Hole-In-One Facts – Tee Times

The 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.

The 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 the 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.

4 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.

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

The Longest by a 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.

Hole-In-One Facts