We all dream about it, that shot which can come in a plethora of ways. The shot--an Ace or a Hole in One--is a crowning achievement for any golfer, and something I had wondered if I would ever achieve. My special moment occurred on the 13th hole of the Legacy Golf Club by Arthur Hills during the first Midwest Regional.
As I sat on the tee, throwing up some blades of grass to get a feel for the wind, I used my Bushnell rangefinder to laser the hole in at 208 yards. I noticed form the blades of grass that it was a little down wind moving slightly left to right at about 5 to 10 mph. The pin was located in the middle left of the green with very little room to the left. I decided to take a 7 iron and play a little cut. The ball started just left of the green and was cutting back dead in line with the pin; I then knew this could be the one. We watched it land about 15 feet short and roll up, up and in.
At this moment I did not know what to think. I could hardly believe my eyes as I had come so close on multiple occasions before. The walk up to the hole was riveting and I could feel my heart beating at an extraordinarily fast rate. As I approached the hole I began to look down finding a Titliest 6 Pro V1 with the number purpled out. I was in shock as the shot finally started to sink in.
I began to wonder what the odds of such a shot were, and what were some of the famous hole in ones from years past. I came across a study in Golf Digest that broke down the odds of such shot to be:
- Tour player making an ace: 3,000 to 1
- Low-handicapper making an ace: 5,000 to 1
- Average player making an ace: 12,000 to 1
Some other highlights from Scheid's calculations:
- Average player acing a 200-yard hole: 150,000 to 1
- 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
Ranking among the Top Hole in one’s of all time is Tiger Woods’ in the 1997 Phoenix Open on Hole #16 at the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale (Check out Tiger's Hole in one at TPC Scottsdale's 16th which ranked #1 on CGP's list of top par 3's)
Another remarkable hole out one is Alexander Ovcechkin’s which came during first time ever playing golf with rented clubs!
Lastly, among the many other famous hole in ones, is Rickie Fowler’s at the Red Bull Off Course Event. Rickie managed to ace the hole made specifically for him from an elevated tee box you could not actually see the hole from.
A hole in one is a capstone in any golfers career and one you will remember for a lifetime. I am pleased to knock this accomplishment off of the bucket list and am anxious to now get another one.
Care to read about more great golf shots?
If anyone else in the NCCGA has had a hole in one, we want to hear about it! Feel free to comment below on your story.