The Journey paid off

June 12, 2013

SCGA member Donald Martinez had a memorable day with his friends at Journey at Pechanga in October.

"It landed like a butterfly with sore feet,” said Ben Gongora after Donald Martinez's ball rolled into the cup on the third hole at Journey at Pechanga.

Just another Friday for eight friends turned into a fun day of golf for SCGA member Donald Martinez. Everyone knew there would be good stories and funny happenings that day. However, what happened next was something no one would have seen coming.

As all his buddies decided to heckle Martinez about hitting the ball into the rough stuff in front of the green, the SCGA eClub member simply wanted to show them he could win closest to the pin. “The 7-iron is my favorite club and never fails me,” he replied to make his friends stop talking as he teed up. Named “Arrow Shaft”, this par 3 at Journey at Pechanga is a 175-yard reach from the tee box. Lining the Pechanga creek, it proves to be tough for most average golfers to land close to the green.

He did not think he could create silence among his foursome, but what happened next did just that. A regular swing took Martinez’s ball to three feet in front of the cup. With a slow roll, it simply dropped in. As he turned to his friends standing around the tee box, he was able to see the amazement in their eyes and just smiled.

The entire group then hurried to the green, creating so much commotion that the foursome behind them had to drive down and take a look. “It was the highlight of my golfing days,” stated Martinez.

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