Take it or leave it? Theoretical Hole in One query

[pganapathy]

Take any hole in one but would value the better hit shot more

[Fairway_CY]

I don't know how I'd feel about it, honestly.  I've hit some REALLY poor shots that have turned out okay.  I usually get the 'good shot' remarks from whomever I may be playing with, and I'll respond with a 'thank you'... but, inside, I know I hit a poor shot.  I've also hit some really GOOD shots that have turned into complete disasters.  Those leave me struggling to keep my composure and usually have a negative effect on my score at the end of the day.  

My first (and only) ace happened to come in a tournament and in the first round I ever broke 90.  It was a good shot and it was witnessed by the 3 players in my group and a few others around the course.  It was a links-style course and the hole was kind of in the middle of a valley.  

About a week prior, I had told my wife that if I ever had one... I didn't want it to be in a tournament round because I wasn't exactly swimming in money and I didn't want to deal with an insane bar tab weighing down the high of the moment.  

I had been playing in a tournament a few years prior to that when a guy I knew made one.  The club we were playing with was fairly large (in terms of number of members)... and the tournament had about 110 players in it.  Luckily, he won quite a bit from the skins... but his bar tab was well over $1100 and I don't think his winnings covered it.  

For mine... I won a 'grand total' of $35 for the closest to the pin on that hole.  Luckily, most people had cleared out by the time our group came in because the weather was poor... so my bar tab was only about $80.  It allowed me to stay excited and not fear that I was going to have to use a credit card to pay for the drinks.  

Back to the point of the post... I guess, seeing as how close I've come other times, I'd take another any way I could get it.  Looking at a scorecard and seeing a '1' on there is pretty special.

CY

[Rainmaker]

I've never hit a hole in one but I've come within inches twice.  Both times were poor shots on short par 3's where the ball was mishit but miraculously ended up near the hole.  I look at those as just "dumb luck" - if they went in it would be cool .. but not a "lifetime memory" in the sense you typically think of a "hole in one" to be.  So I'd certainly take it on my scorecard but I wouldn't really feel like I was Jonathan Byrd hitting that t-shot at sunset to win the playoff or anything . .

[SavvySwede]

I'd want my first hole in one to be a high quality shot. Imagine putting the ball up on display and having to see the scrape on the ball from when it hit a tree.

[billchao]

22 hours ago, David in FL said:

My great fear is that my elusive ace will happen in the midst of an otherwise horrible round.  I'll still take it though!  

That's what my buddy calls "whipped cream on shit". 

1 hour ago, SavvySwede said:

I'd want my first hole in one to be a high quality shot. Imagine putting the ball up on display and having to see the scrape on the ball from when it hit a tree.

Just turn it so the scuff is in the back. It probably came from an earlier hole anyway 

[Club Rat]

Many of us play or have played in events when there are prizes for an "Ace".

Regardless of the swing, a scull, thinned, worm burner, skip over the pond or whatever.

If it goes in the hole, would you decline the prize because it wasn't the memorable swing?

Be real, if you're lucky enough to have an ace, regardless if it's a skankr, could you go through life and never disclose you've made "a hole in one" regardless ?

[lowriderjim]

I was playing my second hole of the season and hit a 7i that was a terrible mishit.  The ball hit 10 feet left of the pin and spun  directly to the right and into the hole.  I was playing by myself but it was still a hole in one.

Several years later I was playing in a foursome and hit a shot dead online, bounced twice and rolled into the hole.  I felt much better about that shot.

 

[iacas]

14 minutes ago, Club Rat said:

If it goes in the hole, would you decline the prize because it wasn't the memorable swing?

Be real, if you're lucky enough to have an ace, regardless if it's a skankr, could you go through life and never disclose you've made "a hole in one" regardless ?

Nobody's saying it wouldn't be an ace… some are just saying they'd greatly prefer their first not to be on a horrible shot.

If my first ace is a result of a crappy shot and nobody is there to see it, quite honestly, I might not tell anyone. I've holed out from the fairway for an eagle and not told anyone. Heck, the last time I did so from outside of 100 yards I was with a young student showing him "how he should do it."

I've seen a guy blade a ball out of a bunker, catch the flagstick, and drop into the hole. He was embarrassed to win the skin and even refused the money.

Everyone's different.

[rkim291968]

15 minutes ago, iacas said:

I've seen a guy blade a ball out of a bunker, catch the flagstick, and drop into the hole. He was embarrassed to win the skin and even refused the money.

I was in a match play and hit an unlikely chip shot that went in to win the hole.  My immediate reaction was to tell my opponent "I am sorry."   That automatic apology came from my days with playing Ping Pong.  When a player scores a point on a lucky shot (hits a net or edge, e.g), he displays an apologetic gesture to his opponent.   Anyway, it got a chuckle from my match play opponent. 

[Lihu]

I play golf to try to hit decent shots.

The words "Nice miss!" is kind of a running joke with me and some of my playing partners. Hole in one on a nice miss would not be that satisfying.

[RandallT]

I voted Leave It. No hesitation.

I was lucky this year to have my first hole in one, and it came immediately after an emergency call from my step-daughter, during which I excused myself for a couple holes to deal with her situation. I caught up with my group and struck a 6-iron well, but none of us saw it land or roll due to the lighting. It was a downhill par 3 with some wind in our face, so we had no idea if I was short, long, whatever. After a search in the front bunker and long in the rough, I was audacious enough to check the hole, and there it was.

I almost felt guilty, because the morning had started so poorly that I had written off the day. I wasn't even really focusing when I hit the tee shot, and I had decided to leave after the next couple holes (would be near the clubhouse), because I was shaken up by the call I had just had from my step-daughter for 20 minutes or so.  I had just caught back up with my group who had just teed off, so I just nonchalantly let it fly to restart my round.

I enjoyed the rest of the day (finished the round) and played mediocre golf after that, but I will say that the best way to get a hole in one would include:

1. be playing in a round where you're in good shape mentally (I was not) and be playing somewhat decent that day (I was not)
2. see your ball go in (I did not)
3. don't have it happen on a mishit (but I had been playing so poorly that a GOOD shot was the mishit )

So I managed #3 above. At the time I was thrilled, but I must admit that I feel like it doesn't really count and isn't a big deal, in retrospect. It was luck and didn't even represent that I was playing well at the time. But I'll take this one. Next time, I want all 3 things above to be true.

If none of them are true, I'll definitely leave it.

 

[Dave2512]

My guess given the general suckiness of amateur golfers many HIO's happen this way. It is what it is. I wouldn't jump up and down or anything but an ace is an ace.

I almost holed an eagle with a power push that bounced off a porta-potty and came back towards the green. It stopped inches from the hole and the birdie was swipe it in backhanded easy. It was a shot that was 40-50 yards off the target line and heading to lost ball territory, actually bounced backwards and left as far as it was off line. Unfortunately most of my shots are ugly so there is always a chance of ugly good happening.

[Pretzel]

I'm surprised people are voting leave it at all. The goal of golf is to get the lowest score, regardless of the how, and there is no lower score on a hole than a 1. Are the people voting leave it honestly telling me you'd pull out your ball and tap it in for a birdie? If so, I call bs.

It doesn't matter how it got there, it is a hole in one. It may not be perfectly special like you wanted it to be, but it's still a hole in one. Regardless of how well you hit your shot it still takes luck to make a hole in one. I've landed in the hole and bounced out before on a par 3. Quite frankly, I don't give a damn if the ball bounced off 3 trees on its way into the hole or if it was a solid strike. It's still in the hole after one swing, because golf is not a game of how, but how many. 

[iacas]

24 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

I'm surprised people are voting leave it at all. The goal of golf is to get the lowest score, regardless of the how, and there is no lower score on a hole than a 1. Are the people voting leave it honestly telling me you'd pull out your ball and tap it in for a birdie? If so, I call bs.

Nobody's saying that.

I'll just speak for myself, since I voted "Leave It" - it wouldn't be a shot I'll mention to anyone. I probably wouldn't "count it" as a hole in one in my total (even though that total is currently zero).

I can just quote myself above for any of the rest:

15 hours ago, iacas said:

Nobody's saying it wouldn't be an ace… some are just saying they'd greatly prefer their first not to be on a horrible shot.

If my first ace is a result of a crappy shot and nobody is there to see it, quite honestly, I might not tell anyone. I've holed out from the fairway for an eagle and not told anyone. Heck, the last time I did so from outside of 100 yards I was with a young student showing him "how he should do it."

I've seen a guy blade a ball out of a bunker, catch the flagstick, and drop into the hole. He was embarrassed to win the skin and even refused the money.

Everyone's different.

 

[Pretzel]

Alright. I guess I'm just in the camp where I feel the good luck is just as valid as the bad, if that makes sense. I have no qualms about taking advantage of good luck if it netted me a hole in one. It'd be nice if it wasn't under such circumstances, but I would take it the same way that I accept the bad breaks I've gotten. It could be partially due to the fact that, to date, I have lipped out 6 times, hit the stick twice, and landed in the hole (but bounced out) once on par threes. I just want to have a hole in one.

[natureboy]

Hey, one stroke less is one stroke. But I agree it would be much more satisfying for a good shot ace that flies to the intended target on the green and then trickles in versus a 'luck' shot.

Edited November 26, 2015 by natureboy

[alleztom]

Only reason I'd leave it is by myself, if with others I'd take a scrappy ace in a heartbeat.

[JapanDave]

Why is the hole in the middle of the fairway?