Paris golfer celebrates first hole-in-one at Mystic Golf Club

 Cameron Sass shows off the ball he used to sink his first-ever hole-in-one on Aug. 21  - earning bragging rights over his father, Jamie, a fellow avid golfer still chasing his first ace.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

A Paris man who once guarded the crease for the Wolfpack has now found himself in the golf spotlight — thanks to a perfectly placed shot.

Cameron Sass, 26, grew up in Paris and spent much of his youth playing goal with Paris Minor Hockey’s Wolfpack program before turning his attention to golf about a decade ago. On Aug. 21, Sass recorded his first hole-in-one during an evening round at Mystic Golf Club.

The ace came on the 15th hole, a par-3 playing at roughly 150 yards. Sass selected a pitching wedge, though at first he wasn’t convinced it was a good swing.

“I thought I hit it a bit thin,” Sass recalled. “We all watched it roll in. My first reaction was disbelief — shock!”

He was playing alongside Dan and Riley McHutchion and Jaden Esquimaux when the shot dropped. Their first reaction, Sass said with a laugh, was to joke about how his father, Paris resident Jamie Sass, would feel about being upstaged.

“All of our friends use a golf app called The Grint to track our games,” he explained. “Within 30 seconds of the hole-in-one, my dad — who was at a friend’s house — had already called me to see if the news was true. At first, he thought I was pulling his leg!”

The moment was made even more special because it was Sass’s first ace. He kept the ball and received a flag from Mystic to commemorate the shot, which he plans to display.

For the younger Sass, the milestone holds extra meaning. “Such a great feeling… a little extra special to have that 1-up on my pops who has been trying to get one desperately for years!”

His father, Jamie, said the achievement brought both pride and humour.

“As a proud parent… certainly a feeling of pride,” Jamie said. “Cam has had a rough couple of years health-wise, yet he never complains about it. To see him achieve this accomplishment is a very proud moment. There is of course, also a small amount of jealousy as I am an avid golfer who has yet to achieve said feat! At the end of the day, I am thrilled that he plays the game and that it brings some enjoyment to his life. What better way to spend some time outdoors and get a little exercise!”

The hole-in-one capped an otherwise ordinary round, and though tradition dictates the shooter buy a round of drinks, Sass escaped the expense when the clubhouse was already closed at the end of play.

Asked to sum up the moment in one word, Sass chose “pride.”

“It’s something all golfers aspire to get at least once in their life,” he said.