By Dalton Balthaser

 

THOMPSON, CONN. – All Skip Hingley and Ej Wholey could do was laugh.

 

Through 10 holes, they were 7-under-par as a team. It was like they were on autopilot. 

 

At their home club, their putters got red-hot, pushing them to the lead after the first round of the 29th Senior Four-Ball (Gross) Tuesday at Quinnatisset Country Club (par 72, 6,214 yards).

 

Their best-ball score of 65 was good enough for a one-shot lead over clubmates Dave McNally and Chris Markiewicz. 

 

“Today was nothing different for us,” said Wholey, 59, of Chepachet. “We play golf and drink beer. Today we had hot putters. Everything we looked at went in. All we could do was smile.”

 

“We’ve been excited for this golf tournament since we saw it on the calendar,” said Hingley, 58, of Thompson, Conn. “It’s always nice to compete at your home club.”

 

The fireworks began for the Quinnatisset duo on No. 2 (par 4, 368 yards). Wholey stuffed a gap wedge from 120 yards to 15 feet and converted the putt to get the team in red figures.

 

Hingley joined the action with a 9-iron to eight feet on No. 3 (par 3, 165 yards). Wholey then answered his teammate by rolling in a 10-footer on No. 4 (par 5, 519 yards). 

 

At that point, Hingley said they wanted to keep the momentum going. He took care of the rest of the front nine on his own.

 

He rolled in putts of 25, 20 and 30 feet for birdie on Nos. 5 (par 4, 355 yards), 6 (par 5, 450 yards) and 8 (par 4, 330 yards) to get them to 6 under at the turn.

 

“We birdied Nos. 2 through 6 and felt we couldn’t miss,” said Wholey. “Then Skippy tried to cozy a putt down the hill on No. 8 and it dropped. That’s when you know things are going your way. We drove our playing partners nuts. They couldn’t believe how many putts we made.”

 

Wholey rolled in an 18-footer on No. 10 (par 4, 368 yards) to get the duo to 7 under. At that point, 59 watch was still on. 

 

A birdie and a bogey coming in kept them at 7 under, which means they will have the target on their backs come the final round.

 

Quinnatisset is a little slice of heaven in Thompson. A private club that is quite different from the usual definition of a private golf club. Members park their own golf carts at the club and bring their own liquor since the club doesn’t have its own liquor license. 

 

“We love everything about this club,” said Hingley. “It’s full of a lot of hard-working people and we have a lot of good golfers. If you play here on the weekends and don’t play well, you are reaching into your wallet. There’s a solid competitive atmosphere with a great camaraderie. It’s a nice little golf course.”

 

“Local knowledge here is important,” said Wholey. “Especially when you get to the back nine. If you haven’t played here before, you will stand on some tees and have no clue where to go. Since the greens are rolling so well, knowing the breaks of the greens helps as well.”

 

Come Wednesday, they will look to become the first members of Quinnatisset to win an RIGA championship. 

 

Quinnatisset was added as a RIGA member club at the 2014 Annual Meeting. There is a clause in the RIGA bylaws that allows clubs within three miles of the Rhode Island border to join the Association. 

 

“Tomorrow, we have to hit a lot of greens,” said Wholey. “The greens are rolling so pure and are firm. If you have opportunities, you must take advantage of them. We both go out there and try our best. We are just out there to have some fun. There will never be a time where we get angry at each other because we had a bad hole. We stay calm.”

 

“We don’t feel any pressure,” said Hingley. “If we do what we did today, we should be there at the end.”