What are the chances of a hole in one?
Mia Kelly
Published Jan 12, 2026
The odds of making a hole in one are 12,500 to 1. For professional golfers, the odds of making a hole in one drop to 2,500 to 1. Knowing this information allows us to figure out the chances of someone making a Hole In One during your tournament.
What percentage of golfers get hole in ones?
Each course reports between 10-15 aces per year. Basically, that means a hole-in-one is scored once in every 3,500 rounds. Only 1-2% of golfers score an ace in a year. The average years of playing golf for a player before making an ace is 24.
Is a hole in one always possible?
Holes-in-one are rare, and although skill increases the probability, there is a great element of luck involved. It is traditional for a player who has scored a hole-in-one to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the clubhouse bar. Time magazine reported 1,200 holes in one were made by American golfers in 1922.
How hard is it to get hole in one?
What are the Odds of Getting a Hole in One? Making a hole in one is undoubtedly difficult. For pro golfers, the odds are stacked 3,000 to 1, while the odds of an average player making a hole in one jump to 12,000 to 1! One player making two holes in ones in the same round boasts a 67 million to 1 chance!
What percentage of amateur golfers make a hole in one?
According to US Hole In One (which provides hole-in-one insurance), with a field of 100 amateurs on a golf course that has four par-3 holes, there is a 1-in-32 chance someone will make an ace during that event.
40 related questions foundHow many hole in ones does Tiger Woods have?
Woods has hit a hole-in-one 20 times in the course of his lifetime, his first at the age of six. Three have come in PGA Tour competitions, at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, 1997 Phoenix Open, and1998 Sprint International. Wood is the only golfer to win four majors in a row.
How often do pros get a hole in one?
Thirty-six so far, to be exact. In all, there were 36 holes-in-one last season. The National Hole-in-One Registry says that the odds of a PGA Tour pro getting a hole-in-one is 3,000-to-1. It also says the “average” golfer has a 12,000-to-1 shot at making an ace.
What do I do after a hole in one?
If a golfer is lucky enough to strike a hole in one, he will celebrate properly after his round is over, by buying a round of drinks for everyone in the club, at the bar at that particular time. This unofficial rule is almost always followed and normally, the golfer is thrilled to fulfil this obligation.
Do all pro golfers have hole in ones?
And if they wanted to, every NFL player could score a touchdown. However, not every golfer can make a hole in one. Professionals can go their entire careers without making a single hole in one. Some players are lucky enough to make multiple holes in one on the PGA Tour, but who has made the most, and how many was it?
Should you tee up on par 3?
In the fairway, when the ball sits on the ground, you might hit it thin or fat. But if you tee the ball a little higher on a par 3, you can make more of a sweeping swing, and you've just eliminated the two things you don't want to happen.
Has anyone ever aced a par 5?
Has there ever been an ace on a par-5? Although no one in PGA Tour history has ever recorded an ace on a par-5, there have actually been five records of par-5 holes-in-one. And no, none of them were from Happy Gilmore. The first “condor” occurred in 1962 off the club of Larry Bruce.
Is it a hole-in-one if you hit the flag?
If you hit the flag it's 2 stroke penalty in stroke play or loss of hole if you are in match play. If you are off of the green there is no penalty if you hit the flag unless you ask someone to tend it and then they don't pull it out.
What is the rarest shot in golf?
Scoring a condor is the rarest event in golf. This is normally a hole in one at a par five (a two at a par six would also count, but this has never been done). Only five condors have ever been recorded: The most recent was Kevin Pon, who made a 2 on a par 6 at Lake Chabot Golf Course on the 10th December 2020.
How rare is an eagle in golf?
Eagles Are Very Rare, Even For Professional Golfers
He made 18 eagles over 2,124 holes (0.85% of holes). While Sungjae Im had the most eagles in 2019, Martin Laird made the most eaglesper holes played.
What pro golfer has never had a hole-in-one?
After all Rory McIlroy has done in his still-young career, it is surprising to learn that he has never had a hole-in-one as a tournament professional.
Who pays for drinks after a hole in one?
The concept of hole in one insurance may baffle the uninitiated, but to many it is a wise precaution as golf tradition holds that anyone who scores a hole in one should buy drinks back at the clubhouse for his playing group — if not everyone present.
Do you have to buy drinks for hole in one?
Golfing tradition dictates that any golfer who makes a hole in one buys the drinks afterwards. Who he buys for can vary upon whatever local tradition exists at the club.
Does a hole in one in a scramble count?
Scramble
If there's a common theme among all these things, it's that holes in one need to be registered in legitimate, law-abiding rounds that the USGA would approve of counting toward your handicap. A scramble, fun as they are, doesn't fit that criteria.
Who shot a hole-in-one yesterday?
Shane Lowry just accomplished a feat millions of golfers can only dream of in their lifetime. Playing at TPC Sawgrass, Lowry drilled a beautiful shot, leading to a hole-in-one on the 17th hole.
How do I certify a hole-in-one?
By registering your hole-in-one, your achievement will forever be remembered.
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How to Qualify a Hole-In-One
- Visit the golf course's pro shop after the completion of your round to speak with the PGA professional on duty. ...
- Select the organization or organizations where you wish to register your hole-in-one.
How rare is an eagle on a par 4?
That would have to be a really short and really easy par 4 to get anywhere close to that. Assuming it's a normal “short” par 4 which is typically right around 300 yards, I'd say eagle odds are more like 1 in 50 in a group of scratch players.
What's the longest hole-in-one ever made?
The longest recorded hole-in-one ever was made by Mike Crean, when he holed out on the par 5 ninth hole at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver in 2002 from a distance of 517 yards (473 metres).
What is a hole-in-one called?
[A] Ace When a player hits the ball directly from the tee into the hole with one stroke. Also called a hole in one. Albatross A hole played three strokes under par, also called a Double Eagle.