Lee Trevino Returning to Treetops 20 Years After Million Dollar Ace
By Greg Johnson
Lee Trevino is more than a championship golfer. He has always been a championship entertainer, and a generous man, too.
As if aligned by the stars for a star, on July 30, 2001, Trevino made a hole-in-one at the No. 7 hole, appropriately named Hang Time, on the already-famous Threetops course at Treetops Resort. It was a million dollar Gaylord Golf Mecca moment.
It came during the third Par 3 Shootout, a made-for-TV event that aired in prime time on ESPN, and for the shot Trevino won $1,090,000. Yes, with that one swing. He smiled, he laughed, he cracked one liners, he entertained. And then he generously donated the money to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Twenty years later Treetops Resort is excited to celebrate the milestone by welcoming the entertainer champion and generous golfer back to the resort to celebrate the “Shot Heard Round the World.”
“I have fond memories of that ace at Treetops and look forward to heading back to Gaylord to celebrate the 20th Anniversary,” Trevino said in an announcement about the news earlier this year.
On the day he made the shot he gathered with the media: “I was waiting for the right moment,” he said and winked. “Knew it was going in.”
The Trevino return special event is Thursday, July 29, 2021. Treetops is selling 150 special spectator tickets at $35 each for the event. Act now at treetopsresort.com.
Threetops, by the way, has been consistently recognized by various publications and others as the No. 1 Par Three Course in North America. It was recently featured in Links Magazine’s Best of Golf edition as one of the “Baddest” Par 3 courses in the U.S.
“We are so proud of the history of the Par 3 Shootout which has featured the world’s best players who have combined to win an astounding 52 Major Championships,” said Kevin McKinley, PGA Assistant General Manager at the resort.
“This opportunity to welcome Mr. Trevino back to the site of that amazing shot is something I’ve looked forward to for years. This event is meant to be intimate and I know the limited spots will fill fast, so I urge golf enthusiasts and potential sponsors to act quickly should they wish to take part.”
The scramble event featuring 20 teams is essentially full, but a few sponsorship opportunities are available. And a few spectator tickets remain.
“We have to limit the spectator tickets because there just isn’t that much room up there at Hang Time,” McKinley said.
Trevino is going to entertain each team of golfers who pass through No. 7. They will hang at Hang Time with him where he will hit a shot for each team. If anybody can make another ace happen 20 years later, it’s Trevino. And even if he doesn’t, it’s sure to be memorable anyway. Oh, and autographs are happening, too.
The festivities will also include a sponsor’s lunch a special Lee Trevino/Dennis Walters Clinic in which the legendary Walters, who is paralyzed from the waist down, performs trick shots and other amazing feats. Trevino and Walters have been friends for years. They met when Walters was an aspiring amateur golfer before he was paralyzed in an accident.
At 4 p.m. following the golf, Trevino will sit down for a moderated fireside chat with the lucky audience.
It’s going to be a memorable day at Treetops, which has hosted many memorable days over and over again for golfers with its top collection of golf. The resort features 81 championship golf holes on five courses designed Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Tom Fazio and Rick Smith. Smith designed the Threetops course.
Treetops, part of the Gaylord Golf Mecca cooperative marketing collection of 17 golf courses and 21 lodging partners in the heart of Northern Michigan, is a full-service resort with a golf academy for all ages, great dining options, Michigan’s largest craft brew selection in the Sports Bar, a full-service spa, a fitness center and two swimming pools.
Any of the Treetops’ courses and its lodging options can be part of your Gaylord Golf Mecca trip. Learn more at gaylordgolfmecca.com or treetops.com.
Come hang out at Hang Time. You will be entertained.
