Can I intend to make a hole-in-one on the 4th hole at Belle Isle Golf Detroit?
It’s a short par-3 course, and this hole is only 35 yards. I’m playing off a mat to protect the tee box, and it’s not a traditional round.
Still, the shot isn’t simple. I’ve got to go under a tree and over a bunker. The wind varies. I can’t see the cup. The slope near the hole is an illegally steep 7.51%—for context, the PGA TOUR typically limits pin placements to slopes between 0–4%.
A statistician told me that the odds of a pro like me holing out from just 25 yards in the fairway are about 1 in 105. From 35 yards, with these conditions? The odds are definitely worse.
Mathematically, I shouldn’t make it.
But can clear intention help beat the odds?
Let’s explore it!
Temperature: 66-68 Degrees Fahreneheit
Elevation: 580 feet
Wind: 10 mph ESE with tail wind gusts of 20 mph
Ball: @titleist
Club: @SterlingIrons 55-degree Sand Wedge bent to 57-degrees
Glove: @FootJoy
Shaft: @TrueTemperGolf Project X LZ 6.0 120-grams
Grip: @golfpridegrips with @arccosgolfsensor
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Can I make a hole in one on this hole just by intending it? Pros: From the fairway and 25 yards will hole out only about one in 110 tries. I played the hole 100 times and spoiler alert, I made 34 birdies and I averaged 2.56 shots during those 100 holes. I played one ball only and I had to hit it low enough to hit under a tree, so that made it more difficult. I had to hit it hard enough to get over the bunker. That also made it hard. So this slope here, I measured it where the hole was, it was 7.51%. So very, very steep. So that made it much much more difficult to not only make the hole in one, but I was playing the holes out. So it made it also made it really hard to make the birdie because there was so much uh so much uh curve to the putts and slope.
1 Comment
Dude quit playing with your hair