Neal Klein has been buying a lot of beverages for golfers at Augusta Municipal Golf Course.
That's all right with the Martinez resident.
As long as his holes-in-one keep coming, he's happy to follow golf tradition and buy a round for everyone in the clubhouse afterward.
That can add up, as Klein has had three aces in the past 13 months at "the Patch."
Amazingly, they were the first aces by the 67-year-old Klein, who started playing in the 1960s.
"It's luck, I'm honest," he said. "I shoot in the 80s, but it's luck. I closed my eyes at the right time."
His aces, in order, came on Nos. 14, 7 and 10.
"The one on No. 7 was a good shot," Klein said. "It was right at the pin. It took one bounce and went in. I mean, I was jumping on that one. The one on No. 14 was good, too."
Klein's playing partners have a lot to say about his run of aces.
"They rag me, but they're a great group of guys out there," he said. "Some of the guys are much better than I am and haven't had any. Ed Brown will beat me by five shots, and he's never had one. He's much more deserving than I am, that's for sure."
Klein doesn't understand how the tradition of buying drinks after an ace started.
"Doesn't that kind of suck?" he asked.
"I'm the one who made the hole-in-one. You'd think everyone would buy you a drink. It doesn't compute. But after all the time I've been playing, I was glad to do it. I was quite happy."
Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.
GOSHEN PLANTATION
- Jim Brouillard, No. 7, 7-iron. Witnesses: C.J. Johnson and Mike Pollard.
- Bobby Herring, No. 17, 7-iron. Witness: Jim Wallace.
- Aaron Juhasz, No. 14, 9-iron. Witnesses: Arthur Juhasz, Adam Juhasz and Tommy Kirk.
- Alec Andersen, No. 14, 8-iron. Witness: Mike Anderson.
- Pete Runyan, No. 17, 5-iron. Witness: Jack Blackburn.
- Pak Chaesu, No. 3, 9-wood.
- Clarence Johnson, No. 14, pitching wedge. Witnesses: Jim Brouillard, Wayne Everett.
FOREST HILLS GOLF CLUB
- John Doren, No. 13, 7-iron. Witness: Phillip Doren.
- Barry Wheeler, No. 16, 4-iron. Witnesses: Ben Sweet and Lonnie Roberts.
- Jack Leone, No. 4, 5-iron. Witnesses: Henry Wylds, Barry Dickson and Dick Hartney.
- Jay Becker, No. 4, 8-iron. Witnesses: Bryan Wilson and Mike Ash.
- David Johnson, No. 4, 7-wood. Witnesses: Gabe Johnson, Doug Drees, Blake Jones and Rusty Jones.
AUGUSTA CC
- Bill Neumann, No. 4, pitching wedge. Witness: Debra Neumann.
- Barry Whitney, No. 4, 7-iron. Witnesses: Herbert Elliott and Dan Matheny.
- Paul Trotter, No. 12, 3-iron. Witnesses: Barrett Trotter, David Burton, Bobby Bentley and Jay Harper.
- Augusta CC member David Jones, No. 17 at Penny Branch in Furman, S.C., 6-iron. Witnesses: David Curley, Rob Daniel and Richard Welsh.
APPLEWOOD
- Wadis Boxton, No. 13, 6-iron. Witnesses: Wallace Childs, Michael Boulton and Leroy Benjamin.
- George Tutt, No. 13, 9-iron. Witness: Billy Beckman.
- Michael Coleman, No. 17, 7-iron. Witnesses: Chet Reames, James Manuel and Rodney Stampley.
- Brett Miller, No. 5, 8-iron. Witnesses: Curtis Bell and Rufus Burdette.
WEST LAKE CC
- John Harlan, No. 8, 2-wood, Witnesses: Warren Allen, Bob Frantz and Otis Askin.
- Dean Fullerton, No. 17.
- Bobby Dressell, No. 4.
- Ryan Baxter, No. 4.
AUGUSTA MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE
- Neal Klein, No. 7, 5-iron. Witnesses: Fred Klein.
- Neal Klein, No. 10, pitching wedge. Witnesses: B.B. Bazemore, T.O. Thurman and Bill Nelson.
- Charles Wilburn Jr., No. 17, 9-iron. Witnesses: Bob Little, Sonny Ramp and David Gibson.
- Frank Burau, No. 17, 3-wood. Witnesses: Eddie Jordan, Richard Beall and Mike Lilly.
- Jay Waller, No. 7, 7-iron. Witness: Vickie Walters.
- Willie Gordon, No. 17, 3-iron.
BELLE MEADE CC
- Don Strosnider, No. 17, 9-iron.
- Andy Knox Jr., No. 11, sand wedge.
- Henry Thomas, No. 5, 7-iron.
CHAMPIONS RETREAT
- Adam McKenney, Creek No. 4. Witness: Wayne McKenney.
- Nick Carter, Island, No. 6. Witness: Harold Jones.
ROCKY BRANCH
- Barbara Krummel, No. 17. Witnesses: Bobby Partridge, Patty Partridge and Evans Johns.
- Frank Cory, No. 8. Witnesses: Al Holloway and Addison Belangig.
- Lowell Martin, No. 14. Witnesses: Kim Butler, Pat Martin and Jack Bevington.
POINTE SOUTH
- Chris Gay, No. 4. Witnesses: Mike Toney and Gary Anderson.
- Gaylord Hunt, No. 4. Witnesses: Rick Braunsberg and Robert Bedgood.
FIRST TEE OF AUGUSTA
- Jeffrey Tran, No. 6, sand wedge. Witnesses: Sterling Tran, Christian Fahnoe and Davonta Streetman.
Eagle on par-4
AUGUSTA GOLF COURSE
- David Gibson, No. 9, sand wedge. Witness: Bobby Pollard.
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