Miracles only happen on 34th street. If something happens on the golf course, like winning $10,000, then it’s skill—just ask Justin Neal, who recently won the Avila Beach Golf Resort “Cash in the Cup” challenge.
“The hole was playing at about 183 yards. I used a 5 iron, and as soon as I hit it, I knew it was a good shot and was going to be on the green,” said Neal, a Bakersfield resident. “I still didn’t think I hit it in the hole, but after it landed, I couldn’t see it on the green and started whispering ‘Oh my God’ to myself.”
Amazingly enough, this was his first attempt. Perhaps even more amazingly, he was asked to shoot a second time, landing him just feet away from sinking another hole-in-one.
Neal is a P.E. instructor in Bakersfield, and his friends play golf every new year during their camping trek to the Central Coast while their wives stay at a day spa. When Neal and his friends returned to the campsite to let their wives know of the surprise, the women were skeptical.
So what will Neal do with the cash?
“I’d love to spend the money on something really fun, but I think most of the money is going toward bills, and then we’ll use what’s left over to treat our kids to something.”
The “Cash in the Cup” challenge is a fully automated par 3 challenge, available at Avila Beach Golf Resort and at 5th Canyons at Blacklake Golf Resort. It’s a solar-powered, unmanned machine that, for $5, gives a golfer a chance to bask in glory and a little cash reward.
This article appears in Jan 21-28, 2010.