The Odds of Hitting a Hole-in-One? The Odds of Doing the Right Thing?

There's a registry for folks who have hit the
much coveted "hole-in-one."

I am fairly convinced that some things in life will never happen to me. I say this because I know how I am and how I would react. Said items would be too much for me to handle. Good, bad or otherwise, I think one of those items—and it pains me to write this— is a hole-in-one.

I say this because if I were to hit a hole-in-one, I know I would find a way to integrate it into any given conversation. Relevance be damned! I would be able to weave my feat into any exchange in under five minutes. Waiting in line in the grocery store or any other line for that matter would allow me to preach to a new audience on a regular basis.

I'm sure my hole-in-one would grow in size and stature with each passing version of the story. I would start with my club selection, "I decided to club up" and I would carefully explain what I did/how it happened. I might lie and say something to the effect of "I didn't know where the ball went and I looked in the cup. There it was!" That will never be true. I hope for one on any and every par 3 hole I approach. 

I would add color commentary by way of my friends' reactions and from those on the course. I hope we would celebrate in the club house where I had taken insurance out just a month prior to hitting the eagle shot.

NB:A tradition at many golf clubs is that when a person hits a hole-in-one, they must buy drinks for everyone at the club for the rest of the day. Consequently, many clubs allow members to take out insurance against a hole in one, meaning  your ledger includes a small monthly fee so you will not be responsible for that day's bar bill. I can't think of another example in life where one takes out insurance for something good to happen. Fire, earthquake and home insurance is only used if my property is damaged. Life insurance is really death insurance, etc.

The BMW was the prize for shooting a hole-in-one at a fundraiser for a charity called Winners Lacrosse. Colin Dunn did something even better than acing the 17th hole and keeping the car. (Jimmy Fiske/Courtesy of Winners Lacrosse)

I've been fortunate in my 4-year golfing career to have seen a hole-in-one just once. I wrote about it and I still talk about it. And this story about Colin Dunn, who went to Notre Dame for his MBA  is not only remarkable, it points to the type of person who should get a hole-in-one. 

I enjoyed everything about this story: the trick he played on his wife (I would do that to my husband), that he was involved in a golf tournament for a cause near and dear to his heart and most especially the last two lines of the story. I hope you will read the Washington Post local piece: A local golfer aced his tee shot, and then he did what?

Congratulations Colin. You gave me plenty to talk about in the grocery store line and beyond for the past two weeks, and it wasn't just the choice of the 5-wood. Because of your example, the odds of doing the right thing might be a little less than 13,000 to 1. Golf has a way of doing that...it's the only sport where a negative is a positive. 

Photo Credits
Hole in One Registry