What 17 Years of Hole-in-One Data Tells Us About Golf’s Favorite Shot
Golf, with its lush fairways, meticulously manicured greens, and serene landscapes, has always captivated enthusiasts and professionals alike. Within the game, one achievement stands above the rest: the elusive hole in one. A single stroke of perfection that sends the ball soaring effortlessly into the cup, defying the odds and leaving players in awe.
But just how rare is this remarkable feat? Join us as we apply some analytics to the intriguing statistics surrounding the odds of the golf hole in one, courtesy of 17 years of data collected by the National-Hole-in One Registry (NHIOR). NHIOR is the premiere worldwide hole-in-one golf registry and has been tracking hole in one statistics since 2006, capturing data ranging from average yardage to equipment used and demographic data like age, years experience, and handicap. By examining over 100,000 recorded holes in one dating back to 2006, we made some fascinating discoveries about golf’s singular achievement. Whether you're a casual weekend golfer or a seasoned pro, understanding the intricacies of hole-in-one odds can add a new layer of appreciation to this remarkable accomplishment.
Highlights from our analysis of National Hole In One Registry Data
General Hole-in-One Statistics
With a blend of skill, precision, and a sprinkle of luck, a hole in one embodies the pinnacle of achievement for any golfer. As players step onto the tee box, anticipation mounts, and dreams of that perfect shot fill their minds. Yet, the road to this momentous occasion is paved with astonishing statistics that highlight its elusive nature. For one, you’d be surprised to know that the odds of making a hole in one aren’t heavily biased towards professional golfers. A tour player is only 4x as likely to make an ace than an average player, suggesting either that luck is a big factor or tour players face significantly more difficult playing conditions that make holes in one more difficult.
So how hard is the hole in one? For the masses, the odds of making a hole in one are about 1 in every 3,500 rounds. An average golf course sees about 25,000-30,000 rounds per year, and reports on average only 10-15 holes in one. That means that only 1-2% of golfers record a hole in one during a calendar year. Let’s take a look and see what exactly those holes in one look like.
Holes In One By Club Used
Given that most holes in one are recorded on Par 3s, an average distance of 145 yards makes sense. And along those same lines, a majority of them are hit with a 7 iron, which accounts for 14,688 of the aces in our data set. That’s only 70 more than the 8 iron. At the other end of the golf bag, we were surprised to see 4,211 aces recorded with Drivers, more than any other wood or hybrid club in the database.
Hole-in-One statistics for type of golf club used.
Holes in One By Equipment
There’s a strange alchemy of precision, skill and luck that goes into a hole in one. While we’ve seen above that club selection favors the shorter irons, our database also tracks club and ball brands used to score a golfer’s ace. The most popular club brand is Callaway accounting for over 25% of aces, followed by Ping, TaylorMade, and Titleist. For golf ball used, the heavy favorite is no surprise: Titleist, used for nearly 50% of the holes in one in the NHIOR dataset.
Holes in One Per Equipment Type
Hole In One Demographics
While the fastest growing segment of golf is in the women’s game (nearly 22% year over year, according to the National Golf Foundation), males dominate the data with 85.8% of recorded holes in one. Their average distance of 150 yards is 34 yards longer than women, and their favored club is the 8 Iron. From an age perspective, it would appear that fortune favors those with more experience; 58,376 holes in one have been recorded by golfers older than 50, with the 60-69 year old age bracket recording the most of any age group with 25,125 aces.
Whether that trend suggests older golfers are more capable of shooting a hole in one or simply that they have more time to play golf, there’s a clear bias in our records towards age. But not necessarily skill. The most holes in one have been recorded by male golfers with a 12 handicap, and female golfers with an 18 handicap.
Let’s take a closer look at how the numbers break down for men and women.
Holes In One For Men By Age, Iron & Yardage
Holes In One For Women By Age, Iron & Yardage
Other Interesting Hole-In-One Statistics
While skill and precision certainly account for many aces, luck and randomness are factors as well. There may be no rhyme or reason to these data trends, but they’re fun to consider. Here’s a look at some of the more random findings we uncovered in our analysis.
Most Holes In One Per State: California (8,163) with Florida in second (7,692). Louisiana (616) and Arizona (534) are the two least frequent states for aces.
Most Holes In One Per City: The Villages, a retirement community in Florida with 12 courses and 40 executive courses, accounts for 415 aces in our data set, while Mesa, AZ with its 25 courses is a close second with 393.
Most Common Names: John, Michael and David are the three most common first names, while Smith, Johnson and Miller and the three most common last names.
Average Years Golfing: Given there is only one hole in one recorded for every 3,500 rounds played, it is no surprise that the the average number of golfing years per player is 25.64. So if you haven’t gotten your ace, keep shooting your shot!
Most Common Hole: It makes sense that Par 3s are the most common par for an ace, and most courses don’t start or end with a Par 3 (also true for individual 9s). So we expected to see a majority of holes in one in the middle of a round, and the data backs that up with 9,509 aces on Hole 8; 8,433 on Hole 3; 7,352 on Hole 4; and 7,321 on Hole 7. Along those same lines, there were only 1,557 holes-in-one on Hole 1 and 1,198 on Hole 18.
Individual Hole-In-One Feats
There are some truly incredible hole-in-one records in NHIOR, suggesting that some golfers truly do have all the luck. Consider Gregory P. Shaughnessy of Rockville Centre, NY, who successfully holed out on the 5th and 10th holes at Rockville Links Golf Club in August of 2016. Think that’s wild? Consider Mark Briggs of Perth, Australia who has recorded five holes in one on the same hole. From 1990 to 2015, Briggs aced the Par 3 7th hole of the Dunes Course at Joondalup Country Club in 1990, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2015.
Lucky Number 13
If you’re superstitious, then the following stats may help assuage some fears. While three golfers in the NHIOR have aced the same hole four times, Nick Sica of New Castle, PA had an all time streak of four holes in one in 30 days in the Fall of 2013. If you think that’s something, Chris Gilley of Costa Mesa, CA recorded two holes in one on the same day while playing in a 36 hole tournament in June of 2013. Two months later in August 2013, Don Warren aced a hole playing left handed….31 years after recording an ace while playing right handed in Michigan.
Hitting for the Cycle on Par 3s
On July 2, 2000, one lucky golfer named Ed Steinway played to the Stableford cycle by recording a bogey, par, birdie and hole in one on the four Par 3’s at Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, CA. Incredibly, he did them in order, going bogey on No. 4, par on No. 7, birdie on No. 13, and the ace on No. 15.
A Family Affair
Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae shows up again in the form of the spousal grand slam, where Paul and Jennifer Stuppi of San Matteo, CA have each aced all four Par 3s during their playing career. Back in 1988, Michal Neff of Carthage, IL drained a 140 yard pitching wedge on the second hole for his ace. 15 months later, his wife Celia did the same thing with a 5 Iron. Not to be outdone, their son Aaron followed suit 14 years later, replicating his father’s feat with a pitching wedge.
Parents and children can get it cooking too, although not often in the same round. Anne Fromer and her son Tony Fromer managed to do it in 2010 when each scored a hole in one in the same round. Anne hit a 114 yard 7 Iron on the 4th hole at the Brian Silva Course at Palm Beach Country Club, then Tony followed it up with a 205 yard 5 Iron on Hole No. 8.
Finally, NHIOR has one known record of a family with 4 generations of holes in one. In 1951, Greg Driscoll aced the 3rd hole at Triplele A Golf Club in St. Louis, MO. 24 years later his daughter, Mary Rose Heil, made an ace on the 16th hole at Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Kirkwood, MO. In 2006, Mary’s granddaughter Jill Stuckenschneider, made a hole in one on the 8th hole at Blue Hills Country Club in Overland Park, KS. Completing the generational slam, Jill’s mother Jane Stuckenshneider closed the loop on the 2nd hole at Pheasant Run in O’Fallon, MO.
As demonstrated, the golf hole in one is an amazing accomplishment and an embodiment of the singular achievement in the game. As golf continues to grow in popularity, we look forward to what patterns we might see as the National Hole-in-One Registry captures this data. If you or someone you know is an avid golfer, make sure they know what to do if they hit a hole in one and make sure they record it in the registry. And don’t forget to commemorate the achievement in style with a Hole-In-One Trophy from Great Golf Memories!
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