HIGH ACHIEVERS: Hole-in-one king Bob Henry ‘shocked’ by OVGA Hall-of-Fame selection

By Martin Cleary

His golf equipment has been stored for a number of weeks, but Bob Henry of Kanata has recently been overwhelmed with great, golf-related news.

Last week, he was told by his doctor that his lymphoma throat cancer was in remission, which potentially means he can play more rounds of golf in 2025. Accustomed to playing more than 100 rounds a year in retirement, he only enjoyed 25 in 2024 and 16 in 2023.

The past two seasons have been challenging for Henry, 75, who is recognized in the local golf community as Ottawa’s Hole-in-One King because he has accumulated an astounding 62 holes-in-one since 1991.

As he continued to feel good about his cancer being in remission, the Ottawa Valley Golf Association officially announced last week Henry was part of the fifth group of inductees into its Hall of Fame. Henry, who learned about that decision in late November, had to remain silent until the OVGA announcement.

“Shocked. Shocked,” Henry said in a phone interview on Tuesday, when asked for his reaction to earning hall-of-fame status. “I never figured anything like that (an unprecedented number of holes-in-one) would get you in the hall of fame.

“Why would I go in the hall of fame? I haven’t done anything.”

While the OVGA announced Kurtis Barkley, Marc-Étienne Bussières and Ernie Wakelam will enter the hall as players and Danielle Nadon will be inducted as a builder, Henry will be welcomed into the hall in the special recognition category.

In making its first selection in the special recognition category, the OVGA Hall of Fame committee said it “has the right to consider a nomination that does not meet the minimum guidelines, but that falls within exceptional circumstances.”

Each of the inductees will have a formal ceremony conducted by the OVGA at a time best suited for all parties in 2025.

Working for more than 50 years in the Ottawa auto industry as a salesman and general manager, Henry wasn’t able to play tournament golf because of his job. His playing time was restricted to weekends. But when he played, he refined his game to the point where he regularly shot in the 70s before his cancer diagnosis.

While other golfers at his level played in OVGA field days or championships, Henry was making a name for himself by becoming the master of the ace. Starting in 1991 and running through Oct. 29, 2022, he has recorded and detailed 62 hole-in-one shots.

“My son (Bryan) says you got horseshoes back there,” added Henry, who said his son hopes to achieve his first hole-in-one soon.

Henry doesn’t rub a secret potion on his ball or have any unorthodox method of striking a ball. He simply hits the ball, without taking a divot to protect his shoulders, tries to have it land in front of the green and let it run up to the hole.

The Pakenham Highlands Golf Club has been his most productive course with 31 holes-in-one, and Kanata Golf and Country Club is next at 23. Henry is a member of the Pakenham Highlands and previously played at Kanata for 40 years. He also has scored two aces at the Eagle Creek, GreyHawk, Scottish Glen and The Marshes courses.

Henry has the ball and signed scorecard for every hole in one. He also has a large plaque to commemorate his 62 hole-in-one achievements.

Research by OVGA historian Joe McLean determined Henry may have the most holes-in-one ever by a single golfer. Guinness World Records only recognizes holes-in-one made by golfers at professional events because they can easily be confirmed. The leaders are Hal Sutton and Robert Allenby at 10 each on the PGA Tour.

One of Henry’s aces came at The Marshes on the 296-yard, par-four 11th hole. While his three partners hit their balls straight on the dogleg-right hole, Henry cut the corner, hit the green, but lost track of the ball. After looking for his ball away off the green, and finding 15 other balls, the group ahead of him said to look in the cup as Henry’s ball rolled into the cup as they were putting out.

Henry almost had a hole-in-one on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Playing the 386-yard par-four 10th hole, he landed his tee shot two inches shy of the cup.

He also has lived through the hole-in-one custom of buying drinks for those around him at the time. During a corporate golf day of 60 players, his hole-in-one drink bill was thankfully covered by the sponsor at The Marshes. His only ace at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club saw a member step forward to handle his expensive account.

But during a members’ night at Pakenham Highlands, he had to foot a $375 bill to cover beer for the men and wine for women.

KURTIS BARKLEY, player

Born with severe scoliosis, Kurtis Barkley of Chesterville, ON, started playing golf at age three and overcame his disabilities to become a champion golfer at many amateur levels.

He won the OVGA city and district men’s A championship in 2016 and 2018 and was the association’s match-play winner in 2013. At the 2014 and 2017 OVGA class A tournament of club champions, he emerged as the winner.

Barkley also has won numerous Cedar Glen Golf Club titles as well as several Upper Canada and Morrisburg open tournaments.

A regular player on the G4D (Golf for the Disabled) Tour, Barkley was ranked third in the world in 2023 with seven second-place results and one third. He also had five finishes between fourth and 10th place in 2024.

He won Golf Canada’s All Abilities championship in 2021 and 2022 as well as four Golf Ontario Disability championships in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. At the United States All Abilities championship, he was the small stature division champion.

MARC-ETIENNE BUSSIERES, player

A former member of the Rivermead and Royal Ottawa golf clubs, Marc-Étienne Bussières was a three-time OVGA champion – the 2007 and 2008 city and district men’s match-play winner as well as first at the 2004 city and district junior championship.

The 2003 Golf Quebec boys’ juvenile champion, Bussières moved into the men’s category and won the 2007 provincial match-play title and the 2008 Alexander of Tunis tournament. He finished his amateur career with two more Quebec match-play titles in 2009 and 2010, and was the 2009 provincial men’s amateur champion.

Bussières, who was raised in Gatineau, is now a PGA of Canada golf professional working at Longchamp Golf Academy in Sherbrooke. He has won three Golf Quebec spring open titles (2011, 2015, 2021), the 2016 PGA of Canada championship and two PGA of Canada assistants championships (2017, 2018).

He was recognized as the PGA of Canada Mike Weir player of the year in 2016.

DANIELLE NADON, builder

Danielle Nadon has been a PGA of Canada golf professional for the past 46 years, starting as an apprentice at the Outaouais Golf Club (now Rockland Golf Club) before working as an assistant at the Rivermead, Chaudière and Toronto Board of Trade golf clubs.

When she accepted the head pro position at the Loch March Golf and Country Club in 1987, she was one of only three females to hold that role in Canada and the first as a francophone. Two years later, Nadon became the director of golf operations and head pro at the Chaudière (now Chateau Cartier).

In 1993, Nadon created and operated her own golf school until she returned to Loch March in 2010.

As a player, she won the PGA of Canada Ottawa Zone women’s title in 1990 and 1991. She was named the PGA of Canada Ottawa Zone and PGA of Canada teacher of the year in 1993. In 2021, Nadon was recognized as the PGA of Canada Ottawa Zone head professional and retailer of the year and the PGA of Canada club professional of the year.

She also served on the PGA of Canada Ottawa Zone board of directors for 12 years and sat in the president’s chair in 1995 and 1996.

As a volunteer, Nadon supported the Peter Gzowski Literacy golf tournaments across Canada for a decade, the Women Tee It Up for Kids tournaments and the Jeanne Fuller Red Dress tournament benefiting the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Nadon also was co-chair of the Canadian Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in 2008 and 2017 as well as serving a variety of roles at the former du Maurier Golf Classic national championship.

ERNIE WAKELAM, player

A golf club professional for 37 years at six different courses, Ernie Wakelam served at the Brockville Golf Club from 1928-30, the McKellar Park Golf Club in Ottawa from 1931-32, the Gatineau Golf Club in 1934 and the Royal Ottawa Golf Club as an assistant from 1935-44 and as head pro from 1945-62.

Considered one of the top golfers in the country by his peers, Wakelam was a two-time Quebec Open championship runner-up and was the low Canadian at the 1929 Canadian Open.

In 1936, Wakelam and Bobby Alston of the Chaudière Golf Club played for Canada in international matches against the United States and won three of the four national team points.

As a senior professional golfer, Wakelam won five Quebec PGA titles and four CPGA (now PGA of Canada) titles.

Related