2 October 2026 · 8 min read
Hole in one: how likely it is, what it means and what custom asks of you
1 in 12,500 for the average amateur, 1 in 2,500 for the professional: what a hole in one is, what custom asks of you afterwards and what insurance in Switzerland pays for.
A hole in one is a ball that goes into the hole from the tee with the first stroke of a hole (Wikipedia). Ace is the same word, mostly in American English. For an average amateur the chance is 1 in 12,500, for a professional 1 in 2,500 (hio.com). Further down you find what custom asks of you afterwards and what an insurance policy in Switzerland covers. I read the pages of the providers and associations on 2 October 2026.
What counts as a hole in one?
The ball has to come from the tee and end up in the hole with the first stroke of the hole. It happens most often on a par 3, the shortest hole of a course. A tee shot after a lost ball, a ball out of bounds or in water does not count, because a penalty stroke has already been added (Wikipedia). How you carry on after a lost ball or out of bounds is explained in Lost ball, out of bounds, penalty area, and the rules for the tee shot are in Golf rules for beginners.
The whole ball has to be in the hole. If it is stuck in the side wall of the hole and not entirely below the surface of the green, it does not count as holed according to the clarifications of the R&A, even if it touches the flagstick. The words par, birdie and ace are in Golf terms explained.
How likely is a hole in one?
The best-known odds come from the USA. PGA.com gave them in 2021, citing the National Hole-In-One Registry, and works with 450 million rounds a year in the USA (PGA.com). The provider of hole-in-one insurance hio.com gives 2,500 to 1 for professionals, PGA.com 3,000 to 1. Two sources, two numbers for the same group: take them as an order of magnitude, not as an exact measurement.
| Group | Chance of a hole in one | Source |
|---|---|---|
| average golfer | 1 in 12,500 | PGA.com 2021 and hio.com |
| player with a low handicap | 1 in 5,000 | PGA.com 2021 |
| tour professional | 1 in 3,000 (PGA.com), 1 in 2,500 (hio.com) | PGA.com 2021 and hio.com |
| competitions of the German Golf Federation 2007 | about 1 in 10,150 tee shots on par 3, that is 0.009 percent | Golfsportmagazin after DGV |
European numbers are rare. According to the Golfsportmagazin the German Golf Federation published a statistic for the last time in 2007: 473 holes in one in competitions, all on par 3 holes, which were played about 4.8 million times that year. That makes about one in every 10,150 tee shots. I did not find a published statistic for Switzerland. How many people play golf here at all is shown in Golf in Switzerland in numbers.
How long does it take to the first ace?
PGA.com works with one hole in one per 3,500 rounds. Only 1 to 2 percent of golfers make one in a year, and on average 24 years of playing pass before the first. A worked example: someone who plays 40 rounds a year needs, at 3,500 rounds per ace, 87.5 years in theory. The 24 years and the 87.5 years are far apart, and the source does not explain how it arrives at the 24 years. Both are averages over many players, not a statement about you.
| Frame | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| rounds per hole in one in the USA | 3,500 | PGA.com 2021 |
| golfers with a hole in one per year | 1 to 2 percent | PGA.com 2021 |
| years of playing to the first hole in one on average | 24 | PGA.com 2021 |
| event with 100 amateurs and four par 3 holes: one hole in one in the field | 1 in 32 | hio.com |
| two holes in one by one player in the same round | 1 in 67 million | PGA.com 2021 |
| two holes in one in the same group on the same hole | 1 in 17 million | PGA.com 2021 |
What does custom ask of you?
The sources call it a custom. According to 20 Minuten (2014), whoever hits a hole in one buys a round. Whether only for the playing partners or for everyone in the clubhouse differs from club to club. The Golfsportmagazin writes that some German clubs keep an honour board for holes in one next to the board for the club champions.
What that means for you: ask at the club before you stand on the course who is meant by the round. Then you know whether you order for the playing partners in your group or for the whole clubhouse.
What does the round cost, and what does insurance cover?
Insurers offer the round in the clubhouse as part of a golf insurance. Vaudoise covers the usual round in the clubhouse after a hole in one up to CHF 3,000, in all three variants of its golf insurance. At its core the policy covers the equipment against theft, breakage or loss by a transport company (Vaudoise, page read on 2 October 2026):
| Variant | Sum insured for the equipment | Round after a hole in one | Premium per person and year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHF 4,000 | CHF 3,000 | CHF 66 |
| 2 | CHF 8,000 | CHF 3,000 | CHF 86 |
| 3 | CHF 12,000 | CHF 3,000 | CHF 106 |
The premium includes the federal stamp duty of 5 percent. The page names no further conditions for the hole in one, they are in the policy. The members of the Liechtenstein Golf Federation are insured through the Schweizerische Mobiliar, where the insurer pays at most CHF 1,000 towards the consumption in the clubhouse (Liechtenstein Golf Federation). Whether your club or your insurer offers something similar you only learn by asking.
What proof and witnesses are needed?
The insurance has fixed conditions. As an example the policy of the Liechtenstein Golf Federation:
- You play the hole in one as part of an official golf tournament.
- The distance from the tee to the hole is at least 100 metres.
- A member of the tournament or club management confirms the hole in one.
- The insurer wants, promptly and in writing, the original of the signed scorecard with the signature of the organising club, the official tournament results and the receipts for the consumption.
What that means for you: in a tournament, have the committee confirm the hole in one at once and keep the receipts. Which abbreviations appear on a scorecard and in the results is explained in Golf abbreviations from HCP to DQ.
Does a hole in one count in a simulator?
I found neither a rule nor a statistic on this. The Liechtenstein policy asks for an official golf tournament. A shot in the bay is not one, so by the wording of these conditions it does not fall under them. If you expect something different at a venue, ask there. Which courses you can play in a simulator is described in Courses in the golf simulator.
Practise for a hole in one: venues in the directory
A hole in one cannot be planned. In a simulator you can repeat the shot to a short hole stroke by stroke. The directory lists 126 venues, 110 indoor venues and 16 ranges with ball-flight tracking, in 21 cantons (as of 2 October 2026). The map shows them by canton, golf simulator near me the nearest one, and anyone new to the game starts with golf simulator for beginners.
Frequently asked questions
How likely is a hole in one?
For an average amateur the chance is 1 in 12,500 according to the National Hole-In-One Registry, for a player with a low handicap 1 in 5,000 and for a tour professional 1 in 3,000 (PGA.com 2021) or 1 in 2,500 (hio.com). These are American numbers.
What does ace mean in golf?
Ace is another word for hole in one: the ball goes into the hole from the tee with the first stroke of a hole. The term is mostly used in American English. A tee shot after a penalty stroke, for example after a ball out of bounds, does not count.
Do I have to buy a round after a hole in one?
It is a golf custom. According to 20 Minuten (2014), whoever hits a hole in one buys a round. Whether only for the playing partners or for everyone in the clubhouse differs from club to club. So ask your club beforehand.
Is there hole-in-one insurance in Switzerland?
Yes, for example at Vaudoise: its golf insurance covers the usual round in the clubhouse after a hole in one up to CHF 3,000, and the premium starts at CHF 66 per person and year (page read on 2 October 2026). The further conditions are in the policy.
What proof does the insurer need for a hole in one?
With the policy of the Liechtenstein Golf Federation it is the confirmation by the tournament or club management, the original of the signed scorecard, the official results and the receipts. The shot has to be made in an official tournament and be at least 100 metres long.
Sources
- hio.com: What Are The Odds Of Making A Hole In One? (1 zu 12'500 für Amateure, 1 zu 2'500 für Profis, Turnierbeispiel 1 zu 32)
- PGA.com: Odds of a Hole-in-One, Albatross, Condor (20. März 2021) (Zahlen der National Hole-In-One Registry, 3'500 Runden je Ass, 1 bis 2 % pro Jahr)
- Golfsportmagazin: Ein Hole in One beim Golf (DGV-Statistik 2007: 473 Hole in Ones, Ehrentafeln, Brauch)
- Wikipedia: Hole in one (Begriff, Ace, Abschlag nach Strafschlag zählt nicht)
- R&A: Definitions and Clarifications (Holed) (ein Ball in der Seitenwand des Lochs ist nicht eingelocht)
- Vaudoise: Golfversicherung (Runde im Clubhaus bis CHF 3'000, drei Varianten, Prämien CHF 66, 86 und 106)
- Golfverband Liechtenstein: Hole in one Versicherung (Bedingungen und Belege der Police, höchstens CHF 1'000)
- 20 Minuten: Die clevere Idee der Hobby-Golfer (25. März 2014) (Brauch, eine Runde auszugeben, von Club zu Club verschieden)
- Swiss Golf Simulators: eigene Einträge (Anlagen im Verzeichnis, Stand 2. Oktober 2026)