So When Does it Count as a “Real” Hole-In-One?

I am a traditionalist with some areas of the game, but I just can’t get behind this sentiment of strict hole-in-one gatekeeping.

There is nothing in golf more elusive and special than an ace. It’s sometimes a measure of skill and often a measure of luck. I’ve never had one but my uncle who barely plays skulled one across the lake—watching it skip on the water multiple times—before it somehow trundled into the hole.

The ace is golf’s most equal-access accomplishment. Anyone can do it.

And here’s the thing: Any hole-in-one is remarkable. If a top pro could stand on the same hole with 500 balls and not make an ace, then it must be incredibly difficult. If you get one, I can only imagine it’s the most euphoric moment a recreational golfer can have.

That’s why I’m more than a little irritated at the endless number of “disqualifiers” the golf world has compiled for situations where a hole-in-one is no longer legitimate. This game is supposed to be fun, rewarding and welcoming—can’t we loosen up a little bit on some of these unwritten rules?

Yes, there should be some qualifiers. If you take a mulligan, for instance, that wipes out the gravitas of the moment. You literally did not get a hole-in-one; you took an extra swing.

However, there are far more egregious situations where golfers contend hole-in-ones aren’t “real” aces.

Here are five scenarios that should count as legitimate holes-in-one. In my book, you can go around and tell everyone you got a hole-in-one without any shame.

After those five, I’ll explain five scenarios that still should not count as legitimate aces.

1. When you aren’t playing a formal round

Traditionalists say all holes-in-one must be part of a nine- or 18-hole round where all holes are completed according to the Rules of Golf.

If you play six holes and then quit, many golfers contend you can’t claim an ace within those six holes. If you hit a breakfast ball off the first tee and then make a hole-in-one eight holes later, apparently that disqualifies an ace. If you don’t keep score or have picked up on certain holes, that is also not good enough.

This is pure rubbish.

What happens on other holes shouldn’t matter—it’s about the one swing on the one hole. We are in a new era where a lot of golfers don’t have time to spend more than a couple hours on the course. We’re going to punish these people by saying their ace is “less than” because they didn’t have enough time?

Come on.

2. When you play (certain) par-3 courses

I’m probably in the minority here but I think we should be more lenient about aces on par-3 courses.

Let me explain.

If you go out to a pitch ‘n’ putt with 50-yard holes, that is a little too extreme for me to say you made a legitimate hole-in-one. There are no flip-wedge par-3s like that on a regulation course. It feels a little disingenuous to claim that ace when you can practically smash a putt onto the green from the tee.

However, a regulation-length par-3 course is fair game in my book. If you take out your 8-iron on a 160-yard hole and it goes in, I’m definitely not holding that against you just because you are on a par-3 course.

If it happened on a regulation course, we would celebrate it. Let’s do the same on a par-3 course. I’m also going to extend this to any “bonus holes” (also known as tiebreaker or gambling holes) on regulation courses.

Where is the cut-off, you ask? I think it largely depends on skill. For a better player, I think it has to at least be a full wedge. For juniors, women, seniors and others, there is definitely a case for “real” aces being made inside of 100 yards.

3. When you play in a scramble or other multi-player formats

Well, you know my feelings about scrambles after last week’s column.

Traditionally, scrambles or other formats of the game have been disqualified from “real ace” contention because they are not an official, formal round of golf.

Part of the contention is that your strategy could change depending on format. Perhaps in a scramble, a player has seen everyone else hit it close and now is willing to be more aggressive than normal. Instead of hitting to the fat of the green, the golfer is pin hunting.

I don’t think it should matter. If you hit the ball in the hole with one swing, it counts. This isn’t mini-golf with a funnel. You still hit the shot.

4. When you play on your own without a witness

If you’re willing to lie about making a hole-in-one while playing on your own, you have a lot bigger issues than anything that happens on the course.

I trust people who go out for an emergency nine on their own and end up with an ace. Sure, there is no video. Sure, we can never know with 100 percent certainty that it was a hole-in-one.

At the same time, that is no reason to wipe an ace off the board. If it goes in the hole, witness or not, that counts every bit as much as someone playing with three of their buddies.

5. When you use borrowed gear or other unusual conditions

There are some letter-of-the-law golfers who want to disqualify an ace based on technical rules infractions.

For instance, if you make an ace when trying out your friend’s 7-iron for one shot. Or if you are playing the blue tees for the whole round and accidentally (or intentionally) play from the whites on that hole.

These are ridiculous methods of disqualification in my opinion.

If we’re talking about tournament golf and a player is penalized (or actually disqualified from the tournament) based on an error like this, then I still say the ace “counts” in the broader sense.

So what should not count as an ace?

We have to draw the line somewhere, right? If you call anything an ace, then that devalues the accomplishment of everyone else.

Here are five scenarios that should not count.

1. When you replay the shot in any way

I mentioned this one before but it’s pretty self-explanatory. If your ace involved taking a mulligan, penalty shot or multiple efforts (like in practice), that does not count.

The whole point of a hole-in-one is to make it … in one try.

2. When you play a hole with a temporary green

This is a tough one. I think there might be some room for interpretation here. If you happen to be playing a really nice course with beautiful temporary greens, that is a lot different than hitting to a hole that probably isn’t cut correctly, surrounded by shaggy grass.

Most temporary greens are basically fairway grass. The ball is going to react differently when it hits. Not to mention that the hole is usually a lot shorter than normal.

I can’t even remember the last time I played on a temporary green so this doesn’t come up a ton. I think it’s ultimately a feel thing. You would know if it feels wrong.

3. When you are playing on a simulator

There have been some high-profile personalities going viral for making a hole-in-one on a simulator.

I’m going to keep an open mind on this one for the future but I don’t think a simulator ace is legitimate. I think the hole-in-one should be on an actual golf course where conditions like temperature and wind have an impact. Also, simulators can’t be assumed to be perfect. Glitches happen.

This is an interesting one, though. I can see this slowly changing over time to where simulator golf is more accepted as “real golf”—which could change the calculus on how we view simulator aces.

4. When you use an illegal club/equipment

This is another weird one given how rules are scheduled to change in a few years.

If someone makes an ace with a non-rollback ball, will that still count? I would say yes.

But for the moment, I think making an ace with non-conforming equipment should come with an asterisk. I’m thinking about, for example, altering the club face to influence speed or accuracy.

5. When you make an ace but it’s the wrong hole

I’m thinking about double greens or unusual circumstances where a player mistakenly hits toward the wrong hole.

If it goes in, that’s a hilarious story. It’s kind of a hole-in-one … but not an actual hole-in-one.

What else should be on this list? Do you agree or disagree with the qualifiers I have?

Let me know below in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Not all aces count the same, but should they? (GETTY IMAGES/Joosep Martinson)

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