It was an evening of mixed emotions June 25, 2025 when Tyson Tugwell shot a hole-in-one on the Par 3 second hole during men's night at the Skeena Valley Golf and Country Club.
Aside from the elation of the feat, the date was also the birthday of his son Landon, who died in a 2022 Nass Valley automobile collision. He would have been 17.
Tugwell's day began early with a trip to the Nass Valley to place flowers on a memorial to his son.
"I hung out for a bit and then I figured, you know what, I got invited to golf — shoot a round a golf and hang out," Tugwell said.
Shooting a hole-in-one was far from what Tugwell expected. A regular golfer when he was younger, Tugwell only recently picked up the sport again.
"I wasn't the greatest back then, and I'm still not the greatest now, but, you know, I'm getting better," he said.
So when the ball went into the hole, Tugwell said he and others there had an emotional moment.
"A hole-in-one, fantastic. But for me, all of it happening on my late son's birthday, did he? Did he? Did he guide it in?" Tugwell wondered.
Tugwell added that there was a moment of disbelief among his golfing partners immediately after.
"I stepped up. I hit my shot and it hit, then it one-bounced in. And wow, we just stood there for a second," said Tugwell.
Two golfers from another party also witnessed the event with one shaking Tugwell's hand and the other giving him a hug.
There were more congratulations in the clubhouse afterward and, in the tradition that follows a hole-in-one, Tugwell was ready to buy a round of drinks for everyone in attendance.
But, because Tugwell is a member of the golf club, he was told the club's insurance policy would cover the cost.
For his accomplishment, Tugwell received a ball marker with the golf course logo and the words 'hole in one'.
He's also going to mount the ball on a trophy-like stand for an accomplishment on a day he said will stay with him forever.
For golfers wanting to know the technical details, the second hole at the Skeena Golf and Country Club is just shy of 160 yards. Tugwell used an eight iron and his ball was a TaylorMade RBZ.
