How big of an outlier is this particular stat?

[Aguirre]

My dad has been golfing for over thirty years, but really only started playing seriously in his 50s.  He's 72 now, and retired at 57, so he's put in a LOT of rounds over the past 15 years.  At the minimum, 100 per year, and in his early retirement days, probably 150.  His handicap has ranged from 12-17 during this period.

Dude has SEVEN hole-in-ones.  Seven.

EDIT--All since he retired, I would add.  In fact, his first was two weeks after he retired.

[MS256]

My dad has been golfing for over thirty years, but really only started playing seriously in his 50s.  He's 72 now, and retired at 57, so he's put in a LOT of rounds over the past 15 years.  At the minimum, 100 per year, and in his early retirement days, probably 150.  His handicap has ranged from 12-17 during this period.

Dude has SEVEN hole-in-ones.  Seven.

I have no idea how many rounds I've played but a very conservative estimate of 10 rounds a week for 40 weeks out of the year for the six years I was a club member and at least 100 rounds a year for the other 4 years of playing golf...And 0 holes in one.

I'm evidently just not good enough.

[Aguirre]

I have zero as well.  In fact, despite being a single digit handicapper for most of the past decade, I only have five damn eagles.

[Patch]

I have few HIOs and I know I have played well over 3000 rounds of golf. It's a good stat to talk about, but does not mean that much. Having the skill, occasional or otherwise, to get the ball even close enough, does have a little to do with scoring an ace. Once you land the ball close enough, the  rest in my book, is just pure luck. I mean how many golfers can control the roll after the carry?

I have good friend that had never golfed in his life. He did not play sports of any kind when we were growing up. He had to chop wood to help support his family.  We were golfing at some track near Astoria, Oregon. First hole was a 170+/- par 3. I showed him some stuff, he took a few practice swings, and then proceeded to ace the first hole hole. His first swing in golf was an ace for crying out loud.  Go figure. He took a 12 on the next hole. Pretty sure if he had taken the time to hole out on every hole (ESC) he would have shot in the 150s. To my knowledge that was the only time he ever went golfing.

For your entertainment.......... https://www.google.com/search?q=blind+golfer+gets+hole+in+one&rlz;=1C1CHFX_enUS551US551&oq;=blind+golfer+gets+hole+in+one&aqs;=chrome..69i57j0l3.13756j0j1&sourceid;=chrome&ie;=UTF-8

[Gerald Fritz]

Yeah, I think if I got a hole in one on my first swing I would have just quit and been like, "yeah, I conquered this game."

I personally think, that for me, its the failures that keep me coming back. I enjoy, and actually play better when I'm in trouble. Nothing makes me happier than pulling off a shot that I initially think is far-fetched.

Of course the successes also keep me coming back. Honestly think one of the top 5 moments of my life was getting my first birdie ever the other day :)

[zipazoid]

I have a friend, Paul, who is my age - mid-50s. Very good player, about a 3 handicap. Back in the day when I was also a 3 we would play together all the time with his dad (has since died). Paul and I would be launching high drawing irons into par 3's. Paul's dad would bump n run hits shots into those holes.

Paul never had a hole in one. His dad had like 6 or something of the like.

So what we concluded, aside from outrageous good luck, was that Paul's dad was running the ball onto the green, and eventually the hole would just get in the way. In contrast, we were throwing darts. Where it landed is where it would stay. His dad simply had a higher chance of finding the hole than we did.

[saevel25]

My dad has been golfing for over thirty years, but really only started playing seriously in his 50s.  He's 72 now, and retired at 57, so he's put in a LOT of rounds over the past 15 years.  At the minimum, 100 per year, and in his early retirement days, probably 150.  His handicap has ranged from 12-17 during this period.

Dude has SEVEN hole-in-ones.  Seven.

EDIT--All since he retired, I would add.  In fact, his first was two weeks after he retired.

Sam Sneed had over 30 holes-in-one, and Tiger has had 18. I would say the ability to get a hole in one increases with playing ability, yet there is some form of luck involved as well.

Look at @Golfingdad 's Shot Zone for his Pitching Wedge from his My Swing thread. I calculated the area of his Shot Zone to be 140 square yards. The hole is 0.0109 square yards. Just assuming he has equal chance of his ball ending up on any spot in that Shot Zone, he has a 0.0073% chance of getting a hole in one from 145 yards. Sorry @Golfingdad

Lets say @Golfingdad gets in 100 rounds of golf in, for the next 15 years. Lets say he has one shot from 145 yards each time he plays, then he should average 0.1 hole outs from that distance.

Yea, I would say that he's had some luck on his side.

[Maddog10]

There's a guy I play with a lot at a local 9 hole course. I would say he's in his early 50's and a good single digit guy, probably a 3-4 handicap. He's got 9 aces in his career, which is incredible to me. Also, another cool stat he can claim is that on that 9 hole course, which consists of three Par 3's, three Par 4's, and three Par 5's, he has eagled every single hole.

There is a correlation between skill level and having several aces. There's not nearly as much of a correlation between skill level and having one or two aces though. My wife, who rarely plays golf, got a hole in one the first year she started playing. I've been playing all my life (only 23 though) and am still waiting on my first.

[jamo]

Sam Sneed had over 30 holes-in-one, and Tiger has had 18 . I would say the ability to get a hole in one increases with playing ability, yet there is some form of luck involved as well.

I wonder how up to date that is. IIRC, that's been listed on Wikipedia for years. Think he's made any since?

[dave s]

Ok, seven holes in one is impressive on any level.  Rounds = opportunity = holes in one actually happening.  Hope I can go 150 rounds a year when I retire.

Good on your pop!

dave

[iacas]

Sam Sneed had over 30 holes-in-one, and Tiger has had 18. I would say the ability to get a hole in one increases with playing ability, yet there is some form of luck involved as well.

Look at @Golfingdad's Shot Zone for his Pitching Wedge from his My Swing thread. I calculated the area of his Shot Zone to be 140 square yards. The hole is 0.0109 square yards. Just assuming he has equal chance of his ball ending up on any spot in that Shot Zone, he has a 0.0073% chance of getting a hole in one from 145 yards. Sorry @Golfingdad

Lets say @Golfingdad gets in 100 rounds of golf in, for the next 15 years. Lets say he has one shot from 145 yards each time he plays, then he should average 0.1 hole outs from that distance.

Yea, I would say that he's had some luck on his side.

The odds are of course higher than that because a ball can be rolling and hit the hole and go in, while it would have finished outside of that 0.0109 square yards.

Also, I didn't check any of your math. Let's hope it's better than your putting stroke. It's virtually guaranteed to be…

[saevel25]

The odds are of course higher than that because a ball can be rolling and hit the hole and go in, while it would have finished outside of that 0.0109 square yards.

Rough estimate on the odds. Yea I didn't take into consideration the craziness that is the flag stick.

Also, I didn't check any of your math. Let's hope it's better than your putting stroke. It's virtually guaranteed to be…

Ouch!

[Jeremie Boop]

The odds are of course higher than that because a ball can be rolling and hit the hole and go in, while it would have finished outside of that 0.0109 square yards.

Also, I didn't check any of your math. Let's hope it's better than your putting stroke. It's virtually guaranteed to be…

Bazinga!

[DocWu1948]

Congrats to your dad, Mr. Aguierre. That's an impressive feat.

Aces are mostly luck, but when you get more than one, now it's skill, knowledge and reps because you've beaten the odds.

If Touring Pro's saw the same set of  short par 3's that I see on my Muni's twice a week,  they have the skill with their wedges to get a bunch of aces.

[Aguirre]

I've holed out from 70, 89, 103, and 145 yards.  One for birdie, heh.  So I guess it's just a matter of holing out from distance on the right hole.

[RandallT]

Hope he has insurance! Anyone ever heard of this? The article mentions Japan and UK, in particular, but I've never heard of buying insurance to cover the costs of a hole in one!! [URL]http://priceonomics.com/why-golfers-buy-hole-in-one-insurance/[/URL] [quote] A number of firms offer hole in one insurance, frequently bundled with other services that golfers commonly buy like insurance for golfing equipment or personal liability. (Apparently yelling “Fore!” can’t ward off lawsuits if you hit a ball right at someone.) Golfplan, a U.K. insurer, covers $340 to $510 worth of drinks for hole in one celebrations. (Clubs’ set of rules for validating a hole in one makes it easier to process claims.) When it is sold unbundled, hole in one insurance can be cheap; Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. Ltd offers Japanese golfers hole in one insurance for as little as a $3 premium. [/quote]

[Aguirre]

Lots of private clubs have a hole-in-one fund.  Basically, you pay, I don't know, $5/month.  If anyone makes a hole-in-one in the club you get a free drink.  And if you get the hole-in-one you're not obligated to spend hundreds for every douche bag in the bar after the round.