Quick Summary: Scottish Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie pulled off the absurd on Monday, carding two holes-in-one during the opening round of the Wee Course—the brand-new, community-focused par-3 layout he designed at Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan. While two aces in a single round is a statistical anomaly pushing into the millions-to-one odds, doing it at your own ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of local families and children elevates the feat to instant golf lore.
A Legend Returns to Benton Harbor
Benton Harbor has long been a special venue for Colin Montgomerie. The 62-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer won the Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores back in 2014, earning the lifelong adoration of local Michigan golf fans. On Monday, he returned to cut the ribbon on a passion project: the Wee Course. The new layout is a short par-3 pitch-and-putt designed to introduce the next generation of players to the game.
But instead of quietly handing over the spotlight to the community and local youngsters, Montgomerie script-wrote a moment of pure golf magic. During the inaugural exhibition round, Montgomerie caught fire on the short track, carding not one, but two aces. The historic feat sent shockwaves through the gallery of kids, parents, and civic leaders assembled for the grand opening.
Inside the Wee Course at Harbor Shores
The Wee Course is a nine-hole par-3 layout specifically engineered to remove the intimidation factor, cost barriers, and time constraints that often prevent beginners and kids from picking up a club. Built directly adjacent to the main resort, the layout represents a major step forward in community engagement.
Here are the key facts about the newly opened Wee Course:
- Design Layout: Nine short par-3 holes ranging from 20 to 80 yards. The longest hole on the track measures just 73 yards.
- Total Yardage: Spans between 275 and 500 total yards depending on which set of tees are played, making a full round playable in under an hour.
- Beginner Focus: The holes are cleverly modeled as scaled-down, shrunken replicas of the nine most iconic holes on Harbor Shores' Jack Nicklaus-designed championship course.
- Youth Priority: Kids play for free, and local youth development programming is a core pillar of the course's operational schedule.
- Night Play: The entire layout is fully illuminated with floodlights to accommodate evening community play.
- Standard Pricing: For adult guests, access is priced at $30 for nine holes, $40 for 18 holes, and $50 for an all-day pass. The course can easily be played with a wedge and a putter.
Understanding the Odds of Two Aces
To put Montgomerie's Monday round in perspective, we must examine the numbers. For a standard amateur golfer, the odds of making a single hole-in-one stand at roughly 12,500 to 1. For professional tour-caliber players, that figure drops to around 3,000 to 1. However, hitting two aces in the same round drops the odds into the stratosphere—often calculated at upwards of 67 million to 1 for an average player, and in the millions to one for pros.
An honest caveat must be acknowledged: a short-course format stacks the deck. With every hole sitting at a short wedge distance or less, a player of Montgomerie's legendary caliber is bound to hit multiple near-misses. While it is slightly less impossible than executing two aces on a standard championship layout, finding the cup twice in a single hour remains a jaw-dropping, freakish exhibition of ball-striking precision.
A Larger Story of Community Revitalization
While the double-ace headline will dominate social media feeds, the real significance of the Wee Course is its social impact. The par-3 layout is part of a multi-decade community effort to revitalize Benton Harbor, heavily supported by Whirlpool Corporation. By providing a beautiful, low-pressure, and completely free outlet for youth recreation, the facility aims to foster character development and open doors to athletic opportunities.
Montgomerie's design was constructed with accessibility at its core. Having a Hall of Fame designer show up, cut the ribbon, and then hit two holes-in-one in front of the kids who will inherit the tees is the ultimate launch strategy. It lends the course an immediate, magical origin story that local children will talk about for years to come.
The Raw Read
If you pitched a movie script where an aging Hall of Famer makes two holes-in-one at the ribbon-cutting of a course he designed to help underprivileged youth, you would be laughed out of the studio for being too cliché. Yet, golf has a funny way of delivering unscripted drama. Montgomerie's double ace is a joyful, freakish moment that shines a well-deserved national spotlight on a fantastic community project. The kids learning to swing on the Wee Course won't care about the mathematical improbability; they'll just know their course was christened with pure magic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who made two holes-in-one in Benton Harbor?
Scottish World Golf Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie carded two aces on Monday during the opening of the Wee Course at Harbor Shores Golf Club.
What is the Wee Course at Harbor Shores?
It is a new nine-hole, short par-3 pitch-and-putt layout designed by Colin Montgomerie. It features holes ranging from 20 to 80 yards, built specifically for children, families, and beginners.
How rare is making two holes-in-one in one round?
Extraordinarily rare. The odds of a standard golfer carding two aces in a single round are estimated in the tens of millions to one, though playing on a short-distance pitch-and-putt course significantly improves those chances.
Does Colin Montgomerie have a history at Harbor Shores?
Yes. Montgomerie won the 2014 Senior PGA Championship on the resort's main Jack Nicklaus championship course, forging a strong connection with the local community.
How much does it cost to play the Wee Course?
Children play for free. For adults, green fees are $30 for nine holes, $40 for 18 holes, and $50 for all-day access.