When I was 19 and working at an HVAC company as an assistant estimator, my boss got me a spot in the HVAC contractor scramble with the company team. One of the gentlemen in our group paid for all of us to participate in a "double your money" hole, where you had to hit into a 10' circle to double up your money (I think it was $5 each) or stick the green to get your money back. I hit my Wilson Advantage Oversize 9 iron (again, poor college kid) from 132 and it landed on the front of the green and just ran up and in. I don't think it really registered in my brain that it went in until the owner of the company started hugging me! Now, each par 3 had a prize for hole-in-ones which included $10k cash, a new set of irons, a new set of metal woods, and my prize...a golf bag. Don't get me wrong, I still use the heck out of that golf bag 14 years later, but compared to the other options it was the most meager. When we got to the clubhouse that afternoon, I got a lot of pats on the back and THANK HEAVENS I wasn't 21 otherwise that would have been a hefty bar tab because those contractors and vendors LOVE to drink!!! After that, the owner loved to "show me off" at any golf event he could possible try to get me to including regional events, which beat the heck out of working!
Now, to the easy GO part...after the hole-in-one, I was just running on the adrenaline, so I kept using the same ball and on one of our last holes of the day (if not the very last one), with water left and my trusty fade/slice with my driver, I proceeded to hit a snap hook into the crap and that ball went for a swim. Still my only ace so far...easy come, easy go.