WORKINGS Hole in One

July 2004
Hole In One for Eric Hutchens

Eric Hutchens recorded his first ever hole in one recently at Green Oaks Golf Club. Eric, Senior Production Engineer for Black Warrior Methane, was playing in a charity golf scramble in Columbus, Mississippi when he made the 167 yard shot.

"We were on the fifteenth hole," recalls Eric. "I hit the ball with an eight iron and bladed it. It wasn't a clean hit at all. When I got to the green and didn't see my ball I thought someone might have picked it up. I was really surprised when I looked in the cup and saw my ball."

Eric, 42, says he has been playing golf for four years and tries to play once a week at Hidden Meadows. "This is my only hobby," says Eric. "I have a 22 handicap and usually shoot in the low 90s." Eric's team finished the scramble with a score of 67.

A Tuscaloosa native, Eric has come back full circle to his home. He graduated from The University of Alabama with degrees in engineering, geology and environmental sciences. After graduation and during the methane gas boom, Eric worked for 15 years in Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma before landing a job with Black Warrior Methane 18 months ago. "I was blessed to get this job," says Eric. "The job fits my talents and is the best thing that has ever happened in my career."

Eric and his wife Shannon (also a Tuscaloosa native), have two daughters, Erica, 8 and Erin, 5.