Jim Fuddy recently completed a six-day Myrtle Beach golf trip. He never broke 90 and didn’t manage to make a single birdie, but his trip wasn’t without incredible accomplishment. 

Fuddy made his first-ever hole-in-one on Tuesday, October 27 at Long Bay. Not content with a seemingly once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment, he made another ace the following day at King’s North.

You read that correctly. After 50 years of playing golf, the 71-year-old made his first career ace and followed it 24 hours later with his second.

The Mount Joy, Pa. resident used a six iron on Long Bay’s 121-yard eighth hole (pictured above), hitting a shot that bounced twice and rolled into the cup, leaving Fuddy’s friends playing ahead of him to start yelling. 

“They said, ‘That went in!,’” Fuddy said of the group in front of them. “Never having a hole in one, you don’t really know how to react. The guys behind (also part of Fuddy’s group) were hooting and hollering, and they made sure I had to buy everyone a drink, which I gladly did.” 

After enjoying a celebratory dinner at Bimini’s, Fuddy returned to the course the following day and promptly made a hole-in-one on No. 4 at King’s North. (pictured below) He used an 8 iron on the 97-yard hole. 

Fuddy took the “act like you’ve been there approach” to second his ace, eschewing a celebration to go play a second round that afternoon with his wife, who accompanied him on the trip.

“She couldn’t believe it,” Fuddy said of his wife. “Nobody can believe it. I never had one in 50 years of playing. I hit a couple that were within a few inches and hit the pin a couple times, but nothing ever went in. That’s why you play the game.”

For Fuddy, much of golf’s attraction lies in the struggle. 

By any definition, Fuddy was an outstanding athlete, playing football and baseball at the University of Pennsylvania. After a standout career as a linebacker (and team captain) at Penn, he even had a free agent tryout with the New Orleans Saints. 

When his days on the gridiron and the pitcher’s mound were over, he turned his focus to golf, where his natural athleticism didn’t translate as easily as Fuddy expected.

“I always thought, ‘How hard could it be to hit a golf ball?’” he said. “I thought I was a pretty good athlete until I played golf. I never really got good at it. I’m a pretty average golfer.”

Fuddy’s assessment of his game might be a little harsh, he typically shoots under 90 at home and will occasionally fire a round in the low 80s, but in making a hole-in-one on consecutive days, he has an accomplishment to his credit that is far better than average. 

With another Myrtle Beach golf trip – this one with his son – planned for the spring, Fuddy will have another opportunity to duplicate his heroics.