Ace of #Golf Clubs - The Odds of Hitting a Hole-in-One

This guest post was written by Phil Blackwell (bio below). Let us know if you enjoy the article! If you would have your post published on Golf for Beginners blog, please email Stacy: golfforbeginners@aol.com.

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Most golfers will go through their entire lives without ever getting a hole-in-one. You know what people say about aces? They're good shots that got lucky.

At odds of 12,500/1, the laws of probability say you would need to play one round of golf, per week, for two hundred and forty years before you get an ace.

Which is surprising, as aces are pretty common in major tournaments. Just a few weeks ago, Louis Oosthuizen got a hole-in-one when he sunk the ball on the 14th hole on the first day of The Open. It was his second ace of the year after doing the same at the Masters, albeit by chance.

There have already been twenty-one aces on the 2015-16 PGA Tour with plenty of examples to go around. One memorable example was in March 2015, a double down as Dustin Johnson and J.B. Holmes struck it lucky on the Blue Monster's 4th hole on the same day within twenty minutes of each other.

How do the pros do it and is it possible to reduce the odds in your favor? Here are ways you can improve your "luck":

- Practice, practice, practice! While 12,500/1 is literally a long-shot for an average player, a professional’s odds can be as low as just 3,000/1. Lower your handicap and increase your chances.

- It goes without saying that it’s easier to hit a hole-in-one, whatever your level, if you play a shorter golf course. A short par-3 is much more achievable than a longer par-5, despite the appeal of an elusive condor (a double albatross/triple eagle).

A recent study over in the UK revealed that a massive 79% of Brits significantly underestimate their chances of scoring an ace, with some suggesting that the odds were actually 1,600 times longer.

They may be surprised to hear the story of Patrick Wills. An amateur golfer from Virginia who just last year hit three holes-in-one in a single round, beating seemingly impossible odds of over one trillion to one. A stroke of luck indeed!

Have you ever gotten a hole-in-one? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.


About Phil Blackwell

Phil is the content editor of OnlineBingo.co.uk, overseeing original research into probability, odds and chance. He told me about how he once got a hole-in-one himself...on a crazy golf course in Dorset, but an old wrist injury keeps him sidelined from the sport.

Can British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen's "trigger" help you improve your golf game?

David MacKenzie

Written by David MacKenzie

Louis Oosthuizen's victory in The Open and the discovery of the "Red Dot" concentration trigger that helped him win has golfers wanting to understand exactly how it works. Here's how. 



The concept comes from a behavioral technology called Neuro Linguistic Programming (or NLP), a fairly new branch of psychology that attempts to improve a person's mental and emotional behavior. The teaching assumes that specific goals or actions (neuro) can be better achieved by "anchoring" (programming) past experiences with reinforcement stimuli such as touch, word or sight (linguistic).

Louis Oosthuizen marked the now famous Red Dot above his thumb on his left glove after working with Sports Psychologist Dr. Karl Morris. During practice, when he was 100% focused and ready to execute a shot, he would look at the Red Dot and "anchor" this mental state with that sight. Then, during competition, looking at the Red Dot as part of his pre-shot routine would automatically recall that feeling and make his mind enter that exact same state.

The goal of NLP is to bring together the conscious and unconscious minds.

In this case, Oosthuizen would first make conscious analytical decisions on how to best play the shot. Then by looking at the Red Dot, a reaction would be triggered by his unconscious mind to adopt the emotional state associated with that visual anchor.

The unconscious mind does not reason, is not logical and makes no judgments. Its primary job is physiological, in regulating body temperature and breathing. But it is also a repository of feelings (hence your dreams) which (if triggered correctly) can be recalled by the conscious mind. In a game where performance can be massively impaired by conscious thinking, bringing the non-judgmental unconscious mind into the shot process can only help our scores.

Confidence plays such a huge role in performing well in golf, so it is important to be able to recall (on demand) those times you felt success. The pre-shot (and post-shot) routine is one of the most important factors in achieving this. Getting yourself into a confident, positive mind-set will massively improve your chances of success. And this is exactly what the "trigger" does.

Golf is an unusual game in that it lasts 4-5 hours. For this reason it is imperative to be able to switch on and off - relaxing as much as possible when you can and conserving energy to give EVERY shot your best concentration. During the intense pressure of The Open, Oosthuizen was able to relax in between shots, safe in the knowledge that his Red Dot would take him into the necessary state of mind to give every shot his absolute concentration and focus. It reinforced his practice and gave him the self-confidence to execute.

The next time you are on the range, practice going through your routine and get as focused as you can be on the shot you are about to play. Give it everything you have. Then look, say or feel your "trigger" - this can be visual, verbal or touch (Ernie Els uses the Velcro on his glove and Fred Couples uses a tug on his shirt.)

That anchor will automatically start to produce the desired action, which is to recall that same focused state of mind. When you hit a good shot, anchor that too in the same way. Then try it on the course and make your new "trigger" part of your routine. This will tell your unconscious mind to adopt that optimal state of mind and you will be ready to play the shot as best you can.

The Golf State of Mind Audio Teaching has been designed as a tool to optimize your mind to ensure that you get closer to your potential EVERY time you practice and play. By using techniques to increase your powers of imagination, visualization and feel, you will discover a whole new, and more powerful, approach to golf game improvement. Listen to it on the way to the golf course or practice range and you will start to play fearlessly, remove negative interferences and become transformed into a better and happier golfer. Through learning how to synchronize your body and mind with visual and feel based exercises and learning a consistent approach to each shot, good golf will become a simple subconscious process. Don't continue to waste any more time practicing in the wrong way!!!
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Mickelson and Woods blowing in the wind at British Open?

Will Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods take a back seat to Oosthuizen at this year's British Open?

"I need some luck," said a dejected Phil Mickelson after his second round of the British Open concluded. Disappointed that he wasn't driving the ball very well, a little bit of luck could have meant that he hoped the rest of the crowd didn't fare much better, and they didn't yesterday, with not a single player breaking par after Mickelson left the 18th green.

Tiger Woods, when asked by a journalist yesterday if he was "willing to cut out all those tantrums this week and respect the home of golf?" Tiger responded, "I'm trying to become a better player and a better person, yes."

Yes, Tiger Woods, tantrums and outbursts just won't be tolerated. A calm steely attitude could go a long way at St. Andrews, especially on moving day.

Early this morning, out of the thirty golfers completing the second round, three came out in red numbers, including amateur Jin Jeong (70), Alejandro Canizares (71) and Darren Clarke (70).

And who is this little known South African, Louis Oosthuizen (sounded like 'whisthasen' when he pronounced it), who has totally left the rest of the golfers blowing in the wind? Nicknamed Shrek (because of a headcover he used to use), his full name is Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen and he won the Open de Andalucia in March. He's the 54th-ranked player in the world and is 22nd on the European Tour money list.

We have seen this scenario many times before, when relative unknowns come out of nowhere to win major tournaments, from Lucas Glover (2009 U.S. Open) to Zach Johnson (2007 Masters)...wouldn't it add an element of surprise if Tiger Woods creeped up the leaderboard and forced Oosthuizen into a playoff?

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