SEBRING – Poor George Puffenberger, the first golfer tabbed to play the new par-3 island hole at Sun ‘N Lake Country Club.
He pulled a 5-wood from his bag, listened to some friendly jabs and stuck his peg in the turf, looking up at a sea of blue.
And then he proceeded to dump his tee ball into the water surrounding the new 18th green on the Deer Run course.
“It wasn’t enough,” Puffenberger said, shaking his head, resting his hand on the clubhead of his underachieving fairway wood.
No worries, George. Many followed suit.
More than 130 golfers tried their luck Tuesday on the spectacular new finishing hole, which measured 165 yards from an elevated tee for the grand opening.
The hole played downwind. The pin was located in the middle of the green. And there was a small bail-out area – about 25 feet – if you missed long and right.
Still played tough.
Of the 135 players who teed it up, 105 – yes, 105 – hit their ball into the water. Only three of the six golfers who hit the green in regulation carded a birdie. There were 34 double bogeys, 19 triple bogeys – and 20 of the dreaded “others.”
“Deer Run is always one of the better courses in the county, but we’ve never had a signature hole,” said Ron Wonderling, Sun ‘N Lake’s director of golf operations. “We wanted to have something spectacular as the finale for this golf course, and we think that we’ve accomplished that.”
Yes, the hole is infinitely more difficult, playing anywhere from 100 to 175 yards, predominantly into the wind.
Waves of players came through Tuesday, each excited about playing the lone island hole in the county.
There was plenty of incentive, too.
A yellow 2010 Chevy Camaro glistened in the distance, the reward for anyone who recorded a hole-in-one. The male and female golfers with the closest approach shot were given a new set of Cleveland irons. A commemorative plaque was handed to golfers who accomplished certain tasks, not all of them memorable (the first player to record a triple-bogey 6, for instance). And anyone who hit the green walked away with a sleeve of Srixon balls.
“It’s definitely a nice marketing tool,” said Andy Kesling, an assistant golf pro at Sun ‘N Lake. “Who wouldn’t want to come out and play this golf hole?”