Hole-In-One Facts and Figures

First Recorded - The earliest recorded hole-in-one was in 1868 at the Open Championship when Tom Morris (Young Tom) did the 8th hole 145 yards Prestwick in one stroke. This was the first of four Open Championships won successively by Young Tom.

First With 1.66 inch ball - The first hole-in-one recorded with the 1.66 inch ball was in 1972 by John G Salvesen, a member of the R&A Championship Committee. At the time this size of ball was only experimental. Salvesen used a 7-iron for his historical feat at the 11th hole on the Old Course, St Andrews.

Consecutive - John Hudson, a 25-year-old professional, achieved a near miracle when he holed two consecutive holes-in-one at the 11th and 12th holes (195 yards and 311 yards respectively) in the 1971 Martini Tournament at Norwich, England.

First On TV in Open Championship - In the Open Championship at Birkdale, Lionel Platts aced the 212-yard 4th hole in the second round. This was the first instance of an Open Championship hole-in-one being recorded by television.

In Ryder Cup - Nick Faldo's ace at the 14th in the 1993 Ryder Cup at The Belfry was only the second to be recorded in the history of the match. The other was by Peter Butler at Muirfield's 16th hole in 1973.

Two In a Tournament - In the 1973 Open Championship at Troon, two holes-in-one were recorded, both at the "Postage Stamp" hole, the 8th hole, in the first round. They were achieved by Gene Sarazen and amateur David Russell, who were by coincidence respectively the oldest and youngest competitors.

History Repeats Itself - Mrs Argea Tissies, whose husband Hermann took 15 at Royal Troon's Postage Stamp 8th hole in the 1950 Open, scored an ace at the 2nd hole at Punta Ala in the second round of the Italian Ladies' Senior Open of 1978. Exactly five years later on the same date, at the same time of day, in the same round of the same tournament at the same hole, she did it again with the same club.

Four professionals. One Round, One Hole - In less than two hours play in the second round of the 1989 US Open at Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, New York, four competitors - Doug Weaver, Mark Wiebe, Jerry Pate and Nick Price - each holed the 167 yards 6th hole in one. The odds against four professionals achieving such a record in a field of 156 are reckoned at 332,000 to 1.

Longest - In March, 1961, Lou Kretlow holed his tee shot at the 427 yards 16th hole at Lake Hefner course, Oklahoma City, USA.

Longest - Lady Golfer - The longest-recorded hole-in-one by a woman was that accomplished in September, 1949 by Marie Robie - the 393-yard hole at Furnace Brook course, Wollaston, Mass, USA.

Oldest Man - In January 1985 Otto Bucher from Switzerland holed-in-one at the age of 99 on La Manga's 130-yard 12th hole.

Odds Against

At the Wanderers Club, Johannesburg in January, 1951, forty-nine amateurs and professionals each played three balls at a hole 146 yards long. Of the 147 balls hit, the nearest was by Koos de Beer, professional at Reading Country Club, which finished 10.5 inches from the hole. Harry Bradshaw, the Irish professional who was touring with the British team in South Africa, touched the pin with his second shot, but the ball rolled on and stopped 3 feet 2 inches from the cup.

1409 players held a similar competition in New York in 1951. All players had done a hole previously. This competition was held over several days at short holes on three New York golf courses. Each player was allowed a total of five shots, giving an aggregate of 7,045 shots. No player holed-in-one, and the nearest ball finished 3112 inches from the hole.

As further proof that luck is a major element in recording an ace, is derived from an effort by Harry Gonder, an American professional, who in 1940 stood for 16 hours 25 minutes and hit 1,817 balls trying to do a 160 yard hole-in-one. He had two official witnesses and caddies to tee and retrieve the balls and count the strokes. His 1,756th shot struck the hole but stopped an inch from the hole. This was his nearest effort.

Based on the above facts and other statistical information, the odds against acing any particular hole within the range of one shot was made at somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 to 1 by a proficient player. Subsequently, however, statistical analysis in America has come up with the following odds: a male professional or top amateur 3,708 to 1; a female professional or top amateur 4,648 to 1; an average golfer 42,952 to 1.