Denis Magee celebrated an impressive hole in one at Shepparton Golf Course
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Shepparton resident Denis Magee is celebrating a hole-in-one - with the retiree’s heroics having sparked scenes of celebration from friends on the fairway.
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The Victorian veteran has been a member of Shepparton Golf Club for two years now and practices with friends twice a week on average.
At 68-years-old, the former window cleaning business owner appears to be making the most of his newfound free time after hanging up his squeegee.
From there, he has not looked back and he has been working on his handicap ever since, with his trips to the course having proven rewarding from both a sporting and social perspective.
Undoubtedly, March 12 will live long in the memory for the golfing enthusiast as he registered an ace with his fellow players watching on.
“I play a couple of times a week with friends and just got lucky,” Magee recalled, as he beamed with pride following his exploits on the green.
His hole-in-one came at the par-three fifth hole at club on the banks of the Goulburn River.
“It was a good clean strike with a slight fade, it was very, very, lucky,” he said.
“It’s about 147m long, something like that and it landed about 10m short and it kept rolling up and up onto the green.
Denis Magee has re-discovered a love of golf following 35 years away from the sport
Photo by
Megan Fisher
“Then it got close and it disappeared into the hole, so that was when the celebrations happened.“
Magee could not hide his excitement as he regaled the tale of his group of four pals - which includes his brother-in-law - lauding him for his heroics afterwards.
“They all started hugging me and clapping me with plenty of high fives - I reckon they were just as excited as me,” he said, as he laughed his way through telling the anecdote.
This is not his first ace either, with the golfing hobbyist having also claimed a hole-in-one last year during a trip to Swan Hill.
It appears that Magee has been energized by picking up his clubs once more since his retirement, having gone nearly four decades without playing before starting up again in 2024.
“I retired recently and I hadn’t played golf for about 35 years but I started it up again to get some exercise,” he said.
“I just working to improve now, as I’m nearly 70 now - I was only 35 back then so things are a bit different now - but I’m slowly getting better.”
Now, having caught the golfing bug, the avid player is delighted to have moved houses to a property close to Shepparton Golf Club, which means he will be able to dedicate more time to perfecting his swing.
However, the retiree did deny that the move was solely motivated by his love of the sport alone.
“I’m quite close now - walking distance - which makes it easy!
“We just found something we liked but it was certainly a plus to be walking distance from the club, it’s pretty social.
“It’s not just about the golf, it’s seeing mates too!”
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