Local golfer beats 67 million-to-1 odds, notching not one, but two holes in one on the same day in the same round

Jan. 15 was the first day of activities for the annual American Express Golf Tournament at the historic PGA West course in La Quinta – an event that draws some of the sport’s biggest pros. But that same day, a monumental golf accomplishment occurred in Palms Springs at Indian Canyons Golf Resort’s north course.

68-year-old Brenda Lemky had never shot a hole-in-one in the 50 years she’s been golfing. But on Jan. 15, she scored her first hole-in-one on hole four. Three holes later, she scored her second hole-in-one on the seventh hole.

Scoring a hole-in-one (where the ball lands in the hole on a single shot), is an achievement most golfers only dream of. And that was certainly the case for Lemky.

“I was shaken, and there were a few tears,” she said, describing her reaction after the first hole-in-one. When she scored the second, “I nearly had a nervous breakdown,” she said. In retelling the story, you can tell by her voice that she can’t stop grinning.

Lemky celebrated and took pictures after the first hole-in-one. When she was lining up the shot on hole seven, a difficult hole with a sand trap, one of her golfing partners had a hunch and began filming.

She struck the ball, it landed and then rolled right into the hole. Her friend who was filming was so excited he forgot he was filming, so the video mostly showed the grass. But you can hear the shock rippling through the group when they realize what happened.

“The chances of that happening are pretty slim,” she admits.

More than slim, the odds of an average golfer scoring two holes-in-one in the same round are about 67 million-to-one, according to Laurie Martinez, the golf shop supervisor at Indian Canyons Golf Resort.

Martinez said she gave Lemky two different colored flags to celebrate, and when she handed them over, “She just put her hands to her mouth and started crying.” She’ll also receive two engraved plaques commemorating the accomplishment that will hang in the clubhouse at the South Course.

Word of Lemky’s miraculous feat soon reached the North Course clubhouse, so by the time she and her group returned, she was greeted with congratulations. As is tradition, a round of drinks was on her tab.

“We gave the bar the credit card and said, ‘Have at her!'” Lemky said.

Lemky rarely misses a day of golfing and was back at the course the next day.

“I probably hit some horrendous shots over the next few days,” she said. “Just with the nerves and whole memory of everything, my head was in the clouds.”

She said holes four and seven haven’t looked the same since that day, noting, “It’s a funny feeling.”

Lemky and her husband are part-time residents of Palm Springs who live in Calgary, Alberta, the other half of the year. When she retired from her job as a geological technologist for the energy industry eight years ago, she devoted more of her time to golfing.

“I’m just an average golfer,” she said. “Just an average recreational golfer.”

That may be true. But she’s now an average golfer with an out-of-this-world story.

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