Golfer masters the hole-in-one
By Mike Camunas, Times Correspondent
Published February 27, 2008
NEW PORT RICHEY
Carl Meurn needs both hands to count them.
His holes-in-one. This 83-year-old has nine - that's right, nine - holes-in-one. It takes some golfers years, hundreds of rounds, to get just one, but this Seven Springs resident has averaged one every 3.9 years since 1973.
"You got to have a little luck to get nine," Meurn said. "I've probably missed another two or three the past couple of years. I used to hit it a lot further, but to get holes-in-one, you have to get breaks. It's a combination skill and luck."
Luck, or an act of God? Either way, Meurn has been doing something right.
"I've always said, 'I'd rather be lucky than good,'" Meurn said. "A lot of golfers say that, though."
The most recent hole-in-one, which is the fifth Meurn's hit at Seven Springs, came on the 12th hole of the Challenger Course: a 161-yard par 3. It's the second time he's hit a hole-in-one on No. 12, and on this shot, Meurn took his King Cobra driver and sent the ball straight toward the bunker in front of the hole. However, it took a member's bounce, hit the pin and dropped into cup.
"This is the first of Carl's I've seen," said Ray Turner, 72, who is the president of Seven Springs, a position Meurn once held. "And when he hit it, it went over a trap, believe it or not, and hit the pin, went right in the hole. Amazing is what it is. I can't believe he's hit nine of them. ... That wall of fame, my name's not on it. His is five times."
Turner is referring to the wall above the bar in the clubhouse. Nearly three-fourths of it is lined with names - Meurn has four plaques up there and is awaiting his fifth, which blows away any other member of the wall of fame.
"There's no question that I have the most on this course," Meurn said. "I'm not bragging or anything, but I know that I have at least four plaques up there. Really, I don't want people to think I'm a braggart, but I like to talk about it."
He sure does. According to a 1998 St. Petersburg Times article, back when Meurn had a measly six holes-in-one, he claimed his wife, Jessie, is his good luck charm and that the most memorable hole-in-one was his fifth, at Mount Hawley Country Club in Peoria, Ill., because "the bar bill was $500."
Last week, after his ninth, he bought his foursome a round of drinks and then went out to dinner with his wife and some neighbors. Meurn said his next move might be to get a license plate that reads "9HOLEN1."
Perhaps he shouldn't, because two of his foursome feel Meurn might not be done.
"Well, he's not (hitting them on) a weekly basis, but it sure does seem like an annual basis," Joe Fischer said.
Added Bruce Vliek: "It's skill to get it close, and it's luck to get it in. Carl has the magic, I guess."
There's no doubt Meurn's got something up his sleeve. No one may figure out just what that is, especially Meurn, but perhaps that's for the best. He certainly doesn't want to stop bagging holes-in-one.
"You got to be kidding!" Meurn said. "I'm not tired of this. I tell people I have nine, and they don't believe it. They feel there's no way, that maybe I'm making it up. But it's fun to tell people, and really, it's the perfect story for the 19th hole."
Got a golfer worth writing about? How about a good story from the links? Then contact Community Sports Editor Mike Camunas at mcamunas@sptimes.com or (352) 544-9480.
At a glance
A breakdown of Meurn's nine holes-in-one
It's remarkable that Carl Meurn has nine holes-in-one, but what's not remarkable is that he remembers each one vividly. Here's a list of each of his aces:
No. 1: Broadwater Golf Club, Biloxi, Miss., No. 7, 107 yards, March 1, 1973
No. 2: Pine Lakes Country Club, Morton Ill., No. 8, 165 yards, September 1973
No. 3: Bethpage State Park Yellow Course, Bethpage, N.Y., No. 7, 150 yards, May 28, 1980
No. 4: Seven Springs Golf and Country Club Challenger Course, No. 2, 146 yards, June 1984
No. 5: Mount Hawley Country Club, Peoria, Ill., No. 9, 165 yards, July 4, 1985
No. 6: Seven Springs Golf and Country Club Champion Course, No. 10, 135 yards, Oct. 16, 1989
No. 7: Seven Springs Golf and Country Club Challenger Course, No. 12, 161 yards, Oct. 28, 2000
No. 8: Seven Springs Golf and Country Club Champion Course, No. 10, 135 yards, Oct. 29, 2004
No. 9: Seven Springs Golf and Country Club Challenger Course, No. 12, 161 yards, Feb. 12, 2008