Meet Ginnie Thompson: Four Holes-in-One and a Love of Golf

Some golfers take up the game because it has always called to them. Ginnie Thompson started because her husband told her she probably would not like it.

More than 30 years later, the Syracuse golfer has four holes-in-one, a club championship title and a collection of family memories that prove just how wrong he was.

How Ginnie Found Her Game

When Ginnie decided to take golf lessons more than 30 years ago, it was not because she had always dreamed of playing. Her teenage son wanted lessons, so she told her husband she would like to learn too.

He said, “Why? You aren’t going to like golf.” Well, that’s all it took.

She proved him wrong.

Today, Ginnie plays out of Wa-Noa Golf Course near Syracuse. Retirement has given her plenty of opportunities to play, something she appreciates after spending her career as a buyer and planner at Carrier Air Conditioning.

I love retirement living.

Golf was always around while she was growing up because her father played, but she never considered herself athletic. That did not stop her. She discovered that golf is not about being the strongest or fastest. It is about learning your own game.

Four Holes-in-One—and One Incredible Family Story

Over the years, Ginnie has built quite a golf résumé. Her name is on the President’s Cup plaque at Wa-Noa after winning the event in 2006. She has also won numerous Member-Member tournaments and couples league events, finished runner-up in the club championship and earned a Senior Club Championship title.

Then there are the holes-in-one. Ginnie has four of them.

The funny part is that she has never had to buy the traditional round of drinks. Her first ace came at Sandstone Hollow at Turning Stone Casino, where there was no bar. Numbers two and three happened while wintering at Polo Park, which also did not have one. Her fourth came at Teugega Country Club, where her son is a member.

My money can’t be spent at a private club.

That fourth hole-in-one produced one of her favorite family memories. Playing on Father’s Day with her husband, son and 10-year-old grandson, Ginnie let her grandson hit first because the two of them drove the ball about the same distance. After watching his shot, she grabbed the same club. Her drive carried over the flag, landed beyond the green, rolled back down the slope and disappeared into the hole.

The next day, her son returned to the same course for a work tournament. Standing on the tee, he told his group that his mother had made a hole-in-one there the day before.

If she could do it, so could I.

Then he made one too.

Mother and son. Same hole. Consecutive days.

Rebuilding Her Swing and Embracing Retirement

Golf has also been part of a much bigger personal journey. Just before retirement, Ginnie underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost more than 150 pounds. The weight loss meant rebuilding her golf swing, but it also opened the door to a more active retirement.

The only thing I would have changed is doing it sooner.

These days, golf is part of almost every week, along with Mah Jongg, card games and time with family and friends.

Ginnie’s Advice for Other Golfers

If there is one thing Ginnie has learned after three decades in the game, it is not to chase perfection.

Keep your head down. Count every stroke. Don’t try to kill the ball. Play your own game.

And when things go sideways?

There are no rewards in golf for one good shot. Don’t give up if you have a bad start. There’s a lot of golf left.

She has another reminder that many golfers could use: “Let the bad holes go. You get a new start on every tee box.”

Family Is Her Greatest Accomplishment

Away from golf, Ginnie says her greatest accomplishment is not a trophy or a hole-in-one. It is her family. She and her husband celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2025, and she beams with pride when talking about her son, the husband and father he has become, and the family they have built together.

We appreciate Ginnie taking the time to share her story with the Senior Golf Source community.

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