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An Ace Worth The Wait

Mark Pinson/Highlands Today

Herman Talbott poses with the trusty 3-wood he used for his hole-in-one on the fifth hole at Sebring Golf Club.

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By Mark  Pinson | Highlands Today

Published: October 23, 2007

SEBRING –– Talk about perseverance.

Herman Talbott has enjoyed playing golf for more than 50 years, but the athletic 91-year-old had never achieved the ultimate thrill of every golfer: A hole-in-one.

That is until Oct. 5, when Talbott, who was playing in the Men's League, aced the par-3, 120-yard, fifth hole at Sebring Golf Club.

Talbott, playing from the red tees, used a 3-wood on the 120-yard hole, and watched the ball land on the green, but didn't see it go in the hole.

When his foursome reached the green, Talbott couldn't find his ball until he looked in the hole.

"I couldn't believe it was in the hole," the 18-handicapper said. "A couple of the guys I was playing with said the ball went in the hole, but I didn't really believe it.

"You have to be pretty lucky to make a hole-in-one, and I was beginning to think I would never get one. This has to be the highlight of my golfing career."

Talbott, who moved to Sebring from Shelby, Ohio in 1992, plays golf five times a week and didn't mind the fact that he had to buy drinks after his amazing shot.

"I was lucky there weren't a lot of people around," the Sebring Golf Club member joked. "But the guys that were there did a pretty good job of spending my money.

"I love the game because it's great exercise and I enjoy the camaraderie of playing with all the other guys."

Talbott, who still drives, has been active his entire life, and the affable Buckeye played quarterback for Crestline High School in 1932-1933.

"We didn't have a great team, but I enjoyed playing and being a part of a team," the Cleveland Browns fan said. "Football was and still is big in Ohio."

After high school, Talbott attended Ohio State University for two years before running out of money.

He worked for the state of Ohio for several years before enlisting in the Navy after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Talbott served in the South Pacific theater on the light cruiser "San Juan."

"We were part of the offensive that landed the Marines on Guadalcanal in August of 1942," he said. "It was important for us to succeed at Guadalcanal, and I'm proud to have been a part of that."

Talbott, who was wounded in the attack, earned a Purple Heart.

He recovered and went on to numerous ports of call, including Australia, and he was in Tokyo for the surrender of the Japanese to end World War II.

"I will never forget that day, and I was so glad that the war was coming to an end," he said.

Talbott returned to Ohio and was in the restaurant business for 38 years before selling out and retiring.

"We had a restaurant in downtown Shelby and I enjoyed working and seeing all of our friends come in for meals over the years," he said.

Since moving to Sebring, Talbott remains a devoted golfer.

"I don't fish or bowl or anything else," he said. "I play golf five times a week and there is no place I'd rather be."

Talbott, who didn't bother to keep the ball he made his hole-in-one with, doesn't worry about achieving perfection again.

"I'm going to keep playing, and maybe I'll get lucky again," he said. "I'm a patient man and besides, I have nothing else to do."

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