WESTFIELD – Bob Generoux is a regular at East Mountain Country Club. The 75-year-old golfs at the course anywhere from two to four times a week.
On Wednesday August 24, Generoux stepped up to the tee box on the par 3, 10th hole. Generoux took his usual smooth swing and watched the ball hit the left edge of the green and suddenly roll right towards the pin.
As Generoux thought the ball zipped well past the pin, the two guys he was playing with informed him otherwise. The ball went right in the cup; a hole-in-one for Generoux, and his first one ever.
It was as triumphant of a victory as it could get for someone. It was almost four years ago when Generoux had far more to worry about than trying for a hole-in-one, as he battled for his life on that same 10th hole.
September 23, 2012 was a busy day for East Mountain Country Club as they held the Turkey Shoot Scramble, an annual golf tournament that is also a fundraiser for the American Heart Association.
It wasn’t hard to believe that Generoux was one of many golfers competing in the tournament. After Generoux finished up that 10th hole, he went to attempt the usual routine that any golfer would do.
“I went down and leaned over to pick up my ball and dropped dead right there on the green,” said Generoux.
Generoux was experiencing a heart attack. Immediately after Generoux went down on the green, people sprinted over to check on him. Among some of the people were two of Bob’s friends, Paul Nesnik and Frank Rice. They both attempted to do CPR on Generoux.
East Mountain Golf professional and co-owner, Ted Perez Jr., rushed to get the AED (Automated External Defibrillator). Perez Jr. saw that there was no pulse line and then began to administer a shock, followed by another one. There was no progress made; it seemed hopeless.
Bob Generoux (left) stands on the 10th green with East Mountain Country Club Golf Professional Ted Perez Jr. (right) (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Just minutes later, the fire department, police, and ambulances arrived to take over the procedures. Generoux was given several more shocks, including on the way to Baystate Hospital in Springfield.
Showing no signs of life, Perez Jr. and the rest of the people at the country club were feeling complete devastation.
“Once they got him in the ambulance and left, we were just all kind of heartbroken,” said Perez Jr. “Tears in our eyes at that point, the emotions come out.”
With Generoux heavily on everyone’s minds on the course, Perez Jr. still had to continue to run the rest of the tournament. Having no idea what the fate was for Generoux, Perez Jr. received a phone call from Baystate later that evening that they got a pulse and Generoux was alive and alert.
“At that point, we got hope,” said Perez Jr. “We didn’t have a lot of hope when he left.”
Hosting the tournament, Perez Jr. made the announcement that Generoux was brought back to life. An instant feeling of incredible joy, followed by several rounds of clapping was taking place at the course.
Generoux was then out of the hospital five days later. He spent some time to recover but it didn’t take much longer for Generoux to get back to doing what he loves. Just six weeks after nearly facing death, Generoux found himself back on the golf course.
The hole-in-one on August 24, 2016, proved to have far more meaning than just a milestone; it was a defeat. Generoux overcame his own death with just one swing.
“It really took a couple of holes for it to sink in,” said Generoux.
Shortly after Generoux finished his round, 16 of his friends around him on the course, we’re quick to want to share his accomplishment.
“I was playing with about 16 guys so at the end I had to buy the round (of beers),” Generoux laughed. “I had to buy the round for 16 guys.”
Overcoming the defeat with a hole-in-one was the cherry on top for Generoux, but his purest form of happiness came from the people that were battling right there with him four years ago.
Generoux calls Perez Jr. his “guardian angel”. It very well could be true, but Perez Jr. made it clear that Generoux had more backup than he thought that day.
“There were several guardian angels,” said Perez Jr. “It just wasn’t his time.”
