But when he made his way down to the green and asked where his ball was, they pointed to the hole.
Brown had made a hole-in-one on the 161-yard par-3 hole, just two months shy of his 100th birthday.
He’s also thought to be the oldest Australian golfer to achieve the feat.
As is customary after hitting a hole-in-one, Brown was required to buy a round of drinks for his playing companions — the self-professed group, “Old and Bold,” who play three times a week.
The round actually cost less than it did the last time he hit a hole-in-one.
While hitting into a group ahead might not be good practice, it certainly paid off for Brown.
The odds of a tour player hitting a hole-in-one are 3,000 to 1, while for average players they are 12,000 to 1, according to the National Hole-in-One Registry.