Have you ever had a ace that didnt count?

[SavvySwede]

I actually have a funny one from my caddying days.   Someone had a hole in one on a par 3 where they had closest to the pin.   Didn't get the prize because it was in the hole, not close to it.   So bad.....

That doesn't make any sense. Who would even stand for such a ruling? I'd take my prize and clock anyone who thought otherwise.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golf Girl

Are you serious? I have never heard of that.

Others on here may have more detailed information, but my understanding is that for a hole in one to be officially registered, there has to be one or more playing witnesses. I don't know that it is a USGA thing, but rather commercial. If you make a hole in one, you can register, and if you ever make an additional one, you are eligible for prizes or some such.

I have 2 - both "official" but neither is "registered".  I didn't keep the balls, just the memories.

[ghalfaire]

Never had an ace but did make a par on a 170 yard par 3 once after the first shot took a bath in the surrounding lake.   I have also make about 4 Eagles on par 4 from the fairway.  But alas no aces.

[dfreuter415]

My first hole-in-one was at a par 3 course with a lob wedge. Technically, I know it is a hole-in-one, but personally, I thought it was a little tainted and really didn't count it. Tainted for the fact that every hole you play gives you a chance for a hole-in-one, and at this course, the longest hole was 120 yards.

(PS - Eight years later I got one at my home course and personally, I felt that I finally reached a major goal after almost 50 years of golfing.)

[westerndevon]

My only hole in 1 was on an 18 hole pitch n putt course at 79 yards but still yet to get one playing proper golf

[The Recreational Golfer]

Once I hit the ball into the hole in the 2nd green teeing off on the 9th. It about a 25-yard shot.

My only real ace was a 60-yarder on an executive course. Not sure that counts.

[bwdial]

Congrats! I've gotten close (my avatar is the closest I've gotten - about 2 weeks ago).

Would be nice to have a witness but I can only imagine what it's like to see that ball drop.

My only ace had a witness, but we didn't see the ball drop.  The hole was a little uphill, with a false front, and I thought it was a bit short.  When we got up to the green, I saw the pitch mark, but no ball.  It actually took a few seconds of me looking around before I even dared to peek into the cup.

[acetoolguy]

So im playing my round today and i was on a par 3 with some water to the right. It was 160 to the middle of the green. My first shot was right, and i couldnt see it land due to trees so i hit a provisional. I saw the provisional hit near the back of the green and i thought it kicked over. When i got near the green i found my ball about 30 yards from the hole and ended up with a par. When i went to pull the ball my provisional was in the hole. So i had my first ace(kinda) but it didnt count lol.

At least you knew it was the provisional, I think in that situation had you hit the same type/number ball and could not say which was which, I believe you have to play them as a lost ball.

[SavvySwede]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan772

So im playing my round today and i was on a par 3 with some water to the right. It was 160 to the middle of the green. My first shot was right, and i couldnt see it land due to trees so i hit a provisional. I saw the provisional hit near the back of the green and i thought it kicked over. When i got near the green i found my ball about 30 yards from the hole and ended up with a par. When i went to pull the ball my provisional was in the hole. So i had my first ace(kinda) but it didnt count lol.

At least you knew it was the provisional, I think in that situation had you hit the same type/number ball and could not say which was which, I believe you have to play them as a lost ball.

That's a rather unfair ruling. I would think you could play both balls to completion and take the higher score of the two.

[acetoolguy]

That's a rather unfair ruling. I would think you could play both balls to completion and take the higher score of the two.

Sorry, you may be right. My thinking is that if you cant identify your ball, its lost. Maybe it applies if two playing competitors were in that situation, not one player hitting two balls.

[lowriderjim]

I have two aces and the first one I was playing alone.  On the second, I was in a foursome.

The best shot I hit was a 170 yard hole out to a blind green. No recognition for that one except it

was a memory.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acetoolguy

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan772

So im playing my round today and i was on a par 3 with some water to the right. It was 160 to the middle of the green. My first shot was right, and i couldnt see it land due to trees so i hit a provisional. I saw the provisional hit near the back of the green and i thought it kicked over. When i got near the green i found my ball about 30 yards from the hole and ended up with a par. When i went to pull the ball my provisional was in the hole. So i had my first ace(kinda) but it didnt count lol.

At least you knew it was the provisional, I think in that situation had you hit the same type/number ball and could not say which was which, I believe you have to play them as a lost ball.

That's a rather unfair ruling. I would think you could play both balls to completion and take the higher score of the two.

No.  The following decisions explain the procedure.  In this case most players would have probably selected the ball that was holed.  If he picked it from the hole before playing another stroke with the other ball, then it is deemed to be the provisional ball and the score with that ball is the one that counts.

27-2b/2

When Provisional Ball Holed Becomes Ball in Play

Q.At a short hole, A's tee shot may be out of bounds or lost, so he plays a provisional ball, which he holes. A does not wish to look for his original ball. B, A's opponent or a fellow-competitor, goes to look for the original ball. When does the provisional ball become the ball in play?

A.In equity (Rule 1-4) the provisional ball becomes the ball in play as soon as A picks it out of the hole, provided his original ball has not already been found in bounds within five minutes of B starting to search for it.

27/11

Provisional Ball Not Distinguishable from Original Ball

A player entitled to play a provisional ball from the tee plays it into the same area as his original ball. The balls have identical markings and the player cannot distinguish between them. Following are various situations and the solutions, which are based on equity (Rule 1-4), when the above circumstances exist and one or both of the balls are found within a search of five minutes:.....

.......

Situation 4:Both balls are found in bounds, whether in a playable or an unplayable lie, and (1) one ball is in a water hazard and the other is not or (2) both balls lie through the green or in a bunker.

Solution 4:One could argue that both balls are lost. However, it would be inequitable to require the player to return to the tee, playing 5, when the player has found both balls but does not know which is the original and which the provisional. Accordingly, the player must select one of the balls, treat it as his provisional ball and abandon the other.

The moral of the story:  Put an identifying mark on your ball and you won't have to deal with this sort of conundrum.

[David in FL]

The moral of the story: Put an identifying mark on your ball and you won't have to deal with this sort of conundrum.

I don't understand why so many otherwise conscientious, rule-abiding players fail to do so.....

[jamo]

I don't have any, real or fake. :-(

[elementz]

I am in the same boat Jamo...however...a couple of weeks ago I was playing with my wife and 2 buddies at a local muni. #12 is a short~280 yd Par 4 with a pond 190 from the tee and about 220 to carry. Depending how the day is going, I either try to rip a driver over the pond or just lay up and have a nice easy 2nd shot to the green. That day (and this season), I have been hitting the driver longer (sometimes straighter) than I ever have. I tee one up and unfortunately, caught some of the ground before the ball. The ball flew straight but failed to clear the pond by no more than a few feet. In this particular group, we declared that we would get 1 mulligan for the round (yea, I know) and I was purposely saving it for this hole. I declare mulligan, re-tee, nail the driver dead straight....land about 20-25 yards before the green. Ball has a nice hop and rolls within about 2.5 feet to the hole. Easy tap in for an Eagle. I was pretty excited about it obviously as my playing partners congratulated me. However, a part of me understood the reality of it only being a par. So currently, my first eagle has an * by it which I still deem unofficial by my own standards.