SANTA CLARA, Calif. - There are a few things in life that are unforgettable. For a golfer, the first time you set foot on the Pebble Beach Golf Links has to be one of those moments. For Santa Clara University women's golfer Courtney Dimpel-Composti her first time at Pebble Beach turned out to be unforgettable for not only herself, but for all those in her foursome.
Dimpel-Composti, who is a freshman on the Mission Campus, played the historic course on December 22 with teammate Anne Bowden, Anne's father Steve, and family friend Bob Green.
The round started off very well for Dimpel-Composti, who birdied two of the first three holes and started to feel that something special was happening.
"I have been working a lot on my swing," said Dimpel-Composti. "That day my swing really seemed to come together and the ball was going where I wanted it to."
Despite the tremendous start, Dimpel-Composti knew of the beast that was still ahead of her in Pebble Beach. It is often said after the third hole, "Welcome to Pebble Beach," because of the false sense of security that the first three holes gives you in comparison to the holes that still await.
The monster didn't intimidate Dimpel-Composti, who managed to play very steady for the next three holes. What happened to her next is what dreams are made of.
She stepped up to the tee-box at the most photographed golf hole in the world, the Par-3 seventh. A hole that measures just over 100-yards may not seem tough on paper, but once you step up and overlook the Pacific Ocean that is waiting behind the green, feel the wind in your face that makes you reconsider clubs, realize that you are the only person in the world at that time who is about to hit a shot on possibly the most famous hole in the world, your knees begin to shake a little more than they had on any other shot previously and you start to wonder: "Do I have this shot in my bag?"
Because of all of that, what Dimpel-Composti did is nothing short of amazing. She stepped up to the tee-box and struck a pitching wedge that landed just on the front left edge of the green and rolled another 10 feet right into the mouth of the hole for an ace.
"There is no way to describe how I was feeling after it went in," said Dimpel-Composti. "I knew I hit a good shot because my swing felt perfect with the tempo and timing. Once it hit on the front of the green I just watched it track and disappear after 10 feet and all I could do was jump up and down and everybody from the previous green came over and hugged me. It was really exciting."
The hole-in-one on No. 7 was the first for Dimpel-Composti and came as no surprise to her coach at Santa Clara, Polly Schulze.
"Courtney has really been looking forward to her first hole-in-one experience," said Schulze. "She would ask me why she hadn't had one yet and my answer would always be that your hole-in-one will come at the right time, just be patient. So for her to have her first at No. 7 at Pebble is not surprising, she is one of those people that make memorable things happen at memorable places. I am very happy for her."
Thus far in her young career at Santa Clara, Courtney has played in all three tournaments, including the Cal Poly tournament where she finished 20th with a two-round total of 169. Her best round at the collegiate level came at the Bronco Fall Classic hosted by Boise State where she fired an opening-round 78 amidst tough playing conditions.
She and her teammates will resume their schedule on January 23 with a dual match against Cal Poly. They will resume tournament play February 18-19 with the Islander Spring Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas.
