11-Year-Old Sinks Hole-In-One At Summerland Golf Course

Some people golf their entire lifetime and never hit a hole-in-one. But Paiton Hoefer of Elgin hit his first at just 11 years old.

Paiton, who will be a fifth-grader this fall at St. Boniface in Elgin, is the son of Jeremy Hoefer and Autumn Hoefer. 

Paiton, who has been golfing since he was 4 years old, scored the hole-in-one Sunday at Summerland Golf Course near Ewing while golfing with his 8-year-old brother, Kellan, and his dad.

"I walked up to the tee box on Hole 8 with my 5 wood trying to hit a good shot," Paiton said. "I hit the ball, it bounced on the green a couple times and rolled in. Kellan and I ran up to green seeing if it went in, and it did."

He added, "I thought it was a hole-in-one because I saw something drop in the hole, but I didn't know for sure if it was something else that had dropped in the cup."

Hole 8 is a par-3, 143-yard hole with a nine handicap. As if acing the hole wasn’t exciting enough, Paiton said he was excited to see how Summerland responded to his great accomplishment.

"After our round, we drove up to the clubhouse, and I heard I got to put my name on the Hole-In-One plaque,” he said. "I hope in the future this is not the only hole-in-one I get in Ewing because it sure would be nice to have my name up there a second time."

Paiton golfs in several junior golf tournaments in the area and has won several. He placed fourth in the Norfolk Junior City Tournament. 

"I feel pretty proud of myself because not very many people ever do that," he said of the hole-in-one. "I also feel I could be very good someday."

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