In less than a month last summer, two prodigious and almost unbelievable events took place. In two amateur tournaments, a former U.S. Marine had three holes-in-one in one round and a Canadian had two holes-in-one in consecutive par 3’s. If the chances of making an ace are remote, imagine the infinitesimal chances of making more than one in one round. If the chances of making an ace are remote, imagine the infinitesimal chances of achieving more than one in a single round.
n the United States there is a National Hole-in-One Registry that reflects interesting facts and stories about this strange hole-in-one phenomenon, which most golfers – unfortunately – will never play in their lifetime.
The first thing is to define what a valid hole-in-one is. The Rules of Golf do not address the question of the validity of a hole-in-one, but the United States Golf Association (USGA) establishes a series of conditions for a hole-in-one to be considered valid. For example, the round in which it is made must have at least nine holes; it is not valid in a practice round in which the golfer is playing two or more balls; and the hole-in-one must be witnessed by a reliable witness.
But let’s quantify the odds of making a hole-in-one. Those of a professional player on the American Tour: 3,000 to 1; a low handicap: 5,000 to 1; an average player: 12,000 to 1; that two players in the same match will make a hole-in-one on the same hole: 17 million to 1; that a player will make two holes-in-one in the same round: 67 million to 1. What they have not calculated is that, as happened to the former Marine, someone could make three holes-in-one in the same round.
There are certainly many curiosities surrounding holes-in-one. Approximately 450 million rounds are played annually in the United States, and on average each course counts between 25,000 and 30,000. Well, each course reports between 10 and 15 holes-in-one per year to the National Hole-in-One Registry. Statistically, one hole-in-one is recorded for every 3,500 rounds. Only 1.2 percent of golfers score a hole-in-one over the course of a year.
The average number of years played by those who get a hole-in-one is 24.
The average handicap of those who achieve this is 14.
The age group that makes the most holes in one is 50 to 59 years old (25% of the total) and the next, 40 to 49 (24%).
The ball that has been pocketed the most directly off the tee is a Titleist (45%), followed by a Nike (14%) and a Top Flite (11%).
Men’s business
If we stick only to women golfers, only 16% of the holes-in-one registered have been pocketed by women, with an average age of 55 years, while the average number of years they have been playing golf is 15 years. The average distance of the hole directly pocketed is 100 meters.
Prowess for all tastes
As far as feats are concerned, apart from the two mentioned at the beginning (the three holes-in-one of the former Marine in one round and the two consecutive par 3’s of the Canadian), there is something for everyone. For example, that of Timothy Hultquist, from Florida, who holed four holes-in-one within a year on four different courses (he used 6, 7 and 8 irons on holes ranging from 145 to 168 yards).
Another sharp golfer, Pennsylvania’s Nick L. Sica, scored four holes-in-one in a thirty-day period (6-iron and intermediate wedge from 110 to 182 yards) and New York’s Mike Carroll had three holes-in-one also in thirty days (8-iron and hybrid 4 from 135 to 185 yards).
Another exceptional scoring figure is Thomas Allen of Michigan, who bogeyed four holes-in-one on the same hole. From 2011 through 2014, he made a hole-in-one every year on the 5th at Diamond Springs Golf Course in Hamilton, Michigan. Three he holed in the month of August and the fourth materialized on July 31.
Four in the same hole
Another outstanding name is Warwick Trantum, from Sydney, Australia. Between 1997 and 2012, he made four aces on the 150-meter 2nd hole of the Gordon Golf Club in the Australian city. In addition to these four, which occurred in 1997, 2007, 2010 and 2012, he almost scored two others, but the ball ended up less than five centimeters from the hole on that hole 2. Trantum has made two other holes-in-one on other golf courses.
Right and left
A very curious case is that of Don Warren, from Michigan. In 1982 at Ye Ole Country Club in Roscommon, Michigan, he made hole-in-one as a right-hander, and in 2013 he scored an ace as a left-hander. Warren played right-handed for more than 20 years, and 15 years ago he switched to left-handed.
For Californian Jeff McDaniel, just the opposite happened: he made his first hole-in-one as a left-handed player in 1995 and his second, in 2014, as a right-handed player.
Two aces in different rounds on the same day
Also curious is the case of Californian Chris Gilley, who made two holes-in-one on the same day during a competition in 2013. It was a 36-hole tournament and -another curiosity- he holed his aces on the same hole.
Marital marksmanship
Californians Paul and Jennifer Stuppi each had four holes-in-one at Green Hills CC in Miilbae, California. The first was holed by the wife in 1991 and the last hole-in-one – for now – was scored by the husband last year.
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