Popular Elvis wedding performer scores hole-in-one at Angel Park

Harry Shahoian sometimes sings while golfing, “I’m caught in a trap, I can’t hit out of …”

It’s natural for Shahoian to invoke Elvis, whether at the golf club or music club. The veteran Elvis tribute artist is well-known for his portrayal of the King on stage and as a wedding officiant for Graceland Wedding Chapel in downtown Las Vegas.

Shahoian has also logged time in several stage shows, among them “Legends in Concert” and with his own rock-cover band, Rock This Town.

Shahoian is also an avid, if late-blooming, golfer. Wednesday morning, wielding a 7-iron rather than a six-string acoustic, he aced the 159-yard par-3 15th hole at Angel Park.

The man who has performed Alexis Park’s “All Shook Up” really was.

“It was so great. I was hitting into the sun and I hit it really well, I know it had to be on the green,” Shahoian says. “Then me and my buddy were looking around the green, we couldn’t find it, and I kind of jokingly said, ‘Maybe it’s in the hole,’ and there it was.”

It’s Shahoian’s second ace over the past three years. That covers his entire playing career. He didn’t pick up the game until the COVID-19 shutdown, in the spring of 2020.

“I saw that golf courses were open,” Shahoian says. “I decided this was the moment in my life where I should learn how to play.”

Shahoian’s first hole-in-one was also at Angel Park, last August, a 9-iron on the 155-yard 12th hole. He hasn’t established a handicap, though estimates he’s about a 15.

“The guy I play with keeps telling me to keep track,” Shahoian says. “I’ve broken 80 five times.”

Shahoian is filling his professional career strictly through Elvis-themed weddings and the occasional corporate gig. He performs about 30 services a week, the vast majority of them on Sundays.

Otherwise, find this Elvis in residency on the links.

“I’m addicted to the game,” he says. “I’ll play anytime.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.