Cec Duffett, 85, records his first hole-in-one

SANDUSKY — Cec Duffett occasionally prays before he plays a round of golf. "'Lord, I hope I get a hole-in-one before I die,'" Duffett has said. "It's one of those remarks you say to yourself, a little prayer-type thing." On Woussickett Golf Course's No. 7 last Friday, the 85-year-old Castalia resident's prayer was answered. Duffett hit his utility wood, what he calls his 7-wood, from the 122-yard tee. The shot bounced twice and stuck in the cup. "I said, 'Did you ever laugh and cry at the same time?' I said, 'I just did.' I'm telling you. It was great," Duffett said. Duffett, a Margaretta High School graduate who ran Duffett Electric for nearly 40 years, was christened Clementh Charles. Most people growing up called him CC for his initials. His wife of 65 years, Sheila, has always called him Cec (rhymes with 'peace'), which grew into a name much of the family is fond of. Duffett has golfed since his 30s. He had never before recorded an ace. "I've been three or four feet from the stick, but that's as close as I've ever gotten," Duffett said. "I'm just an average golfer... Life is worth living, let me tell you." Duffett played his milestone round with his grandson, Ryan Bohn, who is the superintendent at Townsend Community School. Their foursome also included Duffett's friends John Meyers and Clayton Miller. At this point in his life, Duffett golfs weekly, not always at Woussickett. For a long time, he and his friends played Sleepy Hollow, but now they bounce around. "Golf is a great game," Duffett said. "You team up and play against other players, but you're playing against that little ball getting in the hole. The ball gives you competition, and yourself and how you swing and so forth." When Duffett took to the tee at Woussickett's seventh hole on Friday, July 15, he was aware of the nearing end of his group's round. He also was conscious of the water hazard between him and the green. "I've got to be a little extra careful with this today," Duffett thought to himself, so he pulled out his trusty utility wood. "... I have pretty good luck with it, it's a little shorter handle, it fits me a little better." He struck the ball cleanly, but his eyesight doesn't always track the ball all the way to its destination. Duffett couldn't see the conclusion live, but Bohn did. "My grandson was with me, and he said, 'Grandpa, you got a hole in one,'" Duffett said. "He was jumping up and down. 'No,' I said, 'I couldn't have.' He said it hit and bounced twice and it dropped in the hole. I said, 'Wow.'" Duffett, who will turn 86 on Sept. 25, got his confirmation once the group walked to the green. Then he picked the ball out of the hole and gave it a kiss. "After I walked a few feet, I couldn't see my ball on the green," Duffett said. "I knew it was in there. I looked down at that hole and put my hand in that flag and said 'Boy oh boy, I got my hole in one.'" Bohn quickly grabbed his phone to give Sheila a call. Duffett's wife used to golf a bit, too. "My grandson called her up and said 'Grandma, grandpa's got something to say,'" Duffett said. "She was surprised. "When I got home, she gave me a big kiss. That was good, too."