Peter Vickerman believes he has written himself into golf’s record books by scoring the longest hole-in-one in Britain.

The 48-year-old from St Mary’s Bay was playing in the Coronation Cup Amateur Scratch competition on his home course at Littlestone when he holed his tee shot at the par 4, 408-yard 11th on the course’s championship links, the first player to do so in the club’s 126-year history.

Achieving an ace once is a dream for most golfers, but 12-handicapper Vickerman has now done it three times, and twice in the space of 16 months.

All three of his holes-in-one have come at Littlestone, the first on the 278-yard, par-4 13th, and the second on the 182-yard, par-3 17th.

This latest ace, is also set to be marked by receiving a new limited edition watch, as the latest member of the BOSS H1 Club.

Nobody was more surprised than Vickerman to realise what he had done.
He recalled: “My playing partner Brian Kelly and I were looking for the ball which carries my initials and two birds, and he found it in the hole.

“It was amazing, the celebrations went on for a long time, and it has taken a long time to sink in.”

However, actually confirming it is a record is proving difficult as neither the Royal & Ancient, the sport’s governing body, or England Golf, hold records.

The R&A Golfer’s Handbook says the existing record was set in 1972 by assistant professional Peter Parkinson on the 393-yard seventh at West Lancashire,
The world record is held by American Brett Melson who aced the 448-yard, par four at the Ko’olau Golf Club in Oahu, Hawaii in 2007.

Vickerman himself is taking no chances, and was back on the course this week, accompanied by head greenkeeper Malloy Parks to check the official yardage.
The owner of Romney Marsh Fish Market, at Haguelands Farm near Dymchurch, took up the game in 1992, before taking a six-year break in 2003.

The day proved a double success for Vickerman as he also went on to win the competition.