those of us who chase that little ball around any golf course, we know that the hole-in-one is the ultimate goal, but for Bob, taking Lexi along for the ride was the proverbial “icing on the cake.”