Kethan Lala was playing a round of golf with his younger brother Kavin in early July at historic 100-year-old Orchard Lake Country Club and the club believes he made history.
A plus-3 handicap player, and member with his brother on the 2026 Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 state championship team from Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook High, Kethan made a hole-in-one on the par 4 No. 4 hole at the club.
Kethan said they played from the blue tees at 352 yards that day, and as he does normally, he decided to try and hit a high cut drive over the grove of trees left of the fairway, catch the downslope and bounce toward the green. It’s a play that big hitters often try at the club, though ending up on the well-protected green is rare.
“When I hit it good with no wind, I can get 315, 320,” he said. “I usually end up with a short pitch from the fairway, or from the rough and a lot of time I’m in the greenside bunker.”
This time he and his brother couldn’t find the ball. It wasn’t in the bunker, or in the rough. It was lost until Kavin decided to finish his play on the hole and spied his brother’s golf ball at the bottom of the cup.
“I was in shock, like wow,” Kethan said. “I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what to think. It’s not what I was expecting ever.”
It was his first hole-in-one too, though he’s had several close calls on par 3 holes. The shot also qualifies as a double-eagle, which is a much rarer feat than a par 3 hole-in-one. The odds for a hole-in-one on a par 3 for the average golfer are 12,500 to one. The odds for a double-eagle or albatross (3-under-par in one shot) on even a par 5 are more than a million to one.
Here’s the historic kicker, though: Brian Sleeman, head golf professional, also believes it’s the first time in the 100-year history of the golf course that it has happened.
The Orchard Lake Country Club course was designed and built by the legendary duo of Harry S. Colt and Captain Hugh Alison in 1926. It blankets naturally rolling terrain and a restoration completed in 2013 by Virginia-based architect Keith Foster was lauded for bringing back the original design’s beauty as well as the Colt & Alison style of bunkering and natural green complexes.
The club has hosted several GAM tournaments and GAM and USGA qualifiers over the years, including the 2015 GAM Senior Championship won by Mike Tungate, and the 2008 GAM Championship won by Jimmy Chestnut. In 2009 and 2010 it hosted the Michigan Open Championship.
“Legends have been told of other players occasionally reaching the 18th green from the tee, though outside of the “Red, White & Blue” event, that is also quite rare,” said a club release regarding Ethan’s ace.
“Famously, Ryan Brehm – one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour – attempted to drive a handful of holes during his two Michigan Open victories in 2009 and 2010. An ace on a par four in competition has only been done once on the PGA Tour itself, and as far as we’ve been able to tell, no one had ever achieved an ace on a par four in the storied history of Orchard Lake. Until now. It took 100 years, but Kethan Lala has accomplished the previously unthinkable, and in so doing, adds his name to the history books.”
Kethan, 17 and the son of Orchard Lake members Monik Lala and Mishal Lala, will head to Northeastern University in Boston in a few weeks to study business. He has no plans to be on the golf team, but golf is his favorite sport, and he will continue to play. He doesn’t expect to make more golf history.
“That’s just amazing, being the first one,” he said. “I was surprised it’s never been done. It’s really cool.”
