10 Astonishing Golf Facts You Won’t Believe
Golf is a pretty polarizing sport. Some people find it exhilarating while others are pretty bored. What cannot be disputed, however, is that gold is a sport that is all about statistics. And some of them are incredibly interesting, like these, for instance:
1. 1 in 67 Million
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The chances of achieving consecutive holes-in-one are around one in 67 million. That might be surprising to hear. It is widely believed that John Hudson, renowned in the 70s, is the only professional golfer to achieve such a feat. His record at the Martini Tournament in Norwich remains unbeaten. The 11th and 12th holes were 195 yards and 311 yards. It seems like no matter how much you practice on your Country Club Elite Golf Mats®, the odds are always against you.
2. Above Sea Level
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The highest golf course in the world is located at the Tactu Golf Club in Morococha, Peru. At its lowest point of elevation, the course is 14,335 feet above sea level. The course has been out of use since the mid-90s and is said to be unrecognizable, thanks to an overgrowth of weeds.
3. Dimples
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The divots on a conventional golf ball are affectionately named ‘dimples’. As a matter of fact, regulations state that there must be 336 dimples on a professional golf ball. That’s significantly more than your average teenager.
4. It’s All About the Money
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Tiger Woods, the biggest household name in golf, has racked up over $100 million in prize winnings to date. Thus making him the richest golfer in the world with a net worth of almost $700 million.
5. Putty In Your Hands
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The longest golf putt ever recorded clocks in at an astonishing 375 feet. We can’t quite get our heads around how you can generate that much power with a single swing, but that’s exactly what Fergus Muir did in 2001. And at the tender age of 66, to boot.
6. Longest Hole in One
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The record for the longest hole in one belongs to Lou Kretlow, who achieved a hole-in-one at a 427-yard course in 1961. Kretlow was originally a baseball player and enjoyed much success. He only became a professional golfer after hanging up his gloves. We can certainly think of worse ways to enjoy retirement.
7. Out of This World
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Golf remains one of only two sports to have been played on the moon. In 1967, Alan Bartlett swung a golf club and sent a ball flying into the low-gravity atmosphere. Javelin is the other.
8. Sheepish
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The standard golf course is 18 holes, but the first recorded 18-hole course was located on a sheep farm in Illinois. It is still open for business but reduced to just nine holes today.
9. The Longest Yard
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Michael Austin currently holds the record for longest drive on an ordinary golf course. The Californian was famous for his long drives, but nobody could have expected such an achievement. His 1974 feat at Winterwood Golf Course remains in the book of Guinness World Records. He is currently 95 years old.
10. The World’s Largest Bunker
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The largest bunker in the world can be found at Pine Valley Course, New Jersey. Hell’s Half Acre, as it has come to be known, can be found on the 585-yard 7th hole of the course. The course is well known for its other challenging holes, including the delicately named “Devil’s Asshole.”