Every golfer is a bird chaser. Golf uses the names of birds to refer to the number of strokes under par. We’re all familiar with a birdie and an eagle, but you don’t hear about too often is an albatross. The reason for that is because scoring an albatross is incredibly difficult and unlikely.
What Is An Albatross In Golf Terms
An albatross in golf means scoring three shots under par (-3) on a hole. Otherwise known as a double eagle, it is technically only possible on a par-5 hole because scoring 3 under par on a par-4 would be considered a hole-in-one.
How Rare Is An Albatross In Golf
An albatross remains one of the rarest scoring phenomena in golf. It is much rarer than scoring a hole-in-one. In fact, there are only a handful of players who have ever achieved an albatross, including Jack Nicklaus, Nicholas Thompson, and Gene Sarazen.
The official odds of scoring an albatross are 6 million to 1. Whereas, hitting a hole-in-one for amateur golfers is 12 700 to 1.
It is so rare to score an albatross because it essentially requires a player to sink their second shot on a par-5. The second shot on a par-5 is usually about 200-yards from the green, so, it would require the highest level of precision, and a whole lot of luck to hole the second shot.
One infrequent occurrence worth noting was Nicholas Thompson’s albatross in the 2009 Fry.com Open. After scoring an albatross on the par-5 11th hole, he went on to hit a hole-in-one two holes later on the par-3 13th. In recorded golf history that feat has never been achieved by any other player.
What Is Better Than An Albatross In Golf
There is only one better feat than an albatross in golf, and that is a “condor.” A condor is getting a hole-in-one on a par 5. It is so rare that there are no odds recorded for hitting a condor on a golf round.
However, it has been done and recorded four times throughout golf’s history. Three of the four recorded condors were scored on dogleg par-5’s, where the players aimed over top of hazards and trees directly at the green. Of course, the players couldn’t see the hole, so there was a ton of luck involved.
There was one instance of a condor on a straight par-5 hole. It occurred in Denver Colorado, where the air is thinner, and the ball flies much easier through the air.
In Golf, What Is Another Name For An Albatross
The other term used to refer to an albatross is a double eagle. It may be slightly confusing hearing both terms used, but they are the same thing. Anytime someone calls it a double eagle, they are talking about an albatross and not a condor.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever scored an albatross, or have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them in the section below.
FAQ
Has Tiger Woods had an albatross?
No, he doesn’t. But Tiger Woods has had a lot of bad breaks in his golf career. He’s had numerous life-changing events that have left him broken and depressed over the last few years as he’s struggled to stay relevant as a golfer.
Is albatross better than hole-in-one?
Yes, an albatross is better than a hole-in-one. When a golfer hits their tee shot straight into the hole on a par 3, they have achieved a hole in one. In contrast, Albatross refers to when a player gets the ball into the hole in 2 shots on a par 5 or a hole in one on a par 4. Both give the golfer a score of -3.
How many albatrosses does Augusta have?
The Augusta National Stadium has seen only four albatrosses throughout its entire history of The Master’s Tournament that started in 1934. However, each Albatross happened on a different hole, and no hole has seen two albatrosses yet.
