They’ve been married 41 years and are now enjoying an early retirement full of dinner parties, golf and time with their grandchildren.
And when it comes to golf, anything her husband Clark can do, Barb Inglis can match it without too much trouble.
Tired of hearing about Clark’s latest hole-in-one (Wednesday, Aug. 10), Barb went out and bagged her own ace the following Wednesday, the first of her career. Clark now has four.
Barb, a 50-something mother of three and grandmother of four, used a five-iron to ace the 130-yard, eighth hole at Hillview. Her playing partners were Wendy Lowe and Myrna Carpenter.
“I saw it hit the green and I thought it rolled off the back so it disappeared,” laughed Barb. “We were looking for my ball in the water and then Myrna pulled the pin and said, ‘It’s in.’ I was shocked.”
In her fourth year on the links, Barb finished with a 43 on the front nine and headed to the clubhouse, where she received a bottomless beer mug, pin and hat.
Clark, a stay-at-home defenceman with the Vernon Canadians oldtimers hockey team, canned his ace on the 14th hole at the Vernon Golf & Country Club on men’s night.
He was in a foursome with Darin Hatt, John Price and Garry Pruden, and joined on the tee box by Andy Gilbert, Ernie Gare, Rod Faust and Lawrence Quechuck.
Clark hit a sweet seven-iron to the middle of the green on the tough, narrow 172-yard hole, where if you miss right, your ball lands on the railroad tracks.
“It landed left and funneled into the hole,” smiled Clark, 61. “I hit it good and didn’t know if it was enough because of the wind. There were lots of high-fives after it went in.”
An eight handicap, Clark earned his first hole-in-one back in the day at Spallumcheen Golf & CC. He has holed No. 5 at Vernon twice in recent years.
The storied joke teller received $100 in the pro shop “but it cost me $100 upstairs buying the boys beers.”
Clark finished with a 38 on the back and 77 for the round. He plans to celebrate the double ace feat by taking Barb to Mexico or California next winter.
