Jim Blocker took his first selfie.
It required a special occasion and Blocker's Father's Day was just that.
At 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Blocker was on the No. 2 tee box at Emily Greens Golf Course. Blocker took out his 6 iron for the 132-yard par 3 and watched as he recorded his first hole-in-one.
"It was a nice drive and landed on the edge of the green and it kicked left and went right in," said Blocker, who lives in Merrifield and works for Anderson Brothers Construction. "I couldn't believe it. It was pinned up next to the pin. I didn't even realize it because I couldn't see it actually go in from the tee box.
"We go walking up there and some of my partners that were with me were just like, 'We can't believe this.' Then we started taking pictures of the ball in the hole. It was on then."
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Blocker was playing with Dennis Diller of Merrifield, Blocker's half brother Dave Hansen of Brainerd and Dan Hurlbert of Nisswa. They were playing a two-person scramble competition and the hole-in-one didn't affect the rest of his round. In fact, it may have been a big reason the foursome decided to play one more nine. And that was a wise decision.
"We just finished 18 and we were having so much fun we decided to go for another nine," said Blocker. "They put on a great special at Emily Greens for Father's Day so we decided to play the front nine again."
This time magic struck on the 240-yard par 4 sixth hole. Blocker took out his driver and watched as lightning struck twice.
"I hit my driver and it disappeared," Blocker said. "I couldn't see it. I go walking down there and I can't find my ball anywhere. I thought maybe somebody stole my ball. I go up there and I look in the cup and there it was. We talked and dreamt about that for ever. I pulled the pin and there it was."
Blocker started golfing 10 years ago. He said he's a high 80s, mid 90s player. He was a season-pass holder at Emily Greens last season, but a busy spring kept him from buying one this year. His round Sunday was just his fourth of the season.
He said he and his playing partners always joked about getting one, but he wasn't prepared for Sunday. In fact, he forgot to take a picture of the second ace.
"I think I used the same ball," said Blocker. "I don't think I lost it. I believe I used the same ball. I'm not sure. I probably should have put it on the mantel or something. I have the one from the par 4 and I'm not sure if that was the same ball or not. I was really concerned with which ball it was. I was just shaking.
"I have to be honest, I am not that good of a golfer. It was a total fluke. That second one, it might have bounced off a tree root. I don't know how it went in."
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Blocker was positive nobody would believe it so he called Emily Greens owner Gregg Gamble to verify the second ace.
"First of all it was Father's Day and we had a special promotion going on so we were busy," Gamble said. "We had people all over and as we were highlighting it, the disbelief was evident. His own playing partners joked that he ruined golf for them forever.
"They called from out on the course on his second one because they made a joke about it. He said he was going to go out and get another one and low and behold he did."
Gamble said Emily Greens averages about six to 10 holes-in-one a season. The course has already seen three with two belonging to Blocker. And he's not satisfied with just two.
"I'll probably be out there again Sunday morning," Blocker said. "We try and go out every Sunday morning. We just enjoy that course and the people up there. It's kind of quiet up there in the middle of nowhere."
