Within the space of less than a month this summer, two prodigious – almost incredible – events occurred. In one amateur tournament a former US Marine made three holes-in-one in the same round, and in another a Canadian scored two aces on consecutive par-3 holes.

If the possibilities of carding a single ace are remote, imagine the infinitesimal chance of doing so more than once in the same round!

In the United States there is a National Register of Holes-in-One that includes interesting data and historical achievements related to the strange phenomenon of scoring an ace, which most players – unfortunately – will never achieve during their golfing lives.

The first thing is to define what is a valid hole-in-one. The Rules of Golf do not address the issue of the validity of a hole-in-one, but the United States Golf Association (USGA) has established a series of conditions for considering a hole-in-one to be valid.

For example, the round must be a minimum of nine holes, an ace is not valid during a practice round in which the golfer is playing two or more balls, and it must be attested to be a reliable witness.

So what are the probabilities of scoring an ace? For a US PGA Tour player; 3,000 to 1; a low-handicapper, 5,000 to 1; an average player, 12,000 to 1; two players in the same foursome carding aces on the same hole, 17 million to 1; one player making two holes-in-one in the same round, 67 million to 1. Not calculated are the odds of someone carding three aces in the same round, like the aforementioned former Marine.

There are many other interesting facts related to holes-in-one. In the United States a total of approximately 450 million rounds are played annually, with each course tallying an average of between 25,000 and 30,000. Each course reports to the National Register of Holes-in-One between 10 and 15 aces each year. Statistically, a hole-in-one is carded every 3,500 rounds. Only 1.2 per cent of golfers card an ace over the course of a year.

The length of time it takes for someone to score an ace averages 24 years. The average handicap of those achieving this feat is 14. The age group that makes the most holes-in-one is between 50 and 59 (25 per cent of the total), followed by 40 to 49 (24 per cent).

The most common brand of ball used for carding aces is Titleist (45 per cent), followed, a long way back, by Nike (14 per cent) and Top Flite (11 per cent).

 

It’s a Man’s Thing

If we confine ourselves to women, only 16 per cent of holes-in-one are carded by female golfers, with an average age of 55 years, and an average of 15 years playing the game. The average hole length is 111 yards.

 

Feats For All Tastes

As for great hole-in-one exploits, apart from the two mentioned at the start of this article (three aces in one round carded by the former Marine and two scored by a Canadian on consecutive par-3s), there is a long history of achievements to suit all tastes. For example, Timothy Hultquist of Vero Beach in Florida carded four aces during a year at four different courses (he used 6, 7 and 8-irons on holes ranging in length from 145 to 168 yards).

Another golfer, Nick L. Sica from Pennsylvania, scored four holes-in-one in the space of just 30 days (6-iron and gap-wedge from 110 to 182 yards); and Mike Carroll from New York carded three aces also in 30 days (8-iron and 4-hybrid from 135 to 185 yards).

One other exceptional feat was achieved by Thomas Allen of Michigan, who carded four holes-in-one on the same hole. From 2011 to 2014, he aced the 5th at Diamond Springs golf course in Hamilton (Michigan) once each year – three during August and the fourth on 31 July.

 

Four on the Same Hole

Another name featuring prominently in the record books is Warwick Trantum, from Sydney (Australia). Between 1997 and 2012, he made four holes-in-one on the 150-metre second hole at Gordon Golf Club in Sydney. In addition to these four achievements in 1997, 2007, 2010 and 2012, he has had two near-misses that finished within five centimetres of the cup on the same hole. Trantum has recorded two other aces on two other courses.

 

Swinging Both Ways

One particularly interesting case is that of Don Warren from Michigan. In 1982 at the Ye Ole Country Club in Roscommon (Michigan), he carded a hole-in-one playing right-handed, and in 2013 he scored another ace playing left-handed. Warren played right-handed for 20 years, and 15 years ago he switched over.

The opposite happened for Jeff McDaniel: he carded his first ace in 1995 playing left-handed, and a second in 2014, as a right-hander.

 

Two Aces on the Same Day – in Different Rounds

Also worth mentioning is the feat of another Californian, Chris Gilley, who carded two holes-in-one on the same day during a 36-hole competition in 2013 – both on the same hole.

 

Matrimonial Accuracy

Californians Paul and Jennifer Stuppi have each made four holes-in-one at the Green Hills Golf Club in Miilbae (California). She scored the first one in 1991, and the last one – so far – was carded by her husband last year.

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