The Albatross - the rarest of all golfing birds?

A discussion came around at Scottsdale HQ recently, with virtually everyone involved and, most rare for workplace discussions, almost everyone was universally in agreement.  The topic?  How rare is it to have an albatross in golf?

A score on a hole equal to three strokes under par in golf is called an albatross or in the US, a double eagle. Certainly a real boost for the score card, but we wanted to have a look at just how hard these bad boys are to come by.

Essentially, an albatross is achieved when a player either scores a two on a par 5 or boxes it off the tee on a par 4.  For many golf's holy grail is a hole-in-one, an ace!  However, upon researching this article, my suspicions were confirmed, albatrosses are rarer than a Manchester United fan who lives near Old Trafford.  Similar to darts 9-dart finish or snookers 147, they are the ultimate.  I have had 4 hole-in-ones but it's a big fat zero in the old albatross column!   They are far, far rarer than a hole in one.  Let's looks into it.

Why are they so rare?
The short answer is because more of the time they require two near perfect shots.  You need 1 quality shot (or 1 very lucky one) for a hole in one.  To make a 2 on a par 5 though means that above average length is required.  If you can't reach the par 5's in two, you are joining this club!  Some studies suggest that this limits the potential for an albatross to less than 10% of all golfers.

In the 2012 Masters Tournament, Louis Oosthuizen used a 4-iron from 253 yards to make a 2 on the 2nd in the final round.  This followed a massive 320-yard tee shot down the second fairway.  Who can hit a 4 iron 253 yards even downhill.  Well, I'll go first.... not me!



The odds
Hole In One - 12,500 to 1
Albatross - 6,000,000 to 1
Struck by lightning - 500,000 to 1

As you can see, it's not happening too often!

The best players in the world and Albatrosses
I don't play as many practice rounds with Tiger Woods as I would like, so I can't sure how many he has had kicking back with the lads, but he hasn't managed one on Tour.  He came pretty close at the 2015 Waste Management Open though. After a 329-yard drive, Tiger hit his second shot 7 inches from the pin for a tap-in eagle.  Now, that I have done.  When I was a junior and there was a gale behind me on the 2nd at Hayling, I hit two 3 woods to a few inches for my first eagle.  Still not sure how it happened as I don't think I reached the green again in 2 for years!  I can't remember ever coming as close since, and that was in 1994!

Major Championship Albatrosses
As you might expect from the previous part of this article, you guessed it, albatrosses don’t happen very often at men' sMajor Championships, which feature the best players in the world.  There have been only 18.  Think of all the rounds played in Majors over the years.  Amazing!  Albatross, we salute you!

If anyone has had one, please email us at pro@scottsdalegolf.co.uk to tell us all about it, we really would love to hear about it!