Golf fans witnessed history on Monday night when rookie Neal Shipley, playing in his first-ever match for The Bay, made the first hole-in-one in TGL history. On the tee at 100-metre par-3 5th hole, “Set in Stone,” the Ohio State kid pulled out his sand wedge, launched it 9 metres past the flagstick and reeled it back as the crowd, and his teammates, went wild.
FIRST HOLE-IN-ONE IN TGL HISTORY pic.twitter.com/MviUbjrcRW
— TGL (@TGL) February 10, 2026
As we all know, however, not all aces are created equal. In fact, according to some curmudgeons, not all aces are even really aces. Chief among those borderline candidates are simulator aces, whose golfers are still unsure how to adjudicate. After Monday night’s match, Shipley and his Bay teammates, Min Woo Lee and Luke Clanton, were asked if the ace counted as “a career hole-in-one?” The verdict, though slightly biased, was unanimous.
Neal Shipley made the first ace in @TGL history Monday night. He, Min Woo Lee and Luke Clanton were then asked if it counts as a career hole-in-one.
Shipley: 100 percent.
Lee: The celebration definitely —
Clanton: No doubt
Shipley: I think so. I'm going to count it.
Clanton:… pic.twitter.com/1k4K9wdfYn— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) February 10, 2026
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Really, the only mark against Shipley’s TGL first is that it happened on a screen. Otherwise, it ticks all the boxes. Witnessed live by others? Check. Not on a par-3 course or second shot? Check and check. Great celebration with the fellas? Absolutely check. The only lingering question is whether Shipley had to buy everyone a round afterwards per proper hole-in-one etiquette. The whole clubhouse is one thing, but the whole SoFi Centre? That’s A LOT of beer … even for a guy like Ship.
