Hole in one and albatross for 20 handicapper

Caption: Rowan McCarhty, a 20 handicapper, who scored a hole in one and an albatross (two on a par five) in one round.

By Neville Idour

For most golfers, especially 20 handicappers, a hole in one is pretty special.

But how about a hole in one followed three holes later by an albatross two on a par five.

This happened recently at the Wembley Golf Course in Perth, Western Australia.

Rowan McCarthy, a 20 handicapper, hit a perfect seven iron into the 169-metre 12th hole which landed on the green front and rolled nicely to drop in.

On the 15th hole, McCarthy hit a big drive on the par five which left him a 185-metre shot downhill. Using the contour by the green, the ball fed nicely to hit the flag and drop in.

To add even more drama McCarthy may well have played one of the craziest five hole stretches of all time. It began on the 11th hole with a triple bogey. Then came the ace on the 12th followed by a double boegy on the 13th, a triple bogey on the 14th and finally the albatross on the 15th. He gained five shots to par but dropped eight.

Despite the two standout holes he finished the round two over his handicap.

Still he said: “I will never forget this day.” He now has a new social media address of @shankmagic.

So if you hope to emulate McCarthy’s feat here are the odds. Chances of a hole in one are around 12,000 to one. For an albatross we are in the millions. So to achieve both ine one round it may be many one in billions.

Caption: Wembley Golf Course in Perth where a 20 handicapper scored in hole in one and an albatross (a two on a par five) in the same round. Photo credit: Wembley Golf Course.

To add some perspective Wembley is rated as one of the very best public courses in Australia.

There are two 18-hole courses with trees lining undulating fairways. There is also an 18 hole mini course which is a scaled down version of a full course, featuring bunkers, bridges, water and quality landscaping. There is an 80-bay two level driving range plus huge areas for the restaurant and golf shop.

We are talking Perth here. So is there any reason why New Zealand city councils can’t have the same attitude towards it’s public facilities?