At first, this par 3 feels no different than any other. You pull out your rangefinder and check the yardage. Toss a little grass in the air to see if there is a breeze. Select your club and tee up your ball. Make your swing and watch the ball fly through the air. That’s when it happens. Something changes. Your ball lands on the green and rolls into the hole. This is no longer just another par 3. This is a hole you will remember and will be talking about, for the rest of your life.

You just made a hole-in-one!!! Now what?

Run Around Acting Crazy

Hole-in-ones are rare – you could play golf your entire life and never make one, so if you do, you need to go crazy. There is no wrong way to celebrate. Toss your club in the air. Fist bump your buddies. Let out a scream. Run to the green like “young Sergio” in the PGA Championship. Enjoy the moment.

Save Everything

Immediately remove the golf ball from the hole and place it in your pocket. Do not hit it off the next tee – in fact, this ball should never be hit again. If you can find it, save the tee you used to hit the shot. After the round, keep the scorecard. It doesn’t matter if you shot a 125, it will still have that sweet looking “1”. Order a plaque to commemorate your shot and hang it on the wall. Your new favorite story to tell will be your “hole-in-one story” and the plaque will give visitors to your home a reason to ask about it!

Pick Up the Bar Tab

This is the one tradition that seems strange to people new to the game of golf, but etiquette requires the person who made the hole-in-one to buy everyone else drinks. We aren’t just talking about the players in your group, but really anyone at the golf course that day. The best way to handle it – hang out in the 19^th hole following your round for an hour or two and offer everyone who walks in a beer. Yes, it might cost you a couple hundred dollars, but it will be part of this awesome memory.

Make Sure You Get Some Press for Your Accomplishment

Local newspapers list hole-in-ones every day. Tell the club professional at the course about your hole-in-one, providing all of details (club, yardage, playing partners, etc.) and get ready to see your name in the paper. Most state golf associations also recognize this achievement with a certificate or a bag tag. When you get home do a quick “Google search” to find out about your area. The cool thing is that other people will see your accomplishment and congratulate you for weeks to come!

Wow – what an awesome day on the course. You made a hole-in-one. You ran around like a crazy person, saved your golf ball, tee, and scorecard and bought drinks for all your friends. Your name will be in the newspaper tomorrow. Now what? Go try to make another “one”.