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An opening-day hole-in-one at Saranac Inn for U.S. luger

Two-time Olympian Jayson Terdiman of Lake Placid aces the Inn’s par-3, 192-yard seventh hole

Always willing to go the distance when it comes to wearing flashy attire on the course, USA Luge athlete Jayson Terdiman dressed in these pants made by Loudmouth Golf on Friday, April 24 when he sank a hole-in-one at Saranac Inn. (Photo provided)

Jayson Terdiman, a two-time Olympic luge athlete who lives in Lake Placid, added another memento to the shelves in his home where he keeps the many medals and trophies he has won around the world.

But his latest addition to the collection has nothing to do with sliding on ice. Instead, Terdiman placed a golf ball alongside the rest of his awards he’s earned during his luge career.

On Friday, April 24, the opening day of golf at at Saranac Inn, Terdiman drained a hole-in-one on the layout’s par-3, 192-yard seventh hole, using his No. 4 hybrid club.

Terdiman was playing in the final group of the day at Saranac Inn, and although nobody saw the ball drop in the cup because most of the green is blocked by a small hill, Justin Olsen, Jason Walker, Alex Nenno and Justin Perry were all on hand to see how the shot unfolded.

“We took the last tee time of the day — around 1:15, and I wasn’t playing very well,” Terdiman said. “It was literally my second time swinging clubs this year. When I stepped up to the tee, I said ‘Alright boys, I’ll show you how it’s done.’ I hit a nice light fade, left to right, and all the guys said it looked like a really nice one.

“You can’t see the hole from the tee because a mound is in front of the green, but when we got down there, you could see the ball sticking up,” Terdiman continued. “The cups are all flipped over now so you don’t have to reach into the hole, so about a third of the ball was sticking up. It was pretty wild.”

Friday’s hole-in-one is the second time Terdiman notched an ace. His other also came on a blind shot two years ago in June at the Lake Placid Resort’s Pristine Nine course on the third hole.

The ball he used for that shot was a Wilson emblazoned with images of SpongeBob SquarePants, so now, Terdiman has two golf balls residing among his collection of awards. He drained his second hole-in-one with a Vice Pro Tour ball, which he described as a “high quality ball for less.”

Terdiman said he saw about 25 or 30 golfers on the course while he played Friday. He said it was wonderful just being out there and obviously, the hole-in-one was quite a bonus.

“It felt great just being outside playing golf,” he said. “We knew courses were opening up, we talked all week about going, and decided that morning to go to Saranac Inn. It was a beautiful day, a little overcast and not too cold. We were able to keep plenty of space between us, and I like the idea of the cups being placed upside down.”

Normally, sinking an ace on the first day of the season would probably be a good omen for most golfers. Terdiman, however, joked that it may not be true in his case.

“I got a hole-in-one before I got a par this year,” he said. “I think I might be in for a really tough year. I may not hit another one like that all season.”

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