HOLES IN ONE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holes in One

 

Some consider a hole-in-one to be the holy grail of golf.  The idea of trying to hit a 1.68 inch diameter golf ball 150 yards into a 4.25 inch diameter hole with an implement  very poorly designed for the task does indeed seem an impossibility.  The quoted odds for an amateur achieving this are a rather daunting 12,500 to one although clearly ability is a factor as the odds drop to around 3,000 to one for tour pros.

 

Whilst many great players have never achieved this feat in a lifetime of golf, there are people who have made it seem surprisingly easy.  62 year old Unni Haskell from Norway for example, took a few golf lessons after she moved to St Petersburg, Florida.  Convinced she had more or less mastered the game, she decided it was time she went on an actual golf course.  Carefully selecting driver for the 100 yard hole, she took dead aim, launched the ball a massive 75 yards through the air, and watched as the first ball she had ever struck on a golf course bounced and dribbled the remaining 25 yards straight into the hole, thereby pretty much proving that she had!

 

Length is not an issue either as proved by Mike Crean who holed out from 517 yards in Denver Colorado.  At over 5000 feet in elevation he was clearly getting some assistance from the thin air, but even so an impressive bash.

 

Age also does not seem to be an excuse for failure as demonstrated by both Jake Paine who scored his first at the tender age of 3, and Harold Stilson who had the pleasure of writing 1 on his scorecard at a youthful 101.

 

Some people have made quite a habit of it such as Norman Manley who claims 59 aces, or the pro Mancil Davis who has a very well documented 51 to his name.  I imagine the golf club bar is packed with hopefuls every time they come in from a round, expecting the traditional free drink.

 

Golf Society Holes in One

With the number of players who have been Golf Society members over the years, you would expect that we have clocked up a few to our credit if only on the “monkeys and typewriters principle” (if you give enough monkeys enough typewriters one of them will eventually type out the complete works of Shakespeare).  After a bit of research it does appear that this is indeed the case.

 

Sadly our Chairman Phil Head has not to date made an ace, although he has achieved the far more difficult task of an Albatross, ie a 2 on a par 5 which he achieved at the 10th hole on Phuket Country Club.  The odds quoted on this feat are around 6 million to one which makes a hole in one seem like child’s play.  What is he waiting for?

 

The same is true for another of our top golfers Jonny Brock who despite having no fewer than 2 Albatrosses at Hindhead Golf Club in Surrey still has not achieved the comparatively simple task of a hole in one.

 

 

 

I am sure there are many more, but below are details of the 26 aces by 14 GS members that I am aware of:-

 

 

Name

Course

Hole

Yardage

JP Cuvelier

Macau GCC

6

150

 

Blue Canyon Phuket (Canyon)

2

200

 

Kau Sai Chau South

11

155

Chris Burley

Green Valley Rayong

12

128

 

Macau GCC

17

150

 

Macau GCC

14

196

 

Deep Water Bay

7

160

 

Incline Village Mountain Course (USA)

2

136

 

Rushcliffe Golf Club

14

174

Nick Allen

Lotus Hill (for HKFC vs American Club)

2

105

 

Allan Hoeming

Clearwater Bay (in a GS event)

4

156

Elsa Lee

Clearwater Bay

11

130

 

Angkor Golf Club

17

129

 

De Zalze Stellenbosch

12

140

Dallas Reid

Chung Shan (Palmer)

13

150

 

Cowdray Park

11

110

 

Thailand somewhere (Asian Ryder Cup)

Too drunk to remember

190

 

HKGC New Course

13

130

 

Philippines somewhere (squash tour)

Too drunk to remember

170

 

Emerald Pattaya

13

190

Agatha Hay

Hartford (UK)

16

108

Peggy Chan

Mission Hills China (Leadbetter Course)

10

97

Steve Lee

KSC South

5

134

Gordon Marsden

Furness Golf Club Old Links (Cumbria)

6

135

Malou Ferrier Waldie

Clearwater Bay (HKFC Event)

16

145

David Lindsay

HKGC Eden Course

2

135

Andrew Wood

Discovery Bay Jade

3

155

Kien Ng

KSC East

15

130

Ian Petersen

Deepwater Bay

14

200

 

Moor Park West (UK)

13

151