Achieving a hole-in-one in golf is considered one of the most challenging tasks in sports. The chance of it happening once is rare. The chance of doing it twice in a span of two years is even more unlikely.
Not for 67-year-old Floyd Libby.
Libby, who lives in Dedham, hit his first hole-in-one last spring with a pitching wedge on the 135-yard par-3 hole at the Angel Park Golf Club in Las Vegas. Three friends of his were there to witness that ace.
Last month, while Libby was playing at the Canoa Ranch Golf Club in Green Valley, Arizona, he accomplished his second hole-in-one in as many years.
“It was on a Friday, about a few weeks ago,” Libby said before searching to find the card where he wrote the specific date of his hole-in-one.
“Feb. 6,” he said after finding his card. “That’s when it happened. It was definitely a surprise.”
The odds of an average golfer recording a hole-in-one are 12,000 to 1, according to Golf Digest, while the odds for a low-handicapper are 5,000 to 1 and 3,000 to 1 for a tour professional.
Libby didn’t start playing golf until nearly 30 years ago. He found it as a way to socialize with friends. Before golf, his first passion was tennis, however, he understood his body couldn’t take the physical demands as it once did.
“I was probably around 40 when I took up the sport,” he said. “I always was a tennis player, that was my sport.”
Through his experience playing golf, Libby has played at courses around the country. He frequently travels west to continue playing in the winter and often goes back to Nevada and Arizona. He also is a member of the Bangor Municipal Golf Course and the Penobscot Valley Country Golf Club in Orono.
“I play probably three times a week on average. Golf is a tremendous sport,” he said.
Libby has improved incrementally and has a 13-handicap. His success and the sport’s unpredictability keep him playing. However, he understands the frustrations a typical golfer goes through during a round and is quick to note how easy it is to get off track.
“It’s the aggravation it brings you that appeals to me,” Libby said laughing.
Despite the aggravation, he has continued to play through distractions and bad weather, and he doesn’t seem to be losing steam. He understands the likelihood of hitting another hole-in-one soon is unlikely, but with two already in his lifetime, he can’t rule it out. He also enjoys the gamesmanship of golf and notes how people tend to stick with golf as they age.
“Golf is for ‘older, retired’ players,” he said. “It’s a good form of sport.”