Robert Gautney: Local golfer Neal wins $10,000 for hole-in-one
| Wednesday, Jan 13 2010 11:35 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jan 13 2010 11:37 PM
A little more than five months ago, a company named CA$H In The CUP, LLC, installed the first of two "smart camera" systems on the 17th hole at the Avila Beach Golf Resort. A month later, that second system was installed on the fifth hole of the Canyons Course at the Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo.
In case you haven't heard of these systems, they are solar-powered and wire free and with the use of four camera angles, they can track a golfer and his/her golf ball from tee to green.
What reason you ask would they need this for? How about the first fully automated par-3 challenge where players can fork out $5 to try and win prizes, including $10,000 for a hole-in-one.
That's right, $10,000 for a hole-in-one and on the final day of 2009, Bakersfield resident Justin Neal did just that. His 5-iron from 185 yards on that 17th hole at Avila found the cup and because he was one of three players in his fivesome to plunk down the $5, he became the first winner of the $10,000 CA$H In The CUP prize for his perfecto!
"We actually didn't see the ball go into the hole because there was a little ridge that blocked it," Neal said of his big money shot. "John (O'Leary the Managing Partner of CITC,LLC) had actually come up to the green on a cart as our group was arriving. We couldn't see my ball, but he said there was a ball mark right next to the cup. He suggested that we look just over the back edge but we didn't see it. We knew it was a pretty good shot, so we looked in the cup and found my ball. The only thing we could figure was that the ball hit three inches to the right of the hole, then jumped straight left and into the cup."
Needless to say the hoopla was on and it hasn't stopped for Neal since, including this past Sunday when the resort held a celebration for Neal and his feat. In fact, Neal was given an opportunity for another hole-in-one on the same hole during the extravaganza. With the same club, he hit nearly the same shot -- a nice high fade, but this one landed about 3 feet from the cup, took a hop and came to rest a mere 18 inches away from another $10,000!
"I guess you could say that I kind of like the hole," Neal said with a laugh.
At the celebration, attendees saw the video of Neal's perfecto and he was presented with an oversized replica of his $10,000 check and was given prizes from the CITC sponsors -- The Golfland Warehouse and Sextant Wines. Then, to top that off, he was presented with a year's worth of free golf to the Avila Beach Golf Resort. CA$H In The CUP also presented The First Tee junior golf program with a donation in Neal's name.
"This has really been a great experience," says Neal, 32, who is married with three children and is a Physical Education Instructor with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. "Everyone associated has been great to me and my family, and, of course, everyone is actually excited that I made the hole-in-one, so the word will get out about the competition."
Neal, who says he once played to about a five handicap, says he now plays to "about a 10" and plays most of his golf at RiverLakes Ranch and Rio Bravo. He says that he hadn't played at Avila Beach in about 10 years. He says that the golf outing was in conjunction with a tradition where friends celebrate the new year with a camping trip to the Central Coast.
"The guys all play golf and our wives go for a day at the spa," says Neal. And what does Neal plan to do with the money?
"Well, my wife and I celebrated with a nice dinner while we were over there this weekend and we will probably pay off a few small bills then see what we have left. Of course we are going to have to save a little for taxes. We haven't checked yet, but we assume we will have to report this in the gambling section."
One thing is for sure. Long after the $10,000 is gone, Neal will forever be remembered as the first big winner in the CA$H In The CUP competition.
MORE ON CASH IN THE CUP
John O'Leary, the aforementioned Managing Partner of CITC,LLC, says the company is in the process of upgrading the software to the "smart camera" system and once that is completed, then they will embark on an expansion process that will include other courses in SLO County, Santa Barbara County and in the Los Angeles area.
"We are trying to upgrade the system where we can track other competitions like a closest-to-the-pin for the day and so on so players can have other things to participate and get involved in besides the hole-in-one," says O'Leary.
Asked about Kern County and Bakersfield, O'Leary says that they will definitely find their way around here and that courses can contact him to get information; he's just not sure when they will expand in our direction.
The system works pretty much fraud free.
"There are four cameras so we can see who is buying their chance, when they hit their shot and then it tracks the flight of the ball all the way to the green. Then there is a full length view that encompasses everything," says O'Leary.
Participants can either code their credit card information into the system or use a "Cup Card" that can be purchased at the pro shop or through CITC. They swipe that card just like you do when you use your bank or credit card and the coded number of the card is implemented. So far, O'Leary says that the participation rate has been around 30 percent for weekday play, about 40 percent for weekend play and about 75 percent for special events or big tournaments. Sounds like the "Cup Card" is a great tee prize for tournaments!
When you participate or buy a card, you receive $5 certificates from both the Golfland Warehouse and Sextant Wines, says O'Leary, so it's really a win-win situation.
"We have had many players that aren't really that good participate because they can use the gift coupons, so it's really like playing for free," says O'Leary.
CITC takes care of all of the operation and maintenance of the systems and the only thing they ask the course to do is to promote the competition in their advertising and marketing ventures.
I asked O'Leary what criteria they have come up with for where they are to place future systems.
"We take into consideration the length of the hole, the design, and obstacles like trees and terrain," says O'Leary. "Then we will talk with the course professionals to get a history of the hole. Obviously we don't want to have the competition on a hole that is so hard that no one will want to participate, we just want it to be a hole that takes a fair, well-struck shot to have a chance."
In case you were wondering, I didn't ask what's in it for the courses and O'Leary simply stated that they receive a percentage of each play and if you were wondering if this is a profitable endeavor, consider that it takes 2,000 shots at $5 each to cover one $10,000 winner. Take away operating costs and you can do your own assumptions.
I know one thing: I'd bet that the participation level here in Bakersfield would be a little higher than it has been so far at Avila and Blacklake. You know how Bakersfield golfer's like to gamble!
CHIP SHOTS
* Otis Candle used a sand-wedge to ace No. 3 at RiverLakes Ranch from the white tees on Dec. 18.
Tee to Green appears weekly at Bakersfield.com. You can reach Gautney at: rgautney@bak.rr.com.
