Jacksonville 5-year-old records hole-in-one at Birmingham Golf Club

RUSK – Five-year-old Waylon Oden of Jacksonville achieved what many golfers are never able to do – shoot a hole-in-one.

Oden, who was playing a round of golf with his dad, Jack Oden, at Rusk’s Birmingham Golf Club Sunday, April 12, nabbed the ace on the sixth hole.

“I was just excited because I didn’t know if [the ball] was going in,” Waylon Oden said.

Waylon summed up dad’s reaction to the rare feat in a single word; “crazy.”

“I think I startled him a good bit,” Jack Oden said. “I probably jumped three foot in the air.”

Jack Oden said he felt like his son’s tee shot had an excellent chance at ending up in the cup.

“When the ball left the face of his club it went dead straight, it didn’t kick out to the left or the right. From that first bounce, I knew it was going in,” he said.

Seconds afterwards, the excitement overflowed.

“When that ball disappeared [into the cup], me and a couple of the dads that were on the tee box with us just lost it,” Jack Oden said. “I remember grabbing Waylon up and yelling, 'oh my goodness, oh my goodness.'”

It didn’t take long for the celebration to spill over to other golfers on the course.

“We had the golfers on the hole behind us and the hole in front of us lit up with excitement as well,” Jack Oden said. “Once everyone found out it was Waylon [that made the hole-in-one], there wasn’t a quiet hole on the course.”

Waylon Oden said that he plays golf with dad about twice a week.

He added that he really enjoys the game for obvious reasons.

“I just like golf,” Waylon Oden, who attends Pre-K in the Jacksonville Independent School District, said. “My favorite part of the game is hitting the ball and getting the ball in the hole.”

Waylon Oden is a multi-sport athlete, having done well in motocross and also playing baseball in the Troup Youth Association.

He has raced in the Open Class 4-9-year old division as well as in the 5-and-under segment.

“Last year he raced in five of the seven races in the 5-and-under class and he won four of the five races that he participated in,” Jack Oden said.

The Odens attend and are quite active in the Trails to Christ Cowboy Church in Jacksonville.

“Between, golf, dirt bikes and God we stay pretty busy,” Jack Oden said.