-->As apocryphal as they sound, tales of holes-in-one that bank off obstacles or race the whole way on the ground are more than myth.
Fort Myers resident Jim Sievers can attest to that.
A retired USGA rules official from Chattanooga, Tenn., Sievers, 68, has been witness to a staggering 38 aces in his 56 years around the game.
Included are four aces he has made, the most recent of which has to be deemed the most horribly unlucky of what is itself a lucky feat, considering its timing.
"I think it's just that I've played a lot of golf over the years," Sievers said of the 38 aces. "But still, guys have played 50 years and only see one or two. I've never met anyone that's seen anywhere near that many."
The last ace Sievers saw was his on Feb. 16 on the 13th hole at his home course, Cypress Lake Country Club. The shot - on his first swing of the day in a shotgun start - was relatively routine, a wind-aided 9-iron from 142 yards that hit the green, bounced twice and dropped in the hole.
The misfortune came in learning after the round that his ace would have won him a 2008 Ferrari F430 Spider had it been struck from at least 150 yards on the same hole three days later, in Cypress Lake's 50th anniversary member-guest tournament.
"What was funny ... well, it wasn't funny. I'm all happy and elated, and everybody is telling me, 'What bad luck,' " said Sievers, who is not a car buff but plenty appreciative of the classic Italian beauty.
"I don't even know if my wife would let me keep it at my age. She would probably tell me I couldn't handle it," he said of the V8, 4.3-liter convertible. "That (a Ferrari) was somewhat of a dream car. Most guys that would be a dream, but who in the world would put pencil to that."
The if-you-can-believe-it shots Sievers has witnessed include an ace on a 170-yard hole in a Tennessee state amateur event on a shot that was destined for the water well short of the green. Instead, it bounced off the rocks three times before finding the hole.
There also was the classic ground ball ace on a 200-yard hole that never got 6 feet off the ground.
"I swear to you, 180 (yards it) was on the ground," Sievers said.
A high school golfer in Atlanta and at Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga., Sievers first thought to track his witnessed aces when he saw six in one year in the 1960s.
More ace tales: Two friends had each of their three aces with Sievers on hand, and two golfers recorded aces with Sievers after hearing of his unusual connection.
"I said, 'I guess I'm just lucky to play with,' " Sievers said, "and twice it happened that those guys knocked it in the hole."
Sievers' good luck charm status - his would-be Ferrari notwithstanding - helps make him a popular player at Cypress Lake.
"He's a great guy to play golf with," said Fort Myers resident Vince Brooks, who had never seen or recorded an ace until he began playing with Sievers, then had two in a short window. "Maybe people are more relaxed and enjoy the game more when they're playing with him."
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