Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and the “Luck of the Irish”, we’re looking at some fun facts about holes in one. Holes in one are rare and, although skill can increase the likelihood of getting one, there is a great degree of luck involved.
This past weekend, 3 PGA Tour Players aced the 17th hole during the PGA Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Was that luck or was that skill?
As it turns out, it’s a little bit of both. According to companies that supply hole-in-one insurance, the odds of making a hole in one are 12,500 to 1 for amateur golfers. For professional golfers, the odds of making a hole in one drop to 2,500 to 1.
According to the 2021-22 PGA Tour Media Guide, 35 tour players have hit five or more holes in one in tournament play.
Of those 35, two hold the record for the most holes in one on the PGA Tour with 10 each: 4-time PGA Tour winner Robert Allenby and former PGA Champion Hal Sutton. Kathy Whitworth holds the record for the most holes in one on the LPGA Tour with a total of 11.
Here are a few other fun facts about holes in one:
- There are only three players in the history of the PGA Tour to record two holes in one in the same round: Bill Whedon at the 1955 Insurance City Open, Yusaku Miyazato at the 2006 Reno-Tahoe Open and Brian Harman at the 2015 The Barclays.
- 44 aces were recorded on the PGA Tour in 1994, which is the most holes in one achieved in a single PGA Tour season.
- Norman Manley of California holds the record of a whopping 59 aces, which he made between 1964 and 1979.
- 14% of golfers who make a hole in one go on to make another.
- The longest hole in one ever recorded was 517 yards. It was made by a man named Mike Crean on the ninth hole of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club near Denver International Airport. This hole in one is recognized by the US Golf Registry as the longest hole in one ever recorded.
- According to reports, the youngest golfer to get a hole in one is Jake Paine, who was 3 years old when he aced a 65-yard hole at Lake Forest Golf and Practice Course in California in 2001.
- The oldest player on record to make a hole in one is Harold Stilson, a 101-year-old Boca Raton resident, who aced the 108-yard 16th hole at Deerfield Country Club in 2001.
- If you’re younger than 50, it may be a while before you get a hole-in-one. According to stats, 60% are made by golfers aged 50 plus.
Have you ever had a hole in one?