For David Sladky, it was just another fun golf outing with family. For the past 15 years, Sladky and his brothers have attended the St. Dominic’s Parish golf outing in Brookfield, WI. This year, his son Sam had joined in the fun. They were looking forward to a day of socializing with other parish members, raising money for a good cause and getting in a good game of golf. After a lifetime of golfing, Sladky never hit a hole in one. That was about to change.
Sladky remembers that before he hit the ball, “I had waited a little bit because I wasn’t sure which club I wanted to hit with. I ended up taking a 4 hybrid instead of a 3 hybrid, so it landed softly. I didn’t expect to make it, but it took a bounce or two and rolled in. I was quite excited and didn’t know what to think at first. It was somewhat unbelievable!”
Sladky comes from a golfing family. His son and brothers got see him make the hole in one while his wife was golfing a couple holes behind them with other family and friends. “When she got to the hole, the guy said to her, ‘How would you like to have this car?’ That’s when they told her. We had a good laugh and a quiet rest of the round. Our golf game went downhill pretty quickly!”
Sladky won a 2-year lease on a brand new Ford Explorer from Soerens Ford in Brookfield, WI. He was ushered into the awards ceremony to take promotional pictures and was showered with attention from the other golfers, costing him a few hundred dollars at the bar! Sladky says that after years of playing in the tournament, winning the hole in one felt like everything had come full circle.
“It’s nice to play in charity tournaments and participate in fundraisers. That way, you’re able to have fun, do a service for someone or a charity, and it actually comes back to reward you in some way.”
Sladky’s charitable spirit has been cultivated from years with his church community. He had grown up going to St. Dominic’s Parish and his four children had gone through the church as well. That’s why, in a way, David said the whole community was excited about the win.
“My son thought he won a new car. But he moved out of the house, so he doesn’t drive it! Every time I went to church or the grocery store everyone asked if I had my car yet. Everyone’s been talking about it or asking about it.”
This has definitely been an experience for Sladky, whose hole in one represents years of hard work and practice. He closed with this message: “I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever get a hole in one. But I guess if you keep golfing long enough and playing a game you love, eventually it will pay off.”
Ford Hole in One is proud to add to the excitement of hole in one wins like Sladky’s by offering prizes they will never forget. Congratulations David!
