Would it count??

[JerryB]

Having an otherwise pretty miserable time, my son and I decided to tee off from the tee box on four (little blue spot) towards the green on five (bottom right corner).

Surprisingly I was very close to draining it.  It was roughly 190 yards away.  I've seen the question asked regarding simulators and tiny par three courses, but this would be a new one for me.  

If you were to ace this particular shot, would you consider it a hole in one?

[cnosil]

2 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Having an otherwise pretty miserable time, my son and I decided to tee off from the tee box on four (little blue spot) towards the green on five (bottom right corner).

Surprisingly I was very close to draining it.  It was roughly 190 yards away.  I've seen the question asked regarding simulators and tiny par three courses, but this would be a new one for me.  

If you were to ace this particular shot, would you consider it a hole in one?

If I understand correctly,  you tee'd off on 4 and hit the wrong green (5) and almost made the shot.  Sorry,  no that wouldn't be a hole in one as you haven't completed hole 4 and would have to continue playing the hole until you hole out in the correct hole.     If the opposite is true,  you tee'd off on the 4th hole tee box on the 5 hole, then no again as you would be penalized for using the incorrect tee box.  

[JerryB]

59 minutes ago, cnosil said:

If I understand correctly,  you tee'd off on 4 and hit the wrong green (5) and almost made the shot.

Correct, sort of.  The green on five was the intended target, so it's technically the correct green.

[NM01]

1 hour ago, JerryB said:

Correct, sort of.  The green on five was the intended target, so it's technically the correct green.

It’s not the correct green because it’s not the green on hole marked on the course. You have to make it on the green of the designated hole from the tee box. So tee box in 4 must be holed on the green on hole 4. Same for 5. Doesn’t matter if 5 green was the intended target of your shot

[alfriday101]

I have two official HIOs and one unofficial HIO.  The unofficial HIO came when playing by myself and varying the tee boxes.  On hole 15 I played the yellow (forward) tees because they were close to the 14th green and I didn't want to walk up the hill to the other tees.  I hit a beautiful shot that landed just long of the hole, spun back and fell in the cup. Great memory, but not an official HIO.  It is fun for me to remember.  I still savor the shot.  But I don't count it as a HIO when asked.  

[DaveP043]

First, there's no "official" requirements for a hole in one.  But in my own opinion, you need to be playing the course within the Rules.  In the OPs case, its NOT within the Rules, as he hasn't played form the Teeing Area for that hole.

[JerryB]

Weird follow-up for you guys now that I'm in a rabbit hole...

What about if I aced a regular hole, but the course is closed?

Or what I'd I'm playing a solo round and I get one with nobody to attest?

[DaveP043]

2 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Weird follow-up for you guys now that I'm in a rabbit hole...

What about if I aced a regular hole, but the course is closed?

Or what I'd I'm playing a solo round and I get one with nobody to attest?

My opinion only, those count.  You may not get any recognition from a golf club, or an equipment manufacturer, or your state association, but its still an ace.

[G56788]

I would count it. You may not get a plaque or recognition from the course, but you teed off from an area designated as the start of a hole and finished in the area you defined before you teed off as the end of the hole. When telling the story, call it hole 4.5, then refuse to elaborate. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

They count to you. But officially you need a witness. 

Reminds me of a story published in a golf magazine. It went something like this.

A young adult tees it up early in the morning when only the grounds crew were on the course. The young lady makes a hole in one and looks around and there was no one to see it. About the same time a freight train going by sounds its whistle.  She finishes her round and tells the pro shop that she made a hole in one. They said great job but there weren't any witnesses so she couldn't be officially recognized. A few days later a letter shows up at the golf course from the train operator congratulating the young lady. She was then officially recognized.  

[DaveP043]

21 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

But officially you need a witness. 

Who do you believe defines what is an "official" hole in one?  I've read lots of discussions about what is or is not official, but I have never heard of a specific authority for that status.  I do agree, each organization may have their own criteria, but its not like there's anything in the Rules that define this.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

29 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Who do you believe defines what is an "official" hole in one?  I've read lots of discussions about what is or is not official, but I have never heard of a specific authority for that status.  I do agree, each organization may have their own criteria, but its not like there's anything in the Rules that define this.

As published in Golfweek:

The rules specify that you should hit the ball from a standard or "recognized" tee box.

The rules also require that you hit the ball from the normal tee or a club-modified tee that is recognized by the USGA (United States Golf Association). You must play a round of at least nine holes to qualify. Rushing to your course after work at 7 p.m. and playing five holes before dark will not qualify, even though you may enjoy the thrill of a tee-to-green hole out.

Also, even if you play the minimum nine holes, but as a "practice" round (using two or three balls), you cannot score a USGA-recognized hole-in-one. You must play one ball only.

If you complete nine or 18 holes but play alone with no partners, you cannot make a recognized hole-in-one. You become similar to the solitary fisherman who hooks the biggest fish on the planet, but no one is there to see it. Someone must be with you to attest to witnessing your hole-in-one.

Also, that someone must be acceptable to the USGA. For example, if your 4-year old son or daughter is with you, it could be a challenge to verify and validate your shot. You would have to settle for the personal satisfaction of making a once-in-a-lifetime shot without official recognition.

[Stuka44]

I'm curious with this wrinkle.  One course around me conducts a "Cross Country Day" toward the end of their season.  Where the course is laid out to t-off from one tee box with another green being the green you are supposed to go to, its about a 14 hole set up.

[AzRoger]

The men's club at many golf courses include 'hole in one' insurance in your annual fee to cover the bar tab after a hole on one, would definitely need to be witnessed to be covered. It almost happened a couple times playing by myself, if it did I think I would keep quiet about it, it's more about practice usually playing a couple balls, can't be counted as an official score in any case.

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

As published in Golfweek:

I searched and found the article you reference here:

https://golftips.golfweek.usatoday.com/official-hole-one-rules-1846.html

And the article from this website, which is itself  associated with the USA Today newspaper" references the USGA.  So I went to www.usga.org and searched for "official hole in one requirements."  And I found nothing, the USGA doesn't define what makes a hole in one "official".  Now I don't have any problem if Golfweek wants to define its own criteria.  Your local club may have different criteria, a hole-in-one insurer will have their own criteria, https://nationalholeinoneregistry.com/ has its own as well.  That one, the self-proclaimed national registry, asks for names of witnesses, but doesn't ask for any method of contacting them.  I honestly don't care what criteria any organization uses, but there simply isn't a single unified criteria for an "official" hole in one.

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, stuka44 said:

I'm curious with this wrinkle.  One course around me conducts a "Cross Country Day" toward the end of their season.  Where the course is laid out to t-off from one tee box with another green being the green you are supposed to go to, its about a 14 hole set up.

What does the course say about that issue?  If this is an organized competition, and the club recognizes the ace, then its all good!