The Allusive Ace
To say golf is difficult sport is an understatement; it is the most difficult sport I have ever pursued. There are so many subsets within the game that make it one of the most challenging ones out there. Some of the direct factors might include long tee shots, variable approach shots and lies, difficult sand shots, hard to read greens, long roughs. Some indirect factors might include the confidence level in the golfer, course conditions, and weather. Typically as a golfers score and handicap go down, they become more consistent in the previously listed facets. As I have played my fair share of golf over the last few years I have learned the name of this game is truly consistency. If someone walked up to me in an airport who had never heard of the sport or knew anything about it I would use the word consistency more than any other that drives higher probability of success in this sport. The more you put together consistency within areas of the game the higher probability of success for great shots and lower scores.
As a golfers game improves, they may hit certain milestones or accomplishments on the course. To be clear in this post I am focused more on individual hole score accomplishment. As a beginner, your individual accomplishment list is going to look different than a low handicapper though every golfer will look to cross the same items off the list over the course of time as their game improves over time. Accomplishments may start off as a par, then a birdie, then one day down the road a eagle. It took me 34 years to get my first eagle, this game is no walk in the park. Once you get past the eagle, you are really getting into pretty special and statistically rare territory. One of the greatest individual hole feats in the sport is the albatross, also known as a double eagle. The albatross is defined as a score of three under par on a single hole. It’s mind bending from a difficulty and talent standpoint to think about; I have only had a few looks at eagle in my life, a albatross has truly never entered my mind during a round of golf. On a par five, the golfer must essentially hole out on their second shot. If it were to be a par four albatross, that becomes a whole deferent ballgame because your mixing two of the greatest individual hole feats into one: the albatross and the hole in one.
The hole in one is the greatest individual hole accomplishment in golf. Unlike the term albatross, it holds no need for explanation. One of the great things about this feat is it is always fun watching the pros play for four days (or in the case of LIV 3 days) because there is improved odds compared compared to a armature that there will be a hole in one during some point of the tournament. The odds of a hole and one are interesting and have to be broken down into different buckets. As I started my hole in one research I found the National Hole in One Registry, boy what a hole in one rabbit '“hole” it proved to be.
All of the following odds and stats are taken from The National Hole in One Registry. This is a small subset of their listed material on their website but I tried to select a few that demonstrate the difficulty of the feat:
The odds of an average golfer making a hole in one are 12,000 to 1.
A tour player has much greater odds as one would expect with 3,000 to 1 chance
Over 128,000 aces are made per year, which blows my mind. I would have expected a much lower number but tells you how many people are out enjoying this great game on a daily basis.
Things really start to ramp up from a odds distance when you talk about multiple hole in ones in a round: Two players from the same foursome acing the same hole: 17 million to 1. One player making two holes-in-one in the same round: 67 million to 1.
As I reflect on these hole in one odds, it again just magnifies the difficulty of this game that so many of us choose to pursue. I thought back to my close calls over the years as it pertains to that ever allusive ace.
Close calls segment
I have played enough golf to where I have had my share of close calls. A close call when it comes to a hole in one is a good thing, as long as you don’t miss the birdie put. Throwing down a hole in one may top the list. I have played many holes of golf in my lifetime. I have come ‘close’ to a hole in one twice and on a third occasion thought I had made a hole in one only to be left with a ten foot birdie put, that I proceeded to miss. Is a missed birdie put just a bad a golf story in reality?
Torrey Pines North Course Hole 12, 155 Yards
I was playing one of the most beautiful courses I have ever met, Torrey Pines. The par three twelfth ended up being one of my favorite holes on the course. The hole is a moderate in length par three which requires carry over a ravine. I hit a shot right at the pin that for about 15 - 20 seconds after the ball landed and disappeared the thought of a hole in one solidified in my mind. Even some of my playing partners thought the same. I was picturing buying drinks on the back deck of the Lodge with the setting sun over the Pacific and bourbon soaking into every fiber of my bones. This was it. As I walked to the side of a tee box my shoulders slumped as I saw the ball about 8 feet to the right of the pin. Ironically, the ball ended up not that close to the hole, yet I thought I had just rung the bell. I will never know exactly what happened, but my best guess is the ball either came in hot on the ground and bounced off the flag or potentially bounced off the flag mid air. As it would have it, I missed my birdie put.
Torrey Pines North had already become one of my favorite courses even before a near ace; not pictured, missed birdie put
St. Ives Country Club
This one was a bit less memorable in that it was a handful years ago in 2019 and I cannot remember too much around specifics or hole distance or club used. I remember I was not playing my best golf leading up to the shot. I was playing for a tournament for work and the format was a scramble. It was the closest to the pin hole which did allow me to measure the proximity of the shot from the hole. It measured right at eleven inches and was just left of the hole. Maybe I need to start carrying measuring tape in my bag so I can dust it off once every few years.
Good news, I made the birdie put
Atlanta Athletic Club Highlands Course Hole 4, 142 Yards
I was out walking nine holes on the Highlands Course at the Atlanta Athletic Club in March of 2023. My wife Elizabeth was eight months pregnant and I had jokingly (yet not jokingly) made the commitment at the start of the pregnancy to get a hole in one prior to becoming parents. It was a quiet unassuming day on the golf course. There was one really nice thing about this day, my swing was feeling great. It was one of the days were my irons were just locked in front the start. It was honestly one of the best days I have ever had with my irons. They were almost all hit flush with excellent ball flight and trajectory. So as I stepped to the par three fourth, I was carrying plenty of confidence. I hit what I believe was an eight iron and new right away I had struck it well. It was one of those shots where the ball was in the air where the thought enters your mind, ‘this one has a chance’. The ball landed what appeared to be within less than a few feet from the hole. I could see it on the green so I knew it was not in the hole. As I approached the green, I could see that the ball had not gone in but as I walked closer I could tell I came really close. My ball mark was no more than a foot just left of the hole and my ball was a around five inches from the hole. As I walked to the green shaking my head, I had the odd thought that I was almost glad I had not struck gold given I was playing by myself. A solo hole in one certainly loses some of its luster as there would be no one there to celebrate with. Timing clearly just was not right.
The closest call yet
I am disappointed to be the bearer of bad news that I am still waiting on my first hole in one. You can count on a new post when or if that day comes. Until then, happy ace hunting.
On a completly separate note, in my view, a hole in one on a par three course does not constitute a hole in one.