Videotaped ace nets Naperville golfer $10,000

Peggy Beckman probably didn't envision spending her 41st wedding anniversary surrounded by her husband Gary's golfing pals.

But the blow was softened a bit by the accidental anniversary present he had just won.

The 62-year-old Naperville man aced the 195-yard par 3 13th hole at the Bolingbrook Golf Club on Labor Day. But because he had paid a $7 registration fee to have his shot videotaped, he won a $10,000 prize offered by the Ohio-based company that operates the system.

Initially, Beckman had a hard time getting his bride to believe his tale.

"She didn't believe me at first," he said. "But I kept telling her it was for real and she came out and joined me and a couple of guys for a few drinks I was buying."

Beckman said his prize took a couple hundred dollar hit that evening from the bar tab since he was part of a group that day making up seven foursomes. His anniversary celebration also was postponed until this weekend.

"I had a little too much to drink, so I wasn't feeling like a big meal," Beckman said.

He plans to use a large chunk of the prize money for a Florida vacation for he and his wife, but he also has two grandsons with birthdays coming up this weekend who will find themselves beneficiaries of his hole-in-one.

Beckman - who has been playing the game for 47 years - said this was his seventh hole-in-one, but he considered it "really lucky" because this was his first trip to the Bolingbrook course this year, it's the longest ace he's ever shot and it's the only one that's ever won him money.

Bolingbrook Golf Club Assistant General Manager Mike Williams was also surprised by Beckman's shot.

"That's the toughest pin location on that green," Williams said.

It's the first time the Verishot system has recorded a hole-in-one at the course since it was installed in July. Williams said they added the system "to add excitement" to the players' experience. Golfers who hit a shot within the length of the flagstick receive $25 gift card to the pro shop, and those who come within two feet of the hole receive a $250 gift card. Only one shot has been recorded within two feet, while about a dozen $25 gift cards have been distributed, Williams said.

Beckman said, from the tee, he didn't see his ball end up in the hole; he discovered it only after his group arrived at the green. The video shows his exuberance upon finding his ball in the cup.

"I don't think the moves were too sweet," Beckman admitted of his celebratory dance.

Williams deferred judgment.

"I thought it was very unique," he said.

Beckman was using an 18-degree hybrid he bought to replace his 3 iron.

"It's not like that's my favorite club or anything," he said. "And I wasn't spending a lot of time practicing with it. I just got lucky."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="http://www.winninggolfshots.com/VideoPlayer.aspx?videoID=135">Gary Beckman's hole in one </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>