BATON ROUGE, La. — The morning of January 9 was probably just another day at work for most people, but for Christopher Pipsair and Michael Lang, it will forever be one of the most memorable days of their golf careers.
It wasn’t exactly ideal weather conditions for a round of golf at Baton Rouge Country Club. The weather was cool and damp with a steady wind into their face, but the duo along with their other friend had already decided that, provided there was no extreme rain, they were going to play.
The moment came on the 110-yard third hole. With a forced water carry and a front pin placement, the group agreed to play the shot at least 10 yards longer than the number.
Pipsair stepped up first.
A left-hander, he chose a gap wedge and set up to hit a draw from left to right. Pipsair said, “I got comfortable and made a very smooth, proper tempo’d swing.” As soon as the ball was struck, he felt confident it cleared the water, which it did, landing about a yard past the hole and three to four feet left of the flag.
Pipsair was excited to simply have a birdie opportunity when all of a sudden the group saw the ball begin to backspin toward the flag and disappear into the hole. The group of three went crazy with excitement, ready to buy a round for the whole clubhouse, except they were the only ones on the course at the time.
It was Pipsair’s first hole-in-one.
After they settled down, their friend Curt hit safely on the green about 12 feet back and left of the flag. Of course, they all joked about him missing his ace opportunity. That led to Lang stepping up to the tee.
A little backstory about Michael and this particular round: a former college tennis player at the University of Miami, he is typically considered to be super competitive and high energy. January 9 was also the morning after Miami’s big win over Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. Lang admitted he was not feeling his best after celebrating the win and was running a little behind for his tee time, going straight to the tee box without warming up or taking any practice swings.
Still hyped from Pipsair’s shot, Pipsair sarcastically told him, “Why don’t you simply drain this shot so we can move along.” Not even 30 seconds later, Lang struck a pitching wedge that landed about a yard past the hole and slightly right of the flag.
Like the previous shot, it spun back.
And it dropped. Back-to-back holes-in-one on the same hole, in the same group. For Lang, it was his first hole-in-one and the first he had ever witnessed in person.-3.jpg?width=286&height=358&name=Untitled%20design%20(1)-3.jpg)
For perspective, the odds of an average golfer making a hole-in-one are commonly cited at about 1 in 12,500. The odds of two players in the same group making a hole-in-one on the same hole are estimated to be in the tens of millions to one.
The crazy irony and coincidences didn’t stop there. January 9 was Pipsair’s birthday and also marked Lang’s 16-year anniversary with his wife, Andrea. Both players went on to shoot 80 that day, which each described as a personal course record at BRCC.
By the end of the day, the two had something new in common: their first holes-in-one, achieved just moments apart on the third hole at Baton Rouge Country Club. Safe to say, it’s a story you don’t hear too often and one they will get to share for the rest of their lives.
About the Louisiana Golf Association
The Louisiana Golf Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and growing the game of golf across Louisiana. Founded in 1920, the LGA conducts state championships, provides USGA Handicap Index® services, and supports players of all ages through initiatives like the Louisiana Junior Golf Tour.
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