Temple drops third hole-in-one in three years

SANDPOINT — Once? OK, you got lucky.

Twice? Now you’re beginning to destroy the odds.

But three holes-in-one in three years? Now you’re just rubbing salt on the wound of every golfer who’s never accomplished the extremely rare golfing feat.

Sandpoint golfer Brad Temple recently completed the hat trick, trifecta or three-peat, depending on your choice from the sports lexicon, acing the No. 4 hole at the Idaho Club on July 5.

Temple, 56, has been playing golf since high school, a span of nearly four decades. Up until three years ago, the four-handicap golfer was among the millions of good golfers out there without a hole-in-one on their résumé.

Then lightning finally struck at Stoneridge, struck again on the same No. 4 hole at the Idaho last fall, and finally, once again last weekend as ace No. 3 found the bottom of the cup.

“Lucky, lucky. That’s my hole,” said Temple, hoping there is more pin magic still to come. “I hope to keep the streak going, roll the dice.”

Temple used a nine iron from 138 yards out, and the shot took one hop and rolled in. Last year, playing from the back tees, he aced the same hole from 156 yards out with an eight iron.

Playing with Temple on Sunday were Wayne Lemley, Mike Eiring and friend and good luck charm Jim Quinn, who has been present to witness all three aces. The foursome went back to the clubhouse, where an Independence Day barbecue was taking place, and reveled in the feat.

“We had a nice little celebration that evening,” described Temple. “Annie (Reeves) said people play a lifetime and never get one. It’s been pretty incredible.”

While Temple chalked it up to luck, a four handicap certainly doesn’t hurt his chances. Oddsmakers and statisticians say the average golfer has 12,500 to 1 odds of ever dropping an ace, while for pros the odds fall to around 2,500 to 1.

In 1989, Nick Price, Doug Weaver, Jerry Pate and Mark Weibe all had aces at the U.S. Open at Oak Hill, the odds of which were estimated at 1.6 million to one. The odds of making a hole-in-one on consecutive holes are  around 156 million to one, about like winning the powerball.

So what are the odds of making three in three years, as Temple has? Who knows, but it just might be time for Temple to buy some lottery tickets. At his current clip, he’ll be making his 10th hole-in-one in 2021, unless the golfing gods see otherwise.

Regardless of whether he ever gets another ace, Temple plans to keep playing the game he loves, and playing it damn well.

“Camaraderie and competing,” answered Temple of what he loves most about golf. “Just hanging out with the guys, socializing and having fun.”