On a family vacation with his two brothers-in-law in Lake George recently, Steve Codispodo had to be encouraged to play golf on Monday. He still is feeling the effects of a heart procedure last December and golf wasn’t high on his radar.
“We wanted to have six players so we would have two groups of three and three,” said brother-in-law Frank Mylett. “He decided to play, he took one for the team.”
Playing at the Top of the World Golf Resort in Lake George, Codispodo was hacking it around when he got to the 135-yard par 3 seventh hole. But a crisp iron shot found the green, and the rolling ball found the bottom of the cup for an ace, his first ever. Finishing the round at the 185-yard par 3 18th, his 3-hybrid shot rolled and rolled and rolled as Codispodo walked nonchalantly to his golf cart. Then that ball dropped in for a second ace.
Codispodo had achieved one the rarest of all feats in the game. According to the National Hole In One Registry, the odds of one player making two aces in a round are 67 million to one.
“I was having one of the worst rounds I’ve had in a very long time,” said Codispodo, 56, of Massapequa. “I had only played golf two times this year. I had some health issues over the past couple of years. I only played because my brother-in-laws and nephews were going out to play and they kind of twisted my arm and said ‘C’mon you have to get out.’”
Because there was a foursome in front of them that had two first-time golfers, the two threesomes bunched up to play together. That included Mylett, his son Conor, other brother-in-law John Willix, his son Patrick, Patrick’s girlfriend Amanda King and Steven Sica, the boyfriend of Codispodo’s daughter. Consequently they all were able to witness both aces and “go bananas,” said Mylett.
“I was on the fence to play,” said Codispodo, “I said all right, I’ll swing the clubs for a few hours, and look what happened. Unbelievable.”
There was nothing to indicate it would happen, but luck is a big part of the game no matter the skill level.
“I was 14 over par by the seventh hole,” said Codispodo. “My hip was killing me. I couldn’t swing my driver properly, but I could swing my irons and that was why I was doing well with the par 3s.”
His 18-hole score? 96.
“This was all luck, it didn’t have anything to do with skill, that’s for sure,” Codispodo said with a laugh.
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