Many golfers will take divots of all shapes and sizes without reaching the holy grail of making a hole in one. Unless your name is Martin Kelly, who became a hat trick hero with his third ace at Forrest Little and now he aims to complete the quadruple.
A 4-rescue from 178-yards found the bottom of the cup on the par-3 14th last Sunday to kick off his year as Club Captain in dream style!
Having conquered the 11th and 7th holes previously, just the par-3 5th at Forrest Little stands in his way of what would surely be a unique set.
It was Kelly’s fourth hole in one overall, all coming in competition, with the par-3 1st hole in Elm Park also added to his collection.
“It never really dawned on me until I got the third one in Forrest Little,” Kelly says of his achievements. I also had a hole in one on the first in Elm Park 12 or 13 years ago. I thought oh that’s 7, 11 and 14 now in Forrest Little so all I need is the fifth to complete the set!
“I’ll put a little bit more focus on the 5th now that I have done the other three!
“I was playing on Wednesday and I decided to hang on to the golf ball , I have the ball from Elm Park as well so I will keep it.
“I’m trying not to let too much get in the way of my golf, it’s great to get some golf these days. I love playing links golf too so it all keeps me in the loop.”
The 62-year-old ,who is a member of Forrest Little for almost fifty years, is a lover of sport and shares his passion for golf with athletics.
Kelly ran the first ever Dublin marathon in 1980 when he was just eighteen and has participated in every edition since and his most recent time stands at three hours and 42 minutes. Another excellent achievement.
Kelly is relishing his role as Club Captain in Forrest Little as well as helping his running club Raheny Shamrocks prepare for their five mile road race on Sunday.
“I left school in 1980 and I heard about an upcoming marathon in Dublin and all you had was the Irish Running magazine or Noel Carroll on a Monday so I said I wouldn’t mind having a go at that,” he recalls.
“I used to play Gaelic football but trying to play team sports at the weekend with golf so golf won out. I ran the first marathon in 1980, I never set out to be the last man standing but here we are forty five years later. I’m the youngest person to have successfully completed every one of them.
“I love sport, I love the outdoors I’m involved in Raheny Shamrocks and I’m helping them organise a five mile road race on Sunday. I love all sport and I love giving back. The athletics fits in nicely with the golf because I can do it in my own time and on a winter’s evening a group of us meet up at around 6pm and run 8-10 miles and it keeps ourselves fit.”
One might suggest that somebody who has had four holes in one in their golfing life should be playing in the Open Championship. Well, he’s good, but not that good.
Still, Kelly has seen more Open Championship weekends than some of the world’s best since he began chauffeuring at the major in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
It’s a career that started all the way back in ’99 when a charismatic 19-year-old Sergio Garcia won the Irish Open at Druids Glen. Since then, Kelly has had the cream of the crop in the back seat of his car from Tiger Woods to Sir Alex Ferguson and even some hot silverware!
He might even have been Francesco Molinari’s good luck charm on that Sunday at Carnoustie in 2018.
“When Francesco Molinari won it I was lucky enough to drive him to Carnoustie on the Sunday and when he was leaving for the airport on Monday I got the job to take him there with the Claret Jug! Things like that are great and some photos to prove it,” laughs Kelly who also worked at the old European Open at the K Club and The American Express at Mount Juliet.
“I started with Tiger Woods and I’ve driven them all from Bryson DeChambeau to Pádraig Harrington, you name them. Nowadays Tiger would have a dedicated car and driver for the week. For the players there’s no seniority you put your name down on the list and if you are ready when they want to go to bring say Jason Day or Justin Rose. I’ve driven them all since I started.
“Being a golfer it’s a double whammy because you get inside the ropes and you get plenty of time to watch the golf. It’s not all work no play!
“When we were at the Irish Open a few years ago in Mount Juliet one of us had to bring the Ryder Cup and I know it was the real one because there was a security guard travelling with us to Adare for the JP McManus Pro-Am so you get access to that stuff.
“I’ve driven Sir Alex Ferguson to events so the access wouldn’t necessarily be restricted to players.”
If any professional golfer is reading this and playing in the Open Championship in Royal Portrush in July, be sure to ask for the driver who has all the aces.
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