Is This a Hole In One?
I’m going to say yes because life is far too full of no right now. Maybe yes asterisk but still celebration worthy yes. 
Ouch.
That picture sums up my 2019 and 2020 so far.
That picture sums up my 2019 and 2020 so far.
The HIO I lost to a similar circumstance many years ago would've been my first. I've always considered it one that I would've made but never one I did make even though the situation was even flukier. All three of us watching the ball clearly saw it wobble back as it gently tapped into the make shift temporary 'flag stick' (young eyes, 115 yards maybe, and 'pin' sitting wide open on the front of a green sloped toward us). Compared to JB's pic my ball ended up about an inch further back and maybe a quarter inch to the left.
None of us doubted it would've gone in except that it couldn't. They had temporarily replaced the flag by screwing in the thick handle from a hoe?, shovel?, push broom?, rake? and tied a rag to the top. It was too thick for a ball to possibly fit, we tried to, impossible without damaging hole. From the green it was also evident what happened to the regular flag. It was stuck in the marsh next to the river about 25 yards off the green. Slanted, flag up, some idiot must've javelin tossed it.
Like you mentioned, my friends thought I should count it but it never would've felt right. I did kinda half @ss count it in the club house. I bought their drinks but didn't announce the almost HIO because it was a pretty historic course. Lot's of past PGA events with many historic champs like Hagen, Nelson, Snead, Hogan etc... At the time it also held all time low 72 hole score for a PGA event, 257 by Mike Souchak. I'm sure that's been obliterated by now but I believe it was still current when I 'almost' holed out in 1978. My 'almost accomplishment' didn't belong framed on the wall of THAT venue so I wouldn't let my buddies say a word.
Maybe if I hadn't actually made another one about 16 years later I might feel different now as an old man with only so much golf left, but I doubt it. I absolutely didn't deserve the one I got so it all balanced out.
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mski
Active member
In the state of PA the governor closed all golf courses a week and a half ago. A public course I'm a member of I still went and played a few times last week but there are no pins in the green. The course isn't open.
The course is officially closed and there are no pins in the greens (cups are there) and I jump around holes to take the ones with the hills out of play. If I was to make a hole in one is it considered an "official" hole in one even though the course is closed, no pins and I'm not playing holes in a consecutive?
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I am on the no side.
Reasoning being that if I hit the shot off the tee, I would expect the ball to have a slight bounce away from the raised hole. In this scenario, the ball is leaning on the raised cup. Sure, the ball could have been dying at the hole. Yet, that would not necessarily be the case. My best guess would be the ball coming up short.
No HIO
Reasoning being that if I hit the shot off the tee, I would expect the ball to have a slight bounce away from the raised hole. In this scenario, the ball is leaning on the raised cup. Sure, the ball could have been dying at the hole. Yet, that would not necessarily be the case. My best guess would be the ball coming up short.
No HIO
Not a "hole" to be found at all though, is there?
Touch-in-one, I'll give ya that.
Touch-in-one, I'll give ya that.
Easy birdie but no hole in 1.
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That'd be a hard no. I'm not sure I'd discount it because the course is closed (whole 'nother issue there with trespassing and all), but I believe to be "official" you must be playing a round of 9 or 18, or maybe 7 or 13... I dunno. I think the skipping around casts a shadow on it for "official" purposes. That being said, I'd claim it.
mski
Active member
I think it would not be "official".
We all have a hard enough time getting one when we know where the hole is but to have such bigger dumb luck to get one when you don't know where the hole is would be something to brag about.
Wouldn't it be crazy if you hit a shot that was right over the flag and spun back and bounced square off the cup?? That would be frustrating if it happened and #1 it didn't count and #2 I didn't get the satisfaction of pulling the ball out of the cup..