Say someone plays a local Par 3 nine hole course quite often. On the shortest hole on the course they tee up a sand wedge and it goes one bounce and in. Is it real? Asking for a friend.

Tee'd "up" would be a stretch, but for sure resting atop a nub of tee. He said.

If it's over 100 yards, I say it counts. If it's some janky 60 yard hole, that's a much tougher sell.

I wouldn't count it if it was me, but I've also had 2 legit hole in ones. If I hit this one, I might mention it, but it would also be with the caveat that it was on a short par 3 hole.

The Micheal Breed show talked about this a few days ago. They came to the conclusion that if it's a course that counts toward your USGA handicap, then it's legit.

DargelSkout said:

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I wouldn't count it if it was me, but I've also had 2 legit hole in ones. If I hit this one, I might mention it, but it would also be with the caveat that it was on a short par 3 hole.

The Micheal Breed show talked about this a few days ago. They came to the conclusion that if it's a course that counts toward your USGA handicap, then it's legit.

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That feels right. We have a Chasing Aces range with a 9 hole par 3 course attached. Somewhat ironically, I wouldn't count an ace there.

This happened to me on an 80 yard hole at a par 3. Never thought to count it.

Try and frame that scorecard in your office. Might as well add the pin flag to the frame, or hoist the scorecard up on a Panchos restaurant flag pole.

no

Ag_07 said:

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It counts

And WTF does distance have to do with anything? If it was a shorty par-3 on a regular course this wouldn't be a question.

Hell if you drive the green on a short par-4 and knock in the putt it's still an albatross.

Distances of holes have no bearing on the legitimacy of the score.

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I think distance matters a little. There are par 3 courses with some really short holes (60 yards or so). You'd virtually never find a par 3 that short on a regular course. I think that's worth taking into account.

But to truly answer this question, someone needs to ask the pros whether they count hole-in-ones during the par 3 contest at the masters.

That's a chip in.

Life's too short for this. If someone asks, just say yes, I've had a hole in one. No one needs to know the details.

aginlakeway said:

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Any ace on a par 3 is a hole in one. By definition. The ball went in the hole in one stroke from the tee box. It doesn't matter if the hole is 60 yards or 260 or 360 yards, or if it's a par 3 course or a regulation course. The ball was holed in one stroke from the tee box.

I skulled a 6 iron on a slightly downhill straight 180 yard par 3 way back when and it went in the hole. The ball was never more than 6 feet off the ground. But somehow it went in.

That's a hole in one.

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Oh boy. This opens a new can of worms. It's a hole in one at a real par 3 distance, but I can't be happy about it. But a sub-100 yd shot that soars 100 feet in the air and backs up into the hole?

snowaggie said:

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aginlakeway said:

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Any ace on a par 3 is a hole in one. By definition. The ball went in the hole in one stroke from the tee box. It doesn't matter if the hole is 60 yards or 260 or 360 yards, or if it's a par 3 course or a regulation course. The ball was holed in one stroke from the tee box.

I skulled a 6 iron on a slightly downhill straight 180 yard par 3 way back when and it went in the hole. The ball was never more than 6 feet off the ground. But somehow it went in.

That's a hole in one.

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Oh boy. This opens a new can of worms. It's a hole in one at a real par 3 distance, but I can't be happy about it. But a sub-100 yd shot that soars 100 feet in the air and backs up into the hole?

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Any golfer should be VERY happy about any hole in one!

I have 2 ... one skulled, one hit well. So I have 2.

aginlakeway said:

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Any ace on a par 3 is a hole in one. By definition. The ball went in the hole in one stroke from the tee box. It doesn't matter if the hole is 60 yards or 260 or 360 yards, or if it's a par 3 course or a regulation course. The ball was holed in one stroke from the tee box.

I skulled a 6 iron on a slightly downhill straight 180 yard par 3 way back when and it went in the hole. The ball was never more than 6 feet off the ground. But somehow it went in.

That's a hole in one.

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So is a putt-putt golf hole in one. They are all a hole in one. They all have a story and folks are free to tell the story. But if one asks "is it legit?" then IMO they are asking if it is official and that means GHIN.

Enrico Pallazzo said:

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aginlakeway said:

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Any ace on a par 3 is a hole in one. By definition. The ball went in the hole in one stroke from the tee box. It doesn't matter if the hole is 60 yards or 260 or 360 yards, or if it's a par 3 course or a regulation course. The ball was holed in one stroke from the tee box.

I skulled a 6 iron on a slightly downhill straight 180 yard par 3 way back when and it went in the hole. The ball was never more than 6 feet off the ground. But somehow it went in.

That's a hole in one.

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So is a putt-putt golf hole in one. They are all a hole in one. They all have a story and folks are free to tell the story. But if one asks "is it legit?" then IMO they are asking if it is official and that means GHIN.

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Fair enough. Good argument for your opinion. But a putt putt course is not a par 3 course ot a regulation course.

I'm blessed to have 2 on "real" courses. 18 months apart 30 years ago. I haven't been within 3 feet again since.

I know people who have played 50+ rounds a year for decades and don't have one. So I consider myself lucky in that area.

Golf has been very good to me.

Sidenote. An ace during the Masters par 3 tournament is called a hole in one by the Masters official Instagram account.

https://instagr.am/p/DW4DGjogt-r

it's not a standard 18 hole golf course
this is sad it's even a debate

Like the other posters said, do the pros claim the par 3 course as a hole in one if they make it? I doubt it.

A lot of par 3 courses have greens that purposely funnel that ball towards the holes. I'm talking the short ones where you can walk the thing and carry 2 clubs the entire time. Personally, I wouldn't count that as a legit hole in one. Courses like the Cradle come to mind. I'd venture to guess they have hole in ones out there every single day. To me it kind of loses its luster at that point. I doubt guys are picking up bar tabs for the course there when they make one?

However, there are some par 3 courses that have holes that exceed 200 yards. That then murkys the water and I'd most likely count that as a hole in one as it isn't as gimicky.


All that to say, I think it depends on the course. Luckily for me I have one already on a legit course during a legit round of golf and I don't have to worry about this argument.

AustinCountyAg said:

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Like the other posters said, do the pros claim the par 3 course as a hole in one if they make it? I doubt it.

A lot of par 3 courses have greens that purposely funnel that ball towards the holes. I'm talking the short ones where you can walk the thing and carry 2 clubs the entire time. Personally, I wouldn't count that as a legit hole in one. Courses like the Cradle come to mind. I'd venture to guess they have hole in ones out there every single day. To me it kind of loses its luster at that point. I doubt guys are picking up bar tabs for the course there when they make one?

However, there are some par 3 courses that have holes that exceed 200 yards. That then murkys the water and I'd most likely count that as a hole in one as it isn't as gimicky.


All that to say, I think it depends on the course. Luckily for me I have one already on a legit course during a legit round of golf and I don't have to worry about this argument.

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I like your overall point here in bold. And I have 2 on regulation courses which I am glad to have!

Jack Nicklaus said his kid made a hole in one at the ANGC Par 3 course. Video was posted above. So personally, I think an ace on a par 3 course is a hole in one. But I wouldn't go bragging about it if it was 50 yards! LOL

Now if was at the ANGC Par 3 course, or at The Hay at Pebble ... that would be worth bragging about!

No one has said they aren't called hole-in-ones. They are all called that. But if someone is asking "legit" or "official", that's a different question, and I don't know how one is legit or official if it wasn't on a legit/official course, which that means GHIN

Enrico Pallazzo said:

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No one has said they aren't called hole-in-ones. They are all called that. But if someone is asking "legit" or "official", that's a different question, and I don't know how one is legit or official if it wasn't on a legit/official course, which that means GHIN

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Very good point. Thanks!

Enrico Pallazzo said:

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No one has said they aren't called hole-in-ones. They are all called that. But if someone is asking "legit" or "official", that's a different question, and I don't know how one is legit or official if it wasn't on a legit/official course, which that means GHIN

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I would even split hairs more. An official H-I-O is on a GHIN course and a legit H-I-O is one on a hole more than 100 yards. Anything that's not a GHIN course and less than 100 yards is still cool and a story worth telling but it comes with this caveat.

I wouldn't put the 100 yard limit on it. The postage stamp hole and #7 at Pebble can play <100 and those are still very legit in my book. I think the only GHIN limitation I might put up is if it's playing temporary tees. For instance, my home course just did some fairway drainage work on a par 4 and temporary teed it to a short par 3 (albeit still over 100). Not sure i'd consider that legit. It would still be a hole in one, but "is it official/legit?" is a bit squishy.

Interesting to note that the USGA Rules of Golf do not specify a minimum yardage requirement for a hole-in-one to be official.

I do think the round has to be finished tho. Or maybe just 9 holes completed. Mixed messages out there.

There are lots of mixed opinions/messages about this topic out there.

Enrico Pallazzo said:

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I wouldn't put the 100 yard limit on it. The postage stamp hole and #7 at Pebble can play <100 and those are still very legit in my book. I think the only GHIN limitation I might put up is if it's playing temporary tees. For instance, my home course just did some fairway drainage work on a par 4 and temporary teed it to a short par 3 (albeit still over 100). Not sure i'd consider that legit. It would still be a hole in one, but "is it official/legit?" is a bit squishy.

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Agree. As noted above, the 15th hole at LACC played 81 yards in the third round of the 2023 U.S. Open.

Enrico Pallazzo said:

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I wouldn't put the 100 yard limit on it. The postage stamp hole and #7 at Pebble can play <100 and those are still very legit in my book. I think the only GHIN limitation I might put up is if it's playing temporary tees. For instance, my home course just did some fairway drainage work on a par 4 and temporary teed it to a short par 3 (albeit still over 100). Not sure i'd consider that legit.

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I have no issue with any H-I-O on a Ghin course. That's why I said it has to be both a non-GHIN course and less than 100 before I wouldn't be comfortable claiming, without reservation, a H-I-O.

Basically, I would have official H-I-Os (Ghin courses), legit H-I-Os (non-Ghin courses but a real golf hole), and then ones that require you to say "I made a H-I-O but . . . "

And this is just my thoughts on a fun topic. Clearly, none of this means anything and people can believe whatever they want.