Ace or Albatross?

[IT Man]

What would you rather have, or what do you feel is the harder shot, the Albatross or the Ace

[gogolfing]

I've had two aces and sniffs at some others, but have never come close to the albatross, so I'd have to go with the double eagle being the hardest. I know several people who have had aces, but only two who have double eagled.

[ks8829]

The Albatross is the harder shot. Your hitting from the fairway with a long club in your hand. Par 3 can be from 90 yards to 220 and you have the advantage of teeing up the ball.

[mgolfer]

Albatross.

If you get a hole in one it could be from a 100-150 yard par 3 hole which is just a nice little wedge shot or short iron but holing out from around 200-250 with a wood or 2, 3 or 4 iron is incredibly difficult, not to mention that you are not using a tee.

[Alex B]

Dean Knuth says the odds of making a double eagle are about 1,000,000:1. The odds of making a hole-in-one are about 13,000:1.

According to about.com, "between 1983 to 2003, there were 631 aces on the PGA Tour but just 56 double-eagles."

So, the harder shot is clearly the albatross. I would rather make the harder shot, so I voted albatross.

Did you know that Jackie Gagne has made 6 albatrosses this year? That's gotta be some kind of record.

[golfchief]

both are hard and both are just luck. I've had two aces and a couple of albatrosses and I'd say they were both lucky shots. If any real skill was involved the pros would have a couple every weekend.

[Rusterson]

I'll take an ace over an albatross. Something about a hole-in-one that I'd like to put on my resume.

[georgep]

How about acing a par 4 and knocking off both in one shot?

I'd love to have an albatross. I have one ace and a couple leaners over the years. I've been within 12 feet of the ace/albatross on a par four, but that's as close as I've ever come (and I two-putted that for birdie... semi-bummer).

[HartridgeKing]

I've come pretty close to making aces before. The closest I've came to an albatross is when I drove a par four to within about ten feet of the hole. The albatross is the much tougher shot to make, so I'd rather have an albatross than an ace.

[xixiviii]

I agree that the Albatross is the more difficult of the two, but I think I would rather have an ace.

Just to stand on a tee box, pull out one club, swing it, and then enjoy the "high" during your 150 or so yard walk, to me that is really something.

One ball, one club, one swing...

Note: I have had neither one, so I reserve the right to change my opinion later.

:)

[lamebums]

What would you rather have, or what do you feel is the harder shot, the Albatross or the Ace

Although I've come closer to an albatross (I swear to this day it must have been an inch at most) than an ace, statistically speaking it's much harder to get an albatross then an ace.

I'd once read the odds of an ace for an amateur are approximately one in twelve thousand, which is pretty slim, but consider an albatross: that means either a hole in one on a par four or getting home in two on a par five. On long par fours that is next to impossible (considering a 450+ yard par 4 for example, but the ball cannot travel much past 400 or it will deform and lose distance). On a par five that means you need to be long enough to get within range for your second shot (which is still in all likelihood a longer club than you'd hit on most par 3's.) It would vary widely by skill level, ranging from nearly impossible for the hack to say, one in 20,000 for pros. I think - I'm just putting a number on it. It would be impossible to get an albatross on a 550 yard par 5 if the average Joe only hits it 200. Conversely if he hits it 300 and has 250 to go, he has a slim chance (3 wood? That's the situation I was once in, in fact...) I think I'm just over analyzing it: bottom line, ace is easier.

[23Rounder]

An Albatross is more difficult but not having had either I would certainly settle for an ace!

[albatroz]

Albatross is the hardest as golf shots gets . Will not enumerate the hole in ones i made . I only got 2 Albatross in my golfing experience . Thats why my Code sign . These are far from luck . I had to bring my game to almost Tour standards to be able to put myself in a situation to accomplish this Feat .

[crazy_horst]

Albatross is unquestionably harder, but I'd rather have an ace.

[crazy_horst]

Albatross is the hardest as golf shots gets . Will not enumerate the hole in ones i made . I only got 2 Albatross in my golfing experience . Thats why my Code sign . These are far from luck .

Sorry, dude, but holing out for 2 on a par 5 has more to do with luck than skill. If that weren't the case, you'd see it less infrequently on Tour. I've seen tons of aces from Tour players - how many albatrosses have you seen?

[allin]

I am living proof of the luck part. I have had 3 aces and only one of them was actually a good shot. Besides I only reach about 6-8 par 5s in two each year. I did put one close on a short (280) downwind, downhill par 4 with a blind tee shot. More skill and just as much luck required so I don't expect I will ever have one.

[Jeepthrills]

Sorry, dude, but holing out for 2 on a par 5 has more to do with luck than skill. If that weren't the case, you'd see it less infrequently on Tour. I've seen tons of aces from Tour players - how many albatrosses have you seen?

If you ask the Tour players they will agree with you about both involving a great deal of luck. These guys are great ball strikers, but they are not so good that they can control the ball from that far out.

I also agree that the albatross is harder but would rather have an ace. Simply because if you talk to a non-golfer and tell them you had a hole-in-one, they will know immediately what you did. An albatross would take explaining and still may not seem as impressive. I have come much closer to aces on several occasions. The closest I have had to an albatross were in the 6-10 foot range on some short par 4's and 10-15 feet on par 5's.