MIND / MEMBERS TEE M
Tradition or Punishment? We asked our community membership: Should golfers who make a hole-in-one have to buy everyone drinks?
The odds of an average golfer making a hole-in-one on a par-3 is 1 in 12 500 – close
to as mathematically rare as being struck by lightning. You would think this nearly impossible feat would be accompanied by a reward, but instead, our game’s tradition stipulates that the lucky player foots the bill for as many lucky patrons as happen to be in the clubhouse bar at the time. According to the Golf Digest+ community, perhaps this tradition should be retired. What follows are the results of our members’ responses to the question: “Should golf- ers who make a hole-in-one have to buy everyone drinks?”– PAUL DETRE Team “Yes” (31 percent) Mark Ohlson, Oregon.: “Yes, at least drinks. I took my foursome and all the wives out for a steak dinner that night.” Ross Jardine, Utah: “It’s tradition and breaking this one is sure to invoke the wrath of the golf gods on your game. Not worth the risk for a few bucks of booze.” Frank Hann, California: “If you don’t buy drinks for everyone when you’re this happy, then you’re probably some- one who would never buy a round of drinks.” Team “No” (40 percent) Michael Jefferson, West Virginia: “After my first hole-in-one, I was happy to accommodate a sparsely populated clubhouse that genuinely acted as though they could appreciate the feat. However, after the second hole-in-one it was apparent that the onlookers and barflies were only happy about the re- occurrence of another free drink. The third hole-in-one to a nearly full bar was more depressing than celebratory.”
David Peters, Pennsylvania: “Heck no. It’s like winning the World Cup or Super Bowl, and the team needs to buy everyone in the stadium a beer. On sec- ond thought. . .” John Bridges, Utah: “No. One of the worst things in golf is when you hit a great shot and get penalised. That’s exactly what this tradition is. Everyone should buy the hole-in-oner drinks.” Team “It Depends” (29 percent) John Dunagan, North Carolina: “This should be something that the golfer can configure to his economic status.” Jeromy Romfelt, North Carolina: “Only if they want to. It’s a very cool tra- dition, but if someone doesn’t have the financial means to do so, they shouldn’t feel pressured.”
Zack Hunter, Georgia: “Everyone in the group they are playing with? Yes. Every single person at the course or anyone hanging out at the 19th hole? No.” Tom Dewaal, New York: “It’s one thing to have a hole-in-one and buy drinks at your home club, where you know many of the members and have played golf with plenty of them, but another entirely if you have a hole-in-one as a visitor at another club where you know nobody. In that case I would just treat my foursome, rather than the whole clubhouse.” Blair Rogers, Arizona: “Rather than let everyone in the clubhouse order their own drinks, expensive choices at that, buy a bottle of single malt whisky and put it on your table. Pour a tot for anyone wanting to celebrate your good fortune.”
26 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JUNE 2025
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