Hole-in-One Question

[killerleft]

All right, golfers.

Anyone else see on TV the news that a young lady had two holes-in-one in the same week? There were phone videos of her picking the ball out of each hole.

On the second one, the ball was not in the hole yet. It was leaning against the flag, but maybe half the ball had not yet sunk into the hole. Instead of moving the flag so the ball would drop, she just picked the ball up.

So the question is, is that a legal hole-in-one? For that matter, should any leaner count if you don't let it drop into the hole?

[CameronBornAndBred]

As long as the laws of physics dictate that the ball would fall in if the flag were not there, I'm good with it.

[BD80]

With Covid rules, the balls shouldn't be going into the holes. When did this happen?

[Tripping William]

As long as the laws of physics dictate that the ball would fall in if the flag were not there, I'm good with it.

^^ +1 on this

[JNort]

As long as the laws of physics dictate that the ball would fall in if the flag were not there, I'm good with it.

This!!!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

With Covid rules, the balls shouldn't be going into the holes. When did this happen?

With a piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the cup, by rule the ball does not have to drop below the top of the hole to be considered “holed”. If it does have to stay in the cup, lip outs caused by the styrofoam don’t count.

[nmduke2001]

With a piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the cup, by rule the ball does not have to drop below the top of the hole to be considered “holed”. If it does have to stay in the cup, lip outs caused by the styrofoam don’t count.

Ozzie is correct. Almost all courses have added a piece of styrofoam or a pool noodle inside the cup to keep the ball from going completely into the hole so players can retrieve their ball without touching the cup.

[jv001]

With a piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the cup, by rule the ball does not have to drop below the top of the hole to be considered “holed”. If it does have to stay in the cup, lip outs caused by the styrofoam don’t count.

This is correct.^ Lady get's credit for two hole-n-ones. In our Monday golfing group, if the ball hit's the flag and bounces all the way out of the hole, we count it. There's not much room in that little hole. When the course we play, fixed the flag/cup so the flag would not have to be taken out(Covid rule), some people were taking the flag out anyway. Also the bunkers don't have rakes. The first day they removed the rakes and took them to one spot on the course. Some helpful person, found them and began putting them back in the traps. That didn't go over well and neither did the removal of the flags. I really like the bunker rule where I'm allowed to remove my ball and get a free drop.

[elvis14]

We usually say that if it hits foam it's good. We have had a few putts roll over the foam and keep going...

I got my first and only HIO last year...it was pre-covid so there was no foam in play. And I had a witness!

Not having people play with flag sticks does help move things along a little quicker. One course I play we lift out of the sand because the traps are so poorly maintained that they are not playable. Most other courses we just hit out of the sand and smooth over the sand with our foot. Shout out to my newest club: Callaway Sure Out 2, for me it helps (I tend to do well with a lot of bounce).

[rsvman]

My local golf course had elevated rings around the holes; if the ball touched the ring it was considered holed. Recently, however, they took the rings away and they did not place a pool noodle into the hole. In other words, we went back to normal holes, at least at that course.


Now, as far as the rules of golf are concerned, PRIOR TO THE COVID CRISIS, the ball is not considered holed until it is securely within the hole and is "at rest" against the bottom of the cup. When the ball becomes lodged halfway into the hole against the flagstick, the player or a representative of the player is allowed to gently move the flagstick enough to allow the ball to meet the definition of "holed" that I just mentioned. If a player simply walks up and picks the ball up, considering it holed, they actually incur a one-stroke penalty. Remember that this was the pre-COVID rule.


So, to directly answer the original question: If the hole was equipped with some sort of plug placed because of the pandemic whole purpose is to prevent balls from going all the way down into the hole, the player is allowed to walk up, pick up the ball, and record the hole-in-one. If, on the other hand, the course does NOT have a plug of some kind in the hole and had gone back to normal holes like my local municipal course did, the ball is NOT considered holed and may NOT be considered holed nor may it be touched without penalty until it has come to rest at the bottom of the hole.


So, I guess the real answer is "it depends."

[Indoor66]

Can we belay the tortured analysis and agree that the lady, by reasonable analysis under all of the circumstances, had two holes in one in the same round? 😋😎

[rsvman]

Can we belay the tortured analysis and agree that the lady, by reasonable analysis under all of the circumstances, had two holes in one in the same round? 😋😎

No, not at all, since the OP asserted that she had two holes-in-one in the same WEEK, not in the same round.

[Indoor66]

No, not at all, since the OP asserted that she had two holes-in-one in the same WEEK, not in the same round.

Pardon the error but the principle remains the same. 😎

[CameronBornAndBred]

No, not at all, since the OP asserted that she had two holes-in-one in the same WEEK, not in the same round.

I've known a few slow golfers that could make that a possibility.

[elvis14]

I've known a few slow golfers that could make that a possibility.

Right after the pandemic hit and everything but golf courses closed down, I made it out to play 9 on my own. I played the front 9 in an hour and 10 minutes. That was a lot of fun (and a couple of twosomes were nice enough to let me play through). Of course once people realized that golf was the only activity available to them....courses got crowded.

[camion]

No, not at all, since the OP asserted that she had two holes-in-one in the same WEEK, not in the same round.

I think by COVID-19 rules rounds, days, weeks are the same. They certainly are for me.

[killerleft]

I had not considered the "covid rules" aspect of the shots. I did look it up this morning and found out that in normal times the hole-in-one would not count. I didn't go farther, but I wouldn't be surprised if no score could be turned in for the round, since the hole was never finished.

[rsvman]

I had not considered the "covid rules" aspect of the shots. I did look it up this morning and found out that in normal times the hole-in-one would not count. I didn't go farther, but I wouldn't be surprised if no score could be turned in for the round, since the hole was never finished.

The hole was completed if the hole had some kind of obstruction in it that prevented the ball from falling all the way into the hole. Otherwise, you are correct, the hole has not been completed.

[jv001]

The hole was completed if the hole had some kind of obstruction in it that prevented the ball from falling all the way into the hole. Otherwise, you are correct, the hole has not been completed.

I'm impressed rsvman. You know your golf rules almost as good as your knowledge in medicine. What's your handicap?

[cato]

I'm impressed rsvman. You know your golf rules almost as good as your knowledge in medicine. What's your handicap?

Who would have imagined a golfing MD?

(Says the golfing lawyer).