The perfect hole-in-one
Say what? Perfect hole-in-one? Sounds like the perfect martini! I mean, isn’t a plain old martini or any old hole-in-one good enough, whichever way it goes down?
Not for golf-crazed analytical types like me!
First, consider all the ways of making a hole-in-one: You can neatly roll the ball straight in after landing in line with the pin or curl it in using the slope of the green. You can bank it off the grassy knoll to the side of the green or spin one with a little “backup boogaloo” from beyond the pin.
You could even top a shot or hit a wicked slice off two or three trees and have it ricochet into the hole, all while you’re not paying attention because you’re breaking your club in frustration over your mishit. Lastly, you could land the ball directly in the hole on the fly: slam dunk or swish!
scorecard, “no pictures included,” as is often joked about.
The consensus opinion
After asking around, flying it directly into the hole was unanimously selected as the perfect hole-in-one. I agreed but, with due credit to Lee Corso, added, “Not so fast!”
I proposed that the perfect hole-in-one has to go precisely in the center of the hole, like Justin Rose’s did in the 2026 Tour Championship.
That is, Rose’s shot did not damage the dirt around the rim of the hole at all. No repair work necessary. That in itself is amazing, inasmuch as such shots often blow up the hole.
Pushing the envelope
One respondent thought the “swish” hole-in-one would not only be perfect but also the most “emotionally satisfying.” Again, “Not so fast,” I asserted.
Consider the satisfaction of seeing the ball slowly roll for a while, the excitement and anticipation building until the ball pauses on the lip of the cup before dropping in for an ace as the celebration erupts!
In contrast, the slam dunk is kind of like gulping down a shot of gin rather than savoring a full martini. I mean, both the gulp and the slam dunk are gone in a flash: no anticipation, no time for excitement.
When Rose’s ball vanished upon hitting the green, the initial reaction was, “Where is it? It disappeared. Where did it go?” rather than, “Hooray, a hole-in-one!” It took a few seconds for the momentous event to register.
There is one other little wrinkle: If Rose’s shot had missed the hole by the slightest bit and landed on the hard, dried-out surface of the green, he might have been looking at a second shot from over the back of the green.
virtually guaranteed to stop within inches. So there is a bit of built-in insurance included with the rolling shot.
But is that extra security enough to make the roll-in more perfect than the dramatic slam dunk that is gone in a flash?
Dr. Tom Dorsel is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and a clinical/sport psychologist practicing on HHI. His best-selling book is “GOLF: The Mental Game,” and he can be reached on Facebook or through Dorsel.com.
