Nico “Nick” Ilich, husband of Rose Matthews Illich, Class of 1960, made SIX holes-in-one at the Green Hills Country Club in Everson. SIX!!!

I’ve been playing golf for seven decades and the closest I came was hitting the pin that holds the flag and the ball rolling 6 inches from the cup. But I did watch Bob Kasper, Class of 1950, make his only hole-in-one at Rogers City Country Club in Michigan.

Golf Digest, which has been tracking aces for 60 years, puts the odds for an individual doing it once at 12,500 to 1. But six times? My crude math puts those odds at 9 million to 1!!

 

And Green Hills isn’t a par-3 course where every hole is a possible hole-in-one. Just reaching some of its greens is an achievement.

 

Twelve of the 18 holes are more than 350 yards long, well beyond the drives of normal golfers.

 

There are only six par-3’s, where aces are most likely. And the shortest one, from the closest tee box for that hole, is 148 yards away. Hardly a chip shot for the ace of a lifetime for most of us.

Rose’s brother is Simon Matthews Jr., Class of 1956, whose widow is Shirley Smith Matthews, Class of 1957. Simon and Shirley were the owners of The Den, which recently closed in Monongah. 

Their parents were Simon Matthews and Marguerite Tropea Mathews, Class of 1926. Marguerite was part of the Tony Tropea family that had the grocery store on Camden Avenue (U.S. 19) next to the building that housed Carlot’s Grill.

Simon Paul was on the 1955 Monongah High state champions football team, a teacher/coach for 28 years at Monongah and Farmington high schools and a former Monongah mayor.

Marguerite “Muggy” Matthews Stalnaker, Class of 1966, is Rose and Simon's sister.